AGENDA - SRA 13A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY Sunday, April 7, 2013, 12:00pm Gilmour Hall Room 111 PROCEDURE Call of the Roll, Adoption of Agenda, Playing of National Anthem, Announcements from the Chair, Information Period, Question Period, Special Orders of the Day, Business Arising from the Minutes, Business, Committee Business, Unfinished Business, New Business, Time of Next Meeting, Call of the Roll, Adjournment SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 1. Set Parameters for Elections 2. Election of Speaker 3. Election of Vice-President (Administration) 4. Election of Vice-President (Finance) 5. Election of Vice-President (Education) BUSINESS 1. Ratification of Chief Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Stewart Officer for 2012-2013. 2. Bylaw 3/A - Assembly Procedures Wyngaarden 3. Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform Milani 4. Ad Hoc Committee on the Creation for a Women and Trans* Milani Centre 5. Open Nominations for (5) SRA Members to the Executive Board Stewart 6. Open Nominations for Standing Committee Commissioners Stewart ■ Bylaws & Procedures ■ External Affairs ■ Finance ■ Operations ■ Services ■ University Affairs 7. Open Nominations for MSU members to Standing Committees Stewart ■ Bylaws & Procedures (2) ■ External Affairs (2) ■ Finance (2) ■ Operations (2) ■ Services (2) ■ University Affairs (2) 8. Open Nominations for MSU members to other Committees Stewart ■ Clubs Executive Council (1) Stewart Stewart Stewart Stewart Stewart
Transcript
AGENDA - SRA 13ASTUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ASSEM BLY
Sunday, April 7, 2013, 12:00pm Gilmour Hall Room 111
PROCEDURE
Call of the Roll, Adoption of Agenda, Playing of National Anthem, Announcem ents from the Chair, Information Period, Question Period, Special Orders of the Day, Business Arising from the Minutes, Business, Comm ittee Business, Unfinished Business, New Business, Time of Next Meeting, Call of the Roll, Adjournm ent
SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY1. Set Parameters for Elections2. Election of Speaker3. Election of Vice-President (Administration)4. Election of Vice-President (Finance)5. Election of Vice-President (Education)
BUSINESS1. Ratification of Chief Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Stewart
Officer for 2012-2013.2. Bylaw 3/A - Assem bly Procedures W yngaarden3. Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform Milani4. Ad Hoc Committee on the Creation for a W omen and Trans* Milani
Centre5. Open Nominations for (5) SRA Members to the Executive Board Stewart6. Open Nominations for Standing Comm ittee Comm issioners Stewart
7. Open Nominations for MSU members to Standing Comm ittees Stewart■ Bylaws & Procedures (2)■ External Affairs (2)■ Finance (2)■ Operations (2)■ Services (2)■ University Affairs (2)
8. Open Nominations for MSU members to other Comm ittees Stewart■ Clubs Executive Council (1)
StewartStewartStewartStewartStewart
■ Teaching Awards (4)■ Elections (5)■ Faculty Cup Award (1)■ Residence Cup Award Comm ittee (1)■ All-Ages Program m ing■ University Book Store Comm ittee (3 MSU/SRA)■ Child Care Centre Advisory (2 MSU/SRA)
9. Open Nominations for SRA m embers to Standing Committees■ Bylaws & Procedures (4)■ External Affairs (4)■ Finance (4)■ Operations (4)■ Services (4)■ University Affairs (4)
10. Open Nominations for SRA m embers to other Committees■ All-Ages Programming (1)■ Clubs Executive Council (2)■ EFRT Advisory (1)■ Inform ation Systems Comm ittee (1)■ MUSC Board of Management (1)■ Silhouette Board of Publication (1)■ Teaching Awards (3)■ Elections (3)■ Faculty Cup Award (1)■ Residence Cup Award Comm ittee (1)■ First Year Council (1)■ Peer Support Line Advisory (1)■ Sponsorship & Donations (1)
11. Open Nominations for SRA m embers to Ad Hoc Committees■ Ad Hoc Comm ittee on Democratic Reform (5)■ W omen & Trans* Centre Ad Hoc Committee (2)
12. Open Nominations for MSU members to Ad Hoc Committees■ Ad Hoc Comm ittee on Democratic Reform (5)■ W omen & Trans* Centre Ad Hoc Committee (6)
Stewart
Stewart
Milani
Milani
MOTIONS
1. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y _______ that the Standing Rule for Vice PresidentialElections be adopted as circulated and attached.
2. Moved by Milani, seconded b y _______ that the Standing Rule for Vice Presidential Electionsbe amended to include a Discussion Period, as circulated.
3. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y that the SRA close nominations for the Speaker 20132014
4. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y ______ that the SRA close nominations for the VicePresident (Administration) 2013-2014.
5. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y ______ that the SRA close nominations for the VicePresident (Finance) 2013-2014.
6. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y ______ that the SRA close nominations for the VicePresident (Education) 2013-2014.
7. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y that the SRA ratify Matthew Ing as Chief ReturningOfficer and Lindsey Huff as Deputy Returning Officer for the 2013-2014 academic year.
8. Moved by W yngaarden, seconded b y that the SRA approve the am endm ents to Bylaw3/A - Assem bly Procedures.
9. Moved by Milani, seconded b y _______ that the Ad Hoc Comm ittee on Democratic Reformbe struck for the duration of SRA 2013-2014 under the circulated term s of reference.
10. Moved by Milani, seconded b y _______ that the W omen & Trans* Centre Ad Hoc Committeebe struck for the duration of SRA 2013-2014 under the circulated term s of reference.
11. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y _____that the SRA open nominations for (5) SRA membersto the Executive Board 2013-2014.
12. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y _____that the SRA open nominations for the followingStanding Comm ittee Comm issioners: Bylaws & Procedures, External Affairs, Finance, Operations, Services, and University Affairs.
13. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y _____that the SRA open nominations for SRA members onthe following Standing Committees: Bylaws & Procedures (4), External Affairs (4), Finance (4), Operations (4), Services (4), and University Affairs (4)
14. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y _____that the SRA open nominations for SRA members toOther Committees as listed.
15. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y _____that the SRA open nominations for MSU membersto Standing Comm ittees as listed.
16. Moved by Stewart, seconded b y _____that the SRA open nominations for MSU membersto Other Committees as listed.
17. Moved by Milani, seconded b y ______ that the SRA open nominations for SRA members toAd Hoc Committees as listed.
18. Moved by Milani, seconded b y ______ that the SRA open nominations for MSU m embers toAd Hoc Committees as listed.
Student Representative Assembly Meeting 13A Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.
Council Chambers, GH 111
Call to Order at 12:11 p.m.
CALL OF THE ROLL Present
Absent Excused Absent LateOthers Present
Chair
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Moved by Gillis, seconded by Pullen that the agenda be adopted as amended.
Amendment
Moved by Gillis, seconded by to move Special Orders of the Day #3, #4, and #5 to the next meeting of theSRA.
Amendment Fails due to No Seconder
Amendment
Moved by Sparrow, seconded by Pullen to combine Business Items #5-12 to be moved omnibus.
Amendment to Amendment
Moved by Pullen, seconded by Jeyasingham to combine Business Items #5-10 to be moved omnibus.
In Favour: 28 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 0 Motion Passes
Vote on Amendment
In Favour: 28 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 0
Abbas, Abdelrahman, Brodka, Campbell, Candemir, Collins, D'Angela, Dicenzo, D'Mello, Garasia, Gillis, Guarna, Harper, Jeyasingham, Leslie, Loewig, Long, Mallon, Milani, Morrow, Narro Perez, Omran, Paul, Pullen, Rheaume, Saeed, Sparrow, Stewart, Wolwowicz,Palczewski, Tichenkov, Wyngaarden Cicchi, Mackinnon Van NoodStacy Melo (Observer), Glenda Babe (MSU Member), Inemesit Etokudo (incoming Maroons Coordinator), Jacob Klugsberg (incoming TAC Coordinator), Lana Difrancescemarino (MSU Member), Laura Macchiusi (MSU Member), Sara King (MSU Member), Lindsey Huff (incoming DRO), Chris Erl (Graduate Student Association), James Dowdall (SWHAT Coordinator), Spencer Graham (MSU Member), Maria Daniel (MSU Member), Joey Coleman (Observer), Jemma Wolfe (The Silhouette), Maya Kanani (MSU Member), Shane Zuchowski (MSU Member), Marc Lamoureux (MSU Member), Duncan Thompson (Observer), Victoria Scott (Administrative Assistant), Lauren McCauley (Campus Events Office Manager), J. Bauman (Recording Secretary)Simon Gooding-Townsend
Motion Passes
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Vote on Agenda
In Favour: 28 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 0 Motion Passes
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIR
■ The Chair asked for members to ask for more clarification on items they do not understand. The Chair announced that he would be following a stricter version of Robert's Rules of Order than the Assembly might be used to. The Chair reminded all members to direct all comments through the Chair, and not to individual members or candidates. The Chair asked for all observers to sign the observer list, and will remind observers throughout the night. The Chair stated this is going to be a long meeting, so please be cooperative, and to utilize ditto cards when appropriate. During information and question period, any questions regarding Vice Presidential elections will be ruled out of order, as that is the first item of business. The Chair added that with the proposed standing rule, it is suggested that SRA members cannot have cell phones or laptops. There are additional copies of the agenda at the front if a paper copy is needed.
INFORMATION PERIOD
■ No information was provided.
QUESTION PERIOD
■ No questions were asked.
SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
1. Parameters for Elections
Moved by Stewart, seconded by Milani that the Standing Rule for Vice Presidential Elections be adopted ascirculated and attached.
■ Stewart noted that if any members had questions about the standing rule, this was the time to ask.
Amendment
Moved by Milani, seconded by Gillis that the Standing Rule for Vice Presidential Elections be amended to include aDiscussion Period, as circulated.
