The Teaching Assistants’ Union of Memorial University of Newfoundland (TAUMUN)’s Co-President (Internal Affairs), Kieran Knoll, said in an interview with MattBarter.ca that there were serious dissemination issues with the Graduate Students’ Union’s April 8, 2026, dissolution vote, and that the vote itself does not mention the petition motion or its contents at all.
Knoll said the GSU limited its outreach to emails sent to clubs, societies, and department administrations, with no confirmation that the information was ever passed on. As a result, he said, many graduate students were left completely unaware that a vote was even taking place.
“I’m aware of multiple students across several departments who never received anything,” he said.
He also criticized the timing of the vote, saying it was not a good time to hold it during the exam period. He added that the GSU only published an Instagram post about the vote at 5:30 PM that day.
Knoll described the process as lacking even the most basic democratic safeguards.
“It was done without proper engagement and democracy,” adding that there were no scrutineers to ensure the integrity of the vote.
He also took issue with the GSU saying that the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) could not conduct the vote, but now they are essentially doing so, as the SGS is verifying student numbers.
Knoll said the voting process was “not considerate or accessible,” arguing that even if students vote to dissolve the union, the result would still not represent a democratic majority.
Influence by Outside Organizations
Knoll also raised concerns about outside influence on the process, particularly the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).
He pointed to a legal letter from the CFS that was on the GSU’s website, which he said confused students. According to Knoll, the letter was removed at the request of the GSU’s Board of Directors, but some students had already voted before it was taken down.
He further alleged that the Board of Directors did not authorize Prosum to negotiate a repayment plan, and that the reduction of health coverage was not approved by the Board.
“They are cheating students out of money,” Knoll said, adding that the GSU had “gone around the board in every way possible.”
Knoll also agreed that the GSU cannot implement such a plan under its constitution, which he said prevents the union from holding another Annual General Meeting until the fall.
Knoll said that there was “beyond shady stuff going on” during the voting process.
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