MUN graduate students decisively vote against dissolving the GSU
On Thursday, the Graduate Student Union of Memorial University of Newfoundland announced the result of the vote conducted on April 8 regarding the potential dissolution for the GSU. After the votes were verified with the help of the School of Graduate Studies, 244 students voted against the motion to authorize dissolution of the union, with only 157 in favour, and 14 abstentions.
The vote would have needed a ⅔ majority to pass, so this vote was decisively in favour of the GSU remaining as the body representing graduate students at Memorial. A motion was presented in early March by almost 50 graduate students concerned about the approximately $2 million that the GSU owed to CFS and GreenShield Inc., alongside other concerns about long term financial mismanagement and concerns regarding transparency.
The petition called on the union to hold a vote on authorizing the dissolution of the union as a whole. However, since the petition was presented, the GSU have negotiated a repayment plan with GreenShield that would repay their debt within the next four years, alongside a confirmed renewal for the health and dental insurance coverage. This allowed students to feel much more secure in the future of the union, and
resulted in this positive outcome for the union.
“We are extremely happy and relieved that students have decided not to dissolve the union. We also understand that trust has been broken in recent years and we are looking forward to improving transparency, communication, and financial practices in the coming years,” said Gaayathri Sukantha
Murugan, GSU’s Executive Director of Communications.
“It’s understandable that students were concerned by the financial state of their union and were considering many options, including dissolution,” said Nicolas Keough, CFS-NL Chairperson. “However, we are extremely happy that students have decided to make the decision not to give up on their union – it would have been disastrous for the wellbeing of graduate students had dissolution occurred.”
The Canadian Federation of Students has been assisting the GSU in negotiating a repayment plan with GreenShield, as well as providing support in speaking to students regarding the consequences of potential dissolution. The Graduate Students’ Union looks forward to working with students to rebuild trust and restore the union to a healthier financial position in the years to come.