On November 17, the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) held its monthly Board of Directors (BOD) meeting. The meeting featured presentations from the equity response team, ratified fall audit and surplus reports, and discussed the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held on December 4. 

Equity Response Protocol

Equity Officer Laurie Baker presented the Equity Response Protocol developed over the summer. The protocol is designed to help the UTGSU respond to claims of identity-based harm.

According to Baker, the mandate does not replace existing human resources protocols but addresses competing claims of harm. The protocol is grounded in the principles of non-comparative harm: restoration rather than reaction, maintaining dignity, humanity, and empathy, as well as transparency and accountability. The protocol is divided into four phases of intake and listening, response, transparent communication, and opportunities for feedback. 

Ratifying audit and surplus reports

The directors then moved to ratify the audit and surplus reports so that the audit report could be approved at the AGM. Following a recent external audit, the UTGSU Finance Committee recommended that the reports be ratified. 

Vice-President (VP) Internal Dominic Shillingford also proposed ending the 2025–2026 fiscal year on April 30 instead of August 31. This revision is intended to simplify the fall audit corrections process and ease the transition for executives newly elected in the spring. The motion carried.

Effective November 1, VP Finance Farshad Murtada resigned due to other commitments. The directors discussed implementing a hiring process, rather than an election process, for an interim, non-voting VP Finance.

Directors Thomas Vukovic, Hani Choski, and Shana Alexander volunteered, with VP GradLife Eliz Shimsek chairing the process.

Other motions and business

Katerini Hatziantonis, treasurer and board member of Students for Barrier-Free Access (SBA), gave a brief presentation on the organization and called for a referendum. Hatziantonis requested that the BOD approve an increase in SBA membership fee to account for the rising cost of American Sign Language programming. 

Since 2002, SBA has provided advocacy, education, mentorship, and community programming for disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill students at U of T.