Ryerson University’s student union is facing allegations of misspending after credit card statements show thousands of dollars in questionable purchases at places such as restaurants, bars and the LCBO.

Among the charges — made with a Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) credit card — is $2,280.89 for the Toronto nightclub EFS, $2,507.18 for a Cineplex Rec Room in Toronto, $696.90 for Airbnb, and $1,375.21 at Nick’s Sport Shop, according to documents obtained by a Ryerson student newspaper.

“We’re really, really shocked,” Daniyal Patricio, a student member on the union’s board of directors that oversees the executive, said on Friday.

“It paints a bad picture of the student union,” said Patricio. While it appears as though money was “frivolously” misspent, he noted the purchases “could very well be justified.”

The RSU, which is run by a five-member elected executive comprised of students, operates various programs and services on campus, such as free legal aid, tax clinics, student groups and equity service centres for marginalized communities. The money it uses is collected from mandatory student fees — an undergraduate student pays about $130 towards the union. It has an operating budget of $2.7 million.

For months, the student newspaper, The Eyeopener, has been raising questions about expenses incurred since the executive took office in May. So too has board member Maklane deWever, who has expressed concerns about expenses because the executive had not submitted quarterly financial reports. Earlier this week, the union’s accountant showed deWever expenses dating back to May, which he says amounted to about $250,000. All credit card bills have been paid, he says.

DeWever told the Star “many of the expenses” were legitimate, but others have raised questions, adding “What I saw was quite sad.”

The issue came to a head on Thursday evening at the union’s board meeting, where the executive was questioned, in particular about credit card statements addressed to the union’s president Ram Ganesh. He explained that the union’s credit cards can be used by any part-time or full-time union staff member, according to The Eyeopener.

The executive said it needed time to reconcile these credit card statements. Ganesh said he could not provide explanations for the purchases until receipts were checked to confirm that all the transactions are accurate. He said high turnover at the union was one of the reasons for the delay, according to The Eyeopener.

In a statement late Thursday night to The Eyeopener, Ganesh said he was “disappointed” the credit card statements were made public “without any context or explanation.” The Star reached out to Ganesh for comment Friday, but he did not respond before deadline, nor did other members of the executive.

The executive now has until Feb. 1 to provide proper receipts for its expenses. The board did not have quorum so it could not vote on matters, but a discussion was held on the issue.

Patricio told the Star he thinks some charges “cannot be reconciled.” An example, he says, is a $786.75 purchase at the LCBO, adding it’s unclear what the alcohol was for because the union can’t sell it without a liquor licence and can’t give it away for free without board approval, which it didn’t have.

On Thursday night, photos of the credit card statements were published on a Facebook group of a student political group called the Rhino Party, as well as The Eyeopener. The statements have not been provided to the Star.

Johanna VanderMaas, a spokesperson for Ryerson University, said Friday the school takes “allegations of financial mismanagement” involving the union “very seriously.” But, she added, the union is a separate corporate entity from Ryerson and has its own corporate governance structure and board of directors.

“Ryerson has no ability to conduct an independent investigation into RSU finances,” said VanderMaas. “Protecting the interests of Ryerson students is of primary concern to the university. Given the seriousness of these allegations, President (Mohamed) Lachemi has written to the RSU executive to request a meeting to discuss this matter.”

The story comes on the heels of a recent government announcement that beginning in September students at colleges and universities will have the choice of opting out of non-tuition fees for non-essential services. That means that under the new fee structure students will have the choice to support student unions, such as the RSU, and student newspapers, such as The Eyeopener.

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“This (story) is a really good example of why student media is important because we’re the only ones really watching these institutions that at the end of the day control a lot of money,” said Jacob Dubé, the editor-in-chief of The Eyeopener.

He says some students use the alleged mismanagement of funds as an example of why they should be allowed to opt out of student fees for groups such as the union. But he cautions against this, saying the purpose of the union, and the various groups, initiatives and policies it supports “are vital for student life.”

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