UNBSU Update On Dr Bhargava’s Suspension in Response To University Message

The University of New Brunswick’s Student Union has confirmed with Dr Ed Schollenberg, Registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick that Dr Bhargava’s medical license has been suspended. This was made possible due to the many survivors who came forward and filed a complaint. We would like to commend each and every single survivor who has raised their voice and continued this conversation to keep UNB a safe environment. We hope UNB will take the proper measures to provide you all with justice, thus allowing you all to rest and heal - as is deserved.

We are extremely disappointed in The President’s Office for their failure in taking accountability for protecting, addressing, listening and informing students. Students need to know how the university has acted to protect them. The promotion and encouragement of supports should have been made known, far before this movement began. Survivors were left to file complaints to an external governing body because UNB was unable to remove the psychiatrist themselves. What did The President’s Office do to ensure the safety and protection of students and survivors? How did The Presidents office help facilitate and advocate for the removal of Dr Barghava? Simply stating that you hear the concerns of your student body is one thing, but reaching out to them and having meaningful conversations to better understand their concerns is another.

There is most definitely more that can be done on behalf of the University of New Brunswick. We will be meeting with the President, Paul Mazerolle this Friday, to address student concerns. Additionally, we aim to get a better understanding of what UNB administration is doing on their end to support survivors and how they plan to make UNB a safer community. We have been talking with survivors and students to hear their concerns - these experiences and recommendations will be brought forward and we intend to provide a space in which these concerns are not only heard, but addressed.

The Student Health Center has contacted Horizon health to bring in extra help. Physicians at the Student Health Center have access to a list of community-based Psychiatrists that are now accepting referrals. If you were a patient of Dr B and need a referral, please contact the Student Health Center at 506-453-4837. (Note: They have been receiving many calls and may not answer at the first attempt).

Going forward, we are creating a more comprehensive resource directory to help support students. Upon completion, we will be posting it on our social media platforms. Lastly, we would like to thank the survivors, students and the overall community for continuing this discussion, for supporting one another and for demanding a safer space - that of which you are all owed.

UNBSU Statement On University Silence Following Sexual Assault Allegations

Originally dated Thursday, November 12th, 2020.

A recent Instagram Post was made by an alumni of Mount Allison University, in which they highlighted the institution’s actions to silence victims of sexual violence. This post has since gone viral and created a platform for survivors at universities across New Brunswick to come forward and share their experiences anonymously. As such, UNBSU feels it is imperative to continue this conversation at our own university and ensure our institution is held accountable.

The University of New Brunswick's failure to protect and support survivors has been made evident as more and more survivors are coming forward with their stories. We are sincerely concerned with the institutions efforts to prevent and address sexual violence at UNB. The University of New Brunswick Student Union are profoundly disturbed to hear of the extent to which students have been harmed. Consequently, UNBSU would like to affirm that we stand in solidarity with all victims and survivors of sexual violence. We are extremely disappointed in the University of New Brunswick for insufficiently protecting its students, as well as for keeping them in the dark in times when they need information the most.

We recognize that the university is working towards addressing these concerns, but the students of UNB need more. Victims and survivors of sexual violence need to be heard, believed, and supported by their institution and now is not the time to remain silent. Students need to know what their administration is doing to address these allegations. They need to know that UNB is taking these raw, lived experiences seriously, and they especially need to know that their university believes and supports them.

The fact that students fear coming forward publicly and/or making a complaint should warrant signals to administrators that the current processes in place aren’t enough. This requires a re-evaluation of the institution's infrastructure, policies and organizational culture. UNB should be an environment free of rape culture and victim blaming, as well as a safe space where no student fears experiencing sexual violence throughout their academic careers. Survivors should also feel empowered and confident in their administrations ability to prevent, protect, and support them.

In order to address these concerns, the university needs to truly listen to the voices of survivors. We implore UNB to consider having these individuals at the discussion table. UNB must Facilitate an environment where survivors can help shed light on the gaps in UNB’s infrastructure and sexual assault policies, as well as work as a collective to better serve the students rather than making assumptions. While UNBSU is in contact with the administration, we ask once again for the institution as a whole to listen to the voices of survivors and to tell their students what is being done to protect them. No more silence UNB.

