Notes from Council: UASU addresses U of A and AASUA negotiations

At the University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) Students’ Council meeting on September 23, President Pedro Almeida addressed concerns about the state of bargaining between the university and the Association of Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA).

The UASU is “aware of the situation, aware of students’ uncertainty, and [is] making efforts to address it,” Almeida said.

Additionally, Denee Reansbury, the Native studies councillor, gave a statement about a lack of Indigenous representation on students’ council.

Native studies councillor emphasizes issue of Indigenous representation on Students’ Council

In what may be her last meeting, Reansbury spoke to a lack of representation and acknowledgement of Indigenous people within council.

“There’s still no dedicated seat for Indigenous specific representation. Since joining, the responsibility has fallen on me, and it should not be up to the few Indigenous members … to continuously point out when this council is causing harm,” Reansbury said.

“Time for excuses is over. The responsibility here is yours. Do not leave the work and injustice to Indigenous people alone. Rise to it and show that this council can be more than words,” Reansbury added.

During question period, nursing councillor Asha Jama spoke in support of Reansbury, stating that “[she] hopes … [council] can start taking really concrete actions for those concerns.”

Executive updates

Board of Governors (BoG) Representative Karina Banerji said she’s preparing for upcoming board meetings.

Vice-president (student life) Logan West highlighted upcoming campus events in collaboration with the Indigenous Students’ Union (ISU) including the Residential School Memorial and a new event called Mâwacihitowin, meaning “gathering together.”

Vice-president (operations and finance) Nathan Thiessen announced upcoming free loanable power banks in the Students’ Union Building (SUB). This service aims to maximize the utility of SUB and will be available in the near future, Thiessen said.

Vice-president (external), Abdul Abbasi, discussed the UASU’s involvement in the announcement of the Alberta Youth Employment Incentive.

Vice-president (academic) Katie Tamsett reported that the Student Representative Associations (SRAs) summit happened on September 13.

President Almeida addressed concerns over the U of A and AASUA bargaining process.

“We’re in the process of coming up with some materials to help answer some commonly asked questions,” Almeida said.

During question period, open studies councillor Aamir Mohamed inquired about the collective agreement bargaining between the university and AASUA, asking if the UASU is looking to recommend changes to the collective agreement.

In response, Almeida emphasized that “even though [he is] a member of the Board of Governors … the students in the board are [not part of the bargaining process], [due to] conflict of interest.”

“Our focus is trying to gather as much information as possible, to digest it down, so that it can be accessible to students,” Almeida said.