OPIRG members dissuade GSU Executive from defunding

After two weeks of deliberation, the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union Executive has decided not to terminate its Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U of T chapter of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG). This important decision is the result of the outpouring of support OPIRG received from graduate students and other community members. OPIRG hopes that the GSU Executive’s decision is indicative of a shift in its assessment of OPIRG and its work.

In their many letters of support, graduate students commended OPIRG’s role on campus and expressed shock that the GSU Executive would even consider defunding the organization. Working with the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, Geography PhD candidate Shiri Pasternak explained that OPIRG provides her with “a strong network of activists, academics, and organizations … working together to build a better world.” Computer Science PhD candidate Michalis Famelis noted that OPIRG and its volunteers are “vital allies to the GSU’s constituents who also work as TAs.” Masters in Education student and member of OPIRG’s Environmental Justice Toronto working group Maryam Adrangi encouraged the GSU “to explore ways in which they can support OPIRG more.”

In a public thank-you letter commending OPIRG’s ongoing advocacy for improved campus labour conditions, the Executive Committee of CUPE 3902 noted that campus organizations and unions “are individually stronger because we work in concert on issues of common concern.” OPIRG agrees, and values its long-standing relationship with the GSU; OPIRG staff, board members, and volunteers alike look forward to many more years of mutual support. Such collaboration is most effective under conditions of basic trust and respect. For nearly thirty years, OPIRG’s Memorandum of Agreement with the GSU has facilitated such efforts.

However, according to the current GSU Executive’s formal response to this unpleasant dispute (see below), it appears that they do not understand our MOA. As a result, they offer contradictory assessments. Criticizing OPIRG for taking “unilateral action” in rectifying the error in OPIRG’s opt out advertisement, the GSU Executive nevertheless “commend OPIRG on taking prompt steps to rectify” the error.

The current GSU Executive allege that OPIRG’s efforts to inform our members of our newly precarious relationship with the GSU constituted an “attack against the Executive that served to unnecessarily mislead” GSU members. These claims come as a surprise to OPIRG. During our November 14 meeting with the GSU Executive, select GSU Executive members made it clear that they believed themselves to be entitled to terminate the MOA on the basis of the minor error in OPIRG’s opt-out advertisement. Given this overt hostility, it seemed appropriate to inform our members of the threat they faced. It is our sincere hope that we will not have to proceed this way in the future.

The current GSU Executive state that they would never defund a vital campus-based organization before consulting their membership. This is reassuring; however, it deserves noting that such membership “consultations” typically take place before soliciting legal advice—not least because of the expense involved in retaining a lawyer.

Finally, the current GSU Executive claims that the MOA needs to be “modernized.” However, their conception of what this means remains ill defined. Proposing that our “opt out” advertisement in the campus newspaper is inadequate and that “online opt outs” are preferable, the current GSU Executive make clear that they’ve failed to consider how—in a context marked by staggering increases in tuition—many students might casually “opt out” of the GSU itself (were this possible) if not given the opportunity to meet GSU representatives face-to-face in order to discuss common desires and aims.

In an academic year during which graduate students and their U of T community allies must face off against financial austerity and a stubbornly undemocratic university administration, it’s necessary that elected student representatives focus on securing better jobs and educations for their members. These objectives are not met by undermining one’s allies. And though OPIRG will support graduate students with or without the active collaboration of the current GSU Executive, we sincerely hope to proceed with it.

For more information about OPIRG and our initiatives, please get in touch!
opirg.toronto@gmail.com
416 978 7770
www.opirgtoronto.org
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Opirg-Toronto/295554667140158

----

The following email was sent to more than 70 OPIRG supporters
who wrote to the GSU Executive expressing their concerns:

Nikita Reznik <mailto:nikita@utgsu.ca>
28 November, 2011 10:27 PM

Thank you for writing us with your concerns in regards to OPIRG. Attached below, please find a GSU Exec response on the issue. We hope that this would provide some information and answer some of the expressed questions and concerns.
 
Best regards,
Nikita Reznik
 
GSU Executive statement on OPIRG

As many students will have heard, OPIRG did not satisfy all of their obligations in our memorandum of agreement (MOA) by not fully and properly advertising the opt-out process to our members. This created a difficult situation for both OPIRG and the GSU Executive because the MOA is confusing, out of date and requires legal vetting. During consultation with OPIRG staff and board members, the GSU Executive confirmed that the MOA was breached and suggested a remedy that would move our organizations towards a more modern MOA. OPIRG misinterpreted our diligence as us being hostile and went ahead and performed unilateral action to remedy the situation, which the GSU Executive views as being wasteful and inefficient, but also sufficient to remedy the current situation. The GSU Executive is disappointed at how the situation was handled by OPIRG, including their public attack against the Executive that served to unnecessarily mislead our members, but the GSU Executive is prepared to move forward with OPIRG in an amicable fashion.

Going forward, the GSU Executive hopes that OPIRG can act more in concert with the GSU towards a more modern MOA that better serves our members and their organization. Specifically, the GSU Executive would like that the advertising in the Varsity be discontinued so that OPIRG has more money for their core services and the GSU Executive would like to see online opt-outs so as to make the process less onerous.

The GSU Executive made the decision not present this matter to GSU members until after we had met with OPIRG and looked into legal advice. The GSU Executive would not have made a decision to defund a levy group without careful consultation with our members.

The GSU Executive commends OPIRG on taking prompt steps to rectify their error by advertising additional no-appointment opt-out dates (listed below). We also hope that this marks only a small detour from what has otherwise been a positive relationship between our organizations.