Once again, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) has published a dumpster of useless rhetoric.
On January 25, the union published a statement on COVID-19 and U of T’s plans for the winter semester. To be frank, the statement is naive and an awful attempt to appear like some messiah to U of T students.
In the introduction, the statement relates how the “contingencies we face today and the risk of rising infection rates were largely foreseeable… [and], therefore, preventable.” Pinning the blame on U of T is ridiculous. Even if there was a risk, it’s not U of T’s fault that it couldn’t prevent the spread of the Omicron variant or that the university had to follow the Ontario government’s policy decisions.
In the meat of the statement, the UTSU goes over its demands. Some of the requests are reasonable. Extending tuition and enrolment deadlines, increasing COVID-19 testing opportunities, and expanding the quarantine accommodation program are all good ideas.
Other requests, however, are unrealistic and ambiguous. The union wants U of T to give students the opportunity to drop a course without it appearing as a ‘late withdrawal’ or ‘no credit’ on their transcripts, and to add a note on all transcripts indicating the disruption in academics that was caused by COVID-19. I am all for advocating for students, but this is still a university: U of T must still uphold some measure of academic measurement. The institution did allow students to choose the credit/no credit option for program requirements, when exams were cancelled suddenly in fall 2021.
Moreover, the UTSU demands that “future changes must not be announced at the last second” and that “clear protocols and contingency plans [are made] for future semesters.” In a perfect world, maybe this could be possible, but COVID-19 is unpredictable, and so is the Ontario government. Situations can change suddenly; concrete plans are unrealistic. Last-second announcements may be unavoidable, and contingency plans are likely meritless because of the risk of unforeseeable changes.
The UTSU also calls for immediate accommodations for in-person lectures and tutorials, online learning options, and technical support for teachers. However, the union fails to understand that these provisions are not immediately possible. Some courses are not compatible with online delivery methods. Some professors will have great difficulty even with technical support. Some course-related decisions have already been made and cannot change.
In writing this statement, the UTSU executives declare that “We, the undersigned, would therefore like to register our strong dissatisfaction with the administration’s inability to provide in a timely manner a proactive, clear, and predictable strategy.”
Well, I, the writer, would like to register my strong dissatisfaction with the UTSU’s inability to provide any worthwhile help in a concise, straightforward manner. The provisions of the statement are asking too much. At the end of the day, COVID-19 remains unpredictable, and U of T isn’t perfect. But the UTSU is hounding the administration and acting as some glorious higher power.
The union points to “the administration’s insistence on a full and vibrant return to campus, despite the current case numbers” to justify some onus for recent events falling on U of T. But it wasn’t just U of T’s insistence: many students wanted to go back on campus despite COVID-19.
The UTSU points out that students may not decide to attend in person because “while the University has a vaccine mandate, public transit systems do not.” But what more can U of T do? The union also points out that UCheck is an “inadequate screening system,” but it fails to give any better options.
Overall, the statement screams entitlement. It screams, “I want to make myself feel better and look like I’m doing something.” Sure, U of T’s decision making may not be the best, but you must cut the administration some slack. They are not gods who can make COVID-19 disappear.
Instead of writing a naive statement with unrealistic terms — a letter that was likely left unread by most students — the UTSU could be more pragmatic. For example, it could have even accomplished some of the items the statement outlined, like “communicating the University’s protocols for reporting cases or outbreaks.”
But wait, what’s the UTSU doing instead? It’s promoting its absolutely worthless “Winter Food Challenge.” Who is the UTSU helping with this? If there’s even one student taking the time out of their day to complete the challenge, I would be willing to believe that ghosts exist. The UTSU, however, has the gall to criticize the administration for inaction.
Rather than writing statements of disapproval, the UTSU must begin taking real action for the student body. Otherwise, it remains an inadequate club of friends boasting a thin veil of student diplomacy. Words are beautiful, but actions are supreme.
James Jiang is a second-year political science and writing & rhetoric student at Trinity College.
