Federation of Students, University of Waterloo
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| Established | |
|---|---|
| Institution | University of Waterloo |
| President | Justin Williams |
| Vice President(s) | Andrew Falcao, Andres Agustin Fuentes-Martinez |
| Treasurer | Del Savio Pereira |
| Location | Waterloo, Ontario |
| Members | |
| Affiliations | CASA, OUSA |
| Colours | Gold & Gray |
| Homepage | http://www.feds.ca |
Federation of Students, University of Waterloo represents 20,047 full-time undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo. They market themselves on-campus as the Feds. They have an office in the University's Student Life Centre, and have nearly 20 full-time staff members.
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[edit] Governance
The Federation is headed by a four-member executive, which includes the President, Vice-President Internal, Vice-President Administration and Finance, and Vice-President Education. These positions are elected by a vote of all Federation members in February of each year.
The Federation is governed by two bodies an elected Students' Council and a Board of Directors. Students' Council consists of the executive, student society presidents as non-voting ex-officio members and elected student councillors. Student councillors are elected by the students in various constituencies like the Faculties, affiliated Colleges, the School of Optometry, and the School of Architecture (a part of the Faculty of Engineering). These students serve one-year terms. The Board of Directors consists of the four executive and five students elected from the student councillors.
[edit] Bars and pubs
The Federation operates the Bombshelter Pub (more commonly known as the Bomber), located in the Student Life Centre, as well as Federation Hall (more commonly known as Fed Hall), the largest campus nightclub in North America. Until 2004, they also operated Ground Zero, a restaurant in the Student Life Centre. The space now contains a Tim Hortons, operated by the university's Food Services. The Federation receives money from Food Services each year for the use of the space.
Until the fall of 2004, Fed Hall was subsidized by a student fee. The fee was collected to cover mortgage payments for the building, with the remainder going to subsidize operations. This subsidy averaged $80,000 in the decade until the fee was terminated. [1]
[edit] Liquor dispute
In January of 2003, administration at the university took control of, and eventually ordered closed, the liquor-serving establishments operated by the Federation in response to fights and a beating that took place following a New Years' party at Fed Hall. In response, the Federation sued the university in March of that year for $11 million, claiming the university had breached a long-standing contract. [2] The lawsuit was eventually settled and the bars reopened in June.
[edit] Clubs
The Federation along with the societies beneath it have the power to recognize clubs on campus. They supervise and fund more than 170 student clubs. [3] Clubs must have a Federation-approved constitution, submit to financial review by the Federation, and restrict full membership to members of the Federation, among other restrictions. [4] In return, clubs receive up to $50 per 4-month term in funding, the right to use the name "University of Waterloo," the right to book rooms on campus, and the right to have a presence at Clubs Days, an opportunity to recruit new members at the beginning of each term.
[edit] ESA Suspension
In October of 2004, the Federation suspended the Embassy Students' Association (ESA), a club on campus. The Federation provided a list of infractions, including failing to conform to financial procedures: the ESA was using a separate bank account rather than submitting its funds to the Federation; the Federation asserted it was unaware that money was being collected at ESA events. The Federation also felt that the ESA was simply a front used by a local church, 'The Embassy', for access to reduced rental fees on the Federation's night club, Fed Hall. [5] In its defense, the ESA stated, among other things, that the Federation had, in the past, encouraged them to operate this way, and ought reasonably to have known that they were collecting money, as they had been doing so at Fed Hall, a Federation-operated establishment, for several years. The club was eventually reinstated at the end of the term, though it did not resume meeting at Fed Hall. The club was active early in 2005, but was dissolved by the Federation in April of that year over a debt issue with the university. [6]
[edit] Student participation
In recent years, student participation in the activities of the Federation has declined significantly. Voting in executive elections has seen a downward trend from a high of more than 50% in the 1960s to approximately 17% of student members. Seats for Students' Council are more often than not filled by acclamation, if at all.
[edit] Representation
The Federation is a founding member of the Canadian Alliance of Students Associations (CASA), which represents them federally. Provincially they participate in the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. Prior to 1993, the Federation was a member of the Canadian Federation of Students. At that time, the Federation held a referendum in which 75% of its students voted to leave CFS. However, CFS contested the results of the referendum, claiming improprieties. More than three years later, CFS reversed its position and chose to ratify the results of the referendum, and the Federation was allowed to defederate from CFS. [7]
In 2003, The Federation held a referendum to determine if members were in favour of remaining in CASA. The result was close and non-binding, with less than 4% of students voting. [8] In the end, the Federation chose to remain in CASA.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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