Opt-In Campaign

Students Supporting Students

Did you know that every year hundreds of events, projects, and opportunities are made available to McGill undergrads through student association opt-outable fees? These fees include SSMU’s Ambassador Fund, AUS’s Arts Computer Lab Fee, EUS’s Engineering Student Space Improvement Fund, and many more, which have provided financial support to everything from events such as the Red & White Graduation Ball (AUS & SUS), the McGill Farmer’s Market, and the Management International Case Competition, to space improvements to student lounges and computer labs, to support for student jobs.

Opt-outable fees are designed to make sure that student associations don’t add stress to students who are in tight financial circumstances (and, in some cases, so that any student who has a moral objection to a certain activity can refrain from supporting it). However, in recent years opt-out rates have increased substantially for student association fees, resulting in less funding to support student initiatives!

This year, undergraduate student associations are working together to ask you to make an informed choice during this year’s opt-out period. You can find more information on each student association opt-outable fees below.

How can you help?

The easy answer: DO NOTHING. (If you do nothing, you’re automatically opted in, since you have to opt out online.)

But seriously…

GET INFORMED. Read more about the student association opt-outable fees below, and make an informed choice.

SPREAD THE WORD. Have you benefited from one of these fees? Is there an initiative you’d like to start that you would need support from these fees for? Talk to your friends and peers and encourage them to make informed decisions too. Invite them to the Opt-In Campaign on Facebook (and, if you’re on Twitter, use #opt-in).

This Campaign is brought to you by…

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)
Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS)
Bachelor of Arts & Science Integrative Council (BASiC)
Education Undergraduate Society (EdUS)
Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS)
Inter-Residence Council (IRC)
Management Undergraduate Society (MUS)
Medical Students’ Society (MSS)
Music Undergraduate Students’ Association (MUSA)
Physical & Occupational Therapy Undergraduate Association (POTUS)
Science Undergraduate Society (SUS)
Social Work Students’ Association (SWSA)

SSMU Opt-Outable Fees

Campus Life Fund ($2 per semester)

This fee supports all kinds of campus life, including journals, Engineering design teams, conferences, social events, and other student events on or around campus. Projects  and groups funded include:

 

 

Ambassador Fee ($2 per semester)

The Ambassador Fee supports student groups in travelling to conferences, competitions, and other events outside the Montreal area. Projects and groups funded include:

 

 

SSMU Environment Fee (a.k.a. The Green Fund) ($1.25 per semester)

The SSMU Environment Fee, also known as the SSMU Green Fund, empowers students to engage in sustainable initiatives on campus and in their personal lives. Projects  and groups funded include:

 

 

SSMU Charity Fund ($0.50 per semester)

The SSMU Charity Fund is used to provide aid to people who are experiencing severe food, shelter, and land insecurity as a result of natural disaster, civil unrest, or any other large-scale destabilizing effect. This new fund will be supporting both disaster relief and partnerships between McGill students and local community organizations this year!

 

 

SSMU Library Fund ($4.25 per semester)

This fee provides additional support extend library operating hours, provide student employment, and improve collections, study space, and computers. All funds collected by this fee are matched by alumni dollars.

 

 

 

SSMU Bursary Fund ($4.25 per semester)

This fee provides bursaries to needy McGill students. All funds collected by this fee are matched by alumni dollars.

AUS Opt-Outable Fees

Arts Computer Lab Fund

The Arts Computer lab funds the 24-hour computer lab that lets you work into the wee hours before your paper is due. It also pays for the computer labs in the Arts Lounge, as well as the computers and printers in the Leacock Building. Paying into this fund allows you access to the Ferrier building and the Arts Lounge.

 

Arts Improvement Fund

This great fund helps fund capital expenses for students, most of what you seen in student lounge is funded by this fund everything from coffee makers to ground-penetrating radar is paid for by this fund. The Arts Internship Office also receives a lot of its funding thanks to this fund. Paying into this fund allows you access to the Ferrier building and the Arts Lounge.

 

 

Arts Student Employment Fund

This fund provides jobs for students on campus, dozens of research positions and work study jobs are paid for by this fund. It’s a great way to provide academic experience for Arts students.

EUS Opt-Outable Fees

Engineering Design Team Fund ($3.00 per semester)

This particular fund goes to helping provide special equipment for the design teams.  Engineering design times provide an excellent opportunity for engineering students to take what they have learned in class and apply it to a real project with actual finished products (formula cars, baja vehicles, hybrid vehicles, snowmobiles, etc.)  The Design Team Fund allows the students who work countless hours on these projects to buy parts and equipment that make the projects possible.  Design Teams as a whole are an excellent outlet for your engineering education, and beyond being part of a team, supporting the Design Team Fund fee is the best way to keep the teams alive!

Engineers Without Borders Fee ($2.00 per semester)

“Engineers Without Borders creates opportunities for rural Africans to access clean water, generate an income from small farms, and have improved access to the services and infrastructure they need to improve their lives. [EWB] harnesses the problem-solving approach and creative pragmatism of the Canadian engineering sector to address the root causes of poverty in rural Africa.” (EWB.ca)

The EWB fee helps the McGill chapter meet the above goal.  The fee is crucial to providing the group with funds to plan fundraisers and run outstanding events that raise awareness of issues in rural Africa.  In addition, EWB takes it one step further and actually sends students to Africa to personally help build an improved infrastructure for success.  EWB’s charitable activities rely heavily on such funding in order to take their support to the next level.

Engineering Student Space Improvement Fund ($1.50 per semester)

The Space Improvement Fund goes towards improving student space for engineering students.  The fund is used for student lounges, common rooms, and other areas enabling students to better enjoy their time on campus!  The EUS uses this fund to keep the Engineering Common Room in running order and to keep departmental student lounges in top shape.  The fee goes towards things as small as computers and storage bins to things as big as new furniture and cookware.  The fee is essential to keeping student space livable and useful!

Don’t see the fee you’re looking for?

If you don’t see the fee you want more information about in the list above, that may be because it’s the fee of a student group or service with their own direct fee. You can find more information about these groups through the Our Campus Our Community Campaign.