Memorial University of Newfoundland Students’ Union Executive Director of Campaigns Rana Abuidris, who was recently placed on a four-week unpaid suspension by the Board of Directors, has penned a letter about the Board’s decision and has accused fellow executives of harassment.
Abuidris said that she acknowledges that “accountability within the students’ union is essential [and] students deserve transparency, responsibility, and integrity from those they elect.”
However, she stated that “accountability must be consistent, honest, and must not be selective [and] it must reflect the full context of someone’s work.”
Abuidris said that she ran for her position as a Black Sudanese woman who has experienced what it means to be “unsupported by the institutions meant to serve you,” and that she ran to dismantle barriers.
She said that throughout her term, she took on work that extended beyond her portfolio, including media interviews, press releases, social media coordination, budgeting, and sponsorship outreach, which typically fall under other executive roles.
Abuidris claims that she worked in an environment where her role was consistently undermined through “dismissive, at times blatantly sexist treatment.” She said that, as the only woman on the executive, it was not “incidental” and shaped how she was spoken to, how her decisions were treated, and how her credibility was perceived.
She said, “My decisions were regularly demeaned, my work was reduced rather than taken seriously, and there was a clear pattern of behaviour that went beyond professional disagreement,” adding that it created “a workplace that was not only unprofessional, but at times hostile.”
Abuidris said that on January 30, 2026, she formally raised the concerns in writing to the executive, including the harassment she was experiencing and the need for a harassment officer in the office, a request she said was not acted upon.
During September 2025, leading up to the Union’s Day of Action, Abuidris claimed to have contacted over 90 unions, non-profits, and provincial leaders, organized a full month of action including protests, conducted classroom talks and outreach across campus, designed and produced posters, and distributed materials across every residence.
She claims that her work resulted in increased provincial pressure on unpaid work terms and a tuition freeze commitment.
Abuidris said she also reached out to over 60 donors and organizations to set up a need-based scholarship program, started a mental health initiative to create a low-stimulation space in QEII Library, and secured free community counselling sessions.
She claims that the Executive Director of Finance, Farhan Probandho, was absent from the office for extended periods while continuing to receive full compensation and was intoxicated during working hours over multiple months.
Abuidris claims that the Executive Director of External Affairs, Nathan Gillingham, has not been an enrolled student or paying member of the union, resulting in the union losing a Senate seat, and that his lack of engagement in his portfolio left her to take on external communications, media, and press responsibilities.
In her January 30, 2026, email to fellow executives, she stated that under the union’s bylaws, executive positions require the individual to be an enrolled student and that Gillingham’s lack of enrollment for two semesters “would, by that standard, have rendered the position vacant during that period.” She said that this raised serious implications, including the validity of votes taken during that time and whether quorum was legitimately met at meetings in which Gillingham participated.
She claims Gillingham asked her not to raise these issues with the Board.
Abuidris said the $12.64 referenced on her union credit card was not an intentional misuse of funds, but rather “a mix of personal and campaign-related expenses that were unintentionally combined.” She claims that she was transparent about this and ensured the full portion was deducted from her paycheque. Abuidris further claims that she personally cancelled her union credit card and that it was not cancelled by the union, as claimed by Probandho.
Abuidris stated, “I take full responsibility for my shortcomings and handle them transparently and responsibly. I am not against accountability, but I will simultaneously contend that it cannot be selective.”
She said that when similar or more serious concerns are raised and not addressed while others are publicly reprimanded, it “creates an unfair standard unreflective of the values we claim to uphold.”
Abuidris told MattBarter.ca that the reprimand motion was proposed by Probandho and Gillingham. She said that she had every intention of bringing her concerns to the Board but was advised not to escalate due to concerns around “reputational impact and maintaining working relationships, and the focus was on resolving things internally.”
She said that escalating her concerns could have also made the working environment more difficult for her. Abuidris said she felt “blindsided” by how it all unfolded, and that shortly after being asked not to raise concerns or pursue disciplinary action, a reprimand motion was brought against her.
View Abuidris’s letter and January 30, 2026, correspondence below:
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