On February 25, the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) convened for its second Board of Directors (BOD) meeting of the year. 

On the agenda was an update from the union’s Communications & Engagement Specialist, bylaw and policy amendments on honoraria, and discussions of the provincial elections. 

President’s report

UTGSU President Amir Moghadam discussed the union’s financial support for the York University Graduate Students’ Union (YUGSA). According to Moghadam, the YUGSA is currently in a legal battle against its university for supporting students during York students’ pro-Palestinian encampment. The UTGSU approved a $5,000 donation to help the YUGSA with its legal fees.

Moghadam also discussed his ongoing work to address food insecurity for graduate students, noting how his work with one “major grocery [corporation]” in the province is expected to result in a 15 per cent grocery discount for Ontario graduate students.

In a November 20 BOD meeting, the union set new terms of affiliation with the Ontario Institute for the Study of Education (OISE)’s Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) to recognize them as an Affiliated Organization and receive 35 per cent of membership fees. 

This month, Moghadam moved a motion to finalize the reintegration of OISE’s GSA as an Affiliated Organization and the disaffiliation of four Departmental Students’ Associations — the Applied Psychology & Human Development Student Association; the Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning Student Association; the Leadership, Higher, and Adult Education Department Students’ Association; and the Social Justice Education Departmental Students’ Association. 

The motion ultimately passed. 

Communications & engagement update

UTGSU Communications & Engagement Specialist Lorena Florea presented her strategies for growing the union’s various social media and outreach platforms. 

Since starting the position in October 2024, Florea reported an increase in post impressions — the number of times a post was visible in a user’s feed — on UTGSU’s Instagram, with announcements on financial aid, housing, and food being the most popular. Florea also drew attention to an increase in UTGSU posts being saved and shared. 

According to Florea, the weekly email digest also serves as an important marker of UTGSU engagement, as students increasingly ask for their initiatives to be featured, and UTGSU events, such as providing LinkedIn headshots, book up immediately after being advertised. In addition, the digest has also driven students to the UTGSU website, making up 23 per cent of total visits.

Bylaw and policy amendments

The Directors included four bylaws and policies in the agenda for amendment. 

In an update to Policy G8: Honoraria and Compensation, which covers director, officers, and caucus chair honorarias, Division Four Director Nicholas Silver motivated to stipulate set weekly hours for executives — 20 for President, 15 for Vice Presidents — and to include language around attendance and hours for Directors, so that they must attend 75 per cent of BOD meetings to qualify for honoraria or “send regrets” if unable to attend. 

Silver also motivated the draft of Policy G6: Anti-Oppression, which includes the union’s land acknowledgement and equity statements, to update its equity statement to clarify that union stands against the harassment, doxxing, surveillance, and use of policing to oppose the creation of open and inclusive spaces or as a means of dissuading students from organizing, debating, or practicing any other form of academic freedom. 

Director Joscelyn van der Veen also introduced language to modify the official description of the mental health caucus Grad Minds as a caucus rather than a committee in Policy G3.7. The policy defines caucuses as advocating for the representation of UTGSU members by making recommendations to the BOD, while committees work on issues that students face.

All of the amendments carried.

Provincial elections

The UTGSU also discussed outreach for the then-upcoming Ontario elections, where they discussed funding and housing issues with provincial candidates. 

Moghadam focused his comments on raising awareness about elections, such as organizing a candidates’ debate for the University—Rosedale riding and putting posters around campus. 

As the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives did not respond, the UTGSU decided to interview New Democratic Party candidate and incumbent MPP Jessica Bell and Green Party candidate Ignacio Morell about the housing crisis, post-secondary education, transit, and bike lanes, and how their parties would navigate governing in opposition. 

Bell won the seat for the riding, with 46.7 per cent of the votes.