Moving forward, we would like to make some recommendations to the University of New Brunswick as they continue to work on addressing these concerns. Firstly, we strongly recommend the removal of Dr. Bhargava, as several of the allegations brought forward pose a great risk to the safety and wellbeing of UNB and STU students. As an alternative to Dr. Bhargava, we ask UNB to consider working with another Psychiatrist from Horizon Health, as well as offering additional mental health services to help support survivors and victims during these extremely distressful times.

We also recommend the University of New Brunswick to provide further training on sexual violence prevention, rather than focusing strictly on risk management. This entails providing the Campus Sexual Assault Support Advocates (CSASA) with a greater opportunity for expansion of their services. This resource is invaluable and should be further utilized for prevention on campus, that of which requires greater investment on behalf of the University of New Brunswick. Additionally, we ask to have the complaint process reviewed with the help of CSASA, survivor feedback and a UNBSU ad-hoc committee. We recommend the complaint process to be conducted by a third-party, so as to remain unbiased and have the best interest at heart for those involved. We also suggest further promoting the complaint process so students can be made aware of it. This should include the disclosure that this process cannot be used as evidence in court if a victim decides to do so in the future.

UNBSU is actively communicating with CSASA to look at ways to further support UNB students and to continue advocating for survivors. CSASA is open to all UNB, STU and NBCC students - they are a great resource on campus that provides non-judgemental support, advocacy, counselling, educational resources, as well as assistance in filing a complaint. Please refer to the resources listed below to find their office line and their 24/7 support line.

Finally, we would like to thank the alumni at Mount Allison University for starting this much needed conversation, and for their tireless efforts in advocating for survivors and victims of sexual violence. We would also like to thank the individual who created the Hold UNB Accountabe Instagram page, which has provided courageous survivors with a safe platform to anonymously come forward and share their stories. This conversation is only the beginning, and we at UNBSU believe you. We truly hope this leads to actionable change province wide, but especially on behalf of the University of New Brunswick.

Appointment of Interim Vice-President Advocacy

On October 4th, 2020 the UNB Student Union Council voted to appoint Melissa Ghanem as Interim Vice-President Advocacy. The Vice-President Advocacy role was vacated as of September 28th 2020, and in accordance with UNBSU by-laws,  the executive team recommended an Interim to fill the position. Council accepted this recommendation, and Melissa Ghanem was appointed to fill the VP Advocacy position until the scheduled fall by-election. Students will be able to run in this by-election for the Vice President Advocacy position as well as LGBTQ+ councillor, Engineering Councillor, Kinesiology Councillor, Residence Councillor, First Year Councillor, Education Councillor, and Forestry Councillor.

Melissa has held a position with the UNB Student Union for nearly 2 months now as our Wellness Coordinator. Because of her extreme involvement in nearly every Advocacy project, her selection allowed for a swift transition into the role of Interim Vice-President Advocacy. As Melissa transitions into this role, it enables the UNBSU to continue our advocacy campaigns, and work within the New Brunswick Student Alliance and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.

In the role of Interim Vice-President Advocacy, Melissa is responsible for bringing forward new initiatives for policies, campaigns, and positions that promote meaningful change on student issues. She is also responsible for ensuring students are well represented both internally and externally to the UNB community. A full position description can be found at (unbsu.ca/policies) under “Executive Position Description Policy”.

Melissa is thrilled to be joining our team for the time being, and asked to pass on this message to our UNB community in regards to her appointment:

“I am truly honoured to be the Interim VP Advocacy, and I will do everything in my power to ensure the voices of the students are heard and well represented. Advocacy has always been a passion of mine, so this opportunity with UNBSU is an absolute dream and privilege. I hope to learn something new every day in this role and help support students in any way I possibly can.”

The office of the Interim Vice-President Advocacy can be reached at advocacy@unbsu.ca, and any questions about the fall by-election or the appointment of this position can be directed to president@unbsu.ca or cro@unbsu.ca.

UNB Student Union Open Letter June 25th 2020

Official document can be found here

“On June 15th, 2020, UNB announced which courses would be held in person, and which courses would be held via alternative delivery. The UNB Student Union strongly believes that this announcement, along with other announcements made throughout June, has clearly demonstrated the lack of consideration for students in the upcoming fall semester.

