The UTMSU’s Got You – Maintain Your Membership

The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) is your students’ union, representing over 14,000 full time and part time students at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). The UTMSU is fundamentally committed to the principle of access to education for all. The UTMSU strives towards those goals by providing you with cost-saving services and advocacy to enhance your student experience.

What the UTMSU does for YOU:

Fight against Tuition Fee Increases and cuts to OSAP
Provide discounts at Boston Pizza, Wonderland, Cineplex, Bowling and many more!
Support and fund over 140 Clubs and Academic Societies
Over 150 Job and Volunteer Opportunities
Cheapest printing on campus
Provide academic support for over 400 students
Student-run Pub and Convenience Store
Best food and cheapest snacks on campus!
Provide food for over 200 people each month through the Food Centre
Affordable student Health and Dental Insurance
Frosh Week (Orientation) – Making it Fun and Affordable for over 40 Years
Represent you on a national and provincial level through the Canadian Federation of Students

Victories of the UTMSU:

The UTMSU has a proven track-record of success. Through lobbying and direct action, the UTMSU has successfully:

Advocated for Academic Policies like Course Retake, Credit No/Credit, Late Withdrawal
Implemented the U-Pass saving students over $1000 on transit costs
Established Equity and Sustainability Centres
Lobbied for a Campus-Wide Sexual Violence Policy
Secured Free Menstrual Products for all on-campus washrooms
Eliminated the $35 exam remark fee
Lobbied for Heated Bus Shelters
Saved students over $2000 per year by pressuring UofT to eliminate Flat Fees

Why should I maintain my membership?

In January 2019, the Ontario government announced a new policy directive called the “Student Choice Initiative” (SCI). This policy allows students to opt-out of paying levies and union dues that students voted on through democratic referenda. Though it was framed as a way to save students money, the initiative is actually an attack on student democracy, unions and student-run services.

The SCI will significantly reduce the UTMSU’s ability to provide you with crucial services and advocacy. Even if you do not use all the resources that the UTMSU provides, by opting out of the UTMSU you will hinder your fellow classmates who rely on the students’ union, clubs and academic societies to succeed in post-secondary education.

You should not have to choose between your students’ union and an education. At UofT, students pay the highest tuition fees in the country but the government has not properly addressed this issue. The UTMSU wants to save you money by tackling the root of students’ problems like tuition fees, cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance program, skyrocketing international student fees, parking fees and more.

We have strength in numbers but we need your help to continue the fight for an accessible and affordable post-secondary education.

This September, maintain your membership in the UTMSU.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What do “essential” and “non-essential” fees mean?

Without consulting students, the government categorized various student services and groups into “essential” and “non-essential” fees. Essential fees are mandatory and will be automatically charged to your account on ACORN. Non-essential fees are those that students can opt-out of. You opt-out by unchecking the box on ACORN. If you do not opt-out, the fee will be charged to your account on ACORN. The UTMSU believes that all the services and groups listed under non-essential are crucial to your student experience. We recommend not opting out and maintaining your membership in the UTMSU.

How do I maintain my membership in the UTMSU?

You are already a member, so there isn’t much to do! In order to maintain your membership, don’t opt out.

How long is the opt-out period?

The opt-out period starts on July 15, 2019 and will run until September 19th.

Am I allowed to opt back in after the opt-out period ends?

The opt-outs will occur semesterly so you may opt-back in for the Winter semester (January 2020).

What can I access as a member of the UTMSU?

By maintaining your membership in the UTMSU, everyone benefits from the levies and services. But if one student opts out, everyone who truly depends on the union will be impacted and have a more difficult time accessing post-secondary education. As a member, you have access to important funding, services and initiatives such as bursaries, the food centre, clubs funding, orientation week, child care support, academic and social advocacy work and much more.

When were these levies created?

Students democratically established all of the UTMSU levies by referendum, meaning that students voted to create them. These referendums have taken place since the UTMSU was formed in 1983. Our last levy was established in 2012 when we expanded the U-Pass program to include part-time students. When a levy is created, students have the ability to change and improve the levy by getting involved in the UTMSU commissions. The UTMSU has three commissions: Campaigns and Advocacy, Services and Events. Here you have the opportunity to discuss programming, services, priorities for the year and budgets. We all benefit when members actively participate in democratic processes such as referenda, elections and commission meetings.

What is the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS)?

UTM students are members of the CFS. The CFS is Canada’s oldest and largest national students’ union with over 500,000 members across the country. Through our strength in numbers, we are able to lobby the provincial and federal governments for an accessible and affordable post-secondary education, create and carry out advocacy and awareness campaigns and provide cost-saving programs and services. CFS works on a variety of social equity issues such as combating sexual violence, fairness for international students, making mental health services more diverse and accessible and challenging systems of oppression that manifest on our campuses. The CFS offers cost saving, ethical services such as the International Student Identity Card (ISIC), – free tax filing through UFile, sexual health products and more. For more information about the work of the CFS please visit www.cfs-fcee.ca or www.cfsontario.ca