The StFX Student Union, known as The U, represents the students at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a student-run organization; it represents over 4000 students and it provides many services and activities. The U sits as a voting member on the federal lobbying group CASA and studentsNS (formerly ANSSA).
The U is organized as a collegial student government. Each January a president and vice president run separately from each other, and are elected by the student body. The elected officials then choose an executive team which serves as their cabinet for the following year. The new executive team works to structure the following year's budget and determine the organization's direction.
The hired executive is then ratified by the Students' Representative Council (who are the elected officials of The U).
The executive and chair of council work at the university during the summer to plan for the following year. In September, when the students return, council becomes active and the executives and council meet to discuss the general operations of the union and report/vote/pass various issues affecting student life at X.
2023–2024 Executive:
Name
Position
Sophia Fabiano
President
Jack Harding
Vice president, academic
Julianna Drake
Vice president, finance and operations
Matthew Doyle
Vice president, external affairs
Henderson Cartwright
Vice president, campus affairs
Sean Ryan
General Manager
2023–2024 Board of Directors and Student Representatives:
Name
Position
Brendan Roberts
Chair of the Board
Graydon Cragg
Deputy Chair of the Board
R Jo De Leebeeck
Director-at-large
Kate Popadinac
Director-at-large
Angus Ryan
Director-at-large
Islam Sharief
Students of African Decent Director
Sierra Julian
Indigenous Students' Director
Harmony Bright-Doucette
Indigenous Students Director
Gabriella Rios Flores
International Students' Director
Francisco Chang
Board of Governors Student Representative
Jacob Cruchet
Arts Student Senator
Katherine Waterbury
Education Student Senator
Vacant
Science Student Senator
Vacant
Graduate Student Senator
Vacant
Business Student Senator
2021–2022 Executive:
Name
Position
Jack Irvin
President
Meredith Cudmore-Keating
Vice president, academic & senator
Brendan Roberts
Vice president, finance and operations
Ben Fairhurst
Vice president, external affairs
Kyra Tessier
Vice president, activities and events
Sophia Fabiano
Vice president res affairs
Sean Ryan
General Manager
2021-22 Council:
Name
Position
Naomi Stobart
Chair of council
Rebecca Cano
Deputy chair of council
Margaret Gillis
Faculty of Arts representative & senator
Mackenzie La Vernois
Faculty of Science representative & senator
Hunter Park
Faculty of Business representative & senator
Tianna Williams
Faculty of Education representative & senator
Faculty of Graduate Studies representative & senatorDescent
Tiffany Bondoc
Equity representative
Atik Gilao
Students of African descent representative
Derin Derici
International student representative
Anna Hancin
Board of governors representative
Dhruv Patel
Board of governors representative
First year representative
2019–2020 Executive:
Name
Position
Cecil VanBuskirk
President
Emma Kuzmyk
Vice president, academic & senator
Patrick Wallace
Vice president, finance and operations
Siobhan Lacey
Vice president, residence affairs
Sarah Elliott
Vice president, external affairs
Natalie Doumkos
Vice president, activities and events
2019–2020 Council:
Name
Position
William Fraser
Chair of Council
Veronica Curry
Deputy chair of council
Marc Sgro
Faculty of Arts representative & senator
Daniel Winters
Faculty of Science representative & senator
Johanna Gates
Faculty of Business representative & senator
Todd Boak
Faculty of Education representative & senator
William Burgess
Faculty of Graduate Studies representative & senator
Jasonique Moss
Equity representative
Kamy Carrington
Students of African descent representative
Sanjidha Ganeshan
International student representative
Tiffany MacLennan
Board of governors representative
Allison Hancock
Board of governors representative
Nicholas Stinson
First year representative
Bloomfield Centre
The StFX Students' Union is located in the Bloomfield Centre in Antigonish Nova Scotia. The offices of the president, executives and councillors are located on the fourth floor. Council Chambers can also be found on the same floor; this is home to Council and Senate meetings.
History
2003 X-Ring
The StFX Student Union was incorporated in 1965 by James Sutton, Paul Rusyniak, Thomas McGowan, Joseph Coffey and Robert Hutton. Since its incorporation, the union has been a major part of the university.
The Students' Union initially began to represent the student body as a whole while providing activities and social events on campus as well as societies. The union has since expanded through adding services such as the on-campus bar, the Golden X Inn, and on-campus convenience store, the Kevin’s Corner Food Resource Center, the student's Union marketing studio, student advocates, and DriveU, a safe drive-home service. It has also created off-campus support services such as a housing list, as well as employing staff to help with tenancy concerns.
