Students highly critical of UTSU’s officially neutral stance on the $18 levy Bubble plebiscite held an event entitled “Take Back Your Student Union” on Wednesday, March 19. The event consisted of a series of workshops and discussions aimed at pushing the student union’s executive board toward taking strong stances on social justice issues.
The day-long event ran from noon to 9 p.m. in UTSU’s main building. Numerous participatory workshops and art-based activities drew a circulating crowd of students throughout the day.
Talks included was “Police Brutality and Systemic Racism,” a discussion given by Rodney Patricio, vice-chair of the National Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance. Patricio spoke about Filipino youth
According to Patricio, Filipinos walking in groups of more than fi ve are often automatically stopped and asked for ID.
“The police would label a group as a gang, as opposed to just friends, because they were walking in groups,” he said.
Event organizer Ryan Hayes said that student unions have historically been at the forefront of movements for social justice equity, which include movements to stop fee increases.
“The purpose of this event was to bring students together and make a statement of what we think a student union looks like,” he said.
Hayes applauded student unions raising broader issues, such as workers’ rights, poverty, and war.
The day included a discussion about student unionism in Latin America and a video screening presented by Students Against Israeli Apartheid.
Xavier LaFrance, an organizer of 2005’s student strike over tuition in Quebec, moderated a discussion on eliminating all tuition and ancillary fees.
“These events are generally things that the union hasn’t taken positions on in the past,” said Hadia Akhtar, UTSU associate VP university affairs.
“We’re really just trying to create awareness as to what a student union is for, in positions of things, and to not be neutral,” said Akhtar.
