Located on the second floor of the University Centre, the Central Student Association, or the CSA, serves as Guelph’s student union. The CSA offers services such as the student bus pass, Meal Exchange, CSA clubs, the Bike Centre, Safewalk, and thecannon.ca, as well as the cheapest printing on campus, to name a few. The organization also strives to improve study space for students around campus—this is the organization that was responsible for transforming the Bullring from a place to show cattle into a student café.
Often, as is the case with many campus organizations, first- and second-year students struggle to understand what the CSA does and the opportunities they provide for getting involved. Asia Barclay, the CSA’s external affairs commissioner and member of the 2015-2016 executive committee, explains that there is a simple process for students who want to get involved:
“If they want to do it in person, they just drop by at the front office between business hours and they can ask to get our cards, [or] they can ask to come speak with us during our office hours. If you prefer email, which is usually easier in terms of coordination and getting your needs assessed right away, you can email Sonia; she’s the communications and corporate affairs commissioner, she’s the voice of our organization—hence why her email is csatalk@uoguelph.ca. If it’s campaigns [you’re interested in], [or] social and environmental justice, you can email me [Asia Barclay]—students can come directly to me if they want to get in on the campaigns [csaext@uoguelph.ca].”
All of the CSA board meetings are open to the public, and are held on every alternate Wednesday. At these meetings, the board discusses important issues regarding students and possible solutions. According to the website, “Votes on the CSA board of directors are held by the five executives, 14 at-large individuals (elected, two per college), seven College governments (appointed), and nine student organizations (appointed).”
“In a nutshell, each board member works under the consideration of the CSA’s welfare, image, and mandate to defend and protect the rights and interests of students,” said Barclay. “The board members assume the fiscal and moral responsibilities inherent in being a director of a not-for-profit corporation, which is what the CSA is. They have to be prepared and informed. They’re ready to participate in all major discussions, and as such they have a huge influence across campus and beyond—they make decisions that affect the quality and type of campaign.”
The CSA board is comprised of appointed student members—for example, when Asia Barclay campaigned and won for an executive position, she automatically gained a seat on the board.
Barclay also pointed out that there are appointed reps, something that most students don’t know about. Students from certain organizations on campus, such as CSAHS, are appointed as reps within their groups and gain representation on the board.
The executive committee consists of “the full time, elected commissioners, so everyone who’s an executive commissioner is automatically on it,” said Barclay. The executive committee has decision-making power to a certain extent, working under a quorum of three (the majority out of five members).
“We have a very intimate relationship with the organization because we are here everyday, we’re always on the ground, we’re in full time roles,” said Barclay.
“When we’re reporting to the board, it’s our responsibility to have our regular meetings—we take minutes, we vote, we have quorum—very similar processes, just on that smaller scale. We can approve certain decisions, like I mentioned financial ones, up to a certain point, and do hiring up to a certain point.”