■ Milani stated she had been working with a number of people to create parameters that would allow the Assembly to have a respectful discussion period. Some of the major concerns have been addressed in the attached memo. Milani noted there is a definition of slander, there is room for rebuttals so long as they remain factual. Furthermore, discussion period would be capped at 15 minutes, and each member would be permitted to speak three times for no longer than two minutes each time. At the end of discussion period, Milani explained that candidates would be welcomed back into the room and the Speaker would provide a summary of the discussion period, so that during closing statements, the candidates could address any of these concerned.
■ Pullen asked why candidates would have to leave the room but observers would be allowed to stay in the room.
■ Milani stated she would like the live stream turned off and for minutes to not be taken, and candidates not in the room. Milani stated she does not want anything said in the room to have an effect on the
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candidates outside of the room. It is fair to have observers in the room because they have a working relationship with the candidates.
■ Sparrow supported the amendment. He disagreed with kicking out observers, noting it is not appropriate since they are the reason why the MSU exists, and they should have the opportunity to know what their representatives are debating.
■ Saeed stated that in principle, the amendment makes sense, but in practice, it would fail. Discussion period has turned the MSU into a malicious organization. Other schools are shocked to hear that the MSU has discussion period. Saeed stated the vice presidential elections are a weird hybrid between an election and a hiring committee. In Saeed's hiring committee experiences, there has never been an opportunity when someone outside of the hiring committee has been permitted to speak. If MSU members had an opinion, they should have reached out to their SRA members. Saeed asked what kind of reference check is it when a candidate only gets a reference check if the candidate can bring friends into the room. If discussion period is capped, it would not allow for everyone to be allowed to speak. Saeed stated that the Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform did not think discussion period was appropriate. If candidates wanted a reference, they should have submitted a reference letter with their packages, and not ask their friends to attend the meeting to speak in their favour. Saeed added he did not understand why observers should be allowed into discussion period.
■ Sparrow stated he had attended discussion period in the past, and attributed it turning poorly to inadequate chairing. Sparrow stated the Chair should have been keeping members in order. Other schools elect their vice presidents from the membership at large. Sparrow stated this is not a job like any other job; these members would be representing the MSU membership and not personal agendas. Sparrow added that MSU members should have a say and should be present to see what their future leadership is advocating for. Any attempts to limit the voices of the MSU members should be avoided.
■ Gillis urged the Assembly to pass the amendment. Gillis noted that his previous amendment was to give SRA members an opportunity to research the candidates further. Gillis stated he received the majority of platforms late last night. If the Assembly is not making a well researched decision, how can members say they are representing their constituents?
■ Milani noted that the difference with an interview is that references are handpicked to say positive things about you. The hiring committee could take additional time to perform a background check and learn more about the candidates. The Assembly is given a limited amount of time to hire the candidates. Milani stated she thinks it is fair that the Assembly have the opportunity to seek references, and if that is with MSU members coming into the room to act as a reference, that is appropriate.
■ Saeed stated that candidates who did their work and have a strong background will present that in their presentation and will have shown in the one-on-one meetings. Saeed stated he always knew who he was going to vote for going into the VP elections. Saeed noted that discussion period would not provide candidates with an equal playing field, as April is a very busy time for students. Saeed urged the Assembly to consider the dangers of "group think". Saeed stated he had been around for a number of these elections, and has seen three VP elections that involved discussion period. Saeed told the Assembly that they need to trust in his experience when he states that discussion period is a terrible thing. There is no accountability in discussion period. Saeed asked what right the Speaker had to moderate what comments are malicious or not, as they do not know what statements are factual or fictitious. Saeed felt that there are still a number of questions that have not been answered. Saeed stated he wished the Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform had hashed these details out four months ago, and he is concerned that the Assembly is trying to answer these questions on the fly.
■ Long noted that once a member says something, whether the Speaker calls it out of order, the perception of members has already been skewed. Long stated that if the Assembly votes in favour of a discussion period, they should do so knowing that malicious comments will be a part of it.
■ Gillis ceded to Coleman. Coleman stated that he has seen these types of debates play out across the country. Coleman has had the opportunity to sit with a number of candidates and new SRA members. When Coleman ran for VP Education, everyone knew who was going to win, and Coleman was running to prove a point. Coleman stated he was attacked during his presentation, but the person who will be hurt the most is the member making the malicious comments. Coleman explained that he has been covering student politics since 2004, and has seen a number of student leaders who have great character, have
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made mistakes, and have become successful. There have also been a number of student leaders who have bad character, and that stays with the individual forever. Coleman stated that transparency is important for the Assembly, and having the live stream running during discussion period will help control the debate. Those members who might get out of control and make malicious comments are less likely to do so when they know the camera is on. Coleman noted that there are a number of people in Hamilton who would never attend a meeting that are watching the live stream. Coleman stated he is very impressed with the candidates and Assembly members he has had the opportunity to meet with, and told the Assembly that they have such potential to do great things for the MSU and the City of Hamilton. Coleman noted that if a member wants to attack a candidate, it will reflect poorly on the member and not on the candidate.
■ Gillis stated it is difficult for members to analyze information if they do not have all of the facts. The Assembly should have the opportunity to discuss the candidates, as it is extremely hard to figure everything out in less than twelve hours.
■ Sparrow took a straw poll and asked the Assembly if any members intended on slandering any VP candidates. No members raised their hands. Sparrow stated that if a member does slander a candidate, that member should be called out. Sparrow noted that discussion period is a good chance to learn more about the candidate. Sparrow encouraged the Assembly to have a clean discussion.
■ Milani thought that Coleman brought up a number of valid points, and that the Assembly should not just be voting on a platform. Part of the consideration should be the working relationship, and how well you as an Assembly member could work with a candidate, if they will be there to help you succeed or if they are out to promote themselves. Milani stated this is the purpose of discussion period.
■ Abbas stated it seemed clear that there would be negative comments made during discussion period which will chance the Assembly's perception. Abbas suggested that the only way to fix this issue would be to keep the live stream running and to keep the candidates in the room. Abbas felt there would be value to the discussion period if the candidates stayed in the room. This would also mean that the Speaker would not need to keep a record of what was said, and the candidates could better address any concerns.
■ Van Nood stated that from his meetings with candidates, there was nothing new presented in the platforms that was not addressed in those meetings. Van Nood stated that actions and experience will come through in the platform, and the Assembly should let candidates speak for themselves.
■ Saeed noted that in the discussion period proposal, there is a clause that would allow for fictitious information to be corrected, but that Assembly members should only be discussing working relationships. Saeed stated that working relationships are never entirely factual, and are defined by how someone perceives the relationship to be, and whether it is successful or unsuccessful. Saeed stated personal experiences are always subjective and does not understand how that could not be factored into the discussion period.
■ Pullen asked if section 2.8.1.1 would mean that observers who are currently in the room could stay for discussion period, or if observers could come into the room at any point.
■ Milani stated it was intentionally not specified.■ Sparrow added that the Chair could make a ruling on whether observers were allowed in the room at any
point.
Amendment to Amendment
Moved by Abbas, seconded by Sparrow that the Assembly strike sections 2.8.1 and 2.8.1.1 from the amendment to the Standing Rule on Vice Presidential Elections as circulated and attached.
■ Sparrow supported this amendment. If the Assembly would like to end the live stream, the Assembly could move into closed session and ask for the camera to be turned off.
■ Milani stated she is not sure that she agreed that the live stream should be left on during discussionperiod, but the points supporting it are valid. Milani added that if discussion period is in open session andcandidates are in the room, it would also be fair to strike section 2.8.7.
■ Morrow ceded to Wolfe. Wolfe stated that if candidates and observers are in the room, she does not seewhy the live stream should be stopped. Wolfe thought the live stream would add transparency and
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accountability to the election, and would welcome an argument against having the live stream if everyone is going to be in the room.
■ Gillis responded to Wolfe that the problem having the live stream continue running is that it would hold members accountable to the general public.
Moved by Milani, seconded by Pullen that the Assembly strike section 2.8.7 from the amendment to the StandingRule on Vice Presidential Elections as circulated and attached.
■ Milani stated that with the previous amendments adopted, this section is now redundant.
In Favour: 31 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 1 Abstentions: Stewart
Motion Passes
Discussion on Amendment
■ Long agreed that the last set of amendments are a step in the right direction, but still does not think that discussion period is a good way to judge character. Long urged the Assembly to consider the members who have spoken against discussion period from experience and to take the discussion off the table. Long stated there has been more than enough time to get to know the candidates and learn about their platforms.
■ D. D'Angela stated he had a problem with the live stream still being on during discussion period. Once something is online, it stays online forever. If the live stream runs during discussion period, it could be detrimental to the candidates later in their careers.
■ Gillis stated that informal discussion with candidates is not a proper judge of how they could perform in a vice presidential position.
■ Saeed stated he has raised a number of concerns about discussion period, but the largest issue is that if candidates can get friends to take time off of work or exams to come to the meeting that means they are better off. Saeed stated he thinks the model from last year worked the best and that the right people won the elections. Saeed does not think that adding fifteen minutes of discussion will sway opinions.
■ Van Nood stated that even though a person might choose to ruin their own reputation by saying slanderous things, the candidates did not choose that option.
■ Campbell stated he stands by his email earlier in the week, which stated that he still has reservations regarding discussion period. Campbell stressed that in the event there are only two candidates, discussion period tends to become about comparing the negative aspects of the candidates, which leaves one person with a tarnished reputation. Campbell is also concerned as the President-Elect that his new Board will be starting with their reputations being undermined before they even start the job. Campbell stated that everything negative about the candidate would be brought up to the Assembly before they even begin in the role.
■ Rheaume agreed with Campbell. Rheaume added that the discussion about discussion period has been constructive and helpful. What the Assembly needs to decide is if the benefits of a fifteen-minute discussion period outweigh the cons of the possibility of a member saying something destructive that will stay on the internet forever.
■ Gillis argued that candidates chose to run for these positions, and have opened themselves up to these discussions. Gillis stated that to assume the worst in people is to assume the worst in themselves. Gillis
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stated that members are here to represent their constituents, and discussion period should be looked at from a positive perspective.
