AGENDA - SRA 07J STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY ...
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AGENDA - SRA 07J STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY Sunday November 11, 2007 6:30pm Council Chambers, Gilmour Hall Room 111 PROCEDURE Call to Order, Call of the Roll, Adoption of Agenda, Adoption of Minutes, Delegations from the Floor, Committee Business, Information Period, Question Period, Business Arising from the Minutes, Business, Unfinished Business, New Business, Time of Next Meeting, Call of the Roll, Adjournment DELEGATIONS FROM THE FLOOR COM M ITTEE BUSINESS Bylaws & Procedures Services Clubs Campus Events Emergency First Response Team Maroons Executive Board Vice-President (Education) - deferred from SRA 07I President
Finlay Pett Dubeau Bell Shuparski Phan/Cobey Kasmani Sharma Moran
BUSINESS 1. 2.
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4. 5.
Close nominations for one (1) SRA member and one (1) MSU member to the Standing Committee on Finance. Close nominations for MSU members to the following Standing Committees • Bylaws & Procedures (1) • Operations (1) Close nominations for MSU members to the following committees • Clubs Executive Council (1) • Teaching Awards Committee (2) • Elections Committee (1) • Mac Bread Bin Advisory (1) Close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board Electoral Appeal Board Ratification
MOTIONS 1. 2.
Moved b y ________ , seconded b y _________ that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member and one (1) MSU member to the Standing Committee on Finance. Moved b y ________ , seconded b y _________ that the SRA close nominations for MSU
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4. 5.
members to the following Standing Committees; Bylaws & Procedures (1), and Operations (1). Moved b y _________, seconded b y ________ that the SRA close nominations for MSU members to the following committee; Clubs Executive Council (1), Teaching Awards Committee (2), Elections committee (1), MAC Bread Bin Advisory (1). Moved b y _________, seconded b y ________ that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board. Moved b y _________, seconded b y ________ that the SRA ratifies Andrew Richardson, Sheila Sammon, and Nibaldo Galleguillos as the Electoral Appeal Board members for the 2007-2008 year.
Student Representative Assembly Meeting 07J Sunday November 11, 2007 @ 6:30 p.m. Council Chambers, Gilmour Hall Room 111
Call to Order at 6:32 p.m. CALL OF THE ROLL Balkissoon, Davies, Elvikis, Encinares, Finlay, Gruca, Jacob, Jarrad, Jones, Khalifa, Present Lanteigne, Lee, McBride, Molenda, Moran, O ’Brien, Pamukoff, Park, Pett, Prevalus, Saleem, Stewart Debski, Israni, Khan, Kong, Sharma Absent Excused Thisaveerasingam, Thomas, Vanderkruk Absent Ferguson, Kasmani, Singh Late Darcie Maki (Nursing rep), Jasmine Kochar (FYC), Julie Ella Dubeau (Clubs Others Present Administrator), Mike Tufts (CRO), Dave Moore (MAPS/MSUAA), Noel Irwin (SASS ex-officio), M. Ninham (Recording Secretary) Speaker Doan ADOPTION OF AGENDA Moved by Moran, seconded by Jones that the agenda be adopted as amended. Amendments • • •
Jarrad - add item of business # 6 - open one MSU seat on University Affairs committee Finlay - move item of business # 5 to item of business # 1 - EAB ratification Moved by Davies, seconded by Pett to add a motion that the SRA ratify McMaster Academic of Korean Canadians (MAKC) as an MSU club for the 2007-2008 year. In favor: 20 Opposed: 1 Abstain: 2 Opposed: Lee Abstain: Jacob, Saleem Motion to Add Passes
Vote to adopt amended Agenda In favor: 24 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 0 Carried Unanimously COMMITTEE BUSINESS 1.
Bylaws & Procedures - Finlay reported, attached •
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Finlay - report is attached and short. I have just had a meeting with some key people and we will be reviewing the bylaws and proposing these changes in upcoming meetings. Our first meeting is being held on Wednesday at 3:30pm. Services - Pett reported, circulated report
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Pett - I apologize for no having this report attached to the agenda.We are just about tostart an internal review for our services. We have been discussing a couple of new ideas on how to improve services. Two of the proposed improvements include an online ticket sales system to be used in association with Compass and a volunteer portal to be included on the MSU website.
