Rubric was rolled out to clubs and course unions, but some executives say they are frustrated with a lack of communication or support
File photo by Sage Blackwell.
*Names of certain individuals have been changed to protect their anonymity.
The UVSS is transitioning clubs and course unions (CCUs) to the online club management platform Rubric, and the change is causing friction.
Rubric, an Australian software company, is used at over 100 campuses globally, by over 5 000 student clubs. The UVSS began working on implementing Rubric in early July, “in preparation for the Fall 2026 ratification cycle,” Director of Student Affairs Maddy Vanderhooft told the Martlet in a statement.
Vanderhooft told the Martlet that direct communication with CCUs regarding Rubric began on Aug. 21, but implementing the software was discussed earlier in CCU meetings over the summer. In both course union and club council meeting minutes, “new software” is mentioned on May 11, and a “Rubric Demo” on Sept. 14.
However, some CCU executives report first learning about the transition through emails from Rubric — before the UVSS announced the change. Sam Fitz-James, vice-president of the UVic Stand-up Paddleboard (SUP) club, said in a statement to the Martlet that he learned about the transition on Aug. 19 in an email from Rubric, welcoming him to the platform. This email included various links to create membership, set up events, and more.
C* and A*, two humanities course union executives, said they received a nearly identical email from Rubric on Aug 20. Prior to this, C said they had not received any communication about moving to a new platform.
“When the email first went out, there was no how-to guide, no guideline on how to set this up, how to navigate [it],” C said.
In an Aug. 21 email provided to the Martlet, in which CCU executives were informed by Vanderhooft about the change, the director also said that executives had challenges with the previous system, specifically with communication, form submission, and finding CCU information.
Vanderhooft cited Rubric’s success at other Canadian universities such as Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) as a reason the software was chosen by the UVSS.
“This software transition is meant to help make managing your clubs or course unions much easier, efficient, and transparent,” Vanderhooft wrote in the email.
However, several execs told the Martlet that they still have concerns.
One exec said they have concerns about data privacy — specifically where CCU and user data will be stored. Rubric has data centers in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and offers data residency options in these countries “so customers have more control over where their data is stored.”
Vanderhooft said in a statement to the Martlet that the UVSS takes privacy and data protection seriously, and “recognizes the concerns that have been raised regarding data storage and hosting.” She added that they are actively reviewing Rubric’s privacy and data management practices, but did not directly answer a question about where student data will be stored.
In the Aug. 21 email, she also stated that the process of club & course union ratification will now be done through Rubric, “reducing the number of forms [CCUs] will need to complete.”
However, several CCU executives said they are still learning how to navigate the new software, and some said they are concerned about missing the ratification deadline, and having to wait until the Spring semester to ratify.
“I just don’t want clubs to get penalized for not being able to work with it,” said Dirk Slot, who is on the executive of multiple clubs.
Vanderhooft said their priority is to ensure that CCUs that have made a “good-faith effort” to complete ratification requirements prior to the deadline are “supported through the transition.”
She stated that applications submitted with the previous process “are being reviewed” and that the UVSS is “working to ensure that groups are given every reasonable opportunity to achieve ratified status.”
Multiple CCU executives told the Martlet they experienced significant difficulties in navigating Rubric’s user interface (UI).
A, the humanities course union exec, said he was still able to access many features he was told by the UVSS were disabled.
Several CCU executives said they are also frustrated with how changes had been communicated.
“We have really hated the transition, and lack of support in the entirety of the process,” an executive from the UVic Global Brigades club said in a statement to the Martlet, while
Fitz-James, the SUP Club exec, said in a statement that his club received little support.
He said that the experience was “relatively manageable” for himself, but he could see how the “non-obvious functions of the software” may have caused issues for other CCUs.
Vanderhooft said in the statement that “the UVSS has provided a range of supports to assist clubs and course unions during the transition.” She listed written guides and instructions, direct email support, troubleshooting assistance, extended office hours, and dedicated ratification help sessions.
“When we reached out, I feel like support was good,” C said, “but it could have been avoided to start with by having some sort of additional information being sent out.”
