By Jess Wind (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: January 29, 2014
After cancelling their November Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) and failing their first rescheduled attempt in early January, the Student Union Society (SUS) EGM made good use of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Quorum was achieved with 41 attending members, three of whom Skyped in from Chilliwack.
Before the agenda was adopted, representative-at-large Jay Mitchell presented two motions. The first moved to adopt Robert’s Rules of Order for the meeting, and the second sought to suspend section 16 of the SUS bylaws which define “special business” at a general meeting.
VP finance Ryan Petersen chaired the meeting and ruled that the adoption of Robert’s Rules was redundant as per SUS bylaws, and that bylaws cannot be suspended as per the B.C. Societies Act. Neither motion was added.
Biology and Chemistry Student Association (BCSA) president Jennifer Martel then asked to amend the agenda, requesting to have her motion added, without it having been approved. Martel’s motion would see SUS mandated to put at least 55 per cent of its total budget directly toward student services.
Petersen ruled that because of the nature of the motion, it would need to be submitted as a special resolution.
“We’ve proposed policies in the past at meetings, there’s never been a problem proposing a policy such as this, as opposed to a bylaw. It’s never required a special resolution,” Martel said.
Special resolutions are required to be submitted at least 14 days in advance of a SUS general meeting, and since the motion constituted special business, Petersen ruled it would not be added to the agenda.
However, Martel said she contacted SUS in November, prior to the first scheduled EGM, and was told that because SUS had already printed the agenda on posters to put around the school, the motion would not be added and the posters not reprinted.
She said she was not contacted when the next EGM was scheduled and her motion was left off the agenda.
VP academic Kristianne Hendricks recommended the motion be tabled in order to give the general membership more time to review it, but Petersen reminded those present that since the motion was not yet added to the agenda, it couldn’t be tabled.
In response, Mitchell stood up to appeal Petersen’s ruling.
“It appears the chair refuses to accept any business from being placed on this agenda. The general membership appears to believe otherwise,” he said.
Petersen explained that while Robert’s Rules would allow them to suspend Robert’s Rules, the B.C. Societies Act that governs SUS supersedes Robert’s Rules.
After more back-and-forth regarding Petersen’s ruling, the interpretation of Robert’s Rules, and the status of Martel’s motion, it was ruled that none of the proposed motions would be added to the agenda.
With this decision, at least a dozen of the members in attendance left, and the meeting moved on to the approval of the agenda.
Forty minutes into the meeting, the agenda was finally approved, and the annual auditor’s report quickly followed.
Petersen then moved on to the purpose of the meeting: a board reform motion over a year in the making. Hendricks outlined the main points, recapping the information presented at several info meetings over the last month, and the motion was unceremoniously approved.
Business moved along quickly thereafter with elections policy updates amended and voted in, and the induction of MNP as SUS’s new auditor.
The meeting adjourned at 4:11 p.m. More details to follow regarding the controversy of Martel’s motion.
Editors note: This article was corrected on January 05 2014. From “55 per cent of its total budget directly toward student clubs, associations, and events.” to “55 per cent of its total budget directly toward student services.” And “would allow them to suspend bylaws.” to “would allow them to suspend Robert’s Rules.”