On June 1st UNB provided students with vague details pertaining to the fall semester, including the announcement of a “blended” model for class delivery. Our students were anxious waiting to hear from this June 1st announcement, and were let down immensely by the insufficient and unhelpful information we were given. Following this, on June 3rd a town hall was held to give the UNB community a chance to ask questions in an attempt to resolve some of the uncertainties our community was left with. Any questions that did not get answered were posted online at a later date with answers. We feel that while the overall purpose of the town hall was positive, some of the responses students received from UNB administration were worrisome.

As of June 15th, the university officially released the updated course timetable course delivery methods. As per the town hall, The University of New Brunswick stated that in-person class priority would be given to faculties in the STEM fields. In response to this, the Student Union looked through all courses being offered in the fall and what percentage of classes will be offered in person. We had grouped classes that are in different sections to guarantee we did not record a class twice. If a class had a lab portion, we separated the class and the lab into their respective categories. With this being said, we see that a low volume of students will be participating in in-person classes and labs. We found that for lectures, only 7%-8% of classes are happening in person, and that for labs, 23%-24% are taking place in person.

As students, we know that a hands on, in person lab, can not be replaced by an online delivery method and still provide the same quality of education. In addition, online classes do not provide students with the same level of engagement and may not allow all students to actively participate in classes due to technological barriers. We feel that there were many courses that could have happened in person, but aren’t because the university is setting much stricter standards than required by public health.

The Student Union would also recommend that UNB remove parking passes for the fall semester. Students only saw a refund in the winter 2020 semester for their parking passes if they had a twelve or ten month parking pass, not those with an eight, four, or one month pass. Unless the university is prepared to issue partial to full refunds in the event that classes need to fully move online, parking passes should not be sold this fall.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of New Brunswicks’ Board of Governors approved a 2% increase to tuition for all undergraduates and research based graduate students. We believe that not only should the 2% increase be reversed, but that the university lower tuition as well as remove fees where they are not being used by students. UNB Financial Services describes that tuition fees cover the cost of instruction, regular examination, university libraries, creative arts, and varsity/ campus athletics. We believe that with the lowered quality of education that this blended model brings, the cancellation of most or all athletic competitions, as well as the reduced access to the libraries, students should not be paying full tuition. We also believe that fees such as the facility access fee and the technology fee (among others) should be reassessed as we approach the fall.

We understand that the University of New Brunswick will be impacted financially by the current global pandemic, however, it is not the students’ responsibility to make up those financial losses”

Annual General Meeting 2019-2020

View our Annual General Meeting 2019-2020.

UNBSU Position Statement On the Removal of George Duncan Ludlow’s Name from the University of New Brunswick Law Building

Full position statement here.

Adopted: October 20, 2019

Expires: October 20, 2021 

Whereas: 

George Duncan Ludlow was one of the last judges in the British Commonwealth to uphold the legality of slavery;(1) and 

He did so at a time when slavery was not commonly-accepted as a fact of life, but rather an increasingly disfavourable practice that most other judges across North America had already struck down or refused to uphold;(2) and

Even were that not the case, the practice of treating human beings as property has never been acceptable and runs contrary to the values the University of New Brunswick publicly expresses; and

Ludlow further sat on the board of the Sussex Vale Indian Day School, where he advocated for the complete separation of Indigenous children from their families, communities, and culture;(3) and

The University of New Brunswick has repeatedly expressed a commitment to honouring the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission;(4) and

George Duncan Ludlow did not attend the University of New Brunswick and has no meaningful connection to the university; and

The naming of university buildings is not solely a function of furthering historical knowledge, but also an honour bestowed on an individual, as well as a persisting implicit approval of the person after whom the building was named; and

Even if building naming was primarily a function of furthering historical knowledge, there are ways that contextualize and denote the contributions of New Brunswick’s early citizens that do not involve their name being emblazoned on a building; and 

The continued presence of Ludlow’s name on the building is a direct insult to the black and indigenous students who currently attend the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law, forcing them to repeatedly cross the threshold of a building bearing the name of someone who at the very least tacitly approves of their being sold into bondage or separated from their culture. 

Be it Resolved That: 

The University of New Brunswick Student Union calls for the immediate removal of the building name “Ludlow Hall” from the Law Building, and from all associated maps and university literature; and

The University of New Brunswick Student Union calls for the creation of a plaque that appropriately contextualizes Ludlow’s place in New Brunswick’s history, highlighting both his contribution to the drafting of New Brunswick’s first statutes as well as his upholding of slavery, and his commitment to separating Indigenous children from their parents and culture.

