“I HATE THIS F*ING SCHOOL!” UTSU bets you’ve thought that at some time or other, and held a town hall Tuesday to get specifics. UTSU got what it asked for: roughly 40 students showed up for a spirited session. The most pervasive complaint, ironically, turned out to be a lack of communication. John, a history student, summed it up: “I never find out about these things. Maybe a lot of these problems would be solved if the UTSU or maybe the university in general were to rethink how information gets to us.”
Students also aired grievances about sustainability, poor representation of international students, the career centre, inadequate desk space at Robarts after hours, and the high price of club space. Bellyaching over food on campus drew applause from the whole room.
One student described “toxic” relationships between students and professors and said that high workloads lead to bad relations and poor learning. Rohan, an electrical engineering student, suggested advocacy for students when dealing with professors.
Discussion also turned to the lack of awareness about the Ombudsperson’s office, which offers advice and assistance with complaints unresolved through regular university channels.
UTSU itself drew some pointed criticisms. Karen Cao had a whole list: “I hate the fact that our student union could not negotiate a UPass; I hate the fact that we can’t opt out of our health care coverage,” she said.
“I hate the fact that our student union was voted in by 13 per cent voter turn out. I hate that the UTSU did not effectively publicize last year’s election, resulting in the fact that every single UTSU exec on right now did not run against a single candidate except for Sandy.”
“There is one thing that dropped this year, and that is club money,” said Mueen, a member of the Muslim Students Association. UTSU’s executive director, Angela Regnier, replied that Mueen’s concerns “have been definitely raised” in discussing the union’s newest budget.
One student called for better communication between students and their government. Antonin Mongeau, president of the French Club, then criticized UTSU’s lack of availability. “We elected them, and we pay for them, but they don’t really represent us,” said Mongeau, who was recently booted from UTSU’s Clubs Committee in a secret vote.
Regnier, the moderator, responded by pointing to Karen’s concerns about the UPASS. When Mongeau asked her to clarify UTSU’s availability, president Sandy Hudson entered the discussion.
But after a few exchanged words, Regnier interrupted with “Sorry, this isn’t a two way discussion […] if you want an opportunity to yell at [Sandy] and tell her everything that she has to feel then maybe you can do that afterward.” She then proposed to have a “show of hands of everybody who wants to see you sit here and yell at Sandy.”
As Adam Awad, VP University Affairs, put it, the purpose of the discussion was to “figure out a way for every member of the union […] to work together on issues to make this a better place for everyone, which is pretty much our mandate.” Here’s wishing UTSU, and students, good luck.
