As the fall semester concludes, the Charlatan sat down with Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president David Oladejo, Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) president Jacob Howell, and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) vice-president (finance) Ashley Courchene for a midterm review on the goals each association had during the electoral campaign last spring and goals developed over the course of the fall term—looking at which ones have been achieved, delayed, or unfulfilled.
As of this year, each undergraduate student paid a levy of $61.34 to CUSA; every residence student paid $68.82 a year to RRRA; and every graduate student paid $238.18 a year to GSA.
Carleton University Students’
Association (CUSA)
Goal: To defederate from the CFS
No: In October, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) announced a referendum on whether CUSA will continue membership with their organization.
The referendum came at the tail end of “CU Later CFS,” a year-long campaign headed by both last year’s and this year’s CUSA executives, to defederate from the CFS.
After a voter turnout of just over 17 per cent and a slim margin of victory for the “in favour” side, the association now has to remain with CFS for five more years before they can begin the defederation process all over again.
Oladejo mentioned that because a CFS campaign was a promise from elected executives, they had to work on the project hands-on.
Goal: Expanding student jobs on campus
Ongoing: CUSA’s communications department saw an increase in student employment by hiring photographers and videographers this year, aiding in advertising and marketing, said Oladejo.
Additionally, there were also more employment opportunities for students through the events hosted by CUSA, according to Oladejo.
Oladejo said he hopes to implement more “bigger scale jobs,” but is awaiting grant applications from the government to be approved in the following month. Oladejo mentioned how this was important to fund the creation of jobs outside the 2018-19 operational budget of roughly $2.6 million.
Goal: Lobby for removal of interest on OSAP loans
No: One of Oladejo’s promises involved lowering tuition fees by lobbying to remove interest from Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) loans, a vote executed by Carleton’s Board of Governors (BoG).
“We met with [Ottawa mayor] Jim Watson and pushed that, along with our university leaders. Unfortunately, there was a tuition increase this year, but it’s something we have to stay adamant on for change from the local, provincial, and federal governments.” said Oladejo.
For Carleton students, the lowered tuition includes nixing additional OSAP interest from loans, placing a principal burden on students paying back the government.
But with the new Ford government, the possibility of Ontario’s premier allowing subsidies are limited. However, Oladejo said he remains confident that CUSA will find ways to lobby for “student empowerment”—finding the best value for students’ money.
“Changes in tuition cannot be [lowered] in a matter of six months,” Olaedjo said, “and has to be done through lobbying.”
Goal: Changes to CUSA businesses
Ongoing: One of CUSA’s new initiatives for students included the opening of The Wing, an on-the-go mini convenience store located in the University Centre Atrium.
With the always-present atmosphere the Atrium provides, Oladejo says that it’s the ideal space for the business.
“Having a business that’s there open for the majority of the day [encourages] a lot of people to hang out and study—it brings a liveliness,” he said.
Oladejo touches on students’ concerns about the lack of healthier food options on campus, and adds, that The Wing is a new option for students “without the pain of standing in a line.”
CUSA is still finalizing the physical space of The Wing and advertising, as well as considering reaching out to off-campus businesses to ask if they would consider selling products in The Wing.
Currently, the association is also preparing to renovate Haven Books to have a café component, an update planned for next semester.
Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA)
Goal: Reduced off-campus meal plan and guest pass system
Ongoing: Another goal of this year’s RRRA executive was to bring a reduced off-campus meal plan to former residence students and increase the number of guest passes for current residence students. Howell said RRRA is still working with administration to bring these goals to fruition. He said these goals may be implemented next semester but most likely would only work for the next round of residence students.
Goal: Distribution of free feminine hygiene products on all residence floors
Ongoing: Free pads and tampons are currently available in the RRRA office, but RRRA is working with Housing and Life Services to distribute them to residence fellows on each floor, according to Howell.
Goal: Get student jobs through government grants
Ongoing: RRRA hasn’t been able to apply to the grants because they’re not open yet, according to Howell.
Goal: Online job bank
Ongoing: RRRA had a prototype for their job bank last year by reaching out to local businesses and creating that database. However, Howell said it is one of the harder campaign promises to have a job bank that is large enough for students and to keep that up.
Goal: Having printers and free printing in residence buildings
Ongoing: Howell said they are looking at having printers in some of the large residence buildings to see how successful it is and whether or not it can be expanded from there.
Other goals that RRRA is currently working on are to have two-ply toilet paper in all the residences; installing completely openable windows in the Glengarry residence; and re-vamping the association’s website.
Graduate Students’ Association (GSA)
Goal: Provide graduate student-specific mental health counselling
Ongoing: According to vice-president (finance) Ashley Courchene, the pilot program will be implemented “either next semester or at the very end” of the school year.
The service provides a graduate student-focused counsellor, who will work full-time for five days, but with two days a week purely focused on graduate student appointments.
Goal: Indigenous policy advocacy
Ongoing: The GSA ReconciliAction working group, a partnership with the CFS, is ongoing, according to Courchene, with two members of that working group also acting as student representatives on the Board of Governors’ Indigenous strategy task force.
Courchene said the GSA working group will push to see three main objectives achieved: hiring more Indigenous faculty, including more Indigenous content in curriculums, and campus development, such as more signs displaying Aanishinaabemowin, the language of the local Algonquin people.
Goal: Anti-Islamophobia campaign
Ongoing: Partnered with Carleton’s Muslim Students’ Association to run various awareness events, and all linked to an anti-war campaign, which along with the political action commitee and OPIRG Carleton wants to research how Carleton “sponsors or propagates the militarization of different areas,” said Courchene. θ
—With files from Meagan Casalino
Photo by Lauren Hicks
