On August 9, 2018, La Rotonde, the university's French-language newspaper, reported that the Ottawa Police Service was investigating members of the SFUO and its executive for fraud.
On September 25, 2018, the University of Ottawa provided the Federation with a 90-day notice of termination of their contract, citing insufficient progress and further allegations of workplace misconduct, internal conflict, and improper governance.
[3] At the time of its dissolution, the SFUO owned four student-run businesses: A convenience store located in the University Centre, which sold groceries and some school supplies.
[9] The SFUO briefly opened a bar called The Universe City Lounge above the Agora Bookstore, but it was closed after one year of operation.
[12] Past presidents of the organization have included Marcel Prud'homme (1958–59), André Ouellet (1959–60), Allan Rock (1969–70), Hugh Segal (1970–71), Denis Paradis (1974–75), Mauril Bélanger (1977–79), Anne McGrath (1979–80), Bernard Drainville (1984–85), Gilles Marchildon (1987–88), Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin (1990–91) and Guy Caron (1992–94).
[citation needed] The Executives of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa planned an event called "In My Skin" to be held on March 4, 2014.
The event sought to foster two conversations, according to its organizers: each group was to discuss the benefits and disadvantages that racialized and non-racialized students face in dealing with institutional racism.
[21] A group of students, led by several members of the executive, crashed the opening ceremony of the Advanced Research Complex (ARC) in September 2014.
The group stood behind the podium with a banner calling for lower tuition fees, and the VP University Affairs interrupted [Reza Moridi]'s speech to read a statement.
"[25] In November 2015, the SFUO cancelled the free yoga classes being put on by the Centre for Students with Disabilities over concerns of cultural appropriation.
[26] U-Passes are Ottawa-Gatineau area public transportation passes that students are required to buy into as part of their membership of the SFUO if they qualify.
During the BoA meeting at the Roger Guindon Campus on April 2, 2017, the Faculty of Medicine representative Lukas Hashem asked for clarification as to how Wess could qualify but no answer was given.
[31] In February 2017, the SFUO began discussion about raising executive salaries from $33500 to $39700, an increase of 18%, despite the poor financial condition and bankruptcy of the student union in 2016.
[32][33] On March 14, the Winter 2017 general assembly met quorum for the first time since 1980, with over 280 students showing up to repeal the executives' pay raise.
[32][34] At the BoA meeting on April 2, 2017, the executive aimed to strip of the GA of its remaining powers, but several BoA members led by engineering representative Jeffrey Colin, special student representative David Gakwerere, and medicine representative Lukas Hashem managed to amend it so that the BoA would require a two thirds super majority to repeal motions passed at the GA.[36] In August 2018, allegations of fraud committed by SFUO executives and an SFUO employee surfaced with the online circulation of a police report filed by outgoing SFUO president, Hadi Wess.
[37] As of August 10, 2018, the University of Ottawa issued a formal statement, announcing that it would take over the management of student levies until the results of a forensic audit were released.
Since then, the university has learned of additional allegations of improper governance, mismanagement, internal conflict and workplace misconduct within the SFUO.