November 2009
Dear Members,
It has been an exciting and busy year so far for students at the University of Toronto. Working together, we have been able to achieve lively events, stimulating campaigns, and numerous successes. We made national media this spring on student concerns over the Flat Fees Proposal in Arts and Science; we hosted a bigger and better Orientation week; and increased the quantity and quality of our cost-saving services to our members. U.T.S.U.’s volunteers, executive, board members, and staff have been going non-stop! It is amazing when we realize our victories touch on so many values that we share as students. Just this week, students came together to call on the City of Toronto to include post-secondary students in the TTC student Metropass fare. We won a historic victory when students were able to submit over 3,000 petitions and successfully lobby the Commission to receive the same discount as high school students, effectively saving commuter students $22 off the regular adult Metropass each month. We will continue to advocate for affordable public transit as it is not only cost effective for students, but a more sound environmental alternative. We have been also working to ensure that we can communicate to students more readily. This year, we have undertaken a major overhaul to the U.T.S.U. website and have included more materials and documents online. Our new summer newsletter has also allowed new and returning students to become more aware of our services and programming. So many of our campaigns and events have been great collaborative initiatives; from the 11,000 postcards collected for the Drop Fees for a Poverty-Free Ontario campaign, to the creative events showing the need for governance reform at U of T, we’ve been able to bring diverse groups of students together on common goals. Congratulations to our active board members, volunteers, clubs and levy groups, and everyone who has been working to improve the University of Toronto campus community. We look forward to continuing our work throughout the year.
In Solidarity,
The U.T.S.U. Executive Committee
board of directors President Sandy Hudson
Vice-President Internal & Services Adnan Najmi
Mississauga Campus Natasha Chopra Mazin Hassan Shahid Hassan Ali Abbas Karim Thomas Kristan Amna Noor Grayce Carmen Yuen
Vice-President University Affairs Adam Awad Faculty of Music Richard Van Vice-President External Hadia Akhtar
Vice-President Equity Daniella Kyei
New College Anita Pabani Yvonne Uyanwune Jonathan Wong Faculty of Nursing Tegar Roessaptono
Vice-President Campus Life Danielle Sandhu
Arts & Science At-Large Dimitris Apostolopoulos Grant Gonzales At-Large Professional Faculty Yali Gao Mueen Hakak
Faculty of Pharmacy Rachel Whitty Faculty of Physical Education & Health Anas Ingar St. Michael’s College Sami Emami Trinity College Fariya Mohiuddin
Faculty of Engineering Sheema Khan Kevin Siu
University College Graeme Maitland Alexander Wu
Innis College Alex Heuton
Victoria College Zayne Dattu
Faculty Law Bryce Kustra
Woodsworth College Amanda Pereira Carol Rodrigues Corey Scott
Faculty of Medicine Nathaniel Winata
CLUBS, EVENTS AND CAMPUS LIFE
Orientation – Ampl!fy, Live Out Loud This year, we were able to have one of the most successful and inclusive Orientation programming with great participation. All U.T.S.U. materials that went into the orientation kits this year were environmentally sustainable and ethically produced. There has been much positive feedback with the Clubs Fair taking place around Hart House Circle this year as it brought groups closer generating a sense of excitement and unity. The parade was also a huge success as students took the streets of Toronto. For the Orientation concert this year, we had performances from Anjulie, the Arkells and Talib Kweli. The night ended off with a club night at Circa reaching maximum capacity. The summer’s-worth of planning that went into U.T.S.U. day certainly yielded tremendous results. Alongside with Orientation Day, we hosted and supported other successful orientation events to meet the diverse needs of our c m co community, including Mature Students’ Orientation, Queer Students’ Orientation, International Stu St ud u d Students’ Orientation, and disOrientation Week. Ho H om Homecoming 2009 (October 15-17) Th hiss year, students united across campus in starting a This ren re ne ne renewed tradition of Homecoming. Under the Campus Liife fe Commission, the Homecoming Committee saw Life he eig heightened participation and school spirit across the c m ca campus. Members worked throughout the summer and into the fall to develop a vision for the event, and and succ su ccc successful events including a club night, barbeque, para pa ra parade, and the football game brought together both stu st ud ud students and alumni at UofT. Clu ub Clubs o far, f U.T.S.U. has recognized over 300 clubs this year. Three training sessions were provided So l to cclubs which included an overview of constitutions, anti-oppression training, information on clu ub funding applications, and event planning information. ub clubs This fall has been a very busy year for campus clubs. With an increase in recognized clubs this year and increased sign-ups during the Orientation clubs fair, clubs have been buzzing with activity. From August to October, campus clubs hosted barbeques at the U.T.S.U. everyday. Clubs are already working busily with the Campus Life Commission for an exciting Clubs Week during Winterfest in early January.
