The referendum, which would have increased the student activity fee to $16.50 for all students, failed to pass because Article 6, Section 503 of the Student Code states that at least 10 percent of the student body must vote in an election for student fees to be raised.
Only 417 students voted Tuesday. The student body is composed of about 25,000 students. Of those who voted, 57.8 percent of students voted to raise the student activity fee and 42.2 percent voted against the proposal. "I'm disappointed that more students didn't turn out to vote," said Student Body President Jen Daum.
Student Congress Speaker Tony Larson said there will be an effort during the fall semester to push for the referendum's passage.
But Larson said strategizing will begin now. Though a special election cannot occur until the fall, Larson said he will start working with student leaders now to devise a plan to get the referendum passed in the fall. "I'll be meeting with committee chairs to generate strategies about what the best thing is to do," he said.
Larson added that he thinks the referendum is important because it was well-received by Congress, and he noted that most of the students who voted Tuesday supported the increase.
Congress will have to vote again in the fall to have the referendum placed on another special election ballot, Larson said.
He said he hopes to increase support for the referendum by appealing to organizations that would be affected by its passage. "I think we have to go to large organizations that receive funding and go to their meetings," he said.
The student activity fee funds campus clubs, organizations and publications. The fee is $11.50 per semester for undergraduates and $9.50 for graduate and professional students. The proposal would have made the fee the same for all students.
The other purpose of Tuesday's special election was to fill 13 empty Congress seats. As of Wednesday, Board of Elections Chairwoman Emily Margolis could not provide official results for the Congress election. There could be as many as nine empty seats or as few as one vacant post, she said. Because there will be at least one open seat, Daum must order another election within 24 class days after the start of the fall semester.
