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| Green
Energy Referendum on Ballot
by Lily West
Students aren’t just voting for officers
Tuesday. There’s also a referendum
on the ballot to raise student fees and support
what’s called green energy. Green energy,
or renewable energy, is energy that comes
from inexhaustible sources, such as the sun
and wind. It’s an alternative to fossil
fuels.
The referendum on Tuesday’s ballot
would raise student fees $4 each semester
to fund green energy projects on campus.
A supporter of the hike, Nathan Poslusny,
says he thinks renewable energy is a good
use of student fees.
“All the money goes to the programs,” said Poslusny. “We have
no overhead costs, and we’re having success.”
Speaker of Student Congress Charlie Anderson, agrees. Anderson says that even
if you oppose green energy, there is another reason to support the referendum.
“Four dollars--basically the cost of a happy meal per semester--brings
so much prestige to the University and makes us a leader in the Southeast,” said
Anderson.
To some like Anderson, $4 a semester doesn’t seem like much. At Alpine
Bagel, that’s
one fruit cup, one bagel sandwich, or two cookies. But others are
more skeptical of the fee increase.
President of UNC-CH’s Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, Kris Wampler,
opposes the referendum.
Wampler wrote in an email: “Students hear ‘Green Energy’ and
are told it is good for the environment, without consideration for costs or
efficiency. We should at least educate ourselves more before we vote for such
things.”
The first referendum passed in 2002. It raised almost $200,000 and will fund
solar hot water panels that will be installed on the roof of Morrison Dormitory. |
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