■ Long stated that members have to trust the candidates. If members have not been convinced in their one- on-one meetings, the presentations, and question period, an addition fifteen minutes would not change anything.
■ Abbas stated the whole point of having candidates present in the room would mean candidates could refute any statements brought against them. Abbas noted it might not be a complete fix, but it would help in keeping the discussion period factually based.
■ Milani noted she has started to think of flaws that could come from the amendment. With candidates in the room, would they be permitted to rebut comments? Would candidates only be allowed to speak three times, or not at all? Milani stated she does not want to make these amendments if the Assembly does not want to have a discussion period.
Vote on Amendment
Moved by Milani, seconded by Gillis that the Standing Rule for Vice Presidential Elections be amended to include aDiscussion Period, as circulated.
Moved by Milani, seconded by Abbas that the parameters for the Speaker election be five minutes for openingstatements, five minutes of questions, and two minutes for closing statements.
Passes Unanimously
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■ Candidate spoke in allotted time.■ The Assembly voted by secret ballot.■ The Speaker announced Ms. Maria Daniel was elected with confidence as the 2013-2014 Speaker.
Election Results
Candidate Confidence No ConfidenceDaniel 31Abstain 1
3. Election of Vice-President (Administration)
Moved by Stewart, seconded by Campbell that the SRA close nominations for the Vice-President (Administration) 2013-2014.
Nominations■ Anna D'Angela■ Justin Korolyk■ Abbas nominated James Dowdall - accepted
Vote to Close Nominations
In Favour: 31 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 1 Abstentions: Saeed
Motion Passes
■ Campbell summarized the role of the Vice-President (Administration)
Questions■ Abdelrahman asked about the progress on Wentworth House move, and how much time this project
would take up from the incoming Vice-President (Administration).■ Campbell advised that the Wentworth House move was a slow moving project this year. Campbell stated
that the Photography Club and Muslim Students Association are well on their way to finding space, and there is a tentative solution for MACycle. Campbell stated that new locations needed to be set by the end of April, so the new Vice-President (Administration) will sit in on those discussions, but the actual decision would be made well before May 1.
■ Saeed asked for Campbell's perspective on having the added responsibilities in his portfolio since the SRA House Leader was dissolved in 2010.
■ Campbell noted that the Vice-President (Administration) assists with the facilitation of projects at the committee level.
■ Gillis asked what the salary was for the Vice-President (Administration).■ Campbell replied the salary is around $35,000 before taxes.
■ Candidates spoke in the allotted time.
Moved by Campbell, seconded by Van Nood that the Assembly suspend section 2.6.4 from the Standing Rule.
■ Campbell apologized for not noticing earlier, but advised the Assembly that according to the standing rule, the exact number of votes in each round would be announced. Campbell stated there has been mixed precedence in the past, and noted his preference would be for the results to not be announced. Campbell noted this would require a 2/3 affirmative vote to pass. Campbell stated that he does not see a
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need to announce all of the votes when the candidates are sitting at the front of the room. The complete tallies will be recorded in the minutes.Van Nood agreed, and stated it would be fairer to the candidates. If candidates would like to know the actual vote count, they could look through the minutes.Gillis stated that these candidates are running in an election, and they should find out the results. Stewart agreed with the motion coming forward. The candidates have the ability to find out the detailed results. Stewart noted that especially with the meeting being live streamed, this would be the most respectful thing for the candidates.
Vote on Motion
In Favour: 29 Opposed: 2 Abstentions: 1 Opposed: Sparrow, Gillis
Abstentions: Omran Motion Passes
The Assembly voted by secret ballot.The Speaker announced Ms. Anna D'Angela as the Vice-President (Administration) 2013-2014.
Election Results
Candidate Votes No ConfidenceD'Angela 17 1Dowdall 11 1Korolyk 4 1
Moved by Milani, seconded by Gillis to amend the recess to twenty minutes.
WyngaardenStacy Melo (Observer), Glenda Babe (MSU Member), Inemesit Etokudo (incoming Maroons Coordinator), Jacob Klugsberg (incoming TAC Coordinator), Sara King (MSU Member), Lindsey Huff (incoming DRO), Spencer Graham (MSU Member), Maria Daniel (MSU Member), Joey Coleman (Observer), Thaddeus Awotunde (TheSilhouette), Marc Lamoureux (MSU Member), Duncan Thompson (Observer), Victoria Scott (Administrative Assistant), Lauren McCauley (Campus Events Office Manager), Anna D'Angela (Vice-President Administration-Elect), Lisa Bifano (MHS President), Francis Jun (Observer), Ameema Saeed (MSU Member), Matthew Dillon-Leitch (MSU Member), Nabil Khaja (MSU Member), Melissa Tom-Kun (Campus Events Promotions Coordinator), Rebecca McDougall (TAC Coordinator), Simon Granat (MSU Member), Alicia Ali (Observer), Sean Sears (SOCS President), Maya Kanani (MSU Member),
■
■
■
■
■
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Alexander Burnett (MSSS President), Christina Monachino (incoming MTCG Coordinator), Justin Korolyk (Maroons Coordinator), Jeffrey Doucet (Social Media Coordinator), J. Bauman (Recording Secretary)
Chair Simon Gooding-Townsend
■ The Chair announced that the Vice-President (Finance) was not present, and no other Board member felt comfortable making the initial presentation. The Chair asked the Assembly how they would like to proceed.
Moved by Sparrow, seconded by Milani to strike the initial presentation and move straight to opening statements.
■ Sparrow stated he did not want to be here all night.■ Milani thought it was important to have the initial presentation for the new Assembly members.■ Campbell noted that Wyngaarden was absent due to religious reasons. Campbell understood if the
Assembly wanted to skip opening statements, but thinks hearing from the current Vice-President (Finance) would be valuable.
■ Abbas asked if it would be possible to change the order of the elections and elect the Vice-President (Education) first.
■ The Chair announced this change would be possible, and would require a simple majority of the Assembly. The Chair stated that the Assembly could move on to business, and come back to the election when Wyngaarden arrives.
■ Collins ceded to Frances Jun. Jun stated there was an ex- Vice-President (Finance) in the room who could make a statement.
■ Saeed stated he would prefer business be conducted instead of changing the order, as one of the VicePresident (Education) candidates was not present.
■ Milani ceded to Doucet. Doucet observed that a number of members were still eating. Doucet stated that during a presentation, eating could be distracting. Doucet encouraged the Assembly to move on with business.
■ Scott suggested having opening statements, and a presentation from the current Vice-President (Finance) in between opening statements and question period.
Moved by Milani, seconded by Cicchi to table the remaining Special Orders of the Day.
In Favour: 27 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 2 Abstentions: Collins, Pullen
Motion Passes
BUSINESS
1. Ratification of Chief Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Officer for 2013-2014
Moved by Stewart, seconded by Campbell that the SRA ratify Matthew Ing as Chief Returning Officer and LindseyHuff as Deputy Returning Officer for the 2013-2014 academic year.
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■ Campbell noted that the majority of PTMs report to the Executive Board. Due to the nature of the positions, the Returning Officers are officially ratified by and responsible to the SRA, as the SRA would have to fire and discipline them, if it came to that. This is the official process of recognizing them.
Vote to Ratify
Passes Unanimously
2. BYLAW 3/A - ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES
Moved by D'Angela, seconded by Sparrow that the SRA approve the amendments to BYLAW 3/A - ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES.
■ D. D'Angela noted that many of the changes are getting rid of redundancies. The changes made are good, and will make the Assembly more efficient.
■ Sparrow stated he would like to refer this to the Bylaws & Procedures Committee.
Moved by Sparrow, seconded by Milani to commit to the Bylaws & Procedures Committee.
■ Milani stated this seemed like a fair thing to do. Typically, things go through committees so the Assembly knows all of the changes are worthwhile and correct.
■ Abbas stated that the last SRA voted to have the current Assembly consider these changes. Abbas noted it would make sense to have this year's Bylaws & Procedures Committee look at the changes.
■ Stewart stated that Wyngaarden tried to follow procedure, and noted the Bylaws & Procedures Committee had a number of difficulties in meeting. Stewart agreed that the changes are eliminating redundancies, but if the Assembly is the most comfortable making the changes later, that is fine.
■ Sparrow stated there are substantial changes, such as with the attendance section, and the Assembly should investigate which model of attendance worked best.
Moved by Sparrow, seconded by Campbell that the Special Orders of the Day be taken from the table.
In Favour: 32 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 0 Motion Passes
SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
4. Election of Vice-President (Finance)
Moved by Stewart, seconded by D'Angela that the SRA close nominations for the Vice-President (Finance) 20132014.
Nominations■ Jeffrey Doucet■ Marc Lamoureux■ Huzaifa Saeed■ Saeed withdrew his nomination
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Vote to Close Nominations
In Favour: 32 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 0 Motion Passes
■ Wyngaarden summarized the role of Vice-President (Finance).
Questions■ Campbell asked if Wyngaarden could explain his role in relation to full and part time staff.■ Wyngaarden explained that he acts as a support staff to the Vice-President (Administration) regarding
part time staff. PTMs come to the Vice-President (Finance) for clarification on financial matters and if they have questions regarding how their department should be running. Wyngaarden fields a number of questions if the Vice-President (Administration) is out of the office, so it would be helpful if the future Vice-President (Finance) can pull pertinent information from other Board portfolios. Wyngaarden noted that the supervision of full time staff is largely up to the General Manager. Wyngaarden stated that a number of committees require a Board member to sit on them, and as the Vice-President (Finance) tends to have the most time, Wyngaarden sits on most of these committees. Wyngaarden noted that an ideal Vice-President (Finance) would be willing to take on large and long term projects.
■ D. D'Angela asked Wyngaarden to clarify the relationship between the Vice-President (Finance), Finance Commissioner, and Finance Committee.
