By Kate Ruest

Some student groups and course unions under the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU) are growing frustrated amid delayed funding approvals, reimbursements and other administrative services while the fall semester is well underway. 

On Sept. 21, the TMSU issued a statement on their Instagram and website, regarding concerns the groups had raised with the union. 

The statement said campus groups and course unions have been experiencing “delays in receiving responses to inquiries, funding approvals, office allocation, reimbursements and other administrative support.” 

According to the TMSU, these delays are the result of an unexpected and urgent leave of absence by campus groups coordinator, Danielle Beckford. The statement defined Beckford’s role as “the primary staff member responsible for more than 200+ Campus Groups and Course Unions.”

The TMSU wrote in a statement to The Eyeopener that Beckford “notified [TMSU] of her emergency leave of absence soon after Labour Day.” 

The TMSU explained that while actions were put in place to support groups after her absence, they had not anticipated the volume of administrative issues that arose after receiving funding and reimbursement requests. 

Lilly Chamblin, a third-year fashion student who is the founder and co-president of the Printmaking and Zine Club found the delays frustrating.

Chamblin said recent communication from the union has been inconsistent and her group has been waiting weeks to have their budget for this year approved.

She said she recently spent $150 on event expenses and has yet to have the costs reimbursed by the union because the club’s events and base funding application has not been approved yet. While she acknowledged she had the funds available to cover the expense, she worried whether other groups would be able to do the same.

“I just don’t feel like it should be an issue where if one person leaves, the entire students’ union falls apart,” Chamblin said. 

Asha Edwards, a fourth-year sociology student and vice president of external affairs for the Caribbean Students’ Association, said she’s had a similar experience. 

“We need our funding and we can’t get that if you only have one person who’s handling all that. And when she goes on leave, everything falls apart. That’s not fair to her and that’s not fair to us as well,” said Edwards. 

The Eye reached out to Beckford for comment, but did not receive a reply in time for publication.

The TMSU changed their funding policy in January 2026, introducing a new application process for both base funding and event funding as previously reported by The Eyeopener. Clubs now have to apply for base funding that covers operational expenses and events funding separately, compared to the prior process which granted base funding to student groups automatically. 

Edwards said she learned about the TMSU’s statement on the delays by a screenshot of the Instagram post. 

“[TMSU] didn’t even send us an email about it. As far as I know, it was just put up on Instagram for us to find.” 

“We’re at the end of the first month of school and we have zero answers,” she said.

On the other hand, some students had sympathy for the union. Janna Ojah-Maharaj, a third-year language and intercultural relations student and president of her program’s course union, said “it’s obviously a really tricky period… I think it’s a lot on their end right now.”  

Ojah-Maharaj said she attended the Campus Groups Training sessions held on Sept. 23, where the TMSU acknowledged the delays and pointed to the statement they  had released. 

“They were obviously very apologetic about it […] you can tell that they are trying,” said Ojah-Maharaj. 

“There is a lot of stuff from summer and orientation that they’re still working through […] between office allocation and funding, they’re working through a lot of backlog.” 

Ojah-Maharaj said these frustrations began to be voiced around and following orientation week. 

“People were just frustrated […] they didn’t know that there was so much going on within TMSU between the overhaul and reformatting things.” 

In their statement, the TMSU said they plan to explore the possibility of bringing on more staff or reforming their existing funding system, and encouraged campus groups and course unions to continue reaching out with concerns regarding these delays.

In their statement to The Eye, the TMSU said, “We have learned that transparency is of utmost importance.”

The TMSU apologized for the delays being experienced by union members and said they recognize the effort that goes into running campus groups and course unions. 

“[We] would like to thank all stakeholders for their continued efforts to build campus life despite these delays and unforeseen circumstances.”

The TMSU has not provided a timeline on when the delays will be resolved.