The inaugural MUNSU meeting of 2026 took place on the evening of January 14.
The meeting began with some intrigue, as Science Representative Julian Sutton clarified a previous motion regarding the censuring and restriction of stipends of Human Kinetics and Recreation Representative Colby Dalton and Business Representative Tobi Emioladipupo.
The reprimands were the result of “MUNSU affairs absences” according to Sutton’s statement in the meeting.
The main issue at hand was the controversy regarding CFS-NL’s statement about Progressive Conservative Education Minister Paul Dinn’s promise of a government commitment to a tuition freeze for the upcoming year.
Several members of the board, including Executive Director of External Affairs, Communications and Research Nathan Gillingham, felt that without proper context the post was misleading and said the post was “blatant misinformation.”
MUNSU sought to distance themselves from the CFS-NL statement, citing the lack of clarity around how the tuition freeze would be implemented. Several also pointed out during the meeting that only the Board of Regents has the power to implement a tuition freeze, not the government.
“There [are] still a lot of questions unanswered from the announcement on the tuition freeze,” said Gillingham, in an interview with the Muse. “Ultimately, freezing tuition would be a decision of the Board of Regents, not the government.”
What furthered Gillingham’s displeasure was CFS-NL’s use of MUNSU’s logo on the statement, a decision which he says was without their expressed consent and an infringement on the organizations copyright.
He also raised concerns over the fact they had not seen the statement prior to its release, despite their branding being on the statement.
“What was particularly concerning is that MUNSU’s official logo and seal was on the announcement from CFS-NL, which we were absolutely not consulted on,” said Gillingham.
CFS-NL Chairperson Nicolas Keough described the criticism as “very unfortunate to hear” in an interview with The Muse.
Keough pushed back on the idea that MUNSU was not consulted, citing the consultation of MUNSU members on CFS-NL’s Executive Committee.
However, it is unclear whether or not CFS-NL consulted MUNSU’s Executive Directors or Board of Directors prior to releasing the statement. Keough remained confident the incident was nothing more than a bump in the road.
“That’s something that we can continue to work on in terms of our communication between MUNSU and CFS-NL,” said Keough. “It’s important that we have all five student unions actively consulted and talked to about [with] these things.”
International Student Representative resigned
Mere moments following the meeting’s conclusion, International Student’s Rep, Quazi M. Abrar, announced his resignation.
In his resignation statement, Abrar reaffirmed his commitment to student advocacy and well-being, and cited his reasons for stepping-down. “…I believe that effective representation requires an environment where voices are meaningfully heard, professionalism is upheld, and equity is treated as foundational rather than conditional,” read Abrar’s statement.
The next MUNSU meeting is scheduled for the evening of January 28.