■ Wyngaarden stated that a number of duties outlined for the Finance Committee are now handled by the Accounting Department, which has been built up over the past few years. The relationship between the Commissioner and Vice-President (Finance) varies. In past years, it has been more of a check and balance kind of relationship, and in others, it has been more collaborative. Wyngaarden noted the relationship is what the individuals make it out to be, but it would be helpful if these two individuals can work together.
■ Rheaume asked for a percentage breakdown of how much effort should be spent on other projects, such as helping other Board members.
■ Wyngaarden stated it varies from year to year. Currently, around 85% of Wyngaarden's time is spent on the budget. Over the year, around 25% of his time was spent in meetings, and 25% of his time was spent on administrative work, which included processing purchase orders, signing cheques, and other signing authority. Wyngaarden stated the other 50% of his time was spent helping SRA and MSU members find the information they need regarding student fees, assisting the Board in completing their specific projects, and other outstanding long-term projects such as the human resources review.
■ Brodka how the importance of tracking Welcome Week funding, specifically with the orientation fee, is tied into the Vice-President (Finance) role.
■ Wyngaarden stated it would depend on the Board dynamic, and added that Campbell has taken a larger role in the Welcome Week committees. Wyngaarden noted he plays a larger role in looking at what happens after the finances have been recorded. Wyngaarden stated that the short answer is that it is a very important duty, but is not in the Vice-President (Finance) portfolio.
■ Candidates spoke in allotted time.
Moved by Gillis, seconded by Stewart to exhaust the speaker's list.
■ Gillis stated that if there were still questions that members wanted to ask, there is no reason to silence them, as that is not democratic.
■ Stewart noted that moving forward in the elections, the Assembly should ensure that if there are people who are still on the speaker's list who would like to speak, they should have that opportunity. Stewart added that if the Assembly wanted to move on with the elections, that is still part of the democratic process.
■ Van Nood agreed that if the Assembly votes this motion down, it is still democratic.
SRA 13A Page 12April 7, 2013
Motion to Exhaust the Speaker's ListIn Favour: 5 Opposed: 14 Abstentions: 13
AbbasJeffrey Doucet (Vice-President Finance-Elect), Anna D'Angela (Vice-President Administration-Elect), Sam Colbert (The Silhouette), Joey Coleman (Observer), Alicia Ali (Observer), Lindsey Huff (incoming DRO), Vivek Govardhanam (MSU Member), Ameema Saeed (MSU Member), Melissa Sharma (DRO), Melissa Tom-Kun (Campus Events Promotions Coordinator), Alexander Burnett (MSSS President), Lauren McCauley (Campus Events Office Manager), Jacob Klugsberg (incoming TAC Coordinator), Sara King (MSU Member), Rebecca McDougall (TAC Coordinator), Lisa Bifano (MHS President), Spencer Graham (MSU Member), Maria Daniel (MSU Member), J. Bauman (Recording Secretary)Simon Gooding-Townsend
5. Election of Vice-President (Education)
Moved by Stewart, seconded by Cicchi that the SRA close nominations for the Vice-President (Education) 20132014.
Nominations■ Lisa Bifano■ Spencer Graham
SRA 13A Page 13April 7, 2013
■ Jeffrey Wyngaarden■ Wyngaarden withdrew his nomination
Vote to Close Nominations
In Favour: 30 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 0 Motion Passes
■ Saeed summarized the role of Vice-President (Education).
Questions■ Milani asked Saeed to speak to the fact that a candidate does not necessarily have to come in with a ton
of MSU experience, as there have been successful candidates in the past that had little MSU experience.■ Saeed stated that the previous four successful Vice-President (Education) candidates had Commissioner
or SRA experience. Saeed stated if there were more full time staff support, the position could be more flexible in terms of experience.
■ Sparrow noted that Saeed took the position in a different direction, and focused more on policy, and asked Saeed how he saw the Vice-President (Education) position engaging students.
■ Saeed agreed that he took up a large number of external projects, and stated he relied heavily on SRA members to gather student feedback. Saeed noted it is possible for the Vice-President (Education) to participate in class talks or host tables in MUSC, but Saeed utilized other student groups, such as the Advocacy Street Team, for these tasks. Saeed stated that in this position, the political climate can change drastically, and you never know what is going to happen. The Vice-President (Education) must be able to adapt to these situations.
■ Van Nood asked what kind of experience a candidate should have gained before going into the role.■ Saeed stated that his experience involved being the External Affairs Commissioner for two years, an SRA
member for three years, and a member of FYC before that. Saeed was a welcome week rep for both a faculty and a residence, which allowed him to understand student issues better. Saeed added that mental health awareness might not have been on his radar had he not been a residence representative.
■ Guarna ceded to Ameema Saeed. Saeed stated there had been many discussions surrounding deferred maintenance this year, and asked if there would be any follow through for the next Vice-President (Education).
■ Saeed stated he saw himself as more of a policy builder, and it would be up to the next Board to takeaction on those policy statements. Saeed noted that student awareness is the most important thing fordeferred maintenance.
■ Candidates spoke in allotted time.
Moved by Abbas, seconded by Campbell to exhaust the speaker's list.
In Favour: 31 Opposed: 1 Abstentions: 0 Opposed: Omran
Motion Passes
■ Candidates spoke in additional allotted time.■ The Assembly voted by secret ballot.■ The Chair announced Mr. Spencer Graham as the Vice-President (Education) 2013-2014.
Election Results
Candidate Votes No ConfidenceBifano 14
SRA 13A Page 14April 7, 2013
Graham 18 1Abstain 1Spoiled 1
Recessed at 9:52pm Call to Order at 10:08pm
CALL OF THE ROLL Present
Absent ExcusedAbsentLateOthers Present
Chair
BUSINESS
3. Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform
Moved by Milani, seconded by Gillis that the Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform be struck for the durationof SRA 2013-2014 under the circulated terms of reference, as amended.
Amendment■ Include the McMaster Students Union Alumni Association (MSUAA) President as a non-voting member of
the committee.
Discussion■ Milani stated that this committee really started to take off last year. There were very few voting members
in attendance, which caused difficulties in passing recommendations to bring forward to the Assembly. Milani noted that this committee dealt with issues such as reinstating the House Leader position and vice presidential election parameters.
■ Narro Perez agreed with re-striking the committee. Narro Perez stated this committee has very important conversations, and a lot of progress that was made was not reflected at the Assembly level. Narro Perez stated that if the Assembly did not want to discuss big changes, do not strike the committee, as it would be a waste of the committee's time.
■ Gillis stated the key point of his platform was pushing for vice presidents to be elected at large by the student population, and this committee would be the place to have those discussions. Gillis stated that recommendations from the committee are not binding on the SRA, since the SRA would get to vote on anything that comes out of the committee.
Jeffrey Doucet (Vice-President Finance-Elect), Anna D'Angela (Vice-President Administration-Elect), Spencer Graham (Vice-President Education-Elect), Sam Colbert (The Silhouette), Joey Coleman (Observer), Alicia Ali (Observer), Lindsey Huff (incoming DRO), Vivek Govardhanam (MSU Member), Ameema Saeed (MSU Member), Melissa Sharma (DRO), Melissa Tom-Kun (Campus Events Promotions Coordinator), Alexander Burnett (MSSS President), Lauren McCauley (Campus Events Office Manager), Jacob Klugsberg (incoming TAC Coordinator), Sara King (MSU Member), Rebecca McDougall (TAC Coordinator), Maria Daniel (MSU Member), J. Bauman (Recording Secretary) Simon Gooding-Townsend
Vote on Motion
SRA 13A Page 15April 7, 2013
In Favour: 32 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 2 Abstentions: Collins, Van Nood
Motion Passes
4. Ad Hoc Committee on the Creation of a Women and Trans* Centre
Moved by Milani, seconded by Morrow that the Women and Trans* Centre Ad Hoc Committee be struck for theduration of the circulated terms of reference.
■ Milani stated the Assembly voted to try to establish a women and trans* centre on campus. It is important to strike this committee so that work can continue to be done on the project. Milani noted "2013" should read "2014" in the document.
Vote on Motion
In Favour: 29 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 4 Abstentions: Wyngaarden, Collins, Van Nood, D'Mello
Motion Passes
5. Open Business Items #5-10 Omnibus
Moved by Sparrow, seconded by Pullen that Business Items #5-10 be opened omnibus.
Amendment
Moved by Sparrow, seconded by Collins to include Business Items #11-12.
In Favour: 31 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 0 Motion Passes
Moved by Sparrow, seconded by Pullen that Business Items #5-10 be opened omnibus:■ Moved by Stewart, seconded b y that the SRA open nominations for (5) SRA members to the
Executive Board 2013-2014.■ Moved by Stewart, seconded b y______that the SRA open nominations for the following Standing
Committee Commissioners: Bylaws & Procedures, External Affairs, Finance, Operations, Services, and University Affairs.
■ Moved by Stewart, seconded b y______that the SRA open nominations for SRA members on the followingStanding Committees: Bylaws & Procedures (4), External Affairs (4), Finance (4), Operations (4), Services (4), and University Affairs (4).
■ Moved by Stewart, seconded b y______that the SRA open nominations for SRA members to OtherCommittees as listed.
■ Moved by Stewart, seconded b y______that the SRA open nominations for MSU members to StandingCommittees as listed.
■ Moved by Stewart, seconded b y______that the SRA open nominations for MSU members to OtherCommittees as listed.
■ Moved by Milani, seconded b y_______that the SRA open nominations for SRA members to Ad HocCommittees as listed.
■ Moved by Milani, seconded b y_______that the SRA open nominations for MSU members to Ad HocCommittees as listed.
