UOSU, BOD, Executive committee, general assembly — what does it all mean?
With an undergraduate enrollment of 40,000 (as of Fall 2023) the University of Ottawa can often have students feeling like small fish in an endless ocean. It can be difficult to navigate what resources are available to you as a student, but rest assured those resources are there.
In this first instalment of UOttaKnow, the Fulcrum explores the University of Ottawa Students Union (UOSU) and how undergraduate students can access its services or get involved.
But First! A Quick History
In 2019 the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) was disbanded after numerous scandals came to light. Students voted to establish the UOSU in February 2019 and elected its executive committee in April. The same month, an agreement between UOSU and the University of Ottawa was signed recognizing the union as the representative of the university’s undergraduate students.
The young union’s first full term ran from 2020-21 with Babacar Faye elected the union’s first president. Since then Tim Gulliver (2021-22), Armaan Singh (2022-23) and Delphine Robitaille (2023-present) have served as the union’s presidents. A former chair of the board of directors (BOD), Robitaille was elected to the role in the 2023 by-election after the seat was left vacant with no one putting a candidacy forward in the 2023 general election.
In its time as a fledgling union, UOSU has struggled to gain student participation with elections regularly receiving less than 10 per cent voter turnout.
In its first term the executive had two vacancies when no candidates came forward; no general election has ever elected a full slate of executives. The union has also struggled to retain members of the executive committee as many have resigned part way through their terms.
Many former executives have cited low pay for the many hours worked as reasons for their departures. Vacancies are filled with interim coordinators who are typically hired by the president and a hiring committee made up of BOD directors. A proposed exec pay increase passed via general assembly vote at the 2024 Winter General Assembly (WGA).
University of Ottawa Students Union (UOSU) Services
UOSU has a number of services available to students, many of which have staff and physical offices in the UCU. Find out more about each service from this 2022 Fulcrum article; note, some services have been cut following budget cuts.
Follow the Union on Instagram (@seuo_uosu) to keep up with events they put on through their services, past events have included tax clinics during tax season, galas to celebrate student accomplishments, and more.
UOSU Board of Directors (BOD)
Outside of these services the UOSU also holds monthly public meetings of the BOD with 15 minutes allocated to statements from students where undergrad students are welcome to take up to a minute to voice concerns to the members of the board. The BOD is made up of students from each faculty elected annually, with general elections usually being held in March and by-elections in October to fill vacant seats. Find the makeup of the BOD here.
UOSU Executive Committee
UOSU’s executive committee is currently made up of seven positions; with six commissioners (equity, Francophone affairs, operations, student life, advocacy, and communications) and a president, elected by students. Each position is compensated and requires a candidate to be bilingual.
UOSU General Assemblies
UOSU hosts two general meetings of members, open to all undergrad students where policy can be presented, discussed, and passed or rejected with participation from all members of the union.
The Autumn General Assembly (AGA) is hosted in November and the WGA is typically held in March. Previous GAs have run long into the evenings. This year’s AGA was held Nov. 17, starting at 10 a.m and wrapping up around 9 p.m. Find the 2024 AGA meeting documents here.
