AGENDA B&P SRA STANDING COMMITTEE ON BYLAWS & PROCEDURES Tuesday, January 2:30 pm MSU Boardroom

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AGENDA B&P 13-13 SRA STANDING COMMITTEE ON BYLAWS & PROCEDURES Tuesday, January 14 @ 2:30 pm MSU Boardroom PROCEDURE Call of the Roll, Announcements & Reports, Business, New Business, Time of Next

1 AGENDA B&P SRA STANDING COMMITTEE ON BYLAWS & PROCEDURES Tuesday, January 2:30 pm MSU Boardroom PROCEDURE Call of the Roll, Announcements & Reports, Business, New Business, Time of Next Meeting, Adjournment ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Elections Bylaws ITEMS OF BUSINESS 1. Approve: Minutes from B&P Discussion: Committee Projects 3. Discussion: General Assembly Bylaw McMaster Students Union Student Representative Assembly MUSC 201F 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton srabylaws@msu.mcmaster.ca x27240

2 MINUTES B&P SRA STANDING COMMITTEE ON BYLAWS & PROCEDURES Tuesday, January 14, 2:30 pm MSU Boardroom Call to Order at 2:30 p.m. CALL OF THE ROLL Present Absent Excused Absent Late Others Present Chair Kristine Dicenzo (SRA Member), Eric Gillis (SRA Member), Ehima Osazuwa (SRA Member), Naomi Pullen (SRA Member), Arnav Agarwal (MSU Member), Sarah Kanko (MSU Member) Anser Abbas (SRA Member), Jess Bauman (Administrative Assistant), Maria Daniel (MSU Speaker) Gabriel Jeyasingham (SRA Bylaws and Procedures Commissioner) ANNOUNCEMENTS & REPORTS 1. Elections Bylaws Jeyasingham said he consulted with the CRO and DRO and gathered one main point of feedback. He said they suggested phasing out polling stations because very few voters visit polling stations due to online voting, and each polling station requires two paid poll clerks who need to be trained by the DRO. Removing polling stations could save money and the DRO s time. BUSINESS 1. Approve: Minutes from B&P (29 November 2013) There was no discussion on the minutes. Moved by Jeyasingham that the SRA Standing Committee on Bylaws and Procedures approve the minutes for B&P (29 November 2013), as circulated. In Favour: 7 Opposed: 0 Abstentions: 0 MOTION PASSES

3 MSU SRA Bylaws & Procedures Committee Meeting Minutes (14 January 2014) 2. Discussion: Committee Projects The committee decided on a timeline for projects: The group working on the Definitions Bylaw agreed to report to the committee each meeting and have an initial draft prepared for the February 3 meeting. The group working on the Standing Committees Bylaw agreed to have a draft prepared for the February 3 meeting, after consulting more with relevant individuals. Pullen and Kanko reported on their initial review of Bylaw 1 Definitions and said they would be reviewing all the bylaws and checking for defined words before the next meeting. They said there were minor clarifications to be made, and some definitions needed to be changed since they were circular. 3. Discussion: General Assembly Bylaw The committee discussed Section 2.3 Membership: Jeyasingham said it was inappropriate for honorary members to have voting rights, but that the Constitution says honorary members are members of the General Assembly (GA). Bauman noted that in Bylaw 2 Membership, honorary members are restricted from making decisions that expend funds. Gillis said that although the Constitution says honorary members are GA members, we do not need to put it in the bylaw. Pullen said saying all MSU members shall be voting members does not explicitly exclude honorary MSU members, and that the bylaw currently explicitly includes honorary members. She said that just saying all MSU members would be fine, and if the Constitution was changed to remove honorary MSU members, we would not need to go back and change this bylaw. Kanko said the Constitution just lists honorary MSU members as members of GA, but that it does not specifically say they have voting rights. o Daniel said her interpretation was that because the term members is used to define quorum, and because the idea of quorum cannot be separated from the idea of voting, the term member implies that they have voting rights. Abbas agreed the Constitution should be changed to exclude honorary MSU members from voting, and that we should not include it in the bylaw if we are going to amend the Constitution anyway. The committee decided to remove and honorary MSU members from Section 2.3 due to redundancy and change the appropriate sections of the Constitution to prevent honorary MSU members from having voting rights. The committee discussed Section 2.1 Definition: Pullen said that the actual definition of the General Assembly in Bylaw 1 Definitions is different from what is listed here. She suggested either changing the Definitions Bylaw or changing the wording of Section

