Weeks pass by without comments or clarifications from former URSU staff with respect to the SGM debacle
On October 21, 2025, the University of Regina’s students’ union (URSU) was dissolved after a controversial special general meeting (SGM), with fewer than one hundred votes cast in favor of the motion. In the days that followed, no statement was made by the former student union General Manager (GM), Aoun Muhammad, which has only added to growing student discontent. Students at the UofR, ranging from undergraduates to graduates, have voiced their displeasure with the invalid links they received to the URSU SGM. In a previous article, we spoke with two students who were vocal in their dislike for URSU, and both believed they were intentionally prevented from attending the meeting. This article features more voices from students who were unable to access the October 21 SGM.
Advocate for student union reform denied entry
Fourth year political science major Matthew McStravick has been one of the most outspoken advocates for both a new student union and holding URSU accountable. McStravick set up booths on campus, advocating for students to vote “no” at the SGM, to hold URSU accountable. He sat down for an interview with the Carillon’s writer, Joshua Potter.
“I got as far as the waiting room and remained in the waiting room the entire time,” said McStravick. McStravick said that he noticed many other students from the previous SGM who spoke up did not get in, with the exception of one student. That student had to login as a guest and was ignored in the entire meeting.
“I fear and would be concerned that there might have been some effort not to let people in who might have been inclined to oppose the way that that meeting was being conducted,” said McStravick. He said that significantly fewer people got into this meeting than the last. McStravick pointed out how this meeting peaked at around 170 participants, while the adjourned SGM peaked at around 500. Mcstravick added that the reason could have been that URSU was looking for a particular outcome. He noted that some other students were unable to register in the seven-day frame that URSU had set.
McStravick said, “It is nowhere in the Nonprofit Corporations Act, so we’re not sure where they got that from structurally to do that.” He called to issue how other students were treated by URSU in the previous SGM. “Egregious, really, makes students feel that we’re not cared about by the student union that was supposed to be representing students, which is encouraging students to feel increasingly like we need something completely new to fill that role,” said McStravick. He felt that the dissolution is invalid. He thinks proper notice of the meeting was not given by URSU.
“I don’t personally think that posting on Instagram and Facebook constitutes notifying each member. Most students don’t follow their Instagram or Facebook. In my view, this needs to be redone, and it needs to be done properly in accordance with the Nonprofit Act,” McStravick said. He noted that many other students whom he spoke with felt completely abandoned in the voting process. “The general theme that I think I would reiterate is that there is dejection, there is anger, there is a lot of anger. I received a lot of, frankly, very vulgar texts during and after the SGM with people’s extreme frustration at being excluded from the voting process, “said McStravick.
McStravick noted that there are still active investigations into URSU, by the Regina Police Service (RPS), which he says the result of the SGM had no effect on.
I fear and would be concerned that there might have been some effort not to let people in” – Matthew McStravick
Wait rooms prevented students from joining SGM
Ariel Francis was stuck in limbo trying to get into the meeting. “I spent the entire meeting waiting to be let in until I heard it was finished,” said Francis. Francis felt that the vote was unjust, citing one objection being the extremely low attendance of students. “I do not believe the vote was conducted fairly, and I do not believe the result is representative of what URSU members wanted”.
She added, “The meeting and voting process was not open, fair, or transparent. The ability to attend was dependent on being let in by people whose personal interest was for you not to be there.”
Francis said the meeting did not give the opportunity for students to speak up and voice their opinions. Even those who got in were dismissed, based on information she heard from another student who got into the meeting. “I do not accept the result of the SGM. The meeting did not follow the due process, and a major issue was decided by a small number of votes,” said Francis. She did not feel like URSU had escaped any liability, despite assertions about what was written on the agenda.
“I actually think they have opened themselves to more liability by going against long established URSU policies,” said Francis. She detailed what she wants the new student union to be like. “The people running URSU need to be passionate about making sure that attending the University of Regina is the best experience possible for students, any other motive and that is not the place for you,” Francis said.
Registered students without links to the SGM
Jess Antonini is a master’s student in the department of sociology. Antonini called her experience with the SGM frustrating,“I did not get into the meeting at all. I never received the link from Aoun for the first meeting or the second meeting despite signing up both times.”
Antonini said both times she reached out to Aoun Muhammad and never received a response. She eventually got a link from a colleague and was able to attend the first meeting which was adjourned. Unfortunately, like many other students, she was unable to get into the October 21 meeting. Like many other students, the result of the SGM for Antonini is illegitimate.
“I also think it was not credible because there was no physical ballot, something people were requesting in the previous meeting. In addition, people could not see who was in the meeting. How do we know that the executive manager didn’t let in bots instead?” Antonini said. Antonini felt this meeting did not hold URSU accountable for their actions.
The Carillon attempted to clarify the students’ grievances with the former URSU general manager but received no response.
