The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Board of Directors held its monthly meeting on October 31.
The board ratified the results of the fall by-election, with eight new directors being added to the board. A new speaker, Branden Cave, was also appointed, after a long vacancy.
Board members heard a presentation on advocacy from the Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities (UCRU), were updated on the launch of a new UTSU website, and voted to approve a resolution of a climate emergency.
Climate emergency declaration
An Executive Committee meeting on October 19 voted to declare a climate emergency — a motion that was also voted on at the October board meeting. The Board of Directors voted to declare a climate emergency, support fossil fuel divestment, and commit to a socially-just climate transition at U of T.
Evelyn Austin from the Divestment and Beyond Coalition and Leap UofT — groups that have been campaigning for U of T to divest from fossil fuel investments for years — joined the board meeting to speak on the issue.
Austin spoke about the motivations behind the divestment campaign and what she deemed irresponsible environmental, social, and corporate government principles used by the university. She also touched on other motivators, such as the social aspect of reconciliation, decolonization, and betterment of Indigenous communities.
Austin concluded by looking at the financial side of the fossil fuel industry, saying that the industry is dying, so alternatives will be necessary in the future.
The board approved the resolution of climate emergency.
UCRU presentation
The board heard a presentation from Mackenzy Metcalfe, Chair of the UCRU. The UCRU advocates for increased affordability and inclusivity of university education. The UCRU works on the issue of student loans, advocates for international students, and has been supporting students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metcalfe outlined which universities are members of the organization and the advocacy process. She explained that the UCRU lets individual student unions absorb costs as they come up and emphasized the importance of transparency.
UTSU board members raised questions regarding the funding, finance, equitable tuition prices along program lines, and hiring of full-time staff. They also asked Metcalfe to expand on the UCRU’s plans to expand research and about its institutional status.
Website delays
Board members raised questions about delays with the launch of the UTSU’s website and inconsistency between the schedule and the actual timeline of its launch.
UTSU Vice-President Operations Dermot O’Halloran explained the discrepancy, citing delays in starting the process, the pandemic, and new issues for developers. He noted that issues with the original website created further complications for the launch.
