The St. George Round Table (SGRT) has unanimously voted to organize a pre-homecoming street party and a post-homecoming pub crawl independent of the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU), citing dissatisfaction with the union’s lack of engagement and its allegedly slow planning process. 

In the past, homecoming, which centres around a fall semester football game, was organized by the UTSU Homecoming Committee, which consists of college, professional faculty, and divisional representatives.

This year, all student societies of the SGRT were invited to sit on the committee. However, members of the SGRT felt that the initial planning process was progressing too slowly.

“There were no concrete plans, just ideas floating around,” said Victor Baciu, president of the St. Michael’s College Students’ Union (SMCSU).

Tina Saban, female head of college at Trinity College, added that the quality of past homecoming events played a role in the decision. “We saw significant room for improvement but the last few months of planning have been relatively identical to last year … [T]he homecoming proposal brought to the SGRT by the UTSU was full of holes: they still don’t have a location, they don’t have an updated budget, and their sponsor from last year does not want to work with them,” she said.

Cameron Wathey, UTSU vice-president, internal & services, expressed concern about the move, saying that alternative suggestions for homecoming should be brought to the committee, where each campus group has an equal say in the planning process.

“I am concerned that this will exclude interested students and create an awkward situation for the administration, student societies who were not consulted and our athletes,” said Wathey.

“Homecoming at U of T was born from the idea of celebrating our Varsity athletes. I hope there is still time to save that. In the end, it’s the students at U of T who will lose from this type of action,” he added.

Kaleem Hawa, chair of the Trinity College Meeting (TCM), called the move part of a broader theme of SGRT dissatisfaction with the UTSU. “The societies of the [SGRT] no longer feel like the UTSU adequately represents our interests or the interests of our students,” he said.

According to Hawa, the SGRT will set a committee to coordinate the events, but most of the planning is already complete.

The TCM has already booked Devonshire Place for the party.

Baciu emphasized that the SGRT still wishes to collaborate with as many student groups as possible, including the UTSU. “[W]e have extended an invitation to every major student society and organization — including the UTSU — to help plan homecoming … We hope as many organizations come as possible in order to make this event as accessible, safe, and fun for the students we all represent,” he said.

Homecoming events will be open to students from UTM, UTSC, and UTSG. The first SGRT planning meeting is scheduled for this Friday.