Update on Student Association

Every year, the Student Association (SA) asks the university to collect more than $3 million from students and flow the money through to the SA. These fees pay for your health-care plan as well as for clubs, societies and outreach services.

Recently the SA has described the past few months as “very turbulent” and has undertaken an organizational review. The SA says it will take some time to work through its process of reorganization, and put in place a governance structure and accountability measures to provide effective representation for students.

In collecting and distributing student fees, the university must make sure that a viable organization receives the fees – one that represents students in a way that is responsible, democratic and accountable. Given the current situation within the SA, the university is concerned about the SA’s accountability and its ability to govern itself.

That is why the university has decided, starting today, to manage the transfer to the SA of fees that have been collected from university students for the 2016-2017 academic year. This means that the university (working with SA staff) will flow funds directly to the insurance provider to cover the costs of your health-care plan, and to the SA to pay for the expenses of clubs, societies, outreach services, as well as legal aid and advocacy services. This will ensure that the university’s students receive ongoing support for the activities and services on which they rely.

This management of fees will remain in place until such time as the university can be confident that the SA is able to fulfil its minimum accountability requirements on behalf of the university’s students.

The university took similar steps in the 2013-2014 academic year for similar reasons. The managed flow of fees was discontinued when the university concluded that the SA had implemented sufficient reforms to address those previous concerns.

The university has told the SA that stability in its governance processes is crucial. The university is very concerned that it feels again forced to take an active role to ensure the proper management of the student fees it collects.

The university hopes that the SA’s organizational review will result in a strong student association; one that provides effective leadership and representation to university students, as well as one that results in a stronger working relationship between the Student Association and the university.

The university has offered help and support to the SA to assist it in returning to governance stability. The university has also advised the SA that university staff remain available for assistance and consultation. 

If you have comments about this matter please send them to SAgovernance@uoit.ca.