University of Manitoba Students' Union

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The University of Manitoba Students' Union (UMSU) is the university-wide representative body for students at the University of Manitoba, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was established in 1919, replacing the former University of Manitoba Students' Association established in 1914. Its head office is located at 101 University Centre, at the Fort Garry Campus of the University of Manitoba. UMSU is Local 103 of the Canadian Federation of Students.

Contents

[edit] Recent history

The University of Manitoba Students' Union has changed significantly over the past few years. The changes include two re-organizations of the Executive, an overhaul of the By-laws of the Union, the creation of a Gallery of Student Art, the addition of five community representatives to the UMSU Council, leaving the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations and joining the Canadian Federation of Students. Voter turnouts have also been on the rise, bouncing back from a low of 4% in the 2002-2003 election, to a high of 18% for the recent CFS referendum.

[edit] Services

The UMSU operates six student businesses on campus, including Degree's (a restaurant), G.P.A.'s (a convenience store), IQ's (a pool hall and coffee shop), Archives (a used bookstore for textbooks), Answers (an information booth also responsible for selling things like bus passes and concert tickets), and the Copy Centre. They also operate a number of non-business operations, such as UMSU Living (for assistance with off-campus housing), the Bison Patrol (named after the campus athletic team name, the Manitoba Bisons, it serves as a short-distance transportation service around campus), the Gallery of Student Art (which displays art installations created by students), the Grocery Run (which supplies students living in residence with an opportunity to purchase groceries from the local grocery store), a tutor registry, a carpool registry and a Food Bank for students. It also administers a number of scholarships and bursaries, travel grants, as well as providing funding for the student radio station, CJUM, more popularily known as UMFM.

[edit] Political activities

The University of Manitoba attempted to institute $465 of additional fees for students for the 2005-2006 school year, which was eventually rolled back to $150 (along with an increase in Provincial funding), in part due to organization by student groups such as UMSU. However, their involvement in the February 2006 CFS Day of Action was much smaller than the previous year's large rally on the steps of the University of Manitoba's Administration building.

[edit] Political structure

The UMSU is run by a five-person elected executive, which includes a President and four Vice-Presidents. The four Vice-Presidents are each responsible for a different portfolio: Internal; External; Student Services; and Advocacy. UMSU Council is the highest authority in the organization, and is made up of student representatives from each of the faculties and student residences, as well as five positions for community representatives. Each faculty has at least one representative, with some having up to five, depending on student population. The five community representatives represent particular sub-sections of the student body. The Council also has a number of committees that deal with specific areas, such as By-Laws and Policy, Student Affairs, or the Student Health Plan.

[edit] UMSU Executive

The 2006-2007 UMSU Executive were announced on March 3, 2006:

  • President: Garry Sran
  • Vice-President Internal: Amanda Jonson
  • Vice-President External: Rachel Gotthilf
  • Vice-President Student Services: Melanie Rollins
  • Vice-President Advocacy: Christian Butera

[edit] Election controversy

During the 2006 general elections, it was reported in the Winnipeg Sun that Sran has previously spent time in jail for trafficking cocaine and various weapons-related offences.[1] These press reports were published on the first day of voting, at which time candidates may not discuss their campaign with the media. This led some involved in the election process to speculate that Sran's history had been mentioned to the Winnipeg Sun in an attempt to prevent Sran from being able to fully respond. This begs the question of why Sran had tried to conceal his criminal charges and current parole status in the first place. The opposing slate attempted to have Sran disqualified for running under an alias (his real name is Gurjeet) since this is an UMSU election bylaw but the complaint was thrown out by the Chief Returning Officer (CRO). The opposing slate also tried to use this information as campaign material but the CRO did not allow it until the final day of their campaign. This has sparked controversy within several factions of the University of Manitoba who have called the election a 'farce' or a 'hoax'.

In the days immediately following the election, University of Manitoba Ethics professor Arthur Schafer charged Sran should resign and run on an open record should he seek re-election.[2]

A press release issued by the Winnipeg Police Service at the time of his arrest in 2003 stated Sran had been charged with discharging a firearm with intent, mischief endangering life, possession of a prohibited/restricted weapon/ammunition, possession of a firearm/weapon/ammunition while prohibited, and careless use/storage of firearm/weapon/ammunition. Police also seized cocaine from Sran and his accomplice. Drugs with a street value of over $150,000 were seized from Sran, his accomplice, their residences and a safehouse.[3] Most of the charges against Sran were eventually dropped, and he was only convicted of one drug trafficking charge, for which he spent six months in prison and for which he is now out on parole.[4] Sran has since claimed that he was "associated with the wrong people and it's something I definitely regret."[5], and has pointed out that "This incident was a defining moment in my life. I was forced to consider where I wanted to go in life and how to get there, so I focused on my education and became serious about succeeding. I was elected as the Arts Student Body Council president, served as an Arts senator, became involved with UMSU and completed my degree," [6]

During the election, Sran, as Past Executive of the ASBC, was also under investigation by the ASBC for falsified statements made during recorded meetings about his involvement in a purchase decision with approximately $13,000 of council funds for furniture and Arts Lounge renovations. It was alleged that Sran had lied about deadlines to force a purchase decision through without due diligence. It was later discovered that Sran presented a quote that was $1000.00 more than 2 other independent quotes for the same merchandise from the same store(s). "Sran: I got an extension for the endowment fund." "Sran: We need to proof of purchase right away, ... (so that we use the endowment fund before it expires)." [Arts Student Body Council Meeting Minutes,Tuesday, February 7, 2006] "Ritchie: We made a vote at the last meeting, we went off hearsay. The council did not have a chance to make a sound decision. ... <Presents letter from the Faculty of Arts.> ... The endowment fund did not expired February 1 2006, but it expires March 31 2006. We were also told that the money has been spent, which it has not (there are no found records that I know of). ... -<Presents a quote from Sran to Ritchie regarding the furniture quotes>" [Special Arts Student Body Council Meeting Minutes, Tuesday, February 9, 2006] This was never widely publicized during the elections but the records can be found in the 2005-2006 ASBC official minutes. The ASBC offices are on the 2nd floor of Fletcher Argue Bldg.

The controversy appears to have had some effect on Sran's election results, as his margin of victory was smaller than the other four winners (all from his slate), but the 69% of the vote that he took was enough to give him a victory [7]

[edit] Past presidents

Vice-presidents listed in parentheses until 2006. UMSU by-laws were changed at that time to replace the former Vice-President and three appointed Directors with four elected Vice-Presidents.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Paul Turenne, UMSU prez candidate has turned life around in The Winnipeg Sun (Mar. 01, 2006; URL accessed Mar 03, 2006).
  2. ^ Winnipeg CityNews, U of M Students Vote in Convicted Criminal as Union President (Mar. 08, 2006; URL accessed Mar 10, 2006).
  3. ^ Winnipeg Police Service, Winnipeg Police Service Media Release (Aug. 13, 2003; URL accessed Mar 03, 2006).
  4. ^ Tessa Vanderhart, The Manitoban Online (Mar. 8, 2006; URL accessed Mar 16, 2006).
  5. ^ Paul Turenne, ibid.
  6. ^ Garry Sran, The Manitoban Online (Mar. 8, 2006; URL accessed Mar 16, 2006).
  7. ^ University of Manitoba Students' Union, UMSU Elections - Official Results (Mar. 12, 2006; URL accessed Mar 16, 2006).

[edit] External links

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