* denotes partial attendance ^ denotes participation by teleconference

Transcription

1 In attendance to business: Director of Finance... Tobias Friedel... Ben Glassen (delegate)... Jullian Kolstee UBC Graduate Student Society...Connie Lin UBC Graduate Student Society (delegate)... Gloria Liu Chairperson... Alex McGowan UBC Students Union Okanagan (delegate)... Kimberly Rutledge ^ Kwantlen Student Association (delegate)... Chelsea Scott Director of Administration... Taylor Wilson Guests in attendance to business: (staff)... Christopher Girodat Kwantlen Student Association (staff)... Patrick Meehan The following member student societies were absent: Alma Mater Society of UBC Vancouver Langara Student Union Royal Roads University Student Association 1. Call to Order * denotes partial attendance ^ denotes participation by teleconference The meeting was called to order at 11:14 a.m. 2. Adoption of the Agenda SGM: :01 MOTION BIRT the agenda be adopted as presented 3. Submissions a. Constitution and Bylaws SGM: :02 MOTION CSU / UBCSUO BIRT the constitution and bylaws be repealed and replaced with the amended constitution and bylaws distributed with the notice of special resolution The executive has proposed to remove article 4(10) of the bylaws, which permits the removal of a board member by special resolution. Members were advised that this language already exists under the Society Act (and under the revised the Societies Act). 1

2 Debate arose on the proposed change to article 4(10) of the bylaws. Some members expressed concern as to whether the board ought to have the authority to remove a board member, thereby fettering the right of a member student society to determine by whom they are represented; on the other hand, some members expressed that there ought to be some recourse available to the membership in the case of egregious non-performance or misconduct. SGM: :03 AMENDMENT / Kwantlen Student Association BIRT article 4(10) be restored to the amended bylaws The executive has proposed to remove article 5(6) to (8) of the bylaws, which permits the board to overrule actions or decisions of the standing committees; which permits committees to elect their own chairpersons; and which allows committee members to meet and adjourn as needed. Debate arose on the change to articles 5(6) to (8) of the bylaws. The executive committee (consisting of the officers) continues to have some authority to act independently, and the removal of article 5(6) could compromise the authority of the board. The executive committee continues to operate as a standing committee under the organization s regulations. SGM: :04 AMENDMENT KSA / UBCSUO BIRT article 5(6) be restored to the amended bylaws The executive has proposed to reduce the number of officers, in light of the smaller size of the organization. The executive proposes to abolish the director of administration role, adding its functions to the director of finance; they also proposed to abolish the role of vice-chair. Debate arose on the proposed amendments to article 6(1). The director of administration wondered whether a director of campaigns is necessary; some members also wondered whether the role of treasurer and secretary ought to be kept separate from one another. The executive has proposed to amend article 6(3) of the bylaws, to require that officers must be a member of the board of directors of a member student society; the impact would be that students at a member student society would not be eligible for election to the executive. Debate arose on the proposed amendment to article 6(3) of the bylaws. Some members expressed concern about too closely linking a board member s time spent at ABCS functions with their functions as a board member of their student society, as every person who participates at ABCS board meetings does so in a volunteer capacity. Some members also expressed concern over whether this unreasonably limits the pool of candidates. The ABCS does not have insurance for the board of directors, and so this could also be one avenue through which to attempt to have an individual director covered, instead, by a member student society. Some members expressed concern over this attitude, and suggested that the insurers of an individual student society may refuse to cover matters arising in that capacity. 2

3 The executive has proposed to amend article 6(5) of the bylaws to permit the board to remove an officer by majority vote, whereas the current practice is by special resolution (meaning that fourteen days notice is currently required, and removal can only happen at general meetings). Debate arose on the proposed amendment to article 6(5) of the bylaws. Some members expressed concern over whether removal of an officer by resolution of the board permitted fair process, and that this could create a situation where officers are removed unfairly. Members expressed interest in keeping some level of language related to process. SGM: :05 AMENDMENT BIRT the second sentence of article 6(5) be restored to the amended bylaws The executive committee proposed that article 7(3) be deleted, to abolish the role of the vicechair. Members noted that the duties enumerated under the vice-chair s role are not matters that necessarily need to be prescribed to be performed by a person under the bylaws. The executive committee has proposed that article 7(5) be deleted, to abolish the role of the director of administration, and to add those duties to the director of finance. Members discussed changing the title to read director of finance and administration, in consideration of the additional roles and responsibilities added to the latter. SGM: :06 AMENDMENT KSA / UBCSUO BIRT all instances of the terms Director Finance and Director of Administration be replaced with the terms Director of Finance & Administration in the amended bylaws The executive committee has proposed that article 13(1) be amended by removing the requirement that voting members of committees must be members in good standing of a member student society; this was proposed due to the proposed abolition of committees. The executive committee has proposed that article 13(3) be amended by reducing the term limit from three (3) years to two (2) years (as the original term limit was three (3) years). Debate arose on the proposed amendment to article 13(3) of the bylaws. There was concern over the number of ways in which the term limits can be interpreted. Some members also questioned whether members who have stuck around for too long might be able to use their experience in student government to hold onto their positions for an extended period. Members of the society s executive should be encouraged to come, give, and go. 3

