Update (May 13, 2014): Several more letters were sent to the provost from the Laurentian University Graduate Students’ Association, the University of Ottawa Graduate Students’ Association, the University of Guelph Central Students’ Association, the University of Western Ontario Society of Graduate Students, the Carleton University Graduate Students’ Association, Algoma University Students’ Union (AUSU), Graduate Students’ Society (GSS) at the University of Windsor, Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson (CESAR), and the Ontario College of Arts and Design Students’ Union.
Earlier on Sunday, executives from the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU), Trent Central Student Association (TCSA), Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), Carleton University Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), and York Federation of Students (YFS) sent an identical letter to provost Cheryl Regehr encouraging Governing Council to reject the implementation of the Student Societies Report recommendations. All five students’ unions are members of the Canadian Federation of Students.
Emails containing the letter were also sent to members of the executive committee of Governing Council, and the presidents of the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU), University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), and Scarborough Campus Student Union (SCSU).
The letters, which were obtained by The Varsity, allege that the Student Societies Summit was a flawed process, and that the recommendations of its final report threaten student union autonomy, and “[open] up the Governing Council and University of Toronto Administration to liability.”
“The final report has generated recommendations that in addition to negatively impacting all student societies and the University as a whole are beyond the scope of powers of the Summit, the University administration, and the Governing Council,” the letter states.
In March, student union executives from York and Ryerson campaigned for U of T Voice in the UTSU spring elections.
