The U of R recently booted/evicted its own student union. The university evicted URSU from campus late last month, citing a "loss of confidence in URSU's ability to serve and represent students." I haven’t really followed it in all honesty.
www.620ckrm.com
I really don’t know the backstory beyond what’s released to the public in the news here. “For more than a year and a half, the University raised concerns regarding URSU’s unsustainable financial position and has tried to engage constructively with URSU leadership, offering financial and governance assistance,” U of R President Jeff Keshen said in a statement posted to social media Friday.
“Unfortunately, URSU did not take the steps recommended by the University to improve and address these matters. The external audit of URSU’s 2024 financial statements identified significant uncertainty regarding the organization’s ongoing sustainability,” he added.
www.ctvnews.ca
A student union’s mandate is to represent all students fairly, to fight for affordable education, and to improve access to essential services. On its own website, the CSU declares: “Two things are essential: that we are beholden to our membership, and that our funds are used responsibly.”
The Concordia Student Union is now also in the news. The CSU is suppose to advocate for affordability, housing, and mental health services. But in recent years it has also led the political charge to “Free Palestine,” demanding Concordia divest from defence industries, sever ties with Israeli universities, and cut partnerships linked to NATO and the police. These are not student service issues. They are ideological ultimatums designed to force the university into global conflicts. Last November’s strike vote was proof: rather than focus on concrete improvements to campus life, the CSU mobilized students into a two-day shutdown to advance a BDS-style agenda.
Symbolic stunts have followed. Funeral processions were staged on campus to “mourn Palestine,” turning student space into ideological theatre. Demonstrations have spilled into confrontations with pro-Israel peers, at times requiring riot police to intervene. One incident left three people arrested and two suspended. What began as activism has devolved into intimidation.
On its own website, the CSU declares: “Two things are essential: that we are beholden to our membership, and that our funds are used responsibly.” On both counts, it has failed.
A student union’s mandate is to represent all students fairly, to fight for affordable education, and to improve access to essential services. Instead, the CSU has targeted a segment of its membership, weaponized compulsory student fees for international campaigns, and abandoned the principle of inclusivity that justifies its existence.
Student unions are not sovereign political bodies. They exist under the authority of the university. That recognition is not unconditional. It rests on the assumption that a union serves its entire student body, not just the loudest faction. The CSU has violated that trust.
The real authority lies with Concordia’s Board of Governors. It is the board that has the power — and the duty — to act. If a student union ceases to fulfill its mandate, the board can revoke recognition, restructure it, or call for new elections. Doing so would not silence student voices. On the contrary, it would restore representation to its rightful purpose: defending the needs of all students — housing, mental health, academic rights — not serving as a megaphone for divisive international politics.
There is nothing wrong with students caring deeply about world affairs. Universities should be spaces of debate and dissent. But there is everything wrong with forcing all students — through mandatory fees and compulsory membership — to bankroll a one-sided campaign rooted in hostility toward Israel and, by extension, Jewish students.
I wonder what Amira Elghawaby (as Canada's first representative to combat Islamophobia) would have to say about this?
apple.news
University of Regina Students’ Union faces possible dissolution
The University of Regina's Students' Union (URSU) could soon dissolve. According to their website, URSU is hol...
www.620ckrm.com
“Unfortunately, URSU did not take the steps recommended by the University to improve and address these matters. The external audit of URSU’s 2024 financial statements identified significant uncertainty regarding the organization’s ongoing sustainability,” he added.
Judge dismisses students’ union injunction application against University of Regina
A judge has dismissed an injunction application filed by URSU against the U of R.
The Concordia Student Union is now also in the news. The CSU is suppose to advocate for affordability, housing, and mental health services. But in recent years it has also led the political charge to “Free Palestine,” demanding Concordia divest from defence industries, sever ties with Israeli universities, and cut partnerships linked to NATO and the police. These are not student service issues. They are ideological ultimatums designed to force the university into global conflicts. Last November’s strike vote was proof: rather than focus on concrete improvements to campus life, the CSU mobilized students into a two-day shutdown to advance a BDS-style agenda.
Symbolic stunts have followed. Funeral processions were staged on campus to “mourn Palestine,” turning student space into ideological theatre. Demonstrations have spilled into confrontations with pro-Israel peers, at times requiring riot police to intervene. One incident left three people arrested and two suspended. What began as activism has devolved into intimidation.
On its own website, the CSU declares: “Two things are essential: that we are beholden to our membership, and that our funds are used responsibly.” On both counts, it has failed.
A student union’s mandate is to represent all students fairly, to fight for affordable education, and to improve access to essential services. Instead, the CSU has targeted a segment of its membership, weaponized compulsory student fees for international campaigns, and abandoned the principle of inclusivity that justifies its existence.
Student unions are not sovereign political bodies. They exist under the authority of the university. That recognition is not unconditional. It rests on the assumption that a union serves its entire student body, not just the loudest faction. The CSU has violated that trust.
The real authority lies with Concordia’s Board of Governors. It is the board that has the power — and the duty — to act. If a student union ceases to fulfill its mandate, the board can revoke recognition, restructure it, or call for new elections. Doing so would not silence student voices. On the contrary, it would restore representation to its rightful purpose: defending the needs of all students — housing, mental health, academic rights — not serving as a megaphone for divisive international politics.
There is nothing wrong with students caring deeply about world affairs. Universities should be spaces of debate and dissent. But there is everything wrong with forcing all students — through mandatory fees and compulsory membership — to bankroll a one-sided campaign rooted in hostility toward Israel and, by extension, Jewish students.
I wonder what Amira Elghawaby (as Canada's first representative to combat Islamophobia) would have to say about this?
Leslie Roberts: Concordia's rabidly anti-Israel student union must be dissolved — National Post
New student handbook shows CSU cares more about political extremism than in representing students