Between Nov. 13 and 19, Madison College students logged into their email and cast their ballot for the Student Activity Board (SAB) referendum.  

With support from the student community, the referendum saw 636 students voting, with a voter turnout of 6%. A total of 577 students voted yes on the referendum, meaning 90.7% of students voted in favor of its passing. 

The affirmative votes were 3% higher than the Textbook Rental Referendum in 2018. 

The SAB referendum asked students whether they supported restructuring the Student Activity Fee from a percentage of tuition to a flat rate of $12.30 per credit, increasing up to 3% each year if needed.  

“Without the additional revenue, it would have been very difficult for the students to allocate the very limited funds to the many student organizations, activities and clubs that rely on that money to be active on campus,” said student program advisor Ellie Rome.

Rome said that the referendum was successful because the student leaders thoughtfully decided to restructure the fee rather than increase it for everyone.  

“They looked at whether it was fair for students to pay different amounts depending on the type of classes they were taking, and ultimately decided that it was not.” said Rome. 

Members of the SAB provided referendum information from Nov. 6 through Nov. 16 by tabling and encouraging students to vote. Other SAB members gave classroom presentations, provided information, explained referendum details and answered questions from the students. 

“The student organizations came together to promote the referendum and get students to vote.” 

Due to the way they restructured it, many students will not see an increase in their student activity fee at all next year.  

The Student Senate formally accepted the results of the referendum at their General Assembly meeting on Thursday, Nov. 30. The Madison College District Board must also approve the restructured fee as part of the overall budget for 2024-2025.