URSU says the 2 groups failed to meet requirements, is also suing the U of R
There has been an abundance of lawsuits hitting King’s Bench court lately involving the University of Regina Students Union (URSU), the University of Regina Women’s Centre (URWC), the University of Regina Pride Centre (URPride) and the U of R itself.
Various statements of claim and defence have been filed at the Regina courthouse including numerous allegations of wrongdoing that have not been tested in court.
But at the heart of the disputes is money or more specifically, student levy money.
Historically, the university has levied and collected student fees on behalf of URSU ($44.60 per student, plus $5.70 per credit hour) URSU then spends that money on various services, programs and on-campus organizations, including the Regina Public Interest Research Group, UR Pride the Women’s Centre and The Carillon.
In separate cases, the plaintiffs say they didn’t get funds they were entitled to and now they want a judge to fix that.
In its statement of claim, the Women’s Centre accuses URSU of improperly withholding levies during the spring and summer term last year plus the 2024 fall term and the 2025 winter term.
Among other remedies, the group wants URSU to pay it $200,000.
UR Pride accuses URSU of refusing to renegotiate contracts, failing to provide a reasonable framework for compliance in an agreement and negotiating in bad faith by forcing URPride into negotiations under duress.
URSU has denied many of the claims in both suits and is countersuing both parties.
In one of URSU’s statements of defence it says UR Pride has not complied with the service and support agreement “and therefore the defendant was, and is, not required to make any payment to the plaintiff.”
URSU has made a similar defence against the Women’s Centre.
URSU also says having its flow of student levy money cut off has put it in financial straits making it difficult to send money to the groups it supports.
U of R terminates money-collecting deal with URSU
The flurry of lawsuits comes at a time when the relationship between the university and URSU has hit rock bottom. In April, U of R president Jeff Keshen said he was terminating the agreement with URSU whereby it collects and remits a portion of student fees to the students’ union.
According to the email Keshen sent to the campus community, despite the action the university will continue to collect student fees and “core student services” will continue in the fall 2025 term.
Keshen said for several months, the university tried to work with URSU leadership, offering financial and governance assistance.
“Unfortunately, URSU has not undertaken the steps recommended by the University to improve and address these matters. As a result, the University has lost confidence in URSU’s ability to serve and represent the University’s students.”
Women’s Centre disruption continues to be scrutinized
While the legal drama continues, the fallout from a chaotic Women’s Centre meeting in March continues.
That March 16 annual general meeting at the Luther College auditorium was just getting kicked-off when some of the students in attendance began talking and asking questions to the people holding the meeting.
One person went up to where a smudging ceremony was occurring and interrupted the blessing.
U of R protective services got involved and the meeting was adjourned shortly thereafter.
URSU later put out a statement saying they were not responsible for the disruption.
U of R president Jeff Keshen said the university does not tolerate misogyny or racism and promised to investigate.
The Women’s Centre held their reconvened AGM in the Education Auditorium on April 16 and it proceeded without any disruptions.
A week later, in an update to his investigation, Keshen told the campus community that there was evidence several attendees at the earlier meeting “visibly engaged in behaviours that could be considered disrespectful, intimidating or disruptive.”
He said further action is under consideration,.
URSU sues the University
URSU announced via Instagram another lawsuit, this time against the U of R itself for withholding student levy money.
“URSU does not want to use student fees to engage in legal battles,” it said in a news release. “Our preference is to negotiate with the University of Regina rather than having both parties spend money on legal fees. In this particular case, however, URSU has no choice.
The students’ union says it is dealing with financial difficulties (with million-dollar losses in recent years) but is taking steps to turn that around with the help of a new management team.
“This team did significant work reducing out-of-scope headcount, restructuring our programming, and renegotiating fee agreements,” URSU said in a statement.
“As a result, we expect the 2024-2025 audited financial statements to show a net profit of approximately $400,000 and we have communicated that to the University. This is the first step in restoring financial sustainability to URSU.”
The students’ union also says the university is “downplaying the necessity of having a student-led organization that exists to hold them accountable.”
It’s also raising questions about whether the university is going to take over the student pub, the Lazy Owl, which it says hosts many student events and provides employment opportunities for students.
Meanwhile, there’s no indication the various legal actions launched will be resolved any time soon.
