THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA
March 16, 2015 Volume 41, Issue 21 themedium.ca
Unit 1 puts forth new proposal Bargaining team brings proposal to U of T despite dissent by just under half of members MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR The Unit 1 bargaining team has brought forward a controversial proposal to U of T administration following a meeting on Friday that left members divided. The proposal, which was narrowly passed by members after limited debate, mainly rearranged the numbers from the agreement that Unit 1 previously rejected, with some additional funds, according to online posts following the meeting. Details about the meeting and the proposal were leaked online through social media and a blog post by a Unit 1 member, which was briefly removed from online amid comments that the author was giving administration the opportunity to prepare a response to the proposal before the meeting. Social media blew up after the meeting as members expressed dissatisfaction with the proposal and the way the three-hour meeting was conducted, particularly since members were not given advance notice that they would
MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM
The union is said to be preparing to ramp up its strike tactics, including possible walkouts. be voting on a motion. A petition was also launched calling for Unit 1 to hold another meeting to discuss the proposal before presenting it to the administration. According to social media posts by members of the Unit 1 bargaining team, the bargaining team brought the proposal to the mediator on Sunday
and had not as of press time received a response from U of T. The Medium was unable to reach Unit 1 vice-chair Ryan Culpepper in time for comment. STUDENT WORKERS According to Unit 1 member Milan Ilnyckyj in his blog, the proposal
presented to members at the meeting was mainly an effort by the bargaining team to “reorganize” U of T’s last proposal, which was rejected by Unit 1 members. The agreement would increase the minimum funding package from $15,000 to $17,500 while also reducing tuition for both domestic and
international Ph.D. students in their fifth and sixth years by half, according to the post. “The big gain […] is getting tuition and the funding package explicitly incorporated into the collective agreement,” wrote Ilnyckyj. In a phone interview earlier this month, Culpepper told The Medium that Unit 1 members rejected U of T’s last offer because it failed to recognize the dual role played by Unit 1 members at the university. “Members of Unit 1 are all student workers and it’s really hard to draw a divide between […] when you have your student hat on and your worker hat on,” he said. “The contract that was recommended and then voted on as strictly an employment contract was a good offer […] but our members aren’t just workers, they’re student workers,” he said, adding that the rejected agreement did not increase the minimum funding or tuition relief for graduate students. Strike continued on page 3
Elections rife with allegations end Unofficial results of two-slate student union election to be released today NICOLE DANESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR The unofficial results for UTMSU’s elections are expected to be released today after two weeks of campaigning involving conflicts of interest, numerous allegations, demerits, and an incident involving Campus Police. On Wednesday at approximately 2 p.m., a female student was allegedly grabbed by the arm by a UTM Rise campaigner near the polling station in Davis. The student, who asked to remain anonymous, phoned Campus Police to report the incident but chose not to press charges. The incident was later confirmed by Campus Police. According to the student, the campaigner involved in the incident was a student from York campaigning for Rise. Rise’s presidential candidate Ebi
A more ROSI outlook The outdated web platform is to be replaced, possibly as early as this spring, by one currently in beta. Medium News, page 2
Not limited to elections Sure, some absurd things happened during this latest round of Predict the Winner. But they always do. Medium Opinion, page 4
Because I’m happy Tours for Yan Wu’s Comfort Zones project begin with a magical trip down memory lane with Linda. Medium Arts, page 5
Imaginary boyfriends MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM
The Wall of Transparency has not been updated since March 4. Agbeyegbe was not able to confirm the identity of the campaigner, but did not believe the individual was a York student.
Following the incident, polls were reportedly closed for approximately 15 minutes while Campus Police and UTMSU’s chief returning officer Ashley
Toste spoke with both Rise and UTM Reform in response to the incident. Elections continued on page 3
For women who work with older men, the need to protect yourself from unwanted advances is real. Medium Features, page 8
Soccer and OCAA mix Varsity soccer team took baby steps in the new level of competition this year, but they’re pretty happy. Medium Sports, page 11