In a MUNSU board meeting on Tuesday, September 29th, members voted not to participate in the annual Day of Action this October, opting instead to hold a “Day of Action style event” during the 2027 Winter semester.
The Day of Action was originally scheduled for October 16th, however members of the Executive attributed the cancellation to the absence of an Executive Director of Campaigns, as well as multiple other positions on the board, which will be contested in a by-election on October 21st.
Due to the current skeleton crew, board members have expressed concerns about taking on a larger work load and roles which weren’t included in their position. They explained that the Day of Action requires a lot of planning and that it wouldn’t be feasible as things currently stand.
Social Work Rep. Halie Hindy and Executive Director of Finances Nathan Gillingham noted that the concerns of social work students and paid work terms were a key part of last year’s Day of Action.
However, Gillingham added that the “onus is not entirely on the [executives],” referring again to the lack of directors on the board and that they “need more people involved.”
Hindy expressed her disappointment in the context of her position, stating that it is a “severe loss for social work students” but agreed that the Day of Action should not go ahead.
Some members later expressed concerns for how to hold through on the promise of advocating for students, to which the board suggested that the October 15th Town Hall would be a good time to press leaders on certain issues concerning students.
Education Rep. Rachel Snow added that the cancellation would be more than just a “big loss” for social work students and was the first to suggest pushing it further in the semester.
The motion was put forth and passed, with Executive Director of Student Life Blake Colbran adding that he “will see to it that something will happen.”
An official date for the “Day of Action style event” has not been decided.
The Muse has reached out to Halie Hindy and CFS-NL for comment and will follow-up with their response in a later article.