U T. U. T. U.T.S.U.’s Got You p o A po popular annual tradition for the U.T.S.U. is the late night exam destressors at Ro ob Robarts Library during final exams. The Campus Life Commission is underway plan plan pl n planning free snacks and fair-trade coffee for students during December exams next month.
Xpression Against Oppression (October 19-23) This semester’s Xpression Against Oppression week was filled with many amazing events. These included town halls, movie screenings, a traveling art show, panel presentations, and socials. The week of events was very well attended and brought together a very diverse group of students and other community members to express their viewpoints on oppression and discrimination. A common thread in all of this year’s XAO events was the funding crunches faced by academic programs that deal with issues of accessibility and equity, especially disability studies, the Transitional Year Programme (TYP), and African, Equity, Women and Gender Studies. The Equity Commission plans to host a town hall about these departments to mobilize in promoting academic programs that address matters of equity.
AIDS Walk For Life (September 13) For the AIDS Walk for Life this year, both the Equity and Campus Life Commission d organized a charity BBQ fundraiser and had a contingent walk in the march. University of Toronto Students Union
Part of Xpression Against Oppression Week
Task Force on Racism In October, the Equity Commission hosted a Task Force on Racism at U of T in order to provide racialised THURSDAY OCTOBER 22 students Sid Smith rm1073 @ 5-7pm and their allies with a space to discuss experiences of racism on campus and in their community. Testimonies provided at the Task Force are being collected provincewide to compile a report and a set of recommendations for post-secondary ht institutions to consider in working to fig ght against racism and discrimination on ho our campuses. Thanks to everyone who came together to this important event!
CLUBS, EVENTS AND CAMPUS LIFE
Pride Week The U.T.S.U. collaborated with the University of Toronto Pride Planning Committee to showcase this year’s theme, “40 Years of Queer Activism,” to celebrate and recognize what it takes to effect change and what we still need to do to fight for equal rights for all people. Some activities that took place throughout the week included the U of T Pride Pub Night, a Community Fair, an art show and, of course, the pride parade.
services The U.T.S.U. offers a wide range of services to save its members money. Over the past year, we have experienced a massive uptake of services on all fronts. Health and Dental Plan The University of Toronto Students’ Union’s health and dental plan is provided to its members through Green Shield Canada. Since we negotiate coverage for 41,000 members, we are able to secure comprehensive coverage at a reasonable cost. Green Shield’s “Student Centre” website was launched this summer for students to have convenient online access to claims status and coverage information. This year, we were able to increase paramedical coverage to $35 and increase coverage of diabetic supplies to $1000 without increasing the cost of the health and dental plan.
Handbooks The U.T.S.U. handbook is provided free to members and is a useful communications tool. Because the U.T.S.U. purchases its handbooks through the Canadian Federation of Students common handbook project, we are able to provide a higher quality, more environmentally friendly book than if we were negotiating the contract on our own. The handbook is printed on post-consumer recycled paper using vegetable-based inks at a low per-unit cost, helping the Union uphold high standards of environmentally friendly products. This year, the handbook was in such high demand that all 26,000 handbooks were distributed by the first week of October. Students are still walking into office asking for the handbooks and there has been interest to increase the number of handbooks produced next year.
U.T.S.U. Book Exchange The U.T.S.U. Book Exchange is a very valuable service we offer to members in order to assist in the sales and purchases of used textbooks. The book exchange website, developed last year, allows students to input their book information by themselves online. The website provides students with 24-hour access to the status of their book sales. Sales for the U.T.S.U. Book Exchange increased dramatically this year meaning that more students were able to make money and save money on used textbooks.
Discounted VIP TTC Metropass U.T.S.U. helps students to save money by providing discounted TTC Metropasses on campus. Currently all the locations are functioning. Monthly, the U.T.S.U. has been selling between 12,000 and 14,000 passes. On November 17, following lobbying by GTA students with the ‘Fair Student Fares’ campaign, the TTC voted in favour of giving all post-secondary students access to the student rate for the Metropass. This discounted rate of $99 (versus the adult rate of $121) will take effect in September 2010. Once in place, students will save double what they save now from the Volume Incentive Program, and there will no longer be the possibility of passes selling out. This is an incredible victory! The U.T.S.U. will continue working with the TTC to ensure the student rate is administered accessibly to all University of Toronto students.
