TANNARA YELLAND
Associate News Editor

The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union’s 2010-11 operating budget predicts a deficit of $415,514.

Approved on March 25 by University Students’ Council, this deficit is a “planned, one-year deficit,” according to USSU vice-president operations and finance Scott Hitchings. While the sum accounts for a staggering 10 per cent of the entire operating budget for the USSU, Hitchings says the re-opened Place Riel will collect more than enough rent from businesses to offset the deficit.

“Typically our facilities get a lot of money,” Hitchings said of the budget line referring to rents from Place Riel. “Right now it’s at pretty much $91,000. Normally that’s in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it will be there when Place Riel re-opens.”

Student fees to the USSU are bearing the brunt of the need for funds. The budget expects $890,000 in student fees, which were increased by five per cent for 2010-11. Full time students will pay $61.95 to the USSU next year, approximately $31 per term.

Hitchings had campaigned for office on a pledge to try to decrease this fee, which he says will probably be possible in the next few years, though clearly it was not possible this year.

One of the reasons Hitchings gave for the deficit, aside from the loss of rent from Place Riel, was the fact that the USSU-owned businesses are open year-round but only do significant business for the eight months that students are in school.

“Of those eight months, it’s really only six months, because people in December and April don’t really go to Louis’ or Browsers and get drunk and hang out,” Hitchings said.

However, he hopes to see extra revenues in Browsers next year as he is looking into replacing the coffee from Starbucks with a fair trade alternative. He would also like to begin selling food from Earth Bound Bakery and from Pine View Farms, two local, organic food producers.

The USSU operating budget for 2010-11 will be posted online at the USSU’s website.

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