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Clubs - Dubeau reported, attached •
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Dubeau - a few thing the Clubs department has worked on are: AV agreement for clubs - all clubs now have access to permanently installed A/V equipment in McMaster classrooms without being charged; Funding - we have allocated $50,000 to clubs this year. All first year clubs received $100 and the maximum allocated to any club was $1000. There will be a 2nd round of funding allocation at the end of January; Space - office spaces have been allocated, most of those allocated a space have office hours posted and attend them; Showcase - the MUSC atrium was the site of the 1st Clubs showcase on October 17th. The event was designed to allow clubs to go further than just a table display by demonstrating what they do. Although only 5 groups participated, we had a dozen display tables. I hope to integrate a showcase aspect into either Clubsfest 2 or 3 in January; Event Planning workshop - we hosted an event planning talk as part of the clubs workshop series; Budget workshop - there will be an introduction to budgets and finances info session for club treasurers and financial officers, this is scheduled for November 14th at 5:30pm in the Clubspace; Applications 2nd term - applications for 2nd term club ratification will be posted November 19th and the deadline for submissions will be on December 1st at noon; Clubsfest 2 and 3 - scheduled for January 9th and January 16th. Balkissoon - how was the funding reviewed and allocated? Dubeau - we determine our decision on their projects, the scope of the clubs projects and how many McMaster students the projects will serve, not just how many students in their club the project will serve. Prevalus - do you have any information on Pangaea? Dubeau - that event is no longer through clubs, you will have to contact Diversity Services for more information on that event.
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Campus Events - no report submitted or attached
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Emergency First Response Team - no report submitted or attached
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Maroons - no report submitted or attached
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Executive Board - Kasmani reported, verbally •
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Kasmani - since the last SRA meeting, the Executive Board has had two relatively short meetings. At the meeting on October 30, we approved allocations for Marmor in the amount of $2500 for the purchase of two high end camera’s and approved an allocation for $1500 for two high end lenses. We also approved an allocation of $2500 for the purchase of 25 new manikins for EFRT first aid courses along with a $1500 allocation for 10 AED devices. At the meeting on November 6th, we approved the expenditure of $2500 for 25 manikins and approved the expenditure of $1500 for 10 AED devices. Davies - why did EFRT request to purchase 25 manikins? Kasmani - they need 25 manikins for a full first aid course. Some classes have had up to 60 participants. The reason why there are less AED devises is because EFRT only needs one per every 4 participants.
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Vice-President (Education) report - deferred from SRA 07I
9.
President’s Report - Moran reported, circulated •
Moran - I have circulated my report. Poll Out and Vote - we worked on this campaign to promote both the provincial and the various MSU elections. You will see resurgences with this project throughout the year. My primary role in this project was assisting with the design, themes, and acquisition of promotional materials related to it. MacSHARE - (Student and Housing Rental Evaluation) is the name I am tentatively giving to the off-campus housing review site that I have been working on. This site will indirectly complement an initiative of the McMaster Off-Campus
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Resource Centre to review their accommodation review program. 50 Notebooks - this project is a collaborative art project that is being initiated by the MSU and worked on by the students of McMaster. The project is in full swing now as all the notebooks have been distributed. I have received very positive feedback so far about this project. Quality report - an update is being conducted by Sharma and myself of a statistic assessment of the student opinion of quality of education across the faculties. Project Watchdog - the creation of the positions of Community Standards Assistants under the Student Community Support Network is pending a meeting with the Off-Campus Resource Centre. First Year Council - in the past the Vice-President (Administration) had typically taken on the role of facilitating the implementation of the First Year Council, but the President is an ex-officio member. The FYC, at the start of each year tends to find itself in a rebuilding process. It is my intention to try and remedy the trend of the FYC having to start from scratch each year. Homecoming - was held the weekend of October 12th to 14th. Honour M Plaque - the MSU contributed for the 75th reunion, a plaque commemorating all who have received the award, and leaving space for future recipients. It now hangs in the MSU Main Office reception area. I have added in my report a list of different promotional ideas I am still working on for the MSU ie radio show, president’s page, etc. For the MUSC seating - there has been a delay in delivering the furniture however the furniture should be delivered before the holiday break. At the Board of Directors level, we have been pursuing with the Business Manager a remedy for the full time staff structure to help with the way the MSU has continually expanded over the years. We are trying to remedy the situation where some staff are being pulled in different directions. We will be sitting down with the Operations and Bylaws chairs to discuss these changes before we bring anything to the SRA level for approval. Discussions - Not for profit coffee bar - this is something we are looking at bringing into the library where the revenue from this bar would go towards the money needed to extend the hours of the learning commons. Will be talking about the HSR bus pass renewal. The University has directed the HSR to remove 25 buses from campus out of the 200 buses that enter the campus daily. This will begin in January. Prevalus - for your trip to Mexico, do you have any plans for fundraising? Moran - once I find out more information I will let you know. Pamukoff - for the 50 notebooks campaign, how are the books being distributed? Moran - they have already been distributed. They are out of our hands after the initial distribution. Ferguson - for the 912 program, is this a joint project between the MSU and the University? Moran - yes. Ferguson - which department would be better to leave feedback with? Moran - either department is fine. Ferguson - how much of students tuition goes towards funding this project? Moran - it does not come from tuition dollars. The actual budget comes out of the special projects budget. I can get figures for you.
