The current petition to dissolve the GSU is astoundingly reckless and if it were to go through in its current state it will cause harm to countless students.
I will admit that I do not have all the details of the situation, and that is on both TAUMUN and GSU leadership for their misleading posts and lack of transparency throughout all of this. But from what I do know, I must strongly urge caution against the current petition put forward by TAUMUN for the dissolution of the GSU.
It seems to me that many students interested in the petition do not understand the risks as they relate to GSU’s and CFS’ maintenance of Greenshield health coverage for all international students.
Yes, it is an extreme failure on the part of past and present GSU leadership that we are where we are in terms of the debt to Greenshield and other blunders of mismanagement and secrecy.
But a repayment plan is in the works and to completely dissolve the GSU at this exact moment over the fee increases places the immediate risk of losing Greenshield for students entirely, all without any prior planning toward how to secure that health insurance in the event of dissolution.
To call for this now, while the GSU is in the midst of these negotiations, is simply foolish and harmful to all.
I don’t think some students understand just how expensive medications can be for students without Greenshield, and how little coverage there is from guard.me and MCP alone.
To think that the health coverage for international students can just ‘be figured out afterwards’ is terribly naive at best and heartless at worst.
Should TAUMUN succeed in convincing enough grad students to get the GSU dissolved at this moment, I ask: What happens to students without health coverage in the interim while TAUMUN or some new GSU-esque group tries to figure out securing these benefits?
Will Greenshield just pretend the massive debt has gone away?
Would they be willing to negotiate a new payment plan with a different group after how relations have gone? What happens when students start losing access to their medications and other supports aided by the GSU?
Are those calling for the dissolution of the GSU willing to implement a mutual aid structure during the interim for their fellow classmates?
Make no mistake, several members of the GSU’s prior leadership must be held accountable for what has come to be, but there needs to be extensive talks and planning before giving up altogether over something as simple as a $15 increase per semester.
I’m sure that $15 saved will really make the difference when a student has to pay $500 for a refill of Rapamune — to use one example of a prescription at Shoppers when relying only on guard.me — and that’s just one medication. Many students have several prescriptions that they crucially rely on to live, the costs of which we cannot know or assume.
I would gladly pay $20 more, $50 more per semester if it meant helping the GSU maintain its benefits and ensuring that other students do not lose their health coverage.
Further, this goes beyond the extreme risk of losing Greenshield. The $15 increase was going to happen anyway and isn’t even directly tied to the debt repayment.
GSU has not updated their fees for a decade and by design of their constitution are attempting to catch up to contemporary inflation. This is not enough of a reason alone to throw away the GSU.
There is power in a student union when run properly. To give that up completely at a time like this is incredibly dangerous. GSU does more for us than Greenshield, and we will lose a significant part of our collective voice if we dissolve the union.
Changes absolutely need to be made within the GSU, such as a significant emphasis on transparency and communication. But it is simply too soon, too risky, and frankly ableist to call for dissolution with no prior conversations or planning.
To call a $15 per semester increase “unethical”, while simultaneously not considering or caring about the risk of losing health coverage and other benefits for their fellow students, is misleading at best.
I must urge students to be very cautious about such a brash petition at this time.
Laszlo Mark, PhD Candidate