Jeffrey Doucet (Vice-President Finance-Elect), Anna D'Angela (Vice-President Administration-Elect), Spencer Graham (Vice-President Education-Elect), Sam Colbert (The Silhouette), Joey Coleman (Observer), Alicia Ali (Observer), Lindsey Huff (incoming DRO), Vivek Govardhanam (MSU Member), Ameema Saeed (MSU Member), Melissa Sharma (DRO), Melissa Tom-Kun (Campus Events Promotions Coordinator), Alexander Burnett (MSSS President), Lauren McCauley (Campus Events Office Manager), Jacob Klugsberg (incoming TAC Coordinator), Sara King (MSU Member), Rebecca McDougall (TAC Coordinator), Maria Daniel (MSU Member), J. Bauman (Recording Secretary) Simon Gooding-Townsend
Moved by Cicchi, seconded by Morrow that the meeting adjourn.
Passes by General Consent
Adjourned at 10:21pm
/jb
STANDING RULE FOR VICE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
1. PURPOSE
1.1. To establish the procedure by which the SRA shall elect the Vice Presidents for the 2013-2014 year.
2. ELECTORAL PROCEDURES
2.1. The Assembly shall consider the Vice President positions in the following order: Administration, Finance, Education;
2.1.1. Notwithstanding Section 5 - SUSPENSION, Section 2.1 may be amended by the Assembly by a simple majority vote.
2.2. Upon closure of nominations for a Vice Presidential position, the incumbent officer shall briefly explain the duties, responsibilities, and other information pertinent to the position as demonstrated in previous transition manuals that will have been previously circulated to the Assembly within a week of the election. The incumbent officer shall entertain questions for a period not exceeding ten (10) minutes;
2.2.1. In cases where the incumbent officer is seeking re-election, the Chair shall explain the role and shall entertain questions to the best of his or her ability. The Chair may cede any or all of this responsibility to a different knowledgeable individual.
2.2.1.1. Should there be any objection to the Chair's decision to cede this responsibility, the Chair's decisions must be upheld by a 2/3 affirmative vote of the Assembly. The objection is non- debatable and does not require a seconder. The Chair has an obligation to draw the Assembly's attention to this clause before drawing on its power.
2.3. Candidates will have the opportunity for:
2.3.1. Opening statements, limited to fifteen (15) minutes per candidate;2.3.2. Question period, limited to twenty (20) minutes per candidate, pooled;2.3.3. Closing statements, limited to five (5) minutes per candidate.
2.4. Sections 2.2 and 2.3 shall both be completed for each Vice President position before progressing to a discussion of another Vice President position;
2.5. The Assembly shall recess for fifteen (15) minutes after completion of section 2.3 for each Vice Presidential position;
2.5.1. The duration of the recess may be amended by a simple majority vote. Should there be multipledurations advocated for the recess, the motion shall be treated as filling in a blank, with the times that are furthest from fifteen (15) minutes voted on first, with preference in the case of a tie going to the higher value.
2.6. Upon the final closing statement in each set of elections, Assembly members shall cast a ballot in accordance to BYLAW 3/A - ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES (S.7.2.5).
2.6.1. Should a candidate's number of no-confidence votes exceed their votes in the initial round, they shall be deemed to be out of the race;
2.6.2. If there is ever a need to allow candidates the opportunity to speak as per BYLAW 3/A - ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES (S.7.2.5), candidates shall be allocated an additional five (5) minutes each to address the Assembly;
2.6.3. Candidates shall be permitted a scrutineer who is an MSU member but not an SRA member.2.6.3.1. Scruitneers shall not re-enter the room until invited in, after the results have been announced.
2.6.4. The Chair shall announce the results of the ballot count in full, including the results from each round, and the SRA shall immediately ratify the successful candidate to office;
2.7. Procedural motions shall not detract from the time allocated to candidates to speak.
3. SPECIAL RULES
3.1. The use of electronic devices by Assembly members shall be prohibited, including but not limited to: laptops, cell phones, tablets. The Chair, upon a written explanation indicating why the device is necessary, may grant exceptions.
3.1.1. Any decision of the Chair prohibiting the use of a device may be overturned upon an appeal with a 2/3 affirmative vote.
3.1.2. Any individual exemption, whether granted or denied, shall be overturned subject to an appeal with a simple majority vote.
3.2. Booth questions shall be permitted by the call of any member unless objected to. Objections to the question being asked as a booth question are non-debatable and must be sustained by a 2/3 affirmative vote of the Assembly. Booth questions shall be read verbatim to each candidate;
3.2.1. Prior to questioning, the asker of a booth question may provide the answer they expect to receive, but shall not provide any information to the Assembly.
3.3. Any member may object to any question being asked. Such objections are non-debatable and must be sustained by a 2/3 affirmative vote.
3.4. Particular questions may not be asked of individual candidates;
3.5. Any MSU member shall be accorded full speaking rights during the entire election proceedings, unless the discussion has moved into Closed Session;
3.6. Ballots shall be stored in the custody of the MSU Speaker for no less than fourteen (14) days;
4. ATTENDANCE
4.1. Any member shall be considered excused for attendance purposes should they leave the meeting early for the following reasons:
4.1.1. The member has an evaluation within the next twelve (12) hours;
4.1.2. It is after 2:00AM and the member has an evaluation on that calendar day.
5. SUSPENSION
5.1. The SRA, by a 2/3 affirmative vote, suspend any portion of this standing rule.
MEMORANDUMFrom the office o f the...
Elise Milani, SRA Humanities
TO:FROM:SUBJECT:DATE:
Members of the Student Representative Assembly Elise Milani, SRA Humanities Discussion Period for VP Elections April 7th, 2013
Dear Assembly,
From a number of conversations I’ve had with SRA members and VP candidates, there appears to be an appetite for Discussion Period this year. I’ve included an option for the Standing Rule that will allow discussion period under a very detailed procedure.
A lot of the concern against Discussion Period is that is becomes slanderous, isn’t regulated, and doesn’t provide an opportunity for candidates to rebuttal negative comments. I tried to include a regulation for each concern in attempts to appease as many members as possible.
Attempts to avoiding slander- Comments must remain focused on working relationships, and states slander
and unprofessional comments to be ruled out of order.- Slander and unprofessional discourse are then defined.- After each comment, the Speaker will invite rebuttals to the direct comment,
solely for the purpose of correcting factual errors.- This shall replace a Point of Parliamentary Privilege.
Regulation- Closed session discussion includes the live feed being shut off, and candidates to leave the room. Observers are welcome to stay.
- Each Discussion Period is capped at 15 minutes- Encourages discretion to stay true to the purpose of discussion period (Call on references to learn about working relationships).
- Prevents Discussion Period from being the predominant way to evaluate candidates
- Is analogous to an interview, where a reference is called to verify someone's credentials and working habits
- Each SRA member or observer can only speak up to 3 times- Each statement can be no longer than 2 minutes
Candidate Rebuttal- Upon the end of Discussion Period, candidates will be invited back into the
room. The Speaker shall then provide a summary for the candidates of what was talked about during closed session.
- This will allow candidates to use this closing statements to refute things said against them.
These are the main components of the proposed Discussion Period, but be sure to check out the full document and ask myself or the Speaker any questions before the meeting.
AMENDMENT TO THE STANDING RULE FOR VICE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
2.8 There shall be a discussion period of up to fifteen (15) minutes immediately following question period and immediately preceding closing statements.
2.8.1 Candidates will be asked to leave the hall for the closed session discussion and live stream will bepaused.
2.8.1.1 Observers will be allowed to remain in the hall to participate in discussion period.
2.8.2 Each SRA member or observer has the right to speak up to three (3) times, for up to two (2) minutes per speech.
2.8.2.1 The Chair shall prioritize individuals who have not yet spoken in discussion period, even if other individuals have been on the Speaker's List for longer.
2.8.2.2 Statements shall be considered to be of fact unless an SRA member or observer indicates that it is an opinion.
2.8.3 Any SRA member or observer may rise on a Point of Order, even when another individual is speaking, if they believe the individuals comments are slanderous or unprofessional.
2.8.3.1 Slanderous comments shall be defined as malicious statements about any individual, groupor organization
2.8.3.2 Unprofessional discourse shall be defined as that which strays from a working relationship2.8.3.3 The Chair shall rule on whether the comments are out of order. Should they be found out
of order, the remainder of the individual's remaining speaking time shall be forfeited.2.8.4 Upon an SRA member or observer finishing speaking, the chair will invite any rebuttals. Any SRA
member or observer may provide a rebuttal solely for the purpose of correcting factual errors in the previous SRA member or observer's statements.
2.8.4.1 Rebuttals shall not be subject to further rebuttals2.8.4.2 Rebuttals shall be limited to one (1) minute2.8.4.3 Rebuttals shall be out of order if the error has already been corrected2.8.4.4 Rebuttals shall not count against the limit on speaking rights2.8.4.5 Rebuttals shall replace Points of Parliamentary Privilege otherwise used to address factual
inaccuracies.2.8.4.6 The Chair shall rule rebuttals that do not clearly indicate what factual error they are
correcting out of order.2.8.4.7 An individual whose rebuttals have been ruled out of order twice shall only be able to
provide further rebuttals in that discussion period with the approval of the majority of the assembly.
2.8.5 Immediately prior to the Chair recognising an individual on the Speaker's List, any member of the SRA may rise on a Point of Order to immediately end the discussion period. Such a motion requires a seconder but is non-debatable. The motion requires a 2/3 majority to pass.
2.8.5.1 The Chair may rule any motion to end discussion period dilatory and thus out of order.
2.8.6 Discussion period may be extended when the assembly is about to leave discussion period or by an SRA member rising on a Point of Order, or being recognized on the Speaker's List. A motion to extend discussion
period requires a 2/3 majority to carry.
2.8.7 Upon the end of Discussion Period, the candidates will be invited back into the room, and the Speaker will provide a summary of the discussions that took place.
MSU\McMaster Students
Vice-President Finance
MEMOFrom the o ffice o f the...
TO:FROM:SUBJECT:DATE:
Members o f the Student Representative Assembly Jeff W yngaarden Bylaw 3 /A amendments March 26, 2013
Dear Members o f the Assembly,
This memo is to outline my reasoning for proposing amendments to Bylaw 3 /A - Assembly Procedures, as indicated in the attachment.
