The University of Ottawa Students' Union, commonly referred to as the UOSU (SÉUO) is the student organization representing undergraduate students of the University of Ottawa. It is the successor organization of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa following its dissolution in 2019 after a referendum between the two was given to students.

History

Student Federation of the University of Ottawa

The SFUO represented University of Ottawa undergraduate students from 1969 to 2018. It was a not-for-profit organization, incorporated under the Ontario Corporations' Act. On August 9, 2018, La Rotonde, the university's French-language newspaper, reported that the Ottawa Police Service was investigating members of the SFUO and its executive for fraud. Subsequently, on August 10, the university announced it was withholding their funding until an audit into the allegations could be completed. Due to fraud and embezzlement allegations, the University of Ottawa announced that it would terminate its agreement with SFUO. On September 25, 2018, the University of Ottawa provided the Federation with a 90-day notice of termination of their contract, citing insufficient progress and further allegations of workplace misconduct, internal conflict, and improper governance. The announcement noted that, as of December 24th, 2018, the Federation would no longer be recognized as the official representative of students, and invited students who wished to establish successor organizations to come forward. The SFUO offices closed on April 10, 2019. An equitable court receiver was appointed to officially dissolve the federation. Notable past presidents of the organization included Marcel Prud'homme (1958–59), André Ouellet (1959–60), Allan Rock (1969–70), Hugh Segal (1970–71), Denis Paradis (1974–75), Mauril Bélanger (1977–79), Anne McGrath (1979–80), Bernard Drainville (1984–85), Gilles Marchildon (1987–88), Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin (1990–91) and Guy Caron (1992–94).

Founding and subsequent history

To determine whether or not the SFUO could remain in place, the university organized a referendum on which organization should represent undergraduate students. The newly-organized University of Ottawa Students' Union ran on decreasing politicization, increasing student power, and decreasing centralization within the Union. Meanwhile, the SFUO believed that it was best positioned to maintain the services and resources that students had access to. UOSU won the referendum overwhelmingly. The University then signed a new agreement with UOSU, outlining additional oversight and financial transparency measures, and recognizing it as the sole voice of undergraduate students at the University. In 2020, the position of President was established, with Babacar Faye as its inaugural office holder.

Governance

The University of Ottawa Students' Union is a not-for-profit organization, incorporated in Canadian corporate law under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. The organization itself is governed by its Constitution, which establishes its political apparatus and component organs.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the highest governing body within UOSU and is composed of all of the members of the Union. The General Assembly meets twice annually, once in the fall and winter semesters, respectively. Except as limited by the Constitution, the GA may pass resolutions that bind the Board and Executive Committee. The GA has authority over amending UOSU's Constitution.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors governs and provides oversight to UOSU. It comprises 30 members that serve 1-year terms: a President, 6 Commissioners, 22 Directors elected from their faculties, and 1 Indigenous Director, elected through the Indigenous Students' Association. Each faculty has between 1 and 5 Directors. There is a public Board meeting session held every month; much of its responsibilities are delegated to various committees, which are either enshrined in the organization's constitution or formed as ad hoc committees, each focusing on a specific field or area of concern.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EXEC) manages the day-to-day operations of UOSU, with specific jurisdiction over human resources and signing contracts. The EC comprises 7 undergraduate students: the President, and six Commissioners. Each Commissioner is responsible for a specific aspect of the organization. They include the Equity, Francophone Affairs, Student Life, Advocacy, Operations, and Communications Commissioners.

Elections

General elections are held during the Winter term, either in February or March, to elect the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. By-elections are held in October to fill vacant director and executive positions.

2024

General elections General elections were held on February 18, 2024. Turnout was 6.74%. President Delphine Robitaille was re-elected unopposed. The Interim Equity Commissioner, Imani Bunzigiye, was elected to a full term, and Interim Francophone Affairs Commissioner was defeated by Daphnée Veilleux-Michaud. 3 Executive positions were left vacant: Student Life, Communications, and Advocacy Commissioner. On May 6, 2024, the UOSU Board of Directors hired Greg Coleman as Operations Commissioner and Sanjida Flora as Advocacy Commissioner. By-elections 2024 by-elections concluded October 14, 2024 with 8.47% voter turnout, the highest for a by-election in the union’s short history. Three members were elected to the UOSU executive committee: Anne Hyppolite as communications commissioner, Alex Stratas as advocacy commissioner, and Emilia Bah as student life commissioner, all pending ratification. Voting, originally scheduled for five days, was extended by two days due to an issue that temporarily limited the ability of co-op students to vote.

