On October 7, from 3 to 5 pm, representatives of over 20 U of T student organizations convened for the first meeting of the Student Societies Summit. Provost Cheryl Regehr called the meeting in response to the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) fee diversion dispute.

The provost’s announcement stated that the purpose of the Summit was to discuss two questions: “How can the sometimes distinct interests of divisional societies be supported and respected in a democratic manner?” and “What are the implications of these answers on the evolution of the democratic structures of the student governments or on fee support for the activities of the divisional societies?” The announcement emphasized that the summit could not effect policy change.

“We’re looking forward to future meetings and hoping that we can discuss things more substantially,” said Yolen Bollo-Kamara, UTSU vice-president, equity, who attended the meeting today. “But at this point it was very preliminary, with people highlighting what their issues are without much opportunity to respond or engage in much conversation,” she added.

Professor Joseph Desloges, who chaired the Summit, was enthusiastic about this seemingly limited headway. The student leaders “were transparent, eloquent, and honest about their positions, where they stood,” he stated, “There was full participation — I don’t think there was a single undergraduate who didn’t have something to contribute.”

“We haven’t come to a resolution yet. This meeting was mainly about people putting their views on the table,” he concluded.

Despite the fact that it seems to have resulted in little practical progress, Benjamin Crase, co-head of Trinity College, emphasized that the Summit represented an important step by involving the administration in the dispute. “The meeting gave various student societies the opportunity to better engage with the University Administration and inform them of our concerns with student societies,” he said, “We are optimistic that the Summit will help direct an effective policy review from the University.”

The summit is expected to involve multiple meetings.