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²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA Ignites Change: Launches Empowering Activism Campaign

August 23, 2023
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In 2019, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Graduate Students’ Association (²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA) went inactive. Until that point, it had received most of its funding from the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU). The 2018-2019 ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA budget lists over in funding from the UTGSU. 

On March 18th, 2023, ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ students voted to reactivate the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA. In April of 2023, elections were held and the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA has since been active. The ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA previously received funds from the UTGSU and these funds were sourced from ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ student fees. The UTGSU continued to collect student fees from ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ students during the inactive periods. However, the UTGSU has not supplied any funding to the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA since 2019 and has not returned to its previous 2019 funding model. The ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA is currently only receiving funding from ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½, which amounts to around $4000 in funding per year. The lack of funding for the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA would result in the collapse of most of the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA’s services including but not limited to conference assistance funding, student awards, academic conferences for ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ students, and emergency funding for students in need. Many ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ students who are aspiring or current teachers, principals, and other education workers in K-12 and higher education, rely on these ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA services. 

We believe that funding for these services should continue to ensure ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ student success. For this reason and due to the UTGSU's failing to respond to our inquiries surrounding our funding, we launched an activism campaign to allow for ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ student voices to be heard. 

We call on the UTGSU to do the following:

  • Bring back ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA funding to 2019 levels;
  • Backpay the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA the funds it would have received for the years it was inactive, not including the funding that was received by the Departmental Student Associations at ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½;
  • Ensure UTGSU officials maintain regular communication with the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA. 

Here are some ways ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ students and allies can support our activism campaign:

  • Sign the supporting our above statement
  • as a volunteer for collective actions
  • Contact UTGSU officials by email using
  • Attend UTGSU Board of Directors and Assembly Meetings and voice your support for the campaign
  • Share, interact with, and support posts on ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ GSA’s and
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