Recent speculation suggests that the students’ union expects to payout severance; URSU says not the case
In the middle of August 2025, the University of Regina terminated its lease agreement with the UR Students’ Union (URSU). This culminated in the eviction of URSU from all their spaces on campus. Many rumours and speculation about the future of the union have since been circulating. One such rumour suggested that seven full-time employees along with many part-time employees will receive severance payouts. As per the most recent list of employees the seven full-time employees include a data analyst, the OWL support worker, a student advocate, a graphic designer, an accounting clerk, an IT support specialist and an administrative coordinator.
The rumours suggested that URSU will pay out severance in two installments. The first installment was supposedly going to be paid out between September 1-15, and the second between October 1-15. These would allegedly contain payouts for both part-time and full-time employees working for URSU.
“The claim circulating online about one year severance packages is misleading and simply not accurate. If such a situation ever arose, any settlement would follow CUPE’s negotiated standards, not the exaggerated figures being spread,” said URSU President Hamza Rehan to the Carillon in an email response.
It’s unfortunate that unreliable sources are fueling speculation during an already difficult time. – Hamza Rehan, President, University of Regina Students’ Union
URSU has not been officially dissolved, even though they have been evicted from their office spaces on the U of R campus. Lots of talk exist about what comes next for the students’ union and the fate of their employees.
“I want to set the record straight. Severance is not something I personally decide. [It] is determined strictly according to CUPE standards and with the board’s direction,” wrote Rehan.
Rehan maintains that the rumors of layoffs and payouts are false. Currently, no employee has been terminated, or has received any packages.
The student union urges students to look for reliable sources of information and try to not rely on everything they see on social media. They believe it does nothing but hurt the ongoing situation, for all parties involved.
“It’s unfortunate that unreliable sources are fueling speculations during an already difficult time. Our focus remains on following proper process and ensuring fairness in line with union standards, and not rumour or misinformation,” Rehan wrote.
This is not the first time online rumours have accused the students’ union of wrongdoings. As reported before, rumours about the URSU car circulated for years, some of which even suggested that it was missing and in another country. As our previous articles showed, these rumours were proven to be false.
We will continue to report on this, as more information becomes available.