Book Bursary U.T.S.U. provides a needs-based book bursary to its members to help subsidize the rising cost of textbooks. This year, we have received a higher volume of applications than in previous years. The book bursary committee is currently reviewing applications so that the bursaries can be distributed before Christmas.
Dollars for Daycare Bursary Being a student and a parent can be a real financial challenge. U.T.S.U.’s Dollars for Daycare Bursary helps alleviate some of the difficulties for student parents. Application forms are now available at the U.T.S.U. Office.
Student Discount Cards Free Studentsaver and ISIC cards are available to all U.T.S.U. members because of our membership in the Canadian Federation of Students. Both cards are available at the U.T.S.U. office. The new studentsaver.ca website makes it easier for you to search all the amazing discounts available across the GTA and Canada.
Discounted Ticket Sales The U.T.S.U. front desk sells discounted tickets for movie theatres, Yuk Yuk’s, and Canada’s Wonderland. The popularity of the cheap ticket sales has tripled over the past year. Our members especially love the cheap movie tickets and are happy that the Union has taken the effort to provide them at a discounted price. U.T.S.U. Food and Clothing Bank
Income Tax Clinics Uptake on our free income tax filing service continues to grow every year. This year, students can access ufile.ca year-round, round free of charge. The income tax clinic period begins on March 29. 2010. If you are interested in volunteering for the Clinics, contact vpinternal@utsu.ca.
This year, the U.T.S.U. has been working on a major overhaul of its website. The website project was divided into two large phases. Phase 1 focused on improving the usability of the website. During Phase 1 there were major changes that took place which include, but not are limited to: increasing the width of the pages, incorporating user-friendly navigation (SE SEO) O), of the menus, search engine optimization (SEO), easy to remember URLs, and other small changes. We made sure that information our users are looking for are easily reachable within two clicks. Phase 2 is now under development and focuses on the aesthetics of the website. There is a series of customized templates being g designed to give a warm, welcome feeling to the visitors of our website.
services
A grim reality on our campus is in the growing need for students to have access to a food bank because of financial difficulties they face. The U.T.S.U Food and Clothing Bank is the 5th largest food bank in the GTA. The food bank operates every Friday from 12:00pm to 3:00pm at New College, Wetmore Hall, Room 50.
U.T.S.U. Website
post-secondary education and
university affairs STOP F L AT FEES
Stop Flat Fees
The campus united in a short period of time in Arts & Science in an effort to stop the University of Toronto from implementing a flat tuition fee structure in the Faculty Come to the A&S Council meeting Com to voice your thoughts! of Arts and Science. We Monday, April 6 at 3 Mon Council Chambers at Simcoe Hall Coun managed to inform our members and the public, through thro ou distribution of materials. We managed the support of the faculty association tto o ssecure e labour unions on and off campus, all on campus, ca students’ unions on campus and even students’ st tude unions u un ion across the country. Finally, we even managed to attract the attention of the media and ma an even eve ev en received an officially denouncing of the plan en from fr om m the Toronto Star. What ar are flat fees?
The Th he Faculty Facu of Arts & Science is pu ushing for students to pay tuition pushing fee es based base on their program not by fees co ourse. This means you’ll pay for course. five fiv ve classes class even if you’re in three.
Th his move mo This will deny students co ourse refunds, r course could hurt access to loans that t require full-time status (lik ke OSAP), OS (like and cost potentially stu udents thousands more every students ye ear. year.
th
Why is the Faculty pushing this?
The primary factor appears to be just to make money. There are no benefits to students. It’s a scheme that has been used at Brock to force students to pay thousands more and now U of T A&S is pushing it. The Faculty is saying they’re running out of money, but leeching more out of students is not the answer.
On November 5, there were many excited students who came out to the Day of Action to take the streets of Toronto in solidarity with other students’ unions, labor unions, and other community members to Drop Fees for a Poverty-Free Ontario.
PM
Although the Governing Council vote was not in Al A Alt ltho the th e in iinterest of students, we continue to inform and address the issue of flat fees with the ongoing a ad dr dr ght fifigh gh ht to eliminate such implementation. Drop Dro Dr op Fees for a Poverty-Free Ontario Campaign op
Since S inc the beginning of the summer, the Drop Fees Fee Fe es for a Poverty Free Ontario Coalition has been be een meeting every Monday at 4pm in the lobby Sidney Smith. With a growing interest, many of S of i ssuccessful su cc cc events and actions were taken to not only on ly address the widespread concern of high tuition tu uittio fees, but to also pressure the provincial gov go ve ve government to increase funding to m make post-secondary education educ ed du more affordable and accessible a ac ce to all people. With W ith th the dedication of vvolunteers vo ollu un from the coalition, hundreds of class speaks were hu hun und nd given, give gi ve en we connected with thousands tth hou ou of students, and collected over 11,000 signed col co lle postcards p post po ost stcc at the St. George campus.
