A routine campaign over student fee usage turned into an aggressive battle against the Kingston chapter of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) last month at Queen’s University.
Students are now allowed to opt out of the group after a 62 per cent vote against OPIRG, a public interest group with chapters across Ontario, during the university’s annual winter referendum Feb. 2.
Stuart Clark, president of Queen’s Students for Accountability, Fairness and Equity (QSAFE), launched the campaign, which came to be known as NOPIRG.
“The goal was to campaign against the renewal of the opt-out fee to show our disapproval over how student dollars were spent,” Clark said. “This issue was important to us because we viewed the $30,000 of the unelected, non-student OPIRG co-ordinator as an affront to student trust, totally against the standards that we should expect of organizations who receive public funds.”
OPIRG is a “a student funded and directed organization that serves to exist as a training ground for concerned citizens to recognize and engage the problems of society,” according to OPIRG Kingston’s website.
The campaign turned to mud-slinging early on, according to Clark, who said NOPIRG posters were ripped down and students were called names on campus.
“While handing out pieces of paper with information about the NOPIRG campaign, NOPIRG volunteers were surrounded by groups of people and screamed at,” Clark said. “They were called ‘racist’ and ‘fascist.’ ”
Both sides have stressed that OPIRG volunteers weren’t directly involved in these incidents. OPIRG co-coordinator Kativa Bissoondial said their strategy was to stay positive, stay on message and stress the positive impacts the public interest group provides for the Kingston community.
“We really stressed to supporters that slander, negative comments and ripping down posters were not condoned,” Bissoondial said.” Attacks got personal.”
The $4 fee that students will now be able to opt out of provided half of OPIRG’s funding, according to the Queen’s Journal.
In response to the questions surrounding Bissoondial’s salary, members of OPIRG said they’re confused by the negative view students have of their group.
“For some reason, employment is not looked upon positively at Queen’s . . . we found it really confusing why that became a sticking point,” said Bissoondial.
Task groups are currently utilizing OPIRG as a vehicle for community outreach, Birdman said, some of which included programs for the large inmate population in Kingston, and literature on mental health made available for students going into midterms.
With the wide margin of support for the NOPIRG campaign, going forward with community projects in Kingston will be more challenging for the organization.
“Basically right now, our fiscal year runs from September to August; we have enough funds to run until the end of the year. We are hoping to appeal the outcome, students will vote again at end of March. We’re hoping to educate students on our services, we provide services to the most marginalized,” said Bissoondial. “Voting down this fee is voting down services for students who face discrimination. Should that fail we’re making alternate plans to work with the community at large and look towards graduate student support.”
