RSU board meeting highlights: equity service centre policy updates, online referendum voting

By Noushin Ziafati

An update to the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) equity service centres policy and online polling for referendums were among matters discussed at the Oct. 18 board meeting.  

Appointment of the meeting chair

RSU president Susanne Nyaga took on the role of chair at the meeting. Since an emergency board meeting in July where Osman Hamid was appointed as the official chair for all RSU board meetings this year, which was later ruled out of order–she has been the chair for every board meeting. 

Motion to update equity service centres policy–PASSED

A motion tabled from the last board meeting to make amendments to the current policy that is designated to the equity service centres passed. 

The updated policy features language that is more “equitable” and allows the equity service centres to host closed events, meetings and trainings solely for marginalized communities if deemed necessary, such as in the case with Racialised Students’ Collective events and meetings. 

“The policy hasn’t been updated in a real long time,” said Camryn Harlick, who moved the motion. The policy was last updated was in 2010. 

Motion to ratify a chief returning officer–PASSED

For the November 2017 RSU by-election, Amiri Dear was ratified as the chief returning officer (CRO). The CRO is an impartial member of the RSU who oversees the election process and conducts annual reports. 

Dear was also the CRO for the RSU election last year.

Motion to make transit committee a standing committee–PASSED

Vice-president education Daniel Lis put forward a motion to make the RSU transit committee a standing committee, guaranteeing that it has to run every year. This also allows the committee to extend its projects into the following year and beyond, as long as the project takes. 

Motion for online polling for referendums–PASSED

A motion passed to allow voting for student referendums to be conducted online.

This allows voting for the latest RSU referendum for the Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line and the Good Food Centre to be done online.

— Noushin (@nziafati) October 18, 2017

The Sexual Assault Support Survivor Line and the Good Food Centre are currently campaigning in favour of their referendum to create a $5 per student levy in the fall and winter semesters to improve their services. Full-time students can vote for the referendum at my.ryerson.ca from Nov. 6 until 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 9.