The Mar. 21 Feds General Meeting (GM) was a success, with the racialized student service fee passed, in addition to the appointment of the new Feds Board of Directors members.
The motions put forward at the GM created a lot of debate, especially when it came to fee increases. This included Consumer Price Index increases as well as an increase to account for the minimum wage increase that is to take place in January 2019.
The ratification of the incoming Feds execs was also met with some resistance, as the incoming exec positions were all acclaimed.
Despite the opposition, all the motions passed with few opposing members.
The largest motion during the meeting was the motion to increase the fee to support a new service for racialized students.
At the GM, Feds President Antonio Brieva spoke on the motion and said, “A service for racialized students will allow Feds to become more intersectional in our service delivery approach. Other student associations in the province have created student-run services to meet the needs of other racialized and other marginalized students on campus,” citing Ryerson as an example before stating the need and membership.
While some students spoke against this service, saying that there are no police reports on the subject, a majority of students at the GM spoke on the need of this service. UW BASE executives Elisa Umuhoza and Victoria Rodney also walked up to the stage to talk on the discrimination faced by members of their club.
“Many have asked why a racialized student service is necessary, and why should all students pay for it. And it’s often forgotten that racism is a forgotten process,” Rodney said. “While there tends to be a set group of people that experience active racism, there are also active perpetrators — albeit sometimes unintentionally.”
The motion passed with a large majority of attendees voting for the fee increase, many of whom rejoiced afterwards.
The full Feds GM is available on the Feds website.
