Latest news with #studentunion
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'We were given no notice about this': University of Regina Students' Union asks U of R to delay eviction
The University of Regina Students' Union (URSU) is asking for an extension after the U of R terminated the union's lease last week. The U of R announced the eviction on Friday, saying URSU leadership must vacate the office and any commercial space it occupies on campus. URSU vice president Jwalant Patel said he was working at the URSU office last week when a handful of U of R security officers came in and told him to pack up "his personal belongings." "They handed [me over] the letter and they said, like, 'you have five minutes to evacuate the space, just get your personal belongings and go out,'" Patel told CBC on Monday afternoon. He said security was ready to "seize" the room as soon as he stepped out of the office, quickly changing the locks on the front desk and back doors. "Just imagine, even if the standard … I mean the landlord here in Regina, they give 15 days of the eviction notice to anybody, even if they wanna throw out someone from the office space or, like, the residential space," Patel said. He said he was completely blindsided and there was nothing new in the U of R's notice that warranted an early termination. "We were never ready for this," he said. "We are expecting something like this to happen around the end of this month. It is still mid-August." Patel said the U of R originally called off its lease agreement with URSU as of Sept.1, giving union staff at least two more weeks to pack up. Now the university has given them from Monday to Wednesday during working hours, he said. "We were given no notice about this." Patel said the U of R has also told URSU to leave behind all assets paid for by the students' union. He said the U of R has advised the assets will now be held by the school's board of governors, who will hand it over to the new union or whatever organization takes over for URSU. "That right should be decided by the membership … not by the university," Patel said. "If it's a legal thing and we have to obey that order, but if it's coming from the university, not directed by the court. We won't be agreeing on that." Patel said he wrote an email Sunday to object to the U of R's decision to have security "restrict" URSU staff to only receiving personal property. He said URSU's constitution does say that if the union is dissolved, the U of R board should hold the unions' belongings in trust, but argued that the U of R's eviction notice is not the same as a dissolution, as there has been no vote by the membership to dissolve URSU. Patel told CBC he has asked the U of R to rescind or revise their decision and allow URSU to stay to the end of the month. He said he has given the university until the end of the day Monday to respond. "The reason we are asking is, like, the [three days] is so limited. I mean, it's very difficult," Patel said. 'Loss of confidence': University of Regina president The University's decision was driven by a "loss of confidence" in URSU's ability to serve and represent students, U of R president Jeff Keshen said in a statement posted on Facebook last week. "Effective immediately, the university has terminated its main lease agreements with URSU, meaning URSU leadership is required to vacate the office and commercial space it occupies on campus," Keshen said. URSU occupied office space on the second floor of the Riddell Centre. It was also responsible for running the multi-purpose room and the Lazy Owl bar and restaurant. Keshen said The Lazy Owl will remain closed until further notice and bookings for the multi-purpose room will now be handled by the university's hospitality services team. The U of R declined to comment on Patel's email and directed CBC back to Friday's statement. 'Saddening and heartbreaking': U of R student As URSU shutters its doors, many U of R students say they are worried about not having a union to represent them on campus going into a new school year. "It's really saddening and heartbreaking," said Pall Agarwan, who takes business at the U of R. "It has a lot of effect in terms of funding, it has a lot of effect in terms of event planning and things like that. So that has taken a big hit." Agarwan points to the many student benefits covered by the students' union including a subsidized transit pass, health and dental benefits and the community fridge. "A lot of other students are struggling to figure out where exactly do you go to if you want help, if you want to figure out life," she said. ""Especially for a lot of international students, when you come here, you need a lot of support." The U of R has confirmed it will not release fall semester funding to URSU, but said it has measures in place to keep core student services, like health and dental coverage and the U-Pass transit program, active. "The University will also ensure the flow of funds to student groups and associations that rely on student fees for their ongoing operations," Keshen said in the statement posted Friday. Hunter Rul, another student, said he is worried about what the next semester is going to look like without a students' union. He said in his eight years as a student, it has always been nice to know there was representation on campus. Rul noted that it is important to have spaces where students can feel safe, referencing the U of R's Women's Centre, which URSU threatened to defund last year. Rul said the U of R is "pretty bad" for cutting good programs and spaces, and hopes the campus doesn't go too long without a students union. He took issue with the decision to indefinitely shut down the Lazy Owl restaurant and bar. "It is upsetting cause, it's like, it was a good spot to get food and have a quick drink with your friend on campus so you don't have to go across the street," he said. "It felt like it's part of [the U of R's] identity." The women's centre declined to be interviewed about the U of R's decision to terminate URSU. However, in a statement to CBC Monday, it said it continues, "to take direction from and work with university administration throughout this process."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
U of R evicts students' union from campus spaces
