A slide presented by University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) vice-president external affairs Prabhnoor Singh at the April 10 UMSU board meeting has been removed from the meeting minutes for containing offensive content.
The slide described the religious concept of “seva” in Sikhi which entails “selfless service” and was presented as part of the UMSU executive’s stance opposing honoraria for community representatives.
Singh, who receives a salary and benefits totaling over $40,000 as one of UMSU’s executives, presented the slide before a motion was set to be introduced which called for community representatives to receive a $500 honorarium.
The motion for community representative honoraria, entitled “Fairness for Community Reps,” needed to be seconded from an UMSU director to proceed to a committee for review.
Prabhnoor Singh presented a slide at the April 10 UMSU board meeting on the concept of seva (selfless service) as part of the rationale why community representatives should not receive honoraria. The slide was presented moments before a motion for UMSU community representative honoraria was set to be tabled which required a seconder. Photo by Milan Lukes
Community representatives are elected in UMSU’s general election to represent marginalized communities of the student body and serve without a salary.
“In Sikhism, the religion that I practice, there’s a big concept of seva,” said Singh, who is also the UMSU president-elect, while presenting the slide.
“Seva is the selfless service to others, performed without any expectation of reward, as an expression of love, humility and devotion to God and humanity,” states the slide.
“Both advocacy and seva are driven by empathy and a genuine desire to alleviate suffering and improve lives,” said Singh.
Interim UMSU board chairperson Christopher Yendt stated at the April 24 UMSU board meeting that he “received confidential complaints from members of that community” that found the slide “offensive” and recommended that it be removed from circulation.
“I conferred with the presenter of the presentation, who kindly agreed also that it be removed from public circulation,” stated Yendt.
Interim UMSU board chairperson Christopher Yendt (centre) stated that he received complaints which called the presentation slide offensive. Photo by Milan Lukes
Singh did not respond to the Manitoban’s request for comment by the publication deadline.
UMSikhSA speaks out against the presentation slide
In a statement from the University of Manitoba Sikh Students’ Association (UMSikhSA) to the Manitoban, the UMSikhSA executive team denounced the slide and expressed appreciation for the decision to omit the slide from the meeting minutes.
“The politicization of our faith to influence the board’s decision not only undermines the rights and contributions of community representatives, but also distorts and omits essential principles of Sikhi,” reads the statement in-part.
“Sikh teachings emphasize that governance should be guided by compassion and a commitment to ensuring equal opportunity for all individuals.”
UMSikhSA received concerns from community members regarding the recent presentation, according to the statement.
“Sikhs do not proselytize and fundamentally reject the imposition of their beliefs on others. Sikh values strongly discourage any form of compulsion in spiritual practice, including in seva,” reads the statement.
The executive team of UMSikhSA, an UMSU-recognized faith group representing Sikhs on campus, stated that “we respectfully request to be included in any dialogue concerning our faith prior to its use or representation by UMSU in any capacity.”
The statement said that the group “is encouraged by the growing presence of Sikh students in leadership roles and we recognize that mistakes are part of growth.”
Racialized students’ representative Christabel Attoni-Oteari stated during the April 24 UMSU board meeting that the presentation on the executive’s honoraria stance “really felt demeaning.”
“And I know a lot of the other reps also share that same feeling because it made it as though the work that we do is not as much as it is,” she said.
The motion for community representative honoraria was ruled out of order at the April 24 UMSU board meeting for breaching UMSU’s bylaws. UMSU president Divya Sharma later announced that community representatives would receive a $250 UMSU gift card.
