Changes to be implemented May 1
The Central Student Association (CSA) board of directors voted in favour of a proposal that will restructure the executive committee into a hierarchal model, through amending an existing CSA structural bylaw.
To pass, the vote needed a two-thirds majority, which was achieved following extensive discussion between members on the board of directors representing both sides of the proposal.
The proposed amendment was brought forward to the board of directors on Jan. 18 by academic and university affairs commissioner Meghan Wing.
Wing said that the current CSA structure “Promotes a disconnect between students and exec,” and limits both the accountability and the efficiency of the organization.
One of the significant points of contention during the meeting was the proposed removal of voting power for the executive committee on the board of directors.
Elizabeth Cyr, a representative from the Ontario Public Interest Research Group Guelph (OPIRG), questioned the decision to have the executive as a non-voting body, stating, “The executive members are elected by students, so that is a way students have of voicing what they want.”
The Ontario Veterinary College at-large representative Natalie Chow, responded to Cyr’s concerns by listing the various boards and committees on which the executive members hold seats and how they can advocate for students through these various other channels.
The Ontario Agricultural College at-large representative Spencer McGregor asked about the matter of consultation in structuring the proposed bylaw change and the extent of this consultation.
Wing responded that there was thorough consultation with permanent staff and added that feedback from the board of directors was encouraged, but none was given prior to the meeting.
A contingent of 22 former CSA executives from the last 18 years have collectively expressed their concerns with the restructure proposal.
In a submission to The Ontarion published on Jan. 12, the former executives urged the current board of directors to vote against the proposal, writing that, “If these changes pass, they will provide the structural framework for a student association that is run more like a corporation than a membership driven non-profit, with an emphasis on service provision at the expense of representation and organization in defence of student rights.”
The CSA’s current finance and operations commissioner Ryan Shoot spoke in support of the proposal, especially the hiring of a general manager to carry out human resources responsibilities, and allowing executives to pursue the issues that were the basis for their election platform.
“On weekends I’m working on the stuff I was elected on, during the week I’m running a business,” Shoot said, concluding that, “I’ve been to a lot of conferences this year and every time I tell people we do not have hierarchal structure, they look at us like we’re crazy.”
The board of directors then opened up the discussion to hear from guests in attendance, who all spoke in favour of the proposed bylaw amendment.
Following remarks from guests, an additional amendment to the proposed bylaw change was introduced, but was denied after being called into question by Wing for being “Against the entire spirit of the original motion.”
The board was then called to vote on the proposal by means of a roll-call vote. Twenty-five of the directors present were in favour of the proposal and five were opposed. Now that the proposal has been approved by the board, the new structure will be presented at the CSA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) for approval on Feb. 1. If passed, the changes will be effective as of May 1, 2017 and will be incorporated into the upcoming winter election regulations and platforms. If this year’s AGM does not reach quorum, the changes will be in effect until the next scheduled AGM.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.
In the original version of this article published on Jan. 26, it was stated that the new structure will be in effect as of May 1, 2017, however, this decision needs to be passed at the CSA’s Annual General Meeting in order for the changes to be implemented. The original version also stated that 27 of the directors present were in favour of the proposal—that number should be 25. In the original version, Ryan Shoot was misquoted as saying that “juggling his executive responsibilities with running the staff of his office was comparable to ‘eating a potato raw.’” This quote has been corrected to reflect the official meeting minutes.
The Ontarion regrets the errors that were published in the article.