The University of Regina has evicted the University of Regina Students' Union (URSU) from campus. "As a result of the University's loss of confidence in URSU's ability to serve and represent students, additional steps have been taken heading into fall," U of R president Jeff Keshen said in a statement posted Friday afternoon on Facebook. "Effective immediately, the university has terminated its main lease agreements with URSU, meaning URSU leadership is required to vacate the office and commercial space it occupies on campus." URSU occupied office space on the second floor of the Riddell Centre. It was also responsible for running the multi-purpose room and the Lazy Owl bar and restaurant. Keshen said The Lazy Owl will remain closed until further notice and bookings for the multi-purpose room will now be handled by the university's hospitality services team. On Friday, URSU members arrived at their office to see an eviction notice and changed locks. URSU general manager Aoun E. Muhammad said the university's decision will have a big ripple effect. "In the end, our students will be unemployed. We will be closing down [the] union as well. But eventually, students are getting affected," Muhammad said in an interview. "I am afraid that students will not have representation on campuses at all, no one will be elected. If they start something, it will be appointed or hired. And hired by who? I don't know, most probably by the people who are doing this right now." The lawyer representing the students' union said it has not official comment at this time. Keshan said current tenants — including Extreme Pita, Gong Cha, Campus Dentist, the Carillon, the Women's Centre, UR Pride, the Regina Public Interest Research Group (RPIRG), Engineers Without Borders and the World University Service of Canada — will continue business as usual. Michelle Hood, outreach and events co-ordinator with the RPIRG, said her group doesn't work directly with URSU beyond receiving funds. "We've been able to manage because we've been saving," she said. Hood said she would like to see some sort of student representation in administration. "Our main concern is student voices. This is a student campus. We are the main part of this place. There needs to be representation," Hood said. Hood worries that without an elected students' union, decisions like U-Pass fees could be made without student oversight. "If they took over U-Pass, they could raise it without any concern," she said. Saga continues The U of R cut off student levies to URSU back in January, saying it had spent the previous year trying to work with the students' union's board and management to address its financial troubles, but was unable to do so. URSU's financial report found that during the 2023-2024 fiscal year, it had posted revenue of $8.9 million and expenses of $10.2 million, leaving the organization in a deficit position of approximately $1.3 million. On April 2, Keshen said the university had "lost confidence" in URSU serving and representing students, and was terminating its fee agreement with the union starting Aug. 31. In response, URSU launched a lawsuit against the university. URSU was hoping to get the university to release fees collected from students and stick with the existing fee agreement. That effort stalled last week, when a Court of King's Bench judge in Regina dismissed the student union's request. U of R says essential student services will carry on The U of R confirmed it will not release fall semester funding to URSU, but said it has measures in place to keep core student services, like health and dental coverage and the U-Pass transit program, active. "The University will also ensure the flow of funds to student groups and associations that rely on student fees for their ongoing operations," Keshen said in a statement. URSU historically allocated funds to numerous student groups and associations. The university said it will make sure organizations that depend on student fees "for their ongoing operations" continue to receive them. "The university remains committed to collaborating with student leaders who uphold good governance and strong financial practices in the best interests of students," Keshen said. "We encourage students to step up, get involved, and help build an effective, accountable student representative body."
South China Morning Post
05-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
4 Lingnan University students in Hong Kong arrested over HK$1 million theft
Four student union members of Lingnan University in Hong Kong have been arrested for allegedly stealing over HK$1 million (US$127,463) from their organisation, the Post has learned. According to a source, the alleged theft took place between 2024 and 2025, and the students were detained by police on Wednesday for investigation. The four core members of the union, three male and one female, aged from 21 to 24, were arrested for theft and conspiracy to steal. They allegedly stole over $1 million from the student union. Police are expected to meet the press on Thursday to provide more details of the investigation. The Post has reached out to Lingnan University for comment.
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Finance exam leaks at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
More than 100 students studying finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will have to retake an exam after the test was found to have leaked beforehand. The university confirmed the leak on Saturday and said it had reminded teaching staff to prevent similar incidents from happening again. 'All internal examinations are conducted strictly in accordance with the principles of fairness and integrity to ensure that every student's performance is assessed fairly,' a spokesman said. '[The university] has reminded relevant teaching staff to handle examination materials with utmost care to prevent similar incidents from recurring.' The incident came to light on Saturday morning when the editorial board of the student union posted a screenshot on Instagram of an email sent to students from finance professor Utpal Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya apologised to students in his 'Fina 3103' class, explaining the final exam they had taken on Thursday had been 'inadvertently leaked before it took place'.
