On November 27, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) held its Annual Members’ Meeting — formerly known as its Annual General Meeting — at the UTSC Student Centre. 

Union members presented the SCSU’s 2024–2025 budget and passed motions to create an Indigenous Students Director position and donate money to an international fundraiser for Gaza. The meeting concluded with executive reports highlighting the union’s work over the fall semester.

The union originally scheduled the meeting for 4:00 pm, but SCSU President Hunain Sindhu did not call the meeting to order until 4:40 pm. Approximately 50 UTSC students were present and the union has yet to announce the date of its winter members meeting. 

SCSU’s 2024–2025 budget

Vice-President (VP) Operations Jena Bah presented the union’s 2024–2025 budget. Their Health & Dental Plan was their largest source of revenue, amounting to $5,784,990. The SCSU’s total expenses amounted to $7,518,261. Their largest expense was the Health & Dental Plan disbursements at $4,744,777.

In total, the union’s budget saw a surplus of $235,025 and the motion to approve the budget carried. 

Review of motions: To be or not to be

The meeting agenda included revising eight motions submitted by UTSC students, two of which passed, two defeated, and four dissolved.

The first motion called to implement an Indigenous students director position who would hold the same rights as any Board of Directors (BOD) member, including participating in BOD meetings, being appointed to committees, and receiving an honorarium upon completing their term. 

According to the motion, the Indigenous students director would be tasked with “advocating for the rights of Indigenous students at [UTSC] and promoting Indigenous culture through hosting and/or assisting with Indigenous cultural events.” 

After consideration, students voted to pass the motion with an amendment which struck a clause that stated: “The identity of the candidates is not limited to the Indigenous communities that are based in so-called Canada.”

The next motion on the meeting agenda called for the implementation of a Black students director who would have the same responsibilities as other BOD members.

Additionally, the Black students director would be tasked with “advocating for the rights of Black students at [UTSC] and promoting culture from Black communities through hosting and/or assisting with cultural events.” Multiple students voted against the motion, with one arguing that there were already established groups and initiatives on campus that did so. 

After student debate, the motion was defeated.

Another motion called for the SCSU to support a Student Strike for Palestine (SS4P) campaign at UTSC that “aims to unite all pro-Palestine students and groups to end [U of T’s] complicity through a student strike to disrupt the university’s operation[s].” The motion stated that the SCSU work with the SS4P group to organize a one-day student strike, within the first four weeks of the winter semester.

Multiple students debated this motion, with some raising concerns about the fast timeline for organizing a large-scale strike, the SS4P not having any Palestinian students in their group, and the lack of time to prepare for a potential police presence on campus. 

One student asked the SCSU why they would push back on the strike, given that the VP External Omar Mousa is a Palestinian student.

In response, Mousa noted that he was not against the strike itself, but called fast-tracking the steps to organize the strike “a recipe for disaster.” 

Sindhu noted that the union previously met with the group to discuss their demands and requested that they get Palestinian representation before future collaborations with the union.

After students debated the motion for nearly one hour, it was defeated.

The last motion on the meeting agenda called for the SCSU to make a donation to an international fundraiser by the Palestinian Youth Movement, aiming to raise money to provide essential services for displaced people in Gaza. 

Sindhu explained that the union has money allocations in its budget for donations specifically, allowing it to donate $500 to a single cause per term. 

After consideration, students voted to carry the motion.

Not up for debate

Since none of the students at the meeting moved or seconded many of the motions on the agenda, they were not considered by union members. 

One was on “accountability and respect for campus events in SCSU-led political activities.” It claimed that the SCSU-led walkout in solidarity with Palestine on October 10 disrupted a campus Health & Wellness Event and called on the SCSU president to sign an apology letter on behalf of the union to the Health & Wellness Centre director, post the apology on the SCSU’s Instagram account, and promote future Health and Wellness Centre events as “a way of making amends.”

Two of the motions called for the union to ensure that vendors associated with the SCSU refrain from displaying or selling items with violent or discriminatory images. 

Finally, one motion claimed that many UTSC students “expressed concern over their student fees being allocated to support political activities that may not align with the views of all students,” in reference to the SCSU’s use of union funds to support pro-Palestine events on campus. It called for the union to publish its audited financial statements for the 2023–2024 fiscal year to increase “transparency and accountability of SCSU funds.”

Executive reports

The meeting concluded with SCSU executives delivering reports highlighting their accomplishments over the fall term. 

VP Academics Zanira Manesiya discussed the union’s advocacy for more inclusive academic policies, including the SCSU’s continued efforts to extend the CR/NCR deadline at UTSC and lower the GPA cutoff for academic good standing from 1.6 to 1.5 to align with UTSG and UTM. 

She added that the union was advocating for more prayer spaces across UTSC buildings and establishing a formal definition of anti-Palestinian racism. 

Additionally, Manesiya discussed the union’s campaign efforts to increase affordability for international students, by reinstating public healthcare coverage and supporting students affected by global crises, by creating awareness and fundraising through their Global Action Task Force.

Sindhu highlighted a union meeting with university administration where the executives discussed the UTSC’s Campus Farm, in light of students and faculty raising concerns over the non-renewal of the Campus Farm Coordinator’s contract.

Union members also discussed upcoming initiatives and events. Sindhu discussed a redesign of the Student Centre, noting that service centres would be relocated to different buildings. Manesiya highlighted the union’s efforts to better promote students’ mental health by having more Health and Wellness counsellors at future SCSU events.

After executive reports concluded around 7:30 pm, the meeting adjourned at 7:48 pm.