The Scarborough Students’ Union (SCSU) and the Association of Part Time Undergraduate Students (APUS) reached an agreement on Monday, preventing a court battle.
APUS had asked the Superior Court of Ontario to order a halt to an SCSU-sponsored referendum asking part-time students at Scarborough whether they want to end their relationship with APUS, and instead be represented exclusively by SCSU. APUS stood to lose thousands of dollars in student fees from Scarborough students.
The two student unions met at a court hearing Monday morning. After discussing things, SCSU agreed to some extra conditions on the referendum and APUS dropped its request for a court order.
“We came to an agreement which I think will benefit both parties,” said APUS President Chris Ramsaroop.
The agreement, which has yet to be approved by the two unions’ boards of directors, stipulates that if part-time students vote to leave APUS and join SCSU, SCSU will ask the university not to implement the result until the two unions have discussed the issue further.
Ramsaroop said the impetus for the referendum came largely from the university administration, with whom APUS has frequently battled.
SCSU President Dan Bandurka insists that “the push for our referendum has come from Scarborough students.” However, he admitted that a Dec. 10 email from student affairs head Jim Delaney persuaded them to speed up the process and hold the referendum in January,long with the referendum for full-time students that had already been scheduled.
