University of Regina Students' Union threatens to defund campus women's centre, citing compliance issues
Executive director of women's centre says it has been providing an essential service for 56 years
The University of Regina Students' Union (URSU) says it is reviewing the funding of several service centres, including the campus women's centre.
URSU says the centre failed to comply with financial and operational requirements.
Jill Arnott, the executive director of the U of R Women's Centre, said she feels like it is being targeted by URSU. She said she's never had problems with URSU until now and that nobody from URSU ever came to her to talk about the importance of the centre's services before levelling the defunding threat.
"The centre has always been a vital resource for those facing gender-based violence, and taking that away would leave many students without a safe space," Arnott said.
The women's centre is funded through student fees and donations. Currently, a full-time student pays $6 a semester for the centre, while a part-time student pays $3.
URSU claims the centre, which has been in existence for 56 years, has not met the terms of its funding agreement, including maintaining up-to-date financial records, holding leadership elections and ensuring consistent service delivery.
"Students have found the Women's Centre closed the majority of the time since the pandemic," URSU general manager Aoun Muhammad said in an email statement to CBC. "We've had to step in and offer services that the centre was supposed to provide, as students often turn to us when they find the doors closed."
The women's centre's constitution outlines its mandate to create a welcoming space for students, offer resources such as peer counselling, and host events aimed at promoting women's empowerment.
URSU claims the centre has not organized workshops, training sessions or guests events for several years, and failed to engage with other key campus services like the Sexual Harassment Office.
URSU also said the centre had not held an election since 2022 or issued required notices for general meetings.
Arnott said that the women's centre has always been in compliance with the agreement and that the demands URSU is making are just excuses to justify defunding the centre.
"It's also my feeling that they would like to have control of all of the student centres and that part of this is driven by a dislike for the fact that they don't have control," Arnott said.
Rashad Haque, who previously served on URSU board, said he wasn't surprised when he heard the news.
"I had a lot of major concerns with URSU. And that's part of the reason why I had no desire to run again, because of the toxicity," Haque said.
Haque said he used the women's centre as a student, and that it was a great space for him to get work done and vent to Arnott, who was also one of his professors.
"This is a gendered attack," Haque said.
In response to concerns around the potential impact of the women's centre closing, URSU said it is committed to providing students with resources.
"We've already been stepping in to fill the gaps left by the centre's inactivity," URSU's statement said.
URSU is also are looking to review the funding for UR Pride and Engineers Without Borders, which URSU claims were given extended time to meet compliance standards. While the women's centre has garnered the most attention, URSU insists that its actions are part of a broader effort to ensure accountability across all student-funded organizations.
A referendum was expected to take place on Dec. 6, but URSU said they would be extending the deadline for the service centres to comply with the requirements.
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