News in brief
Tensions ran high throughout the Oct. 4 University Centre board meeting leading to a walkout by several members of the board to cause a loss of quorum for any further board decisions at that meeting.
Following Don O’Leary’s proposal for renovations at the Sept. 20 UC board meeting, the board of directors was tasked to make a decision to approve, deny, or suggest amendments to the proposal at their Oct. 4 meeting.
The major concerns around the proposal dealt with the displacement of the Guelph Resource Centre for Gender Empowerment and Diversity (GRCGED) from their first-floor location and the lack of consultation about the space needs of other special status groups, like Guelph Queer Equality, the Guelph Black Students’ Association, the International Student Organization, The Peak, and the Ontario Public Interest Research Group Guelph.
“The major concerns around the proposal dealt with the displacement of the Guelph Resource Centre for Gender Empowerment and Diversity…”
Following the presentation of a space needs report and letter of solidarity from a coalition of special status groups (SSGs) and student service groups, a three-part motion was proposed to delay any decisions regarding renovations to UC admin space until the board review the space needs report (with the exception of renovations related to accessibility and AODA compliance), to ensure SSGs have substantial and substantive input in further development of UC space, and to direct the Management and Operations committee to allow representatives from SSGs to have involvement on the committee in a non-voting capacity.
With the renovations affecting several different spaces on the first floor, as well as Peter Clark Hall in the basement, a motion was proposed to split the board’s decisions up into six different motions in order to discuss the use of each space individually.
In general terms, the motions were made as follows: to convert the old convenience store location into new washrooms; to convert UC 103 and Click Signs space into student lounge space; to convert the current washroom area into student lounge space; to renovate Peter Clark Hall as a whole; to convert the vault space (located across from GRCGED) into meeting room space; and to convert GRCGED’s current space into student lounge space.
“…a motion was proposed to split the board’s decisions up into six different motions…”
The first two motions were passed by the board with little opposition. When the third motion to convert the current washroom space into student lounge space was opened to discussion, an amendment was proposed to instead convert the current washroom into SSG space. When the amendment failed and the original motion was passed, six student board reps walked out of the meeting, causing a loss of quorum and preventing the board from voting on the remaining three motions.
The executive members of the board decided to proceed with voting on the rest of the motions through an electronic survey to be sent to board members on Oct. 5, giving them 48 hours to respond. Any board members who do not respond within that time will be counted as having abstained from voting.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.
I just wanted to note that the student members left after five (5) hours of meeting.