Memorial University may terminate services to the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) if a new service level agreement isn’t reached, said GSU Executive Director of External Affairs Abdulrazaq Sefiu in an interview with The Muse on Tuesday, November 3rd.
The statement comes amid ongoing negotiations with the university for a service level and lease agreement, and in the wake of a signed and subsequently terminated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two parties.
MOU termination and current negotiations
“A Service Level Agreement was entered into between Memorial University and the GSU on April 29, 2025,” said Memorial. Then in 2025 the GSU notified the university that they were terminating the service agreement.
According to Sefiu, the previous Executive Director of External Affairs signed the MOU with the university without GSU Board approval, which is required in their bylaws.
He saw this as a “genuine reason to back out of the MOU” because the signing did not follow due process. Secondly, Sefiu believed that the MOU was not “in the favour of the union,” arguing that the university was trying to control the GSU.
However, he believed that some of the clauses in the terminated MOU were good for the union, which ensured previous financial mismanagement wouldn’t happen again.
For example, instead of Memorial handing over certain dues directly to the GSU, they would have passed them to the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and Greenshield directly.
To Memorial, the MOU came about because of the issues with the “GSU’s administration of graduate student health insurance payments,” and the risk it posed to “the continuity of insurance coverage for graduate students… Under the new agreement, the University agreed to provide certain services in exchange for enhanced transparency and accountability regarding the GSU’s operations and resources.”
Current negotiations appear to be at a standstill, with Sefiu adding that the board passed a resolution to “end all negotiations on the MOU,” per the September 2026 meeting minutes.
Memorial stated that they remain “committed to working collaboratively with the GSU and [that] university representatives remain available to discuss a new services agreement at any time and hope to enter into a new agreement before the end of 2026.”
Service level and lease agreement
According to Sefiu, if the GSU doesn’t reach a new service level agreement, services to the union “will stop.”
The services he listed as at risk of cessation are: the collection of union dues from students, use of Memorial’s Banner system, and assistance in CFS dues, payrolls, and health and dental.
According to Memorial, they have “been trying to work with the GSU to address any concerns they may have had with the agreement, but have “advised the GSU” that if an agreement is not reached, “certain services will no longer be available.”
However, despite The Muse questioning specific services at risk of cuts, Memorial did not confirm or deny whether this includes payroll, collecting union dues, Banner access, help with CFS dues, or health and dental.
Without the collection of union dues, this would mean “no payments for CFS and no health and dental,” said Sefiu. The union are currently indebted to CFS at a seemingly unconfirmed amount according to the GSU’s September 2026 meeting minutes.
There is also speculation as to what will happen with graduate students’ health and dental insurance plans with Greenshield.
According to Sefiu, a cut to services would cripple the union. “Would that mean that there’s no insurance for the students?” He questioned “I don’t believe they want to do that… because how can we have thousands of students without insurance?”
Sefiu also added that if the GSU doesn’t reach an agreement, their lease renewal could be terminated as well.
Memorial and GSU share a landlord-tenant relationship; they usually negotiate a five-year lease, after which the two parties negotiate another.
According to Memorial, “The GSU’s lease expired in July 2026. This means the GSU is currently overholding the lease. By the terms of the lease this means that the tenancy converts to a month-to-month arrangement with either party required to give only 30 days’ notice to terminate. The parties are currently entering discussion on a new lease.”
Sefiu stated the renewal is being considered for elimination. However, when questioned, Memorial did not confirm or deny that if an agreement is not reached, then the university will terminate their lease renewal agreement with the GSU.
The GSU currently rent the first and second floors of the Feild Hall Building on St. John’s Campus.
The Banner system and financial issues
The Banner system is an internal software system at Memorial, used for various internal operations, including financial transactions.
Sefiu claims that Memorial wants the GSU off the Banner system and on their own financial system; however, they “don’t have the financial capabilities” to be on their own system, as it is expensive and something the union “can’t afford.”
Additionally, if the GSU were to lose access to the Banner system, “[MUN] sees no reason for us to have access to the wifi,” said Sefiu.
He also added that MUN wants the GSU’s financial statements, which he thinks is “illogical” because the Banner system allows MUN to see their financial statements, and per the GSU’s constitution, they make their financial statements public.
However, it should be stated, there is a gap in public financial statements between 2022 and 2025.
As an independent body, Sefiu also questioned the GSU’s responsibility to deliver financial statements to the university.
Find the full communication between Memorial and The Muse here