---

(1) https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/unb-law-faculty-mulls-name-change-after-students-raise-concerns-about-namesake

(2) David G Bell, “Slavery and the Loyalist Judges of New Brunswick,” (1982) 31 UNBLJ 9 at 26-27.

(3) Judith Fingard, “The New England Company and the New Brunswick Indians, 1786-1826: A Comment on the Colonial Perversion of British Benevolence,” (1972) 1 Acadiensis 29 at 31-32.   

(4) https://www.unb.ca/annualreport/2018/reconciliation/actionplan.html

UNB Student Union Response to Approval of UNB's 2019/20 Budget

FREDERICTON, NB

In May of 2018, the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Board of Governors approved the Tuition Review Task Force’s (TRTF) recommendation to introduce a differential tuition framework and a tuition reset for new UNB students as a means of addressing the university’s budgetary deficit. The TRTF’s recommendations and their approval from the Board of Governors were met with strong opposition from UNB students, resulting in the university updating their initial recommendation by lowering proposed increases to tuition. On April 25th, 2019, the UNB Board of Governors approved the 2019-20 UNB budget which reflects the implementation of the proposed differential tuition framework and tuition increases. The approved 2019-20 Consolidated Budget can be found at the following link: https://www.unb.ca/vpfinance/_resources/pdf/2019-20%20Budget/budget201920.pdf

Following approval from UNB’s Board of Governors, these changes are extremely difficult to reverse. However, our focus as a Student Union is to be transparent and ensure new and returning students are aware of these changes and how they will be impacted by them. Current or “legacy” Canadian students attending UNB Fredericton on a full-time basis will not be subject to the differential tuition framework or tuition reset, but instead receive a 2% increase on their tuition beginning in the fall 2019 semester, with tuition for one year (two semesters) being set at $6893.00 and total costs including mandatory fees being $7852.50. Incoming or new students will be subject to tuition and fee increases differentiated based on faculty.

More information on these increases, in addition to hikes on part-time and international student fees, can be found at the following link: https://www.unb.ca/financialservices/students/undergraduate_tuition_and_fees/fredericton_unde rgrad_new.html

The UNB Student Union strongly opposes these significant increases to tuition and acknowledges the detrimental financial, academic, and personal implications for all students. These increases, along with the Government of New Brunswick’s (GNB) recent changes to provincial student financial aid, including the elimination of the Free Tuition Program & Tuition Relief for the Middle Class, will result in students being unable to return to UNB in the fall or access a UNB education in the future. Additionally, there will be no increase in funding from the university for student financial aid despite these dramatic hikes in tuition and reduction of financial support from the government. With the majority of existing UNB scholarships and awards being largely based on merit rather than need, the pressure and barriers on students, particularly those who face financial insecurity, continue to increase and prevent current and future students from being able to afford an education from UNB. The UNB Student Union will continue to advocate on behalf of UNB students to university administration and the provincial government in light of these changes and work to increase needs-based financial support for low-income students and those who are experiencing increased financial strain.

If you or someone you know will be facing difficulty beginning or returning to studies at UNB Fredericton due to tuition increases or cuts to provincial financial aid, please reach out to us and we will pass along your story to university administration and the provincial government. Any questions, concerns, or student testimonials can be directed to our Vice President Internal, Grace Mangusso, at internal@unbsu.ca or Vice President Advocacy, Mick Jefferies, at advocacy@unbsu.ca.

Changes to student financial aid in New Brunswick

Changes to student financial aid in New Brunswick
April 4, 2019

Yesterday, the Government of New Brunswick (GNB) announced changes to provincial student financial aid, including the replacement of the Free Tuition Program & Tuition Relief for the Middle Class (FTP & TRMC) with a program called the “Renewed Tuition Bursary”.

Despite the government describing this program as an expansion of FTP & TRMC for students attending private institutions, there are several implications of this new program that will negatively affect UNB students. The UNB Student Union strongly advocates for improved access to UNB education for low-income students and these recent changes hurt this accessibility.

The introduced Renewed Tuition Bursary will supplement the federally funded Canada Student Grant (CSG) to a maximum of $3,000, instead of the $10,000 maximum that was previously provided by FTP & TRMC. For example, students will now receive a maximum of $6,000 when combining the CSG and the Renewed Tuition Bursary, whereas they previously could have received up to $13,000 under the old FTP & TRMC programs.

