Executive hopes move will allow smoother operations in future
On Wed. Jan 29, the Central Student Association (CSA) tried for the second time since September to run its Annual General Meeting (AGM). This time, though, they managed to pull it off just long enough to get the essential business completed.
In the past, the CSA has struggled to attract the requisite number of students, known as “quorum,” that is required to make decisions at the meeting. But it appears that better signage, advertising and incentives – along with a catchier name, AGM 2.0 – made the difference this time. Two hundred and fifteen students turned out for the start of the AGM in Peter Clark Hall, well surpassing quorum, which had been set at one per cent of the undergraduate student population, or 150 students.
But the CSA has managed to reach quorum just twice in the past six years, with the last time being in 2011. A considerable backlog of CSA bylaw amendments had accumulated in that time, with each requiring ratification by the AGM. Not incidentally, reducing quorum from one per cent of the undergraduate body to 100 members was one of the newly proposed amendments.
The motion to reduce quorum inspired a healthy debate among attendees. David Alton, CSA Board member from the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS), stressed that failed AGMs result in disruption, confusion and considerable disappointment for all parties involved.
“There is turnover on the Board and on the Executive, and so we lose the memory of why we even made these decisions,” said Alton, referring to the backlog of bylaw amendments. “The reason why we want to have a smaller quorum is so that we can actually get these bylaws passed – get these auditor reports passed – so that we can actually have a smooth functioning organization.”
When an AGM fails, the Board must hold a special meeting to approve the essential financial and auditor reports while bylaw amendments get pushed to the next AGM.
“I understand that there is this notion that we want to have good democracy, but we also want to be effective,” said Alton.
Kimmy Snider, another Board member from CSAHS, also noted that lowering quorum would help “mitigate the confusions” associated with having to pass a glut of bylaws all at once.
Student unions across Canada have struggled to inspire attendance at annual general meetings without having contentious issues up for debate. Brock University Student’s Union attracted just 26 students to its January AGM, 274 short of quorum.
In Peter Clark Hall, those in opposition to reducing quorum expressed concern that not enough was being done to promote awareness of the issues at hand and that a lower quorum would result in complacency. Susan Ottem expressed this concern to a smattering of applause, but later refined her question to the Executive.
“I guess what I am really asking is, if we are asking for quorum to be 100, can we also have some minimum requirements for the amount of promotion and work that needs to be done in order to get people in here?”
The Executive seemed unsure about what more it could do promote interest, and noted that this AGM had succeeded in making quorum. But they added that they were open to suggestions.
In the end, after a lengthy discussion, the motion was called to question and passed by a considerable margin.
Another amendment that attracted attention – somewhat surprisingly – concerned the CSA’s decision to officially peg its fee increases to the cost of living index calculated by the U of G, rather than by its own calculations through Statistics Canada. There was some confusion about whether the original bylaw was the result of a student referendum and thus whether it could be changed at the AGM.
As a matter of practical necessity, the remainder of the uncontested bylaw amendments, many of which were little more than clarification of wording, were passed in omnibus.
But while the meeting progressed, students steadily trickled out. As the AGM went well into its second hour, even the new, lower quorum was lost. The meeting was adjourned before the last item on the agenda, the Board of Director’s business, could be discussed.