Grievance filed in December elicits no response from VP Equity Sania Khan
A grievance filed against UTSU’s VP Equity Sania Khan in December has yet to elicit any response from Khan, in violation of UTSU’s own bylaws dictating that grievances must be responded to within two weeks of the filing. The grievance was filed by UofT student Mitchell Gould to UTSU Speaker and Grievance Officer Brad Evoy on December 2.
On December 27, Evoy put forward a call for a mediated session in an email to Gould, Khan and UTSU President Ben Coleman. It is not clear whether Khan or Coleman officially acknowledged this email, but in a later email to Gould on February 9, Evoy indicated that he had not received a response from Khan. Khan, Coleman, and UTSU Executive Director Tka Pinnock did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.
UTSU’s bylaw XVII.2 dictates that any grievance filed must be responded to by the party involved no later than two weeks after the filing of the grievance. In the case of this deadline passing, the Grievance Officer must send UTSU’s Board of Directors a report to be discussed at their next meeting. February’s Board of Directors meeting is scheduled to take place on February 28.
Gould’s grievance arose from claims that he was blocked from commenting on the Facebook event page for one of UTSU’s “Xpression Against Oppression” initiatives in November, an event called “Solidarity with Palestine: Building the Student Movement.” In his grievance, Gould states that he felt “compelled to ask if the event organisers would also condemn the ongoing incitement to violence against Israelis.” He claims that this comment was deleted and that he was blocked from commenting further on the page.
Gould’s grievance requests an apology in person and in writing by the person who blocked him, as well as a general apology on the Facebook event page.
