By Jordan Press
After months of turmoil over a referendum to leave the Canadian Federation of Students, the defederation vote was to die last night-a move RyeSAC President Dave MacLean said he endorsed.
Rebecca Rose, RyeSAC vice president education, brought forth a motion for the board of directors to accept what students said at the Semi Annual General Meeting: They didn’t want to leave the CFS.
“We should be the voice for students,” she said, “and if we’re not listening to them, then we’re not going to be a good voice. “[The motion is] basically making sure we follow the direction we were given.”
Voting results from the meeting were not available before press time. Yesterday, MacLean said the ongoing arguments over the referendum were not making RyeSAC productive.
For that reason, he said, it was “time to let go of this issue.” “We’re in a wheel right now – we’re gerbils running around and not getting anywhere and we have to start moving somewhere,” MacLean said. “I think it’s time that we drop this issue and move forward to better things.”
A separate motion on the agenda called for RyeSAC to poll students to find out if they want out of the CFS. The motion ends by saying that any decision to hold a referendum on the CFS should be based on the results of the poll.
But Rose said RyeSAC already got their answer from students. “We already got a clear mandate from 300 students,” she said, referring to the number of students who came out to the SAGM. “We should be acting on that mandate.”
Rose’s motion also encompasses other non-binding votes held at the SAGM, including an investigation into RyeSAC’s hiring processes to avoid another scandal-like the one the student union faced earlier this term when two students who had been denied Work Study positions accused executives of meddling.
After they complained to the ombudsperson, RyeSAC reopened the hiring process. Other motions on the agenda last night: – A motion to campaign for residence staff wages. Students working in residences at other universities get a subsidy, but at Ryerson they get squat.
Cristina Ribeiro, vice president student life and events, would work with the university on this one. – Including preamble to all motions at future SAGM’s, so students can understand what they’re voting on.
There was no background information for many motions at the SAGM.
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