Dear students,
The University of Ottawa wishes to inform you that even though the agreement between the University and the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) will end on December 24, 2018, current SFUO student services will continue to be offered during the 2019 winter term.
To maintain services during the 2019 winter term, the University has signed an interim agreement with the SFUO to deliver services until a student association is elected. Under the terms of the interim agreement, all services that students have currently paid for will continue without interruption until April 30, 2019.
It is important to emphasize that this is a new agreement and that it is restricted to service delivery. As of December 24, 2018, the SFUO will no longer be recognized by the University as the exclusive representative of undergraduate students, and this interim service delivery agreement does not reinstate any such recognition of the Federation.
As announced on Friday, December 7, a referendum to elect a student association will be held on February 11, 2019. Interested parties may submit their candidacy by sending an email to Chief Referendum Officer Lucie Allaire.
Once a student association is elected, the University will negotiate and sign an agreement with it to deliver services and represent undergraduate students. This agreement will necessarily include a strong commitment to good governance, sound financial management, transparency and accountability. The elected student association will determine whether new services should be offered, in which case it will be responsible for securing the agreement of undergraduate students.
I fully appreciate that this situation may have been stressful for students who use SFUO services. I take this opportunity to wish you good luck in your exams and to convey to you my best wishes for the holiday season.
David Graham Provost and Vice-President Academic Affairs