INFORMATION PERIOD • • • •
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Molenda - the finance committee tried to meet today but it was only the MSU member that showed up. I had no SRA members show up. We need to hold a meeting. Moran - the Campus Events department is entering a float in the Santa Claus parade this coming weekend. Jones - if you would like to help decorate the float, you must be there for 10:30am on Saturday. If you just wish to ride the float, you must be there for 11:30am. McBride - the Social Sciences general meeting is being held tomorrow in MUSC Room 311. The MSU club, Hamilton B ’Leafs will be hosting an all you can eat turkey dinner on November 22nd, I will circulate flyers for more information. Davies - the new SRA members have chosen their SRA office hours. Not much has change din terms of the schedule but I will send out an email soon.
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Kasmani - I attempted to hold an External Affairs meeting as well. The turnout was low. In general, I would say that attendance to committees is as mandatory as your attendance on the SRA. Pamukoff - the Kin Formal was held this past week and it was a big success. Kin Games are in Halifax this year and we may be approaching the MSU for help with a sponsorship. Jones - there is a Senate meeting being held on November 14th at 3pm. The new Chancellor’s installation is being held on November 16th. Edwards Hall will be hosting an open house as well. I had my first security walkabout, which covered the Arts Quad. We looked for burnt out lights, trip hazards, shrubbery that should be cut back. It’s an exciting committee. I have taxi chits for any members that need to travel after SRA meetings that run late. We met with David Sweet this past Friday. Pett - I hold an executive position in the MSU Club - McMaster C.U.R.E. Tomorrow we will be sponsoring students from the Beasley area in Hamilton. We will be bringing 30 students to campus to give them an idea of University, to educate them that there is funding out there for them even though they live in poverty and access to University isn’t based on what background they come from. Moran - Board evaluations have been circulated. Please make sure that you complete them.
QUESTION PERIOD •
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Davies - to Jones - for committees/services not presenting reports, can you please speak with the Managers to ensure that these reports are submitted? What steps are taken when a committee or service doesn’t submit as required? Jones - all committees/services received an email at the beginning of the year with the report schedule. Any one that does not submit or at least show up to a meeting that they are supposed to report at, will receive a warning letter. I will be following up with the members that have not submitted or attended. Moran - I have noticed a trend of attendance issues and difficulty with our committees being able to meet. If you have been elected to a committee, it is your responsibility to ensure that you attend meetings as part of being an SRA member.
BUSINESS 1.
Electoral Appeal Board Ratification
Moved by Moran, seconded by Pett that the SRA ratify Andrew Richardson as the Community member, Sheila Sammon as the 1st alternate, and Nibaldo Galleguillos as the 2nd alternate for the 2007-2008 Electoral Appeal Board. • • •
Tufts - this committee was supposed to be struck in March however it was not done. I have advertised for these positions and these are the members that expressed interest. Kasmani - is there any potential conflict with Richardson being Coordinator of the QSCC and this Board? Speaker - each member are honour bound to declare his or her own conflict of interest if it comes up. In favor: 24 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 1 Abstain: McBride Motion Passes
2.
Close nominations for one (1) SRA member and one (1) MSU member to the Standing Committee on Finance
Moved by Molenda, seconded by Singh that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member and one (1) MSU member to the Standing Committee on Finance.
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Molenda - I would like to close this and elect so that I can hold meetings. Finlay nominated Elvikis, accepted. O ’Brien nominated Balkissoon, accepted. Kasmani - are there any SRA members that do not sit on any committees? Finlay - our Bylaws state that you have to actively participate in committees, it does not mandate you to sit on committees, even if you don’t have voting rights on a committee, you can still actively participate. Stewart nominated Park, accepted. Pett - Thomas was nominated at the last meeting. Pett nominated O ’Brien, declined. Gruca nominated Encinares, accepted. Molenda - Aneel Janmohammad was nominated as the MSU member at a meeting in October and was never ratified. Park withdrew nomination. Encinares withdrew nomination. In favor: 25 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 0 Carried Unanimously
Moved by Davies, seconded by Molenda that each candidate be given 2 minutes for opening statements, 15 minutes for questions with a cap of 1 minute per response and 1 minute for closing statements. In favor: 22 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