Although Associated Students Business Services failed to convince students to approve its lock-in fee in April’s election, the organization’s members said they will continue to look for more student involvement.
Only 54 percent of voting students voted to approve the quarterly $0.50 lock-in fee per undergraduate proposed by A.S. Business Services. Two-thirds of the electorate needed to vote in favor of the ballot measure for it to pass. Money from the lock-in would have been used to enhance existing services such as the A.S. Bike Shop, A.S. Publications and A.S. Cashiers/Ticket Office, said Doug Wolfson, chair of the A.S. Business Services Committee. The committee’s members said they were happy to get any support, since they are in the process of reviving the group, which, until this year, had been inactive since 2001.
“The lock-in isn’t as important as telling students we exist,” committee member and Off-campus Representative Jared Renfro said. “We’re looking for highly motivated students, especially those interested in entrepreneurship.”
Wolfson said the lock-in was needed to build capital. He said business opportunities will present themselves, but it is impossible to make a move without sufficient funds.
In addition to enhancing existing services, the committee seeks to develop new programs, including an entrepreneurship competition in which students would compete to start new business services or improve existing ones.
Renfro said the organization was looking to open a student-run restaurant in the UCen. He wanted the restaurant to be a place for students to meet each other, but because they did not get the lock-in, they will not be able to go through with the plan.
“We can’t pay the rent,” Renfro said.
The lack of a lock-in fee will drive Business Services toward more active steps, Wolfson said. Business Services is now looking for more student involvement.
“The loss will push us even harder to make moves,” Wolfson said.
A.S. President-elect Cervin Morris said he supported the lock-in fee but said that students voted against the fee because the campaign lacked visibility.
“Students like to see where their money is going,” Morris said.
Wolfson said he did attempt to campaign for the initiative and put up posters, but every single one of them had been torn down.
Omer Palazoglu, a second-year chemical engineering major, said although he thinks the students would benefit from enhanced services, he didn’t vote for the lock-in fee.
“There are too many fees already,” Palazoglu said.