The Student Union Society (SUS) held an additional board meeting this month to approve a new policy regarding interpersonal relationships.
Interpersonal relationships, defined in the policy as individuals being related or partners, will no longer be permitted on the four-person executive committee. If partners or relatives are voted on to the executive team during the same election, or develop an interpersonal relationship while on the board, one will be asked to step down.
Additionally, partners or relatives are no longer able to be supervised or hired by a partner or relative within the society. They are able to work at SUS, but if the project or department they work for falls under the jurisdiction of a relative or spouse, the person will be moved to a different department.
The Interpersonal Relationships Policy was sent back for wording changes at the last board meeting. Tania Smart, SUS vice president internal, said the board wanted to approve the policy before the start of elections as it could affect who is able to run. Nominations for the SUS elections began Feb. 17, and the policy was approved Feb. 13.
According to Smart, issues regarding interpersonal relationships within the society were noted in the past. There were concerns that if two people were in a relationship on the executive team the relationship may influence decisions.
This policy addition is part of the ongoing revisions and updates to SUS’s policies and forms. Currently, the Election Rules, Election Oversight Procedure, and Oversight Policy have been updated and approved by the board, along with the Conferences and Travel Expenses policies.
Four more policies have been updated and are waiting for approval, including the Election Policy which needs to be voted on at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on April 1 at 1 p.m.
