University promises u of Sask. students $25 for services lost during CUPE strike

Laura Keil, the Sheaf (University of Saskatchewan)

SASKATOON (CUP) — Following a five-week support staff strike at the University of Saskatchewan, students have been told to expect a $25 refund for services lost during the strike.

Josie Steeves, vice-president academic affairs at the University of Saskatchewan students’ union, said the credit could be put towards goods or services at the university bookstore, Louis’ pub, the computer store, or other campus services.

“They’ve still got some work to do, but I think it’s extremely promising that students will see some form of reimbursement,” Steeves said, adding that the money is a “goodwill gesture.”

Students who were more deeply affected by the five-week strike, such as students in veterinary medicine and dentistry, are likely to receive compensation on a case-by-case basis, she said.

Not everyone is pleased with the offer, though. Levi Nicholat, a student at the University of Saskatchewan, sees the $25 refund as a “slap in the face.”

“[The strike] lasted for about two months, so two-thirds of our semester, and they’re giving us $25? That’s a little ridiculous.”

Cameron Goodfellow, a graduate student working on his M A in history, said that the money does not make up for losses to grad students.

“It’s a nice gesture, but I don’t think it’s sufficient. Grad students couldn’t get books out of the library; that’s a month off our research.”

The university’s administration told the students’ union that they saved very little money during the strike. James Pepler, president of the students’ union, said he expects the university to release their cost analysis so the union can verify the numbers.

Chad Kirlow, another student, also believes the university should do more for students. His hockey team missed six or seven games during the strike.

“You pay $300 per semester to play hockey,” he says. “They’re not giving us anything back.”

Michelle Brock, who is in her final year of women’s and gender studies, says she is insulted by the offer. She says students had to cope for several weeks with bathrooms strewn with feces and tampons, classrooms overflowing with coffee cups, and library services that were largely inaccessible.

She believes the university mismanaged the strike and that it owes more to its students.

“If you want to make a gesture, make it sincere,” said Brock. “That doesn’t seem very sincere.”

Students at the University of Regina will be seeing a slightly different kind of compensation package. That university has offered $2.50 per student, which would be given to the University of Regina students’ union, to be dealt out at their discretion.“We had a general meeting during the strike in order to ask students what they wanted to do and they decided to have a referendum to decide how to spend all the money that they university gave,” sad Mike Burton, president of the University of Regina students’ union.