4 MSU SRA Bylaws & Procedures Committee Meeting Minutes (14 January 2014) Kanko said that this definition is a functional definition, whereas the one in Bylaw 1 Definitions is more descriptive. Bauman recommended changing the definition of Bylaw 1 or also adding elements of the Bylaw 1 definition into the one listed in the GA bylaw. Jeyasingham said he would change the definition in Section 2.1 to reflect what was written in Bylaw 1 Definitions. The committee discussed Section 5.8 Starting/Ending Times: Jeyasingham said that extending the time of the meeting is contingent on the availability of the booked room, and that this needed to be addressed in the bylaw. Gillis said the GA should not be restricted by the availability of the room, and that the GA should be able to switch rooms or move outside if needed. o Pullen agreed that the length of time for GA should not strictly be restricted by logistics. Bauman said that booking Burridge Gym, one of the only places that can contain the number of students required for quorum, is difficult and expensive to book for an extended period of time. She also said that Avtek and her own time as the Secretary needs to be booked, and that she would be uncomfortable with being present for an unusually long GA. o Daniel agreed that booking Burridge Gym is difficult since it is typically booked up with very few availabilities. Gillis said that it did not matter what was written in this clause, since the GA could vote to change the bylaw. o Jeyasingham clarified that the GA cannot amend bylaws in general, but because Section 5.8 is a procedural rule, it can be overridden by a vote of the GA as per Robert s Rules of Order. He said that the bylaw would just outline the default situation, and if the GA did not like the default situation where the meeting ends when it is scheduled to end, they can vote to extend it. Bauman suggested having it read, The meeting shall typically end when it scheduled to end to allow for flexibility in terms of when the motion to adjourn occurs. o The committee agreed with this option, since it was important to allow flexibility for the GA to extend the meeting time or end early depending on how extensive or empty the agenda for the meeting is. o Abbas agreed that we should not explicitly state that the GA meeting time can be extended due to the aforementioned issues. He said that the issue would come up near the end of the meeting anyway if a student felt that there was not enough time, and that the Speaker would be responsible for explaining the options available (e.g. extending the meeting, calling a new meeting, etc.). TIME OF NEXT MEETING Tuesday, January 21, 2:30-3:30 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 3:32 p.m. /gj 3

BYLAW X GENERAL ASSEMBLY (DRAFT 3.2) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 The purpose of this bylaw is to define the General Assembly (GA) and consolidate the procedures for all its meetings.

5 BYLAW X GENERAL ASSEMBLY (DRAFT 3.2) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 The purpose of this bylaw is to define the General Assembly (GA) and consolidate the procedures for all its meetings. This bylaw also defines the roles of the GA Planning Committee and those individuals responsible for the organization of GA meetings. 2. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY Definition 2.1 The General Assembly (GA) shall be the highest governing body of the MSU; Authority 2.2 Any resolution made by a quorate GA shall be binding on the SRA and shall not lose its authority upon dissolution of that SRA; Membership 2.3 All MSU members and honorary MSU members shall be the voting members of the GA. 3. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLANNING COMMITTEE Chair 3.1 The Speaker shall chair the GA Planning Committee, and shall have no vote; Members 3.2 The voting members of the GA Planning Committee shall be: The President; One (1) SRA member; One (1) MSU member. 3.3 The non-voting members of the GA Planning Committee shall be: The Chief Returning Officer; The Administrative Assistant(s); The Student Life Development Coordinator, or designate; The Campus Events Director, or designate. Election 3.4 The SRA shall elect the SRA and MSU members to the GA Planning Committee by September 30 of each year, and the committee shall dissolve on March 31; Not yet approved by the SRA

6 Bylaw X General Assembly Page 2 Quorum 3.5 Quorum for the GA Planning Committee shall be two (2) voting members plus two (2) non-voting members; Duties 3.6 As chair of the GA Planning Committee, the Speaker shall: Coordinate and oversee the promotion, organization, and execution of GA meetings; Report to the SRA on behalf of the GA Planning Committee at least once before any GA meeting. 3.7 The GA Planning Committee shall: Determine and schedule the starting time, ending time, date, and location of all GA meetings; Direct or provide recommendations to the Speaker regarding the promotion, organization, and execution of GA meetings; Assist the Speaker with tasks associated with the promotion, organization, execution of GA meetings; Determine the extent to which resources will be allocated to a GA meeting, subject to the approval of the Executive Board. Attendance and Recall 3.8 Voting members of the committee are subject to attendance requirements and recall procedures specified in Bylaw 3/B Standing Committees of the SRA. 4. GA MEETING PREPARATION Calling Meetings Annual Meeting Other Meetings 4.1 All meetings of the GA shall be called by the Corporate Secretary, and shall be called for the times, dates, and locations specified by the GA Planning Committee; 4.2 The Corporate Secretary must call for one (1) annual GA meeting, to be held during a school day no later than March 31 of each academic year; the GA Planning Committee must determine the meeting time, date, and location by December 31 of the same academic year; 4.3 The Corporate Secretary must also call for a GA meeting on resolution of the SRA; or at the call of the President; or in receipt of a petition of two percent (2%) of the MSU membership; The GA Planning Committee must determine the meeting time, date, and location within two (2) weeks of any of these occurrences; Any meeting time, date, or location specified by the SRA s resolution, the President s call, or the petition shall be binding on the GA Planning Committee and may only be altered if proven to be unfeasible or unreasonable; The GA meeting must be held during a school day and cannot be held during an exam period.