University of Toronto Students’ Union Local 98, Canadian Federation of Students
SEXISM IN POVERTY
Traditionally, women have had to bear the brunt • Access to affordable child-care and low-cost of sexism in society. The costs of post-secondary or free post-secondary education would allow education are no different. Tuition fees and the women to train for new jobs, receive a decent debt they produce unfairly put further pressure on wage, and support herself and her family. women already struggling to make ends meet. Don’t be gender-blind. Here are some ways tuition fees effect women: CAMPAIGN • The International Trade Union Confederation found that in Canada, the average wage gap between men and women was 27.5%. This means women get paid nearly thirty percent less for doing the same job than a man. • More than 50 of female lone parents live dangerously close to, on, or below the poverty line.
FOR A
POVERTY FREE ONTARIO CONTACT
HADIA AKHTAR
Vice-President External, UTSU vpexternal@utsu.ca
SARA SULIMAN
External Commissioner, GSU external@utgsu.ca
Transitional Year Programme The University had attempted, yet again, to move the Transitional Year Programme into Woodsworth College, thereby removing its special autonomous structure that has allowed it to function and serve as an exemplar of access and equity since 1970. The TYP has served as an academic steppingstone for the most marginalised students in Toronto throughout the years, offering counseling and individualized learning in order to foster a supportive academic environment for students facing a number of barriers. The programme is meant to provide access to the University for students who may not have been able to access it in the traditional way for a variety of reasons. The motion, if passed, would have changed the makeup of TYP in January 2010. A very strong response from the community at the Faculty of Arts and Science Council meeting on October 19 led to the Provost stopping the move and keeping the status quo. As we saw last year with Flat Fees, however, this does not mean that the University will play by its own rules; the motion could still go to Academic Board without being passed at the Faculty of Arts and Science Council. Overall, the campaign was a huge success and a great show of solidarity with our members, both in the Programme as well as in other Faculties and Colleges. We will continue to work with TYP faculty, students, alumni and supporters through the Transitional Year Programme Preservation Alliance to ensure the program is not eroded.
U.T.S.U. has a growing commitment to sustainability. The Sustainability Commission brings together students from across the campus community, including the University of Toronto Environmental Resource Network (UTERN), Bike Chain, and Hot Yam to collaborate on environmental events and campaigns. Earth Cycle Week This year’s Earth Cycle week was a significant success with a Car Free Day, workshops, a vegan commuter’s breakfast, and an environmental fair. The Sustainability Commission collaborated on many of the events throughout the week. Protect our Public Water U.T.S.U. has for many years been committed to protecting public water. This summer, students were called on to support farmers, aboriginal peoples, and residents in Simcoe County in calling on the County Council to stop the construction of a dumpsite on the freshest water aquifer in the world – the Alliston Aquifer. U.T.S.U. hosted a packed town hall in early August. A few weeks later, the county council voted to stop the construction at dump site 41. An amazing victory for both students and the general public!
Bulk-Purchasing – Environmentally Friendly Products U.T.S.U. makes an effort to utilize products around the office and in its events that are less harmful for the environment. We purchase printing paper made of sugar cane extracts at a competitive rate, environmentally friendly cleaning products, and compostable dishware for all events. This year, we have offered to bulk purchase compostable dishware for all U.T.S.U. recognized clubs. Also, materials developed for U.T.S.U. orientation are ethically purchased wherever possible, such as the kits made available to all divisions. It’s not too late to join the Sustainability Commission and get involved in planning for the International Day of Climate Action and supporting the U of T delegation to the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Contact sustainability@utsu.ca.
Public Water Initiative A few years ago, the organization stopped using bottled water in all of its events. This is one way that we take a leadership role in environmental initiatives in our communities. The U.T.S.U. has been working on the campaign to encourage other organizations, such as the University of Toronto and the provincial government to ban bo b o ottt ttlle ttle ed water wa ate terr and an a nd restore rest re s orre public publ pu bllicc drinking d dri rink ri nkin in ng fountains foun fo un nta ain ns in n bottled th he esse spaces. spac spac ace es. es these
sustainability on campus
University of Toronto Students’ Union 12 Hart House Circle Toronto, Ontario M6J 3H2 phone. 416.978.4911 fax. 416.978.2018 www.utsu.ca