The final board meeting before the 2026 UMSU elections commence did not disappoint. Held on Feb. 5, UMSU’s governance committee proposed changes to UMSU’s current governance structure, planning is underway for a third annual Cosmopolitan and a representative from the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) gave a presentation.
UMSU’s governance committee shared a presentation outlining a potential restructuring of how student governance happens within the organization. The proposed changes brought to the table included the splitting of the current UMSU board into two bodies — a council, led by student faculty association representatives and community representatives, and a board consisting of five executives and 10 students-at-large.
This proposed structure would have the council, potentially consisting of 60+ members, receiving all motions from students-at-large and passing them along to the board, where final decisions would be made. The board, consisting of students-at-large (potentially chosen in some part by UMSU HR) and non-voting executives, would have staggered terms to ensure cohesiveness in decision-making.
The motion to proceed with further exploration of these changes to UMSU’s governance eventually passed. This came with the addition that the specific changes outlined in the governance committee’s presentation would not necessarily be the ones implemented and that more consultation with current board members would take place.
Present at the meeting was Maleeka Thomas, a CASA member relations officer. Thomas presented an overview of CASA and their avenues for federal advocacy of Canadian students. Included in the presentation was an outline of what UMSU delegates did while attending Advocacy Week, a conference held in Ottawa last November.
Representing UMSU at Advocacy Week was UMSU president Prabhnoor Singh, VP university affairs Heaven Kaur and Indigenous students’ community representative Arianna Gamblin. Singh was noted to have met with parliamentarians, including Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, and Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu. Singh is also a non-voting member of CASA’s federal policy committee.
Kaur also met with parliamentarians, including Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan, regarding some of CASA’s focus points for student advocacy such as the job market, Indigenous and graduate student funding, international students and housing. Gamblin served as a delegate for the National Indigenous Advocacy Committee and focused her time on discussing Indigenous students’ education both on and off reserves, along with housing.
UMSU’s involvement with CASA includes participation in their multiple conferences. Among these are the Foundation Conference held in May, the Policy & Strategy Conference held in July, the Indigenous Student Conference in August or September and Advocacy Week in November.
Kaur and Singh individually reported that CASA is running a campaign in support of the expansion of the current Canada Student Grant program. Citing the upcoming federal budget, both shared that cuts to this program would spell harder times for post-secondary students. Both also encouraged students to reach out to their MPs, or use CASA’s templates available on their Instagram.
UMSU’s third annual Cosmopolitan is on the horizon, as shared in Kaur’s report. A cornerstone event made to celebrate the U of M’s cultural diversity, Kaur encouraged clubs to table at the event and said that organizers are still looking for performers and fashion show participants.
Cosmopolitan takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 25 with doors opening at 4 p.m.
For more information regarding CASA’s activities, visit their Instagram @casaacae.