The amendments proposed through sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 are largely an a ttem pt to elim inate redundancies between our bylaws and Robert’s Rules o f Order. I have elim inated com ponents of these sections largely so that the conditions they outline can be suspended at the w ill o f the Assembly, if necessary. Procedure can be overruled in accordance w ith Robert’s Rules if the Assembly needs to, but if it is part o f the bylaws then it cannot be ignored. For example, 3.4 stipulates that
3.1 The Speaker shall inform the Assembly when an SRA member or observer is about to speak for a third or subsequent time;
If this remains in the bylaw then any number of unintended consequences could arise, such as the Speaker being penalized for not issuing this notice or someone being allowed to speak unlim ited times because the Speaker did not inform the Assembly tha t they had exhausted their speaking rights. If this and the other com ponents of 3 /A are removed then the Assembly has much more freedom to adopt or suspend special rules at will, and thus an increased ab ility to expedite business.
The largest substantive change to these sections is the elim ination of recording votes against/abstentions. This is a tim e-consum ing practice tha t has no basis in standard procedure. It was introduced largely to deal w ith questions o f whether individual members could raise a m otion to reconsider (you can only do so if you voted w ith the w inning side or abstained) but members would still have the option to request having their vote recorded w ith their name (regardless o f which way they
voted) or o f calling for a roll call vote (where everyone’s name is recorded). Reconsider m otions occur rarely and are dealt w ith adequately in Robert’s Rules.
Another significant change is the elim ination o f restrictions on speaking rights. This change both tightens and loosens speaking ability. I’ve proposed tha t we grant unlim ited speaking rights to Assembly members on the condition tha t members cannot exceed five minutes each tim e they speak, and the Assembly can choose to end debate or restrict speaking rights by a tw o-th irds m ajority at any time. This grants the Assembly more freedom to set rules on speaking rights whenever this is desired, w ithou t having to fo llow a s tric t set o f guidelines in the bylaws. Assembly members can still cede speaking rights to nonmembers.
The proposed change to section 5.5 deals w ith the conceptual problem of how to deal w ith resignations. The constitu tion states tha t seats must be filled w ith in 15 days o f being declared vacant, but I th ink tha t the intent o f this was to avoid seats remaining unfilled after being offic ia lly opened by the Assembly. In practice, we have seats tha t are effective ly vacant but are not considered so until they are offic ia lly declared vacant by the Speaker. This raises many questions: are members to be considered absent at meetings after they resigned? Do they count towards quorum? Are they still entitled to receive SRA docum entation and emails? I th ink tha t trea ting seats as vacant im mediately upon resignation but having an official declaration resolves these issues and is in line w ith the sp irit o f the constitution. Additionally, it is proper practice to in terpre t the constitu tion in accordance w ith the bylaws that are in e ffect at the time, so if the Speaker and Assembly judge this bylaw to be in accordance w ith the meaning of the constitu tion there is certainly no conflic t between the two.
Proposed changes to 5.4-5.5. deal w ith vacancies in a way that makes it easier to adm inister and results in fewer by-elections. These changes allow for tw o by-election cycles w ith clearer conditions for in itia ting b yelections and provide for some leeway in the summer for runners-up to claim vacant seats.
The proposed changes to section 6 make attendance requirements clearer and easier to administer. These attendance expectations are rather lenient and not d ifficu lt to follow, and they elim inate the adm inistrative burden tha t the current system imposes.
The changes to section 8 elim inate questions tha t arose last year surrounding discipline and disclosure. The debate o f a censure m otion
would remain in closed session and the final vote could be done in closed session, but the end result (censure or no censure, w ith a vote count) could be done in open session.
As always, please feel free to approach me w ith any questions you may have.
Jeff W yngaarden
BYLAW 3/A - ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES
1. SRA MEETINGS
1.1 The Administrative Assistant shall give at least five (5) business days written notice of SRA meetings; only in an emergency situation will the SRA meet without due notice and the SRA may limit the business discussed at an emergency meeting;
1.2 Except as otherwise provided in bylaws or special rules of order adopted by the Assembly, meetings of the SRA shall be conducted according to procedures outlined in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised;
1.3 Quorum shall be 50% of the SRA membership, (excluding vacancies and leaves of absence) and a meeting shall continue as long as quorum is maintained;
1.4 The Speaker of the MSU shall Chair meetings of the SRA with the Vice-President (Administration) acting as Deputy Speaker:
1.4.1 Should neither the Speaker nor Deputy Speaker be able to attend a meeting or choose to decline the Chair, the SRA shall elect an acting chair for the meeting, or portion thereof;
1.4.2 The Deputy Speaker or acting chair shall not have voting rights while serving as Chair.
1.5 No motion to amend may be introduced to the Assembly before a written copy of the motion or amendment is given to the Speaker (amendments to procedural motions exempted);
1.6 Any matter to be discussed or investigated in detail, particularly any matter involving a major resolution or series of resolutions on MSU policy, should be considered first by a standing committee of the SRAor ad hoc committee which shall make recommendations to the SRA; in practice, the SRA should refer such matters to a committee prior to consideration by the Assembly;
1.7 Reports or other documents provided to the SRA shall be annexed to the official minutes of the meeting at which they were received;
18----- Meetings will be open to all members of the MSU, but may be closed on resolution of theAssembly to enter closed session;
4tQ1.8 Where applicable, the procedures outlined for the SRA shall be used in meetings of the General Assembly; they shall be adopted at the discretion of the Speaker.
2.1 At SRA meetings, each SRA member shall have one (1) vote;
2.2 In tabulating votes, the Speaker shall not include abstentions in the total number fromwhich a simple majority or a two-thirds affirmative is calculated. Voting shall be by simple majority of members present, unless otherwise required by the Constitution, bylaws, or Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised;
2. 3----- Where there is a tie vote, the motion shall fail;
2A----- When a vote calculation does not result in a whole number, the Speaker will round up;
252.3 There shall be no voting by proxy;
2. 6----- SRA members shall not be permitted to change their vote after the Speaker has declaredthe motion to have carried or failed;
2. 7----- The names of SRA members abstaining from, or voting in opposition to a vote shall benoted in the minutes.
3. SPEAKING PRIVILEGES
3.1 At any meeting of the SRA, each SRA member or recognized official observer has the right to speak to a given motion twice, for up to five (5) minutes per speecheach time -Te mover and seconder of a motion shall have unlimited speaking opportunities. The Speaker shall grant the mover and seconder the first opportunity to address a motion on the Assembly floor;
3. 2----- If after five (5) minutes, a person addressing the Assembly wishes to continue speaking,the Speaker shall permit him or her to continue unless an SRA member objects; objections are non debatable and must be sustained by a two thirds affirmative vote of the Assembly;
3. 3----- An SRA member or observer may be allowed the floor for a third or subsequent timeduring debate on a motion or amendment only if:
33-4---- The member wishes to propose a procedural motion, amendment, or substitutemotion; or
3323.1.1 No SRA member objects; objections are non debatable and must be sustained by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Assembly.Additional speaking time may be granted with the approval of two-thirds of the Assembly.
3-4----- The Speaker shall inform the Assembly when an SRA member or observer is about tospeak for a third or subsequent time;
3-5----- Any person will have the opportunity to address the Assembly during debate if:
Bylaw 3/A - Assem bly Procedures - Page 3
354 An SRA member who has the floor agrees to surrender the balance of his or herspeaking opportunity to that person; and
352— No SRA member objects; objections are non debatable and must be sustainedby a two thirds affirmative vote of the Assembly. An Assembly member maycede all or part of their speaking rights to a non-member.
36----- In Committee of the Whole, the Chair will:
364----Permit SRA members or observers to speak more than once to motions or amendments, in theorder in which they indicate such a desire;36.2— Only permit a motion to Rise and Report (return to Regular Session) after every SRA member has had the opportunity to speak at least once.
3 73.1.2 During debate on motions or amendments, a motion for the Previous Question is permissible from any SRA member who has the floor, but only immediately upon taking the floor; the motion is non debatable and must be sustained by a two thirds affirmative vote of the Assembly.
4. SRA AGENDA
4.1 All motions for the meeting agenda and supporting documentation must be submitted to the Administrative Assistant no later than noon (12:00 pm), four (4) business days prior to the meeting; copies of the agenda and motion sheet shall be available to all SRAmembers by 5:00 pm, three (3) business days prior to the meeting;
4.2 All items that have not been dealt with at the end of the meeting shall automatically beplaced on the agenda of the following meeting;
4.3 Each SRA agenda shall have a provision for the following standing orders, but not necessarily in this order:
4.3.1 Roll Call;4.3.2 Adoption of Agenda;4.3.3 Adoption of Previous Minutes;4.3.4 Announcements from the Chair, during which the Chair may make
announcements on rulings or other Assembly matters;4.3.5 Delegations from the Floor, during which MSU members, MSU staff, and non-
MSU members may address the Assembly and answer questions on their presentations;
4.3.6 Report Period, during which committees, departments and officials of the MSU may report on their operations and answer questions from the SRA.
4.3.7 Information Period, during which SRA members may provide information to the Assembly; no questions shall be permitted during this period;
4.3.8 Question Period, during which each SRA member may ask up to three (3) questions of other Assembly members; an SRA member may ask additional questions only if no SRA member objects, such objections shall be non debatable and must be sustained by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Assembly;
4.3.9 Business Arising from the Minutes, during which motions from a previous meeting are addressed;
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4.3.10 Business, during which general orders on the agenda are addressed;4.3.11 Committee Business, during which motions proposed by a committee, which do
not require a seconder, are addressed;4.3.12 Unfinished Business, during which motions that have been tabled are addressed;4.3.13 New Business, during which business not on the agenda may be considered if
two-thirds of the members present wish to address it, and if addressing it does not violate notice requirements stated in the Constitution and bylaws;
4.3.14 Adjournment/Roll Call.
5. SEAT OCCUPANCY
5.1 No individual may hold more than one (1) seat on the SRA:
5.1.1 Any divisional seats held by the President-Elect and Vice-Presidents (Administration, Education, and Finance)-Elect shall be relinquished before their assumption of office as members of the Board of Directors;
5.1.2 A member of the outgoing Board of Directors elected as a division representative on the incoming SRA, shall not cast more than one (1) vote and their divisional seat shall be considered temporarily vacant from April 1 to 30 for quorum and vote counting purposes.
