(UPDATE: March 14 @ 9:35 am) - The Okanagan Conservative Club (OCC) now has official club status at UBC Okanagan.
It was a bumpy and controversial road to get to this point, but the Students' Union Okanagan of UBC (SUO) officially ratified the OCC as an official campus club after an emergency meeting on Thursday night.
The meeting was called after the SUO's original refusal to approve the club sparked outcry well beyond Kelowna, including scathing comments from BC's Conservative Opposition leader John Rustad.
“This is the inevitable result of out of control radical leftist activism in BC’s academia,” he wrote on social media Thursday morning. “No woke, activist student council should be allowed to determine which political parties students can join or associate with.”
Following Thursday night's meeting, the SUO shared its decision and a few other thoughts in a statement posted to the organization's social media accounts.
"After careful consideration, the (SUO Board of Directors) has ratified the club, ensuring that the decision was made in alignment with our values of equity, inclusion and respect for all students," the SUO statement said. "We understand the importance of fostering a diverse range of student groups that contribute to a vibrant campus community."
It added that discussions around student group ratifications can be "complex and, at times, contentious," but the student union is "deeply concerned" about the public discourse surrounding the initial decision.
"SUO Board members and executives are students. SUO Board decisions are taken by a majority vote of the board. No SUO student leader should be subject to bullying and harassment, online or in person, for carrying out there responsibilities," the statement continued.
"We strongly condemn any form of bullying, harassment or intimidation directed at any individual involved in this process. We urge all members of our community to engage in discussions with civility and mutual respect."
(Original story: March 13 @ 11:45 am) - A controversy brewing at UBC Okanagan has reached the highest levels of politics in British Columbia.
The Okanagan Conservative Club (OCC) has gone public with their dissatisfaction after the Students’ Union Okanagan of UBC (SUO) refused to ratify the group as an official campus club.
“(The OCC) was simply seeking ratification as an official campus club to provide students of a conservative sensibility a place for free and respectful political discourse, as had been provided to other students who support other political parties,” said club president Christian van Mook Smith.
An email sent to the OCC from the SUO, provided to KelownaNow by van Mook Smith, said “concerns were raised regarding the political stance of the party your club would represent, rather than the club itself.”
“Specially, some directors were concerned that certain views associated with the party – particularly those regarding Black and LGBTQ+ communities – could make students from these groups feel excluded or unwelcome,” SUO vice-president Rajat Arora wrote in the email.
According to the SUO website, the UBCO Young Liberals of Canada club is active at the university and KelownaNow has learned that it has been operated freely for several years.
The email was sent Monday, but a social media statement from the SUO on Wednesday night said an emergency meeting had been scheduled for 6 pm Thursday to reevaluate the matter.
“The SUO remains committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse campus environment where all students feel respected and heard,” the SUO Board of Directors statement noted.
“As a non-partisan organization, we support open dialogue and differing perspectives while ensuring that our values of equity, respect and student well-being remain at the forefront of all decisions.”
Over the next 12 hours, however, the issue caught the attention of local Conservative MP Tracy Gray and BC Conservative leader John Rustad, who shared their thoughts over social media.
Gray called the decision to deny the OCC ratification “disturbing” and expressed her desire for it to be reversed, while Rustad did not mince words in his post about the issue on X this morning.
“This is the inevitable result of out of control radical leftist activism in BC’s academia,” he wrote. “No woke, activist student council should be allowed to determine which political parties students can join or associate with.”
As the discourse about the decision snowballed, UBCO principal and deputy vice-chancellor, Lesley Cormack, addressed it with a written statement today.
She said the SUO is able to make independent decisions with respect to student club ratification and allocation of student union resources, but added that civil discourse and robust debate is "fundamental" to the school’s academic mission.
“UBCO stands firmly behind its responsibility to uphold its principles of free, lawful and respectful expression of all views and opinions, even those with which some may disagree,” her statement said.
“These principles are articulated in the Okanagan Senate Statement on Academic Freedom, which clearly states that UBC must be an open and inclusive forum where members of the university have the freedom ‘to engage in full and unrestricted consideration of any opinion.’”
That extends to the rights of students, faculty and staff to engage with and participate in politically-affiliated clubs and groups, Cormack noted.
Van Mook Smith said it’s the OCC’s hope that the SUO reverses its decision and said his club “continues to welcome all students who wish to join and support the conservative movement in Canada.”
An update on the matter is expected from the SUO following tonight’s meeting.