The union was also integrated within the University administration over the years, sitting on all major committees to represent student concerns at all levels within the University.
The well known "X-Ring" ceremony, which takes place each year on 3 December, is also organized by the Students' Union.
In 2004 the union successfully lobbied the University for lighting to be installed on campus to prevent crime and sexual assault.[citation needed] They also succeeded in increasing library hours.[citation needed]
In February 2006, Adam Hinton and Lila Pavey were elected as Students' Union president and vice president. During the 2006–2007 academic year, the union brought in communications initiatives to improve signage, branding, and technologies among other things. As part of this process the StFX Students' Union was rebranded as The U.
In July 2006, the Student Union launched its new website which included the new logo.
In early 2007, the Student Union implemented a long term strategic plan which focused on communication, accountability, environmental sustainability, post-secondary research, financial growth, and enhanced internal leadership training. A new constitution, which declared the Student Union's stance on students rights issues, was also passed.
In January 2007 the Student Union organized a protest against plans to change the residences of Burke, Fraser, and Plessis into a single residence. The protest was based on the strong house spirit of each of the residences.
In March 2007, Adam Harris and Marc Rodrigue were elected as Students' Union president and vice president for the 2007–2008 academic year.
In February 2008, Matt MacGillivray and Julia Clarke were elected as the Students' Union president elect and vice-president elect for the 2008–2009 academic year.
In February 2009, Sandy MacIntosh and Sheryl MacAulay were elected as Students' Union president elect and vice-president elect for the 2009–2010 academic year.
In February 2010, Sam Mason and Alia Hack were elected as Students' Union president elect and vice-president elect for the 2010–2011 academic year.
In January 2011 the Student Union organized a protest after the administration made the decision to abolish the student-run campus police force without consulting the students, and then revoked the student union's ability to send out email messages to the student body. Instead, vice president recruitment and student experience, Keith Publicover, must now approve all mass email communication. Another issue is the possibility that the school's all-female and all-male residence houses, Cameron Hall and MacKinnon Hall, could become co-ed on May 1; the Residence Office has refused to reassign students to those houses or communicate about what the plans are for the two buildings. The plans never went through, and the residences remain single-gendered. Keith Publicover also resigned from his position during the summer of 2012.
In January 2012, Nick Head-Peterson and Rachel Mitchell were elected as Students' Union president and vice president for the 2012–2013 year.
In January 2013, Ben Gunn-Doerge and Taylor Mason were elected as Students' Union president and vice president for the 2013–2014 year. In January 2014, council made a motion to pass a new executive structure, which will now consist of: the president (elected), vice president (elected), VP internal, VP finance and operations, VP communications, VP activities and events, and VP external.
In January 2014, Brandon Hamilton and Alicia Silliker were elected as Students' Union president and vice president for the 2014–2015 year.
In February 2015, returning executive member Troy Mrazek was elected as president and Hannah Stordy was elected as the vice president for the 2015–2016 year. This was the first year for the elimination of president and vice president slates.
During 2017–2018, the Students' Union, with Annie Sirois serving as president and Patrick Panet-Raymond serving as vice president, announced their full support of the administration's move to change Cameron Hall and MacKinnon Hall to co-ed residences. This decision was met with very vocal opposition leading to a large attendance in the gallery of student council on February 11. Soon after a petition for impeachment of the president and vice-president was circulated. The next council meeting reported their own survey results stating "The majority of students in this survey did not support these changes so to change our wording to support would be a direct contradiction to what was mandated by the students." In a later council meeting, upon hearing that the student petition to impeach had surpassed 900 signatories, moved to acknowledge an ambiguity in the bylaws effectively making them unimpeachable. The committee tasked with resolving the ambiguity did not complete their mandate.
In 2018, Rebecca Messay was elected as president with an outstanding victory. Tiffany MacLennan was also successful in her campaign for vice president. During this year, the Students' Union successfully lobbied the university for the addition of a fall reading week (project led by MacLennan).
In 2019, The election for vice president academic ended with Emma Kuzmyk winning by a landslide. After a controversial campaign period, Cecil VanBuskirk was elected president for the 2019–2020 year. On March 6, Emma Kuzmyk was unofficially elected vice president.
On March 14, 2019, council struck an ad hoc committee, named the Governance Review Committee, to redraft the union's governing documents (including the act of incorporation) and remove ambiguities.
On January 27th, 2023, the governance review bylaw referendum was passed.
In May, 2023, the Golden X Inn renovation began!
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