The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) held its first Board of Directors (BOD) meeting of this academic year on September 27. During the meeting, the board discussed UTSC’s infrastructure development and recent outreach initiatives.  

SCSU president’s reports

President Hunain Sindhu provided updates on the SCSU’s meeting with Chief Administrative and Strategy Officer Andrew Arifuzzaman, during which they discussed a fee opt-out process for Regenesis UTSC — an environmentalism club with branches on all three campuses.

“We feel that the process is really tedious because of how it’s structured, and so we want advice on how we can maybe work with Regenesis to come up with a different process,” Sindhu said.

Starting fall 2024, full-time students pay a fee of $7.23 per session to Regenesis UTSC, while part-time students pay $3.62. The 2023–24 academic year’s SCSU reported discussing an opt-out process with Regenesis at its April BOD meeting. However, since then, the union has not provided any details regarding the issue, nor has it disclosed anything about its existing opt-out process. 

Sindhu also relayed updates from the Office of Student Experience & Wellbeing regarding students’ concerns about the removal of UTSC Muslim Chaplain Omar Patel in February. He said that U of T is eliminating the chaplaincy system and will instead implement a religious advisors program starting at UTSG. 

Lastly, Sindhu shared that the SCSU executives attended the first meeting of the Council on Student Services (CSS), where he was elected as the chair of CSS for the rest of the academic year. CSS is one of SCSU’s governing bodies and makes recommendations to the Dean of Student Affairs regarding services offered to and funded by students.

Executive reports

Vice-President (VP) Operations Jena Bah discussed her efforts in infrastructure development, highlighting concerns about campus washrooms’ lack of hygiene products. Bah reported reaching out to UTSC’s Administrative Operations Coordinator to request frequent restocking of the dispensers. She also mentioned that there are plans to install bidets in washrooms at UTSC. 

VP External Omar Mousa then provided updates, highlighting an interview he had with the Toronto Star to discuss the UTSC community’s concerns about the closure of Line 3 and delays in the opening of the bus hub meant to replace it. 

However, The Varsity was unable to independently verify whether the article was published. 

He also highlighted his attendance at the Grassy Narrows River Run rally on September 18, which aimed to raise awareness about the impacts of mercury poisoning in the Grassy Narrows First Nation. 

VP Equity Lalise Shifara reported launching the SCSU’s new grant, Trans Well Being Fund in collaboration with the UTSC Women’s and Trans Centre. The grant, which provides up to $200 per student, is intended to support transgender and gender non-confirming members experiencing financial struggles. The deadline for students to apply is December 6. 

Shifara also informed the board that the Summer Academic Bursary applications had been approved and that the fall semester Academic Bursary, Emergency Grant, Transit Grant, and Dollar-for-Daycare Bursary have been released.