The Renewed Tuition Bursary program will come into effect later this year, meaning that students returning to UNB in the fall who were relying on FTP & TRMC, will face financial barriers in a few short months.

Additional changes announced yesterday by the provincial government include the abolishment of the Timely Completion Benefit and the reintroduction of the Tuition Tax Credit. The specific details of these additional changes are not clear yet and are still pending approval next January at the NB legislature.  

Your UNB Student Union, along with the New Brunswick Student Alliance, is currently actively communicating these concerns to the GNB Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour (PETL). We will keep students updated through our website and social media on any major changes regarding this issue.

To send a petition letter to the Minister of PETL directly, click here.

- Your UNB Student Union

Response to Proposed Alcohol Changes at UNB

Response to Proposed Alcohol Changes at UNB

January 31, 2019

The Student Union opposes many of the proposed changes to the UNB alcohol policy, including a two drink maximum on each order and the banning of caffeinated drinks in campus bars. While we strongly support a safe drinking environment on campus, we do not believe these proposed changes are a step forward towards this goal.

We trust the bar staff on our campus who are already highly trained in environments where alcohol-related incidents are a risk. These regulations make their jobs harder, not easier, to keep track of potential overconsumption.

Strict regulations can encourage students to drink off campus. It is important to keep students drinking on campus, where there are resources to keep us safe, such as bar staff, SUB Staff, Residence Life staff, SafeWalk, SafeRide, Campus Patrol, and UNB Security. Additional restrictions can also lead students to unsafely binge drink prior to coming to campus bars.

The UNBSU believes in educational campaigns to raise awareness about responsible alcohol consumption such as our UNBSU Drinksmart program. We have and will continue to voice these concerns on behalf of UNB students to the UNB Alcohol Policy Review Committee.

UNB Student Union Signs National Letter Speaking Out Against Ancillary Fee Opt-Out and OSAP Changes

For immediate release: January 30, 2019

FREDERICTON, N.B. - Today, alongside 75+ post-secondary institutions across Canada representing over one million students, the UNB Student Union signed a letter voicing collective disappointment with the Ontario government’s January 17th announcement. The announcement pertained to the recent changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program, also known as OSAP, tuition and ancillary fees (non-tuition fees). These changes raise serious concerns and red flags for students and their families. We firmly believe it lacked proper consultation with students and was a step backwards for the province of Ontario.
 

Each year, hundreds of students are elected across Ontario on promises to keep our institutions accountable, to ensure the health and safety of our students, and fill crucial gaps that our institutions do not provide — such as health and dental plans, peer-to-peer support, transit passes, on-campus press, support services like food banks and more. The Student Choice Initiative puts all of this at risk and threatens the post-secondary student experience.

New Brunswick’s targeted tuition relief programs were modelled after OSAP. The New Brunswick Free Tuition Program and Tuition Relief for the Middle Class provided support to over 7000 New Brunswick students in the most recent academic year, helping to reduce the financial barriers to accessing post-secondary education.
 

Each year, hundreds of students are elected across Ontario, and Canada, on promises to keep postsecondary institutions and governments accountable, to ensure the health and safety of students and fill crucial gaps in services that postsecondary institutions do not provide. This includes the provision of transit passes, health and dental plans, peer-to-peer support, bursaries, support services, non-partisan government advocacy, and more.
 

Ontario’s newly announced “Student Choice Initiative” allows students to opt-out of the fees which ensure the success of these initiatives and services, putting all of them at risk. As a result, the Student Choice Initiative threatens the postsecondary student experience in Ontario.


The UNBSU strongly believes in voicing students concerns and fostering consistent innovation and growth through engaging and empowering the student body. For this reason, the aforementioned changes are not simply a provincial concern. This could set a national precedent that has a measurable impact on the student experience and campus culture across the country. Students will be less safe, more vulnerable to failure and less able to gain the skills and work-related experience they’ll need to find jobs after graduation.
 

 For more details, please find the letter linked here.

The UNB Student Union aims to achieve consistency, transparency, and innovation through their advocacy efforts and initiatives. With this year’s strategic plan’s goals, the UNBSU envisions a diverse, vibrant, and transformative university experience through fostering pride and unity for all.

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Media Contact
Simal Qureshi, UNB Student Union
VP Advocacy
advocacy@unbsu.ca, (709) 214 0673