5.2 Any resignations from the SRA or one of its committees must be submitted in writing to the Speaker of the MSU;
5.3 A vacancy on, or resignation from, the SRA shall be filled from the appropriate division according to the procedures outlined in BYLAW 10 - ELECTIONS;
5.4 The unsuccessful candidate(s) in the SRA General Election, from the same academic division, shall fill vacancies prior to April-August 3031. The written offer of SRA seat succession, from the Speaker to the candidate(s), shall be made in order of the largest number of votes received by the candidates(s) in the General Election. The reply from the candidate shaH-must be made in writing. Where there is no such candidate, the seat shall be considered vacant until- August 31 and this vacancy will be declared by the Speaker at the first SRA meeting on or after October 15. The Chief Returning Officer shall be responsible to-for provide providing the Speaker with a written copy of the official SRA General Election results before the end of March;
5.5 Vacancies on the SRA after August 31 shall be considered effective immediately but shall only be filled upon official declaration by the Speaker, which shall occur as per this schedule:
5.5.1 Vacancies occurring between May-September 1 and and the first SRA meeting on or after OctoberOctober 15 shall be declared vacant at the first SRA meeting
5.5.2 Vacancies occurring between the first SRA meeting on or after OctoberOctober 15 and and the first SRA meeting on or after NovemberJanuary 1 shall be declared vacant at the first SRA meeting on or after November January 1;
5.5.3 Vacancies occurring between the first SRA meeting on or after November 1 and the first SRA meeting on or after January 1 shall be declared vacant at the first
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SRA meeting on or after January 1 after January 1 shall normally remain vacant for the remainder of the term of office;
5.5.4 The SRA may, by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote, direct the Speaker to declare vacancies at a meeting prior to thoseother than as specified in this schedule.
5.6 Declaration of a vacant seat by the Speaker shall initiate the process to fill a vacancy according to the schedule set out in this bylaw and the requirements of the constitutionOnce declared vacant by the Speaker, a seat on the SRA shall be filled from the appropriate academic division within fifteen (15) school days, in accordance with the Constitution;.
5.7 SRA members may apply for a leave of absence from their seat during the summer period by notifying the Speaker in writing:
5.7.1 Such notification shall normally be received by the Speaker prior to May 31;5.7.2 The term of the leave may be amended, though not beyond the summer period,
by written notice to the Speaker;5.7.3 SRA members on leaves of absence shall not be considered absent for
attendance calculation purposes;5.7.4 The seats of members granted a leave shall be considered vacant for the
duration of the leave for quorum and vote counting purposes.
6. ATTENDANCE
6.1 Members of the SRA are expected to attend all meetings of the assembly Assembly to represent the interests of their constituents. Attendance records shall be kept by the Administrative Assistant and monitored by the Speaker to ensure members are accountable to their constituents, and members are subject to re_moval from the assembly Assembly under the stipulations described hereafterbelow.
6.2 SRA attendance records shall be kept by the Administrative Assistant and monitored by the SpeakerAj-attendance records for the SRA shall be posted in the front window of the SRA Lounge by the Administrative Assistant. The speaker shall be responsible for the assignment and any consideration of demerit points described hereafter.
6. 3----- The Speaker of shall, at their sole discretion, decide the legitimacy of reasons provided inregrets.
-------------------Any member of the Assembly who is absent from two (2) meetings in a term withoutlegitimate reason, or three (3) meetings in a term with legitimate reason, shall automatically relinquish their seat. A term shall be defined as one of the following periods: January 1- March 31, April 1-August 31, September 1-December 31;6t3-1--- Regrets will be approved only for legitimate personal, scholastic, or medical reasons.
6.32— Any Voting Member who is unable to attend a meeting, who is unable arrive on-time for a meeting, or who is unable to remain at a meeting for its full duration, must submit their regrets to the Speaker at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled meeting time.
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6.33— Failure to meet the twenty four (24) hour time requirement will normally result in automatic declination of regrets, except in emergency circumstances where the speaker may, at their discretion, approve late regrets.
64 Points will be allocated in semi annual sections, the first of which will begin on the first meeting of anewly elected SRA, and the second of which will begin on November 1. Points shall be reset to zero (0) upon the beginning of a new section. The accumulation of 4 demerit points will immediately suspend the member's rights, and their seat will be considered vacant only in accordance with Bylaw 3/A—ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES, section 5.5, provided the speaker has issued a written warning to the member upon receiving a total of 2 or more demerit points.
6 4 4 — A member who is absent for the full duration of a meeting with no regrets or declined regrets shall be assigned two (2) demerit points.
6.4.2—A member who is absent for the full duration of a meeting with approved regrets shall be assigned one (1) demerit point.
6.4.3— A member who is less than thirty (30) minutes late for a meeting with no regrets or declined regrets shall be assigned one half (0.5) of a demerit point.
6.44— A member who is less than thirty (30) minutes late for a meeting with approved regrets shall be assigned one quarter (0.25) of a demerit point.
6.4.5— A member who fails to remain for the full duration of the meeting, or is late beyond the first thirty (30) minutes with no regrets or declined regrets, shall be assigned one (1) demerit point.
6.4.6—A member who fails to remain for the full duration of the meeting, or is late beyond the first thirty (30) minutes with approved regrets, shall be assigned one half (0.5) of a demerit point.
6.4.7—A member who is absent from any roll call during the duration of a meeting shall be assigned one quarter (0.25) of a demerit point.
6.4.8— In cases where the action of a member would result in the violation of more than one of the above conditions simultaneously, only the violation with greater demerit point value will be considered.
6.4.9—The maximum amount of demerit points assigned during a meeting shall be two (2).
63.
6.4 The Speaker shall, at their sole discretion, decide the legitimacy of reasons for absence. Reasons relating to personal health, family emergency, or academic shall generally be accepted as legitimate. Regrets must be submitted to the Speaker before the commencement of the meeting at which the member will be absent;
6.5 A member shall be considered absent if they miss two roll calls in a meeting. Roll call votes shall not count towards attendance calculations;
6.56.6 No one may be appointed to take the place of an SRA member at a meeting;
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6.66.7 An SRA member representing the MSU at a conference shall be recorded as absent at SRA meetings but shall not have this absence count toward their removal from the Assemblybe considered present for absenteeism calculation purposes.
6.8 An SRA member with an approved leave of absence for the summer session shall berecorded as absent at SRA summer meetings but shall not have this absence count toward their removal from the Assembly.be considered present for absenteeism calculation purposes.
676.9 Absences from emergency meetings of the SRA, called without notice as prescribed inbylaw, shall not be included in the absenteeism calculations.
68- In the case of SRA meetings where proper notice was not given for the meeting, nodemerit points shall be assigned to members.
6 96.10 Attendance requirements may-cannot remove members of the Board of Directors from the Assembly.
7. ELECTIONS
7.1 Elections shall be held for all positions filled by the SRA;
7.2 Elections for an office with a single position shall be held using the following secret preferential ballot procedure:
7.2.1 Assembly members must rank by secret ballot, candidates in preferential order;7.2.2 On the first counting of the ballots, the number of first-place ballots for each
candidate shall be counted. If one (1) candidate has a majority of the first-place ballots, then that candidate shall be declared the winner;
7.2.3 If no candidate has the majority of the ballots, the candidate with the fewest ballots is dropped from the competition and each of this candidate's ballots are redistributed to the next highest ranking candidate on the ballot (if there is a tie for the candidate with the fewest ballots, all candidates will be dropped and their votes are redistributed, unless this would result in dropping all of the remaining candidates; in this case see 7.2.5 below). If one candidate now has a majority of the ballots, then that candidate shall be declared the winner;
7.2.4 If no candidate has the majority of ballots, step 7.2.3 shall be repeated, until a candidate is declared the winner;
7.2.5 If at any time during the process, all of the candidates have the same number of ballots, the candidate who originally had the fewest ballots after the first count shall be dropped. If this result is a tie, then the candidate who had the fewest ballots after the second count shall be dropped. This process shall be continued until a candidate has been dropped or it is known that the remaining candidates all have had the exact same ballot totals for every count. If such a tie should arise, each candidate shall be given an additional amount of speaking time as decided by the Speaker with consent from the Assembly and a new set of ballots shall be cast for these candidates only, following the same procedure as before. This process shall be continued until a winner is selected.
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7.3 Elections to offices with multiple identical positions, even if only one position is available, such as SRA representatives on the Executive Board shall be held using the following procedures:
7.3.1 Assembly members shall mark their choices in no particular order. If the number of names on the ballot exceeds the number of positions available, the ballot shall be declared spoiled;
7.3.2 The candidates with the largest plurality of votes shall be declared the winners;7.3.3 In the event of a tie for the final seat, each of the tied candidates should be given
an additional amount of speaking time as decided by the Speaker with consent from the Assembly and a new set of ballots shall be cast for these candidates only, following the same procedures as before. This process shall be continued until a winner is selected;
7.3.4 Candidates must be ratified by a majority vote of the full Assembly.7.3.5 A summary of the votes cast shall be announced by the Speaker for elections of
the Board of Directors, the Executive Board, Commissioners of Standing Committees, or salaried positions.
7.4 Elections for vacancies on committees with limited membership shall have received notice by placement on the agenda circulated to the SRA, three (3) business days prior to the meeting.
