The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) offered the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) two settlement offers, one for each lawsuit between the two student associations.
GSA president Christina Muehlberger said in an email that the association’s legal counsel received the offers early Nov. 4.
CUSA sent the settlement offer Oct. 23, according to the association’s president, Folarin Odunayo.
Muehlberger said the GSA would like to move past the legal cases “in a manner that respects decisions made by their membership and protects the interests of their members.”
She also said the GSA’s executive and the board of directors have not had a chance to evaluate the offers thoroughly.
Because of this, Muehlberger said she can’t disclose any specific details about the settlements.
“After all this time, we appreciate CUSA being open to negotiations,” she said.
Odunayo also said he is unable to reveal the settlement details on advisement from CUSA’s lawyers.
He said CUSA put forward the offer on both lawsuits “in order to settle things” and is currently waiting for GSA to get back to them.
GSA filed a lawsuit against CUSA in October 2012 after CUSA opted out of a joint health plan between the two student associations. CUSA said they were saving students money.
In January 2013, CUSA filed a lawsuit against the GSA regarding unpaid Unicentre fees for the past three years. The GSA said its members were turned away from undergraduate service centres and were not receiving the services for which they were paying.
Odunayo said he wants to settle the legal matters out of court in order to avoid dragging out the lawsuits any longer, and continuing with the lawsuits would be detrimental.
“That’s not good for us as an organization. That’s not good for them as an organization. It’s not good for the campus, so I think it’s in the best interest for everybody,” he said.
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