Letter: Students should help other students

My condolences on the referendum. I should be clear up front: I voted in favour of the media levy, and I’m disappointed that I was in the minority.

I can’t say I’m surprised, though. It was pretty clear that, within a couple of days of the launch of the campaign, the media levy question had quickly become a referendum on whether or not students like the Muse, instead of whether the student body would benefit from increased funding to student media resources.

This is why I voted for the increase. We currently do not have a journalism program at Memorial, and the only media training available to students is through CHMR (the campus radio station) and the Muse.

Both of these campus organizations suffer from severe underfunding, in fact, they are both among the lowest-funded student media groups in the country. So when I was given the chance to contribute an extra $2 per semester to the student newspaper, I did it, not because I enjoy reading the Muse (though I do enjoy the occasional crossword and movie review), but because I recognize the value of the organization to the students that contribute to it as writers, photographers, and editors.

Consequently, when CHMR asks for a similar referendum, the focus shouldn’t be on whether students actually listen to the station (which I imagine would be a small number) but whether the resource is worthwhile for the opportunity for students to train in radio broadcasting.

Similarly, I hope that if the Muse requests another referendum in the future, students will consider it from a training perspective, instead of voting based on how much they like the paper. Best of luck next time around!

Kyle Rees

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