[temara.brown]

MSU General Assembly Planning Committee

*NEW MEETING TIME*
When: Thursday, February 12th, 3PM
Where: MSU Main Office, MUSC 201

Why:
The MSU General Assembly (GA) is your opportunity for to pass binding motions on the MSU. It is a chance to have your and/or your club’s opinion heard by decision makers and the public. It is a vehicle to have a say in bettering your student union, and it is an open and public forum for discussion on any matter students wish to have heard by your student leadership.

For the past many years, there has been a consistent low turnout from students. Why this is happening is what is springing this move for a planning committee.

Recently, macinsiders has become a hot-spot for discussion on MSU-related activities. Organizing an efficient general assembly will enhance this discussion and would be likely to produce more substantial results. So, I encourage all macinsiders members to take up an active role and attend a planning committee meeting or at least send an email to your MSU president with what you would like to see out of your general assembly.

Remember, the MSU is made what it is by the contributions of its students who comprise it.

Here are some comments from macinsiders members who had attended the most recent General Assembly:

I did end up going to the General Assembly. I have to say, I learned a lot of new things though I was bewildered at times.
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There has to be a way to raise awareness about these General Assemblies so that more students come out. After all, a lot of the issues brought up concern the students and they should be familiar about what goes on behind the scenes.
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I'm also a first-year student and this was the first GA I've been to and I was quite satisfied with it. It was much more relaxed than I thought it would be, and I was not aware that the students had such direct access to making important decisions affecting the school.

I believe it is of great importance for students of all academic backgrounds and personal school values and beliefs to come out to the next General Assembly in March. Most students are not aware of the role they play in school government. It's funny how these GA's and such are for discussing issues for the betterment of students, and such few students outside of the MSU/SRA come and participate. For the next GA, there should be increased promotion highlighting the advantages of attending the GA, and there should also be a build up of interest for students to realize how this can benefit them. I am sure a lot of students would have been there if they were more aware of the assembly. Just having a sign beside the Tim Hortons in MUSC pointing to GH 111 would have surely brought in more people.

Overall, the GA was a great eye-opener for me for how decisions affecting the student body are made and how student comments can be heard by the MSU. I hope that there will be an increase in interest from the student body so real change can commence.


From the MSU president Regarding the General Assembly:
(printed in previous edition of the Silhouette)
The General Assembly (GA) of the MSU is a place where the business of students is brought before an open and public session, where individuals can have any issues(s) addressed and even have binding motions passed on the union.

It has been nearly two decades since an MSU GA has met quorum. Quorum is the definition of sufficient student representation to validate the decisions being made at a GA. Without quorum, (3% of the student population or approximately 600 people), motions of a GA are not binding on the union. The Board of Directors (BoD) and the Student Representative Assembly (SRA) have come to the conclusion that MSU GA’s need a serious evaluation and overhaul. For years now, GA’s have been hosted amidst a backdrop of futility, due to the repeatedly discouraging results that was a lack of quorum. That being the case, the student leadership of today wants this trend of simply going through the motions of a GA to stop. This upcoming GA is being conducted with the best intentions of attaining quorum, however, one would be foolish to ignore the 20 years of precedence laid before us.

To that end, the first of two GA’s will be held on January 29th @ 2pm in Gilmour Hall 111 (Council Chambers). Council Chambers will provide an ideal location to discuss the matter of the lacklustre nature of past General Assemblies and debate the proposed changes that student leaders intend to bring forth at that time. This GA may better be under stood as a town hall style event, whereby as a collective of engaged individuals on campus, we can discuss the forthcoming proposals, as well as any other issues or business that MSU members at large (i.e. YOU!) wish to have heard. Moreover, the VP Finance will provide a report on the union’s economic standing and will be available for questions.

Come to this forum and have your opinion heard on any matter related to the MSU. How are your student services being run? What advocacy work would you like to see? In what areas should the MSU better lobby the University administration? And most importantly, how can we restore the value and prominence of an MSU General Assembly?

[DannyV]

8 hour notice...nice one

[stevennevets]

it's funny, because i read the article and knew someone was going to complain like that.

if we look at it like this... sra meetings are sunday night. they usually go really late. temara, an sra member, posted this around 3 am? probably right after she got home...

it seems very likely that it was brought up in the sra meeting that this committee would be meeting today, and a member of the sra decided to help them by notifying non-GA committee members through macinsiders. she probably didn't even know until it was brought up and confirmed at the meeting.

sure, more notice is great, but realize that she didn't have to do that. some appreciation would be great.

[Phoenix]

thanks temara!!

[temara.brown]

<3 thank you for thanking!

[DannyV]

I'm sure there were good reasons why this gathering couldn't be held later in the week.

I'd be happy to hear a few.

Just to make things clear, I DO appreciate the fact the Temara took the time to let us know about. The comment was directed at the SRA in general.

[temara.brown]

it is the duty of the president to call the general assembly meetings and I believe this planning committee was mainly his initiative as well.. email him if you would like another meeting time and spare the rest of the already well-cirticised SRA.

I couldn't make this one either because I ended up sleeping in! :(


...and the 'cirticised' thing is a supposed to be a funny in case you thought I forgot to grammer good.

[DannyV]

Originally Posted by temara.brown

it is the duty of the president to call these meetings and I believe this was mainly his initiative as well

Good to know.

[steps2health]

alright! I'm coming to the meeting!

[AndrewC]

I am starting to think that these GA's are just farces.

The first of the GA's was held in a room where it could not even make quorum and was advertised by a 30 person deep facebook event group and a few posters, posters that I had difficulty finding and I was looking for them. How is someone who is not active with MSU activities supposed to know about this? I barely knew and all I care about is the MSU.

Now there is a planning committee meeting, which was announced less than a day before the meeting is taking place? It is almost like someone doesn't want these things to be successful.

December 9th, 1964 - MSU General Assembly meets quorum and ammends the constitution

(My Favourite)

March 21, 1974 - 2,300 students meet in the Ivor Wynne Centre’s main gymnasium in the largest ever MSU General Assembly. Student parity with faculty on Senate and the Board of Governors, University policy in relation to the French department, and campus security were the major issues. The General Assembly demanded an open meeting of Senate be called within a week to discuss these issues – and authorized a general strike by the student body if the Senate meeting was not held by the deadline

November 9: An MSU General Assembly reaches quorum; 272 members attend the meeting held in CNH B107. The MSU is directed to communicate its displeasure with a new student aid programme to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. A motion censuring the SRA, recalling the Assembly, and ordering new elections is defeated.

General Assemblies can work, we jsut need to find how, and someone NEEDS to make it work

[temara.brown]

I'm hoping another meeting will be scheduled and I'll keep you posted.

We're all in agreement that we want to make it work.

Oh, and if you want to speak with Azim, there's "Coffee with Kasmani" going on today from 2-4 on second floor of the student centre, probably across from Ombuds. This was advertised on the MSU website in case you were about to get kerfluffled about that too.

[AndrewC]

Thanks Temara, as much criticism as the SRA gets I have to say you have done an excellent job posting many MSU related updates.