My name is Sameer Chhabra, and I’m The Ontarion’s news editor for the 2015-2016 year. I’d like to begin this week’s editorial by explaining how the paper usually goes about printing editorials. Typically, editorials are opinions expressed by members of the editorial staff that reflect the issues of the day. They can be serious, funny, melodramatic, or any combination in-between, but they are almost always opinionated. This week’s editorial is not one such article. Instead, it is the first issue of a new column I’m introducing into the news section called At the CSA. After this week, the column will be published in the news section one week after the CSA holds a board meeting. Read on to learn about the meeting that took place on Sept. 23, 2015:
The University of Guelph’s Central Student Association (CSA) held their first official board meeting of the fall semester on Sept. 23, 2015. The meeting lasted approximately three hours, and was host to almost every college government at the university. On the agenda was an assortment of issues, ranging from adding a new directorial seat for the Aboriginal Student Association to forming a committee to oppose the Ontario government’s sale of Hydro One.
After quickly establishing that enough directors were present to achieve a quorum, as well as introductory acknowledgements that the CSA shows solidarity with indigenous and aboriginal groups, and attempting to adopt the evening’s agenda, the meeting began with several rounds of dialogue regarding the extension of speaking rights to directors and guests.
Clearing up the confusion, and subsequently introducing new confounding elements into the fray, the board failed to pass a motion extending blanket speaking rights to all those present. Once the motion failed, the agenda was approved, and a motion was made to add new board members, while removing old members who were no longer involved with the board. The motion passed, and the CSA executives who were present began delivering their reports.
Peter Miller, the academic and university affairs commissioner commented on the university’s orientation week, praising the school for another successful introductory week. Sonia Chwalek, the communications and corporate affairs commissioner echoed Peter’s commendation of orientation week, while also explaining that the CSA has been working extensively to ensure that students are well-prepared for the upcoming Oct. 19 federal elections.
When asked about a one-year strategic plan from Zoey Ross, a member of the board and an Ontarion volunteer, Chwalek responded by explaining that it’s not typical for the CSA to have a strategic plan.
“It’s never really been common practice for the CSA to have a strategic plan,” said Chwalek. “It’s something we did last year, and it also depends on how we define a strategic plan. As with any position, there’s a lot of opportunities to do many things. Last year it was campaigns, outreach, and internal goals. Being able to have those focuses makes sure that what we’re taking on in our portfolios is still relevant to the overall year’s goals.”
While delivering her report, Scarlett Raczycki, the local affairs commissioner, explained that her work has been geared towards securing ecofeminist and food security activist Vandana Shiva as a speaker at the university. In addition, Raczycki explained that she has been working on planning One-in-Five week, as well as initiating sexual assault working committees.
Asia Barclay and Matthew Campbell, the external affairs commissioner and the human resources and operations commissioner, respectively, were not present for the evening’s meeting.
Once the executives had delivered their reports, Sarah Cooper, the policy and transition manager, took the floor to explain some of the expectations for the directors present at the meeting. In addition to explaining that the job of each college government is to act for the betterment of the CSA, Cooper also touched on a silent controversy brewing in the wings: an emergency in-camera board session organized on the evening of Monday, Sept. 21, 2015.
Representatives from the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences student association, as well as the College of Business and Economics student association, raised issue with this in-camera meeting that was allegedly hastily organized. As a result of not having ratified new board directors, some members of the board who should have been asked to attend the Sept. 21 meeting were excluded.
“Emergency board meetings don’t have an agenda,” explained Cooper. “They’re not a full meeting, they just deal with emergencies. That is why new people weren’t asked to attend the meeting.”
Joshua Ofori-Darko, the board’s external chair, further explained that emergency board meetings can only be held if three executives agree on a meeting, if a student petition with 50 signatures is organized, or if one third of the board petitions for a meeting.
While minutes and notes are taken for in-camera board meetings, directors can only access these minutes by consulting with a physical copy of the notes, and only in the presence of a CSA executive.
Once internal strife between the CSA and board directors was resolved, the board continued down the agenda, tackling business.
Most actions were relatively innocuous. An Indigenous student seat was added to the board. Directors were appointed to committees. However, perhaps the evening’s most important business was a major amendment to existing by-election bylaws. Specifically, the CSA passed a motion to strike fall by-elections from the CSA’s bylaw mandates, in order to better allocate resources.
When Chwalek, the communications and corporate affairs commissioner, was asked why the CSA chose to present an amendment striking October by-elections, she responded by referencing the motion.
“It was decided by the CSA Board of Directors to strike Bylaw 2 Section 3.1 because it was necessary, in order for it to be replaced by the process expressed in the motion,” explained Chwalek, via email. “The reason for the change in process was presented in the ‘Where As’ clauses of the motion, and it was discussed by the board. It was passed unanimously.”
New policy dictates that open board seats will be posted in a public call-out. Interested parties can seek nomination by accruing 50 valid signatures from members of their constituencies, at which point they will be required to present their interest to the board, who will either accept or reject potential nominees.
The board then took a quick recess, returned to pass two relatively minor motions, and the meeting was adjourned because a number of directors left and the group failed to make quorum.
The CSA board will next meet on Oct. 8, 2015.
About
The Ontarion publishes independent, student-produced news, opinion, and commentary for University of Guelph students so that they can make informed decisions in their lives. To do this, The Ontarion provides learning opportunities and training in journalism, media production, leadership, board governance, and other aspects of nonprofit news.
The Ontarion is the University of Guelph’s independent student newspaper. It began in 1951 as part of the Ontario Agricultural College and then began to represent the entire University of Guelph once it amalgamated in 1964. The Ontarion incorporated in May 1970 as The Ontarion, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered with the province of Ontario.