4 SGM: :07 AMENDMENT CSU / UBCSUO BIRT article 13(3) be amended to replace two (2) years with four (4) consecutive years in the amended bylaws The executive committee has proposed to amend article 14(1)(a) to make the chairperson a signing officer, instead of the director of administration. The executive also proposed to remove articles 14(8) through (12), to see to the abolition of membership fees. Debate arose on the removal of articles 14(8) through (12). While there are going to be some annual operating expenses, there is no guaranteed revenue. There does not appear to be an entirely clear picture of the organization s financial situation. The original reason for assessing membership fees was also centred on the recruitment of an executive director. The UBCSUO left teleconference, and quorum was lost, at 12:16 p.m. The director of finance reviewed the organization s current financial situation. The organization is owed $6, from a number of student societies, but also owes $10, to both member student societies and former members. There is $2, in the account. Some members expressed concern over the absence of the Langara Student Union and the Royal Roads University Student Association in the list of owed expenses, but these are doubtful accounts as the LSU has not been an active participant, and as the RRUSA does not exist. Debate continued on the assessment of membership fees. The members debated whether Lobby Days should be considered an ABCS expense, or whether it should be cost-shared. There was general agreement that these should be considered on an ad hoc basis. The focus, at the present time, should be maintaining enough of a bank balance to keep the lights on. The process for seeking payment from member student societies has been problematic so far. The UBCSUO joined teleconference, and quorum was restored, at 12:16 p.m. SGM: :08 AMENDMENT BIRT a new article 14(8) be added to the amended bylaws as follows: All members shall pay to the Alliance an annual membership fee equal to the annual operating budget of the Alliance, divided by the number of current member student societies, such amount not to exceed $600. The UBC GSS wondered whether the amount should be decreased to $ MOTION AS AMENDED (unanimously) b. Discussion Strategic Direction There was no discussion on the society s strategic direction. 4

5 c. Discussion Lobby Days 2015 There was no discussion on Lobby Days. 4. Election of Officers a. Chairperson The chairperson called for nominations for chairperson. The nominated Sacha Fabry, and he accepted. Sacha Fabry stated that he knows that there is work to be done, and he is not one to order and delegate, as he is aware of the problems that the organization has faced over the last year. The director of administration mentioned that Fabry had previously resigned due to issues at the. The director of administration asked whether Fabry is confident that he can handle the ABCS work on topic of his role as CSU vice-president. Fabry said that he is going to set aside a few hours today to coordinate a talk on strategic direction; the U-Pass BC program is not going to be an issue after Thursday, and Fabry and McGowan have acknowledged that workload is a serious concern. With respect to domestic issues, he understands that CSU duties need to be prioritized. SGM: :09 MOTION BIRT Sacha Fabry be elected as Chairperson of the Alliance of British Columbia Students for a term starting upon the adjournment of this special general meeting, and concluding on May 31, 2016 (unanimously) b. Director of Campaigns The KSA nominated Alex McGowan, and he accepted. By unanimous consent, Fabry chaired for the duration of the present election. McGowan is going to be focusing on Lobby Days 2016, acknowledging that the timeline is tight. Between now and May, he wants to prepare a report to discuss how to move forward for our advocacy during the 2017 provincial election. The director of administration noted that McGowan did not mention open education textbooks. SGM: :10 MOTION KSA / CSU BIRT Alex McGowan be elected as Director of Campaigns of the Alliance of British Columbia Students for a term starting upon the adjournment of this special general meeting, and concluding on May 31, 2016 The UBC GSS mentioned that a campaign on sexual assault awareness should be done. McGowan mentioned that this would be in the same area as the open textbook issue that we should talk about, and that the board has the right to ask that he look into that issue further. 5

6 (unanimously) By unanimous consent, McGowan resumed chairing the meeting. c. Director of Finance and Administration The UBC GSS nominated Tobias Friedel, and he accepted the nomination. SGM: :11 MOTION CSU / UBC GSS BIRT Tobias Friedel be elected as the Director of Finance and Administration of the Alliance of British Columbia Students for a term starting upon the adjournment of this meeting, and concluding on May 31, 2016 Friedel has experienced in not-for-profit finances, and as a treasurer. The organization s finances just became more simple, and he feels he can commit enough time to the task. He also has experience in the administration of not-for-profit organizations. (unanimously) 5. Adjournment McGowan declared the meeting adjourned at 1:04 p.m. 6