7.5 Members have the right to cast a vote of no confidence in any candidate(s) running for election:
7.5.1 If a majority of SRA members have indicated no confidence in a candidate, that candidate shall be disqualified from the election;
7.5.2 In uncontested elections of the Speaker, the Board of Directors, the Executive Board, or Commissioners of Standing Committees, a confidence vote shall automatically be held;
8. CENSURE
8.1 Censure is an internal disciplinary measure whereby the Assembly expresses disapproval towards the conduct of one of its members;
8.1.1 The existence of censure will not preclude the right of the Assembly to express disapproval towards the conduct of non-members or external bodies.
8.2 Grounds for censure include malicious acts, clear negligence, contempt of the Assembly, repeated minor infractions, or anything else serious enough to warrant a reprimand.
8.3 Only current members of the Assembly may be censured;
8.4 Censure motions shall be held in closed session;
8.5 Reasonable attempts shall be made by the Speaker to ensure that the subject of the censure is present for the motion to censure;
8.6 A motion to censure shall require four (4) days' notice;
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8.7 A-The result of a censure motion shall normally be recorded in the public minutes, but a motion may be made to restrict publication of a censure to closed session minutes..
9. SPECIAL PROCEDURES
94- The Assembly shall be permitted to employ the following procedures:9.1
94.1----A motion to reconsider may be moved by a member who voted with the prevailing side orabstained from voting on the original motion;
942— A roll call vote may be called for so long as no SRA member objects; objections are debatable and must be sustained by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Assembly;
9.2
9439.3 A straw vote, which is a non-binding poll of member opinion, may be called for by any member at any point during a meeting.
MSUM M aster SttuHm MEMORANDUM
Elise Milani, SRA HumanitiesFrom the office of...
TO:
SUBJECT:
FROM:
Members of the Student Representative Assem bly
Elise Milani, SRA Humanities
Striking an Ad Hoc Comm ittee on Democratic Reform
DATE: April 7th, 2013
Dear Assembly,
I'm bringing forward a motion to re-strike the Ad Hoc Comm ittee on Democratic Reform. Last year we discussed a number of issues dealing with the structure of the SRA, including VP elections, equitable faculty representation, com m issioner structure, increasing the size of SRA, and a few other topics. If you're interested in continuing these discussions, I suggest re-striking the committee.
I've made a few changes to the operating structure from the past years. I changed the personal structure to include a minimum and maximum amount for SRA and MSU voting members. Last year, we found a lot of members came to observe, but we would've liked to have included them as voting members. Having a range, we can have a large number of members, but we aren't forced to go to an election if all the possible seats aren't filled.
Below is the original memo from the creation of the Ad Hoc Committee by Chris Erl, SRA Humanities 2011/12.
Message me if you have any questions: m ilaniel@ m cm aster.ca.
Kindest regards,
Elise Milani
Brothers and Sisters of the Assembly,
Once again, I bring forward a proposal for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Comm ittee on Democratic Reform. The spirit of the original motion has not changed, rather major alterations to the composition of the proposed structure have been made following consultations over the past month.
I include the original memo for reference, and will provide comments at the end.
These are exciting tim es in the history of our union. We are making progress on issues and achieving gains never before thought possible. This is a testam ent to our spirit, our drive and our principles.
Our organization's dem ocratic structure, though, has come under rather intense scrutiny. Over the past few months, discussions have occurred at every conceivable level about a number of issues that representatives, constituents and those closely associated with the union have noticed. Namely, the election of Vice Presidents, the election of Representatives and the composition of the Student Representative Assem bly have all been discussed endlessly anywhere from informally at TwelvEighty to form ally at both the Bylaws and Procedures and External Affairs Committees.
Following a discussion at a meeting of the Bylaws and Procedures Comm ittee on Friday, November 18, 2011, a proposal was brought forth to establish an Ad Hoc Comm ittee to examine variations of electoral reform, given that that meeting and the meeting prior had focused rather intently on said issue. No definitive conclusion was reached on the proposal, leading m yself to inquire about the possibility for such a comm ittee to be struck regardless. After consultations with the Speaker, Bylaws and Procedures Commissioner, Deputy Returning Officer and members of the Assembly, I decided to bring the proposal to a full meeting of the SRA.
I believe that it will be worthwhile for the Assem bly to strike an Ad Hoc Committee to discuss options for electoral reform in the MSU for the following reasons:
The Bylaws and Procedures Comm ittee should not be restricted in their work by burdening them selves with the detailed task of investigating electoral reform.This committee would, as per the stipulations of Bylaw 3, 6.1., "fall outside the jurisdiction of a standing com m ittee's responsibilities," given that the Bylaws and Procedures Comm ittee is merely tasked with "reviewing bylaws changes and other legislative initiatives," not independently collecting ideas and developing proposals as the proposed Ad Hoc Comm ittee would.An Ad Hoc Committee would ensure constructive, well-researched, workable proposals are submitted to the Assem bly for their approval.Such discussions, which, at present, already occur informally, would be undertaken in a collaborative and engaging setting, taking into consideration the ideas and opinions of every participant.
I encourage you to support the creation of this Ad Hoc Committee. We have the momentum, we have the ideas, now all we need is the drive to get the job of electoral reform done.
End of original memo
After meeting with a number of individuals who were concerned with the makeup of the committee, I came to the conclusion that my original proposition would not be in the best interests of the organization.
As you'll note in the revised structure, more emphasis is given to diversity of opinion, and seeks to include as many voices as possible. The role of chair is filled by the Speaker, as that role
was meant to facilitate discussion and provide context, rather than set the direction of the committee which shall be done by every member.
Hopefully this structure will be the most conducive one for the kind of dialogue we need on such a pressing and important issue.
As always, in solidarity,
Chris Erl SRA Humanities
Moved by Milani, seconded b y that the Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform be struck for theduration of SRA 2013-2014 under the following terms of reference:
AD HOC COMMITTEE ON DEMOCRATIC REFORMShall be struck to gather ideas and facilitate dialogue concerning the reforms to the democratic structure of the McMaster Students Union;
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this committee shall:
• Shall consist of the following:o One (1) chair, who shall be the MSU speaker (non-voting member),o One (1) MSU President (voting member), o One (1) Chief Returning Officer or designate (non-voting member), o One (1) Bylaws and Procedures Commissioner (non-voting member),o A minimum of two (2) and a maximum of five (5) SRA members elected at-large (voting members),
ando A minimum of one (1) and a maximum of five (5) MSU members, elected at large (voting
members);
• Ensure that any SRA member, the Vice-Presidents (Administration, Education, Finance), and the MSU Administrative Assistant will be noted as official observers of the Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform;
• Investigate alternatives to the composition of the SRA, the election of the Vice-Presidents of the MSU, theelection of Representatives to the SRA, but not limited to those areas;
• Set a reporting schedule to ensure the SRA is informed of the Ad Hoc Committee on Democratic Reform's progress;
• Provide a number of recommendations based on its findings to the SRA in order to allow the Assembly the opportunity to vote on which recommendation it deems as the most appropriate to undertake;
• Provide the Bylaws and Procedures Committee an opportunity to examine its findings to ensure its proposals do not conflict with or contravene the MSU Constitution or any applicable Bylaws;
• Provide the Operations Committee an opportunity to examine its findings to ensure its proposals do not conflict with or contravene any existing MSU Operating Policies;
• As per Bylaw 3, 6.2.4. and 6.2.5., dissolve upon the completion of their mandate or upon the end of the SRA's term in office.
MEMOFrom the office o f the...
Services Committee CommissionerTO: Members of the Student Representative AssemblyFROM: Elise Milani, SRA Services Committee CommissionerSUBJECT: Re-Striking WTC Ad-Hoc CommitteeDATE: April 7th, 2013
Dear Assembly,
As last year’s Assembly recommended, we should restrike the Women and Trans* Centre (WTC) Committee to continue to investigate all the logistics behind the creation of a WTC on campus.
At the March 24, 2013 meeting, the SRA voted in recognition of a need for a WTC on campus and agreed to continue to work with the University and partners to do so. Re-striking this committee for the 2013-2014 year will be the most efficient way for this to get done through the connections we have already established.
Through recommendations from the committee, I’ve increased the number of MSU members that can sit on the committee, as we had 7-10 MSU members at a given meeting, but only 3 of which were voting members.
Moved by Milani, seconded by that the Women & Trans* Centre Ad HocCommittee be struck for the duration of SRA 2013-2014 under the following terms of reference:
Ad Hoc Committee to investigate establishment of a Women and Trans* Centre
The committee shall investigate and report to the SRA on the need for a Women and Trans* Centre at McMaster University.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this committee shall:
• Consist of the following voting members:• One (1) Vice-President (Administration),• One (1) Services Commissioner,• Two (2) SRA members elected at-large, and• Minimum of three (3), maximum of six (6) MSU members elected at-large;• A minimum of fifty per cent (50%) of the committee's voting members shall be
women-identified,
• Select a chair from within its voting membership;
• Include the following official observers:• All SRA members not otherwise voting members of the committee,• An MSU Administrative Assistant,• Queer Student Community Centre Coordinator,• Diversity Services Co-Directors,• Student Health Education Centre Coordinator,• An appointed representative by the Student Health and Wellness Centre,• An appointed representative from McMaster Security Services,• A member appointed by Feminist Alliance McMaster,• The SACHA Project Coordinator, and• The YWCA Hamilton Project Coordinator;
• Investigate and identify needs which could be addressed by a Centre;
• Subject to establishing a need for a Centre, develop a proposed operational model that would address: Funding sources, other resources, location, services to be offered, and the Centre’s relationship with the MSU, University departments, and external entities, as appropriate;
• Provide the MSU Operations Committee with an opportunity to examine the ad hoc committee’s findings and recommendations, so as to receive advice to ensure recommendations are aligned with MSU operating policies and practices;
• Submit a written interim report to the SRA at the first meeting of the Assembly in January 2013; and
• Submit a written final report to the SRA at the first meeting of the Assembly in March 2013.
• As per Bylaw 3, 6.2.4. and 6.2.5., dissolve upon the completion of their mandate or upon the end of the SRA’s term in office.
