The University of B.C.’s student union has asked its president and a vice-president to resign after they filed a complaint with the United Nations over tuition fees without consulting students or council.
Blake Frederick, president of the Alma Mater Society, and Tim Chu, vice-president of external affairs, claimed to be representing the 44,000-strong AMS when they asked Pivot Legal Society to file the complaint last week.
Matthew Naylor, a political-science student and AMS councillor, said after being inundated with objections from students, council voted unanimously on Saturday to retract the complaint.
“This complaint is not the way (students) want to be represented,” Naylor said. “It was done without any kind of democratic consultation … and was brought forward by circumventing our committee structure.”
Frederick told Metro Vancouver he was acting in the best interest of the students and an impeachment would be an overreaction.
“The initiative (to file the complaint) was brought to our executive several times and members … signed off on the contract to go forward,” he said.
Council will meet with Frederick and Chu on Thursday night to discuss the issue.
