The Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) Annual General Meeting on March 31 went out with a whimper, losing quorum less than an hour after it was reached. Some items didn’t make it to the floor. Here’s what you missed, and what you didn’t.
Pass: more cash for election campaigns
The amount of reimbursable funds for RSU election campaigns was increased from $250 to $300, which is not enough according to David Fourney, who asked why the budget still hasn’t been adjusted to make elections accessible for students with disabilities.
In February, Fourney said he was discriminated against because he required a sign language interpreter in order to participate in the race, but it wasn’t in the RSU’s budget.
Fail: RSU opt-out
The most debated motion of the night was brought forth by Mark Single, who had been working to allow students to opt out through a written request to the union. The motion was voted down by a clear majority.
Pass: CRO budget policy
The renumeration for the RSU elections chief returning officer (CRO), previously decided by the RSU president, will now be up to the entire board of directors. Fourney pointed out that the president is allowed some say in choosing the CRO.
What we didn’t get to: the money
Although the financial report was moved towards the top of the agenda, too many seats emptied before it got to the floor. RSU vice-president finance Toby Whitfield says there are no real implications for this. The report, which also has to be approved by the board of directors, will be on the agenda at the next meeting. This year’s auditors needed to be re-approved, but policy allows the same firm to do the job in cases like this.
Leave a Reply