2023

General elections

General elections were held from March 5–9, 2023. Turnout was 3.8%. Only 1 Executive Position was contested, with Joyce Williams being elected Equity Commissioner with 51.7% of the vote. The Operations and Advocacy Commissioners were elected unopposed. Faculty Directors were elected.

By-elections

By-elections were held from October 9–14, 2023. Turnout was 7.7%. The positions of President, Student Life Commissioner, Francophone Affairs Commissioner and Communications Commissioner were filled. Additionally, 5 Director seats and 3 Senate seats were filled. Students voted in 10 referendums during the by-elections. 9 of them passed, including an 11% reduction in Union fees, resulting in a $500,000 cut to its budget.

Clubs and Student Governments

Clubs

The organization recognizes over 360 different clubs and associations related to all aspects of student life, from powerlifting to chess to politics.

Recognized Student Governments

Recognized Student Governments (RSGs) are autonomous, but affiliated organizations representing students from different undergraduate programs. UOSU recognizes 25 RSGs and funds them on a per-student basis.

Businesses and services

The SFUO, and subsequently the UOSU after it succeeded them, operates businesses and offers services that students and/or members of the public can access.

Controversies

uOttawa Students for Life

In 2019, uOttawa Students for Life (UOSFL), a club that advocated against abortion rights on campus, received provisional club status, giving them funding from UOSU and the right to book spaces on campus, sparking controversy. A special General Assembly meeting was called when a petition demanding the Union remove club status from UOSFL and adopt a pro-choice stance was signed by 500 students and presented to the Union. The meeting failed to reach quorum. In January 2020, the Board of Directors stripped UOSFL of club status.

CHUO-FM referendum

During the October 2023 by-elections, UOSU members voted to eliminate a tuition levy that funded CHUO-FM, a local campus radio station. The levy was set at $4.99 per student, which accounted for between $360,000–$380,000 of annual funding, or around 80% of its total funding. The radio station criticized the decision, saying their survival was at risk, and the referendum was legally questionable. At the General Assembly meeting following the referendum, the referendum was not ratified after the Board received legal advice to reject it. According to President-elect Delphine Robitaille, it would have been a "legal liability." There is no similar precedent for not ratifying referendum results. During the 2024 general elections, the referendum was approved again.

2024-2025 service cuts

Following the Fall 2023 Elections, UOSU members approved a referendum forcing a 11.37 percent cut to UOSU student fees in the 2024-2025 school year. In part due to these cuts, UOSU's Budget 2024-2025 included the defunding and dissolution of four services: the Bilingualism Centre, the Peer Help Centre, Foot Patrol, and the Multifaith Centre. On June 24, 2024, the Francophone Affairs Commissioner, Daphnée Veilleux-Michaud, held an emergency meeting open to the public regarding the proposed closure of the Bilingualism Centre. A number of students, including club and student association executives attended the meeting. Operations Commissioner Greg Coleman, who had written the budget with UOSU President Delphine Robitaille, was the only Board member to at the meeting other than Veilleux-Michaud. Reporters from the French-language student newspaper, La Rotonde, and a member from the student radio CHUO-FM were also present. After the emergency meeting, Francophone students who felt that the budget cuts unfairly targeted them joined the Francophone Affairs Commissioner in writing an open letter, which was published in La Rotonde, criticizing the proposal. In particular, they felt the UOSU was putting Bike Co-op before them and suggested that this service should perhaps be defunded instead. Coincidentally, in The Fulcrum's article on the passage of the budget, an Anglophone Board of Directors member representing the Faculty of Social Sciences, James Adair, and the Operations Commissioner are pictured to the right of the President with Bike Co-op branded water bottles. After the passage of the budget, La Rotonde published an article criticizing the outcome, calling into question the May 1 salary increase of UOSU executives to $23 per hour, and again suggesting that the Bike Co-op should have been cut instead. Less than a week later on July 6, La Rotonde published another open letter to the UOSU President, insisting that the budget included cuts to the Feminist Resource Centre that constituted "anti-femenist intellectual harassment." However, no cuts aimed at this service were included in the 2024-2025 budget.