7 Bylaw X General Assembly Page 3 Public Notice 4.4 Public notice of any GA meeting must be given in The Silhouette, through student , and on the MSU website at least ten (10) school days in advance of the meeting; Agenda 4.5 Any member of the GA may submit a motion for the GA meeting agenda; 4.6 All motions for the GA meeting agenda and supporting document must be submitted to the Corporate Secretary no later than noon (12:00 pm), five (5) school days prior to the meeting. Copies of the agenda, motion sheet and supporting documentation shall be made public by the end of the next school day; Meeting Cancellation 4.7 The SRA may cancel the annual GA meeting by two-thirds (2/3) majority affirmative vote if another GA meeting, as per Section 4.3 of this bylaw, is held within the same academic year, and if public notice of the annual meeting has not yet been given as per Section 4.4 of this bylaw. 5. GA MEETING PROCEDURE General Procedure 5.1 The Speaker shall preside over all GA meetings; 5.2 Except as otherwise defined in this bylaw, meetings of the GA shall be conducted according to procedures outlined in the current edition of Robert s Rules of Order Newly Revised; At least one (1) week before each GA meeting, the Speaker shall make public to the MSU membership a brief explanation of these procedures. 5.3 All GA meetings shall be live-streamed. Quorum 5.4 Quorum for a GA meeting shall be three percent (3%) of the MSU membership or two hundred fifty (250) members, whichever is higher The Speaker shall make public to the MSU membership the number of members required for quorum for any GA meeting; 5.5 If public notice is not given at least ten (10) school days in advance of the meeting, as per Section 4.4 of this bylaw, quorum shall increase to ten percent (10%) of the MSU membership; Speaking Restrictions Starting/ Ending Times 5.6 No member may speak to a given motion more than three (3) times, and no member may speak for longer than five (5) minutes per speech; 5.7 A meeting of the GA shall start at its scheduled time despite an absence of quorum, and shall continue despite lapses in quorum; the official public minutes of the meeting shall indicate the specific timeframes during which quorum was achieved;

8 Bylaw X General Assembly Page A meeting of the GA shall end when it is scheduled to end; however, the meeting may be extended by a majority vote of the GA; Voting Procedure 5.9 For each motion, the Speaker shall first assess for general consent before calling for a vote; 5.10 If there is an objection to general consent, if there is debate on the motion, or if the motion is not clearly non-contentious, a vote shall be held by raising hands; Members of the Elections Committee shall tally each person s vote and deliver the results to the Speaker for verification. Unresolved Motions 5.11 Any motion on the agenda that is not considered by the GA due to time constraints, or is subject to affirmative vote by a non-quorate GA, shall be placed on the agenda in its exact wording for the next SRA meeting; Any such motion that, as worded, cannot be considered by the SRA, including any motion involving a change in student fees, shall be reworded by the Speaker such that it is approvable by the SRA and that the spirit of the motion is preserved. Minutes 5.12 The official minutes of a GA meeting shall be prepared and kept by the Corporate Secretary and shall be made public on the MSU website; 5.13 Reports or other documents provided to the GA shall be annexed to the minutes of the meeting at which they were received.

MINUTES B&P SRA STANDING COMMITTEE ON BYLAWS & PROCEDURES Friday, September 27, 11:30 am MSU Committee Room (GH 201fa)

MINUTES B&P SRA STANDING COMMITTEE ON BYLAWS & PROCEDURES Friday, September 27, 11:30 am MSU Committee Room (GH 201fa) MINUTES B&P 13-04 SRA STANDING COMMITTEE ON BYLAWS & PROCEDURES Friday, September 27, 2013 @ 11:30 am MSU Committee Room (GH 201fa) Call to Order at 11:35 a.m. CALL OF THE ROLL Present Absent Excused Absent