In the fallout from the ongoing investigation into the allegations of fraud by executives of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), the University of Ottawa administration has publicly cut off ties with the union.
With such a monumental fiasco in the public eye, there’s no doubt that the accountability of student governments is on the minds of students in Ottawa.
Student governments operate as independent organizations, but collect money through tuition fees paid to the university. Thus, these organizations are not arms of the university, but still receive money from students.
The SFUO’s Board of Administration recently passed an Accountability Agenda, a series of motions that would increase transparency and hold executive members accountable.
Here, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) receives approximately $61.34 per undergraduate student every school year. This totals to just over $1 million in tuition funds in CUSA’s budget, as of this year.
With such a significant amount of student money at the hands of CUSA, measures for accountability are crucial. CUSA townhall sessions and the newly-established accountability committee and are examples of methods that the public can hold their elected leadership accountable.
Introducing methods to ensure these organizations are held accountable is a necessary step. Students are paying these organizations, and yet are often unaware of how it is being spent, or what mechanisms they can use to voice their opinion.
Students should take the opportunity to properly voice their concerns to CUSA through these methods, as student government representatives are working for them—not the other way around.
Whether or not a committee made up of two councillors and one student-at-large can ensure accountability of CUSA remains to be seen, but is an important effort.
