Carleton’s administration and its two student unions, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), recently reached an agreement that saw the remainder of $7 million in student fees released to the two associations, preventing closure of the services and businesses these organizations run.
However, a package of documents, allegedly containing details of these new agreements, have not yet been released to either union’s members. CUSA and GSA said they couldn’t show these documents to inquiring students because of the ongoing negotiations at the time. This is understandable, but now that the two sides have found common ground, keeping the documents secret prevents CUSA and GSA members from knowing what exactly they contained and how they will affect the way the organizations are run.
As members, students pay fees to these unions, and for their contribution have every right to see these documents. The administration/CUSA-GSA conflict could have had disastrous effects and was about to be taken to court before the agreement was reached.
The administration and student unions sent a vague email to students, notifying them of the agreement, but its contents still leave students confused and in the dark.
The students’ associations were honest enough to show us their financial audits, but they haven’t extended this transparency to the documents that form the heart of this controversial issue.
Transparency should be essential in these proceedings. CUSA and GSA cannot be selective regarding what gets shown to students and what doesn’t.