It has been disappointing, but not surprising, that so many Colleges and Faculties chose to opt out of the UTSU frosh kits for this year. As Chair of the Positive Space Committee at St. George, I experienced firsthand some of the difficulties involved in getting UTSU to include our Positive Space information card in their frosh kits.
The Positive Space Committee is a group of students, staff, and faculty volunteers who meet to discuss pressing issues in the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer) and allies at the University of Toronto. We are not a formal equity office at the University but rather a committed group individuals. We host events, promote awareness of LGBTQ issues, and work to change the culture around discrimination against LGBTQ people, in our workplaces and schools.
One of our resources, the Positive Space information card, has been included in the UTSU frosh kits for 11 years. For the past two years, however, we have been asked to pay to have the information cards included. As a volunteer group, with a
budget that scarcely covers the printing of our resources, we could not afford to pay the fee for this resource to be included. Last year, after weeks of emailing, phoning and pleading with UTSU, we were allowed to include our cards in the kits for free, so long as we committed 20 hours of volunteer service to help stuff the kits.
This year, we repeatedly explained to UTSU that charging Positive Space for the inclusion of the cards would be a setback in our historical collaboration with UTSU and could prevent our materials from reaching many new students.
After several weeks of our emails going unanswered, and conversations between committee members and UTSU failing to produce an agreement, we decided to pursue an alternative to kit stuffing with UTSU. We contacted all the Orientation Coordinators across the three campuses to arrange for the Positive Space information card to be included in their kits. Not only will all incoming students still get the information about LGBTQ diversity and inclusion at the University of Toronto, but we have made stronger connections with the colleges, and their respective orientation weeks, as a result.
Am I disappointed that we were not able to work with USTU this year? Very much so. It is important to us, as a committee, to reach as many new students as possible at a time when they particularly need to be aware of the support that is available at the University. At the same time, we have benefitted from the new connections we have made that have strengthened our links with the Colleges and Faculties as we move into the new academic year.