So while some might pass campus politics off as trivial, it is important to keep an eye on student executives. You never know—they might one day take up other public office.
Hadi Wess
A forensic report from PwC says the fraud allegations levelled against three SFUO executives were not factual.
The SFUO may well be the first post-secondary student union in the country to have their university terminate their contract.
A formal complaint with the Ottawa Police Services (OPS) has been made by a resident of Barrhaven on Sept. 15 against Hadi Wess, former Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) president, who is currently running for city council in Ward 3, Barrhaven. Wess denies the allegations and the existence of a police report.
The SFUO held their monthly Board of Administration meeting to discuss the ratification of the constitutional committee’s choice of forensic auditor, a letter received from former SFUO president, Hadi Wess, and the announcement of an executive’s resignation.
The resolution, pertaining to the forensic audit, would ensure that results from the audit cannot be used in a prosecution unless approved by the BOA. Further, the board would call upon Wess to pay the federation $994 in external legal fees by Oct. 1.
“Allegations against Dorimain range from fraudulent use of SFUO funds under the guise of office cleaning and the catering of the SFUO Leader Action event on April 28, while Rachiq is accused in the report of possibly forging the certification of a “faulty” club called Testing Restaurants UOttawa and claiming funds for personal use.”
I write to you in the wake of the latest SFUO scandal to tickle the part of our brains concerned with righteous indignation, i.e. president Rizki Rachiq engaging in large-scale embezzlement of SFUO funds to buy himself luxury goods, including but not limited to visits to a haute-couture hair stylist in Montreal, Louis Vuitton shoes, and a $950 pair of glasses.
How can the SFUO reduce such issues going forward, and even respond to them in a more positive way? The answer is the president.
A video shortly began circulating on Facebook that showed Dorimain forcibly removing ballots from the students’ hands who were accused of cheering. By Thursday morning, the video had over 6,500 views and 40 shares.
This is the second time in four years that the GA has met quorum, likely due to the controversial motion on the agenda calling for the SFUO to endorse the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The elections committee further took measures to “restore faith in the elections office,” like making sure ballots were stored in a locked storage room off campus and that multiple people were counting each ballot.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, and Thursday, Feb. 1, candidates for this year’s general election for the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) went head to head in the annual debates.
The board saw a motion regarding just cause for absence of certain members at the Dec. 3 meeting that read: “Be it resolved, that the VP finance, president, and VP equity give the board of administration just cause for their absences at the December 3 meeting.”
The board saw a motion to lobby to create a Dean’s honour list ceremony for students in the Faculty of Health Sciences. According to the motion, such a ceremony would give students in the faculty recognition, as well as a strong addition to their CV.
On Monday, Nov. 27, Navdeep Bains, minister of innovation, science, and economic development announced a new initiative to provide paid internships for post graduate students.
The first motion detailed caps on SFUO executive salaries, which was met with applause by many in the room, and the second outlined the need for student involvement in course curriculums.
Bader said she wants to run in the upcoming election, though she did not say which executive position she was running for. She added that she was “blindsided” by the news that under current rules, she would not be allowed to run.
The BOA’s disciplinary committee found that Dorimain had a U-Pass despite not being qualified for one. However, the committee said it was obtained under special circumstances, taken from a group of passes that were not distributed due to errors.
This motion, proposed by vice-president equity Leila Moumouni-Tchouassi, called for the SFUO to take a number of political stances, as the U of O campus “has seen hate crimes, discrimination, (and) racism,” and because the university “(makes) decisions not in the best interest of marginalized communities.”
The SFUO also ratified their new comptroller general, who will replace Mugabo. The board voted to approve Pamela Bader, with all ‘yes’ votes, save for one abstention. Bader was not present at the meeting.
There’s still a premium placed on experience, and unpaid placements definitely still exist. But one key change does happen—financial responsibility.
Voting for the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO)’s fall 2017 by-election takes place Oct. 17-19 beginning at 9:30 a.m. Here’s everything you’ll need to know about the candidates and referendum questions on the ballots.
On Sunday, Sept. 17, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) Board of Administration (BOA) met to discuss items such as the dismissal of former comptroller general Yannick Mugabo, by-elections, and wait times for academic advisors.
Although 101 Week at the University of Ottawa is over, the lack of naloxone kits—which are used to respond to an overdose—is still a cause for debate here on campus and in the city.
