Got fines? give food

New initiative seeks to assist UMSU Food Bank

MICHAEL OLSON STAFF

For those students whose are being hurled towards financial destitution by their library late fees, UMSU and the University of Manitoba Libraries may have a remedy. Starting Nov. 27, the UMSU Food for Fines initiative will be given a test run.

Through this initiative, students will be given the opportunity to donate non-perishable food items to compensate for library late fees at all of the U of M libraries.

Students will be able to eliminate up to $15 worth of fines by donating food in the currency of one nonperishable food item for $1 off. All food items collected will then be sent directly to the UMSU Food Bank.

UMSU president Garry Sran said he thinks the program is an excellent idea. “It’s going to be a great program and we’re really excited about it,” he said.

This initiative seems to meet students’ approval as well. As University 1 student Geoff Davis put it, “It’s a lot easier to just steal some of your mom’s Chef Boyardee than it is to mooch money to pay late fines.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Jessica Erin, a graduate student on the Bannatyne campus, said. “It will surely be of great assistance to the UMSU Food Bank by raising awareness, and it will also be beneficial for those who rely on the Food Bank for support.”

This program is not unique to the U of M — it has been used at many universities across Canada, such as Dalhousie, Queen’s, and the University of Ottawa.

The U of M libraries generally fine $0.25 per day an item is overdue, depending on the item. Students’ fines from the libraries may range from mere cents to more than $100.

Carolynne Presser, director of Libraries at the U of M, said that the libraries also believe this initiative to be a positive idea. “Right now, this is an experiment,” said Presser. “We will assess how things went after the first week and then work from there.”

Rex McTavish, a third-year student, said he believes this program would bode well for future Food Bankrelated endeavors. “It’s basic psychology,” said McTavish. “If you give the people a chance to do it once, they’ll do it again.”

One concern is be the loss of some of the revenue the libraries gain from students’ late fines. The university’s libraries collect $80,000 to $100,000 in late fines each year. These fines are then put into the libraries’ acquisition fund used to purchase new material, which totalled $9.4 million in 2005- 06 (including art acquisitons). Presser said that the minimal loss of revenue from late fines will not severely hinder the libraries.

Dec. 1 will mark the end of the Food for Fines test run, at which point UMSU and the U of M Libraries will meet to determine the program’s future.