REGINA — A new students' union at the University of Regina (U of R) is looking to take over the recently dissolved University of Regina Students' Union (URSU).
According to their Instagram, the University of Regina Students' Association (URSA) has requested to become a representative body of the students at the school.
URSA plans to hold an online referendum approved by the U of R.
U of R president Dr. Jeff Keshen, in a statement, said the institution will "independently facilitate" the referendum.
Keshen noted he’s encouraged students to make their voices heard.
“Student engagement matters and is critical to shaping a positive path forward.”
“The forthcoming referendum is an important way to do that, as it will allow students to carefully consider and decide upon how they wish to be represented by their peers, both on our campuses and in the wider community,” he added.
The school has been without a students’ union for months after URSU had its lease agreement with the university terminated in August.
This stemmed from the university's finding significant concerns in URSU’s financial statements.
These findings saw URSU lose its ability to collect student fees.
Back in October, URSU held a special meeting voting on its dissolution, which passed 70-13.
However, students questioned the vote's legitimacy after many students couldn’t log in to the meeting.
With all the turmoil, URSA is hoping to turn the page.
“We wish to promote honesty, democracy and financial responsibility at a time when many of these principles have fallen to the wayside, and we’re starting with ourselves,” read a statement.
Keshen said the referendum's vote will take place between Dec. 12 and Dec. 15.
He also said URSA will share more information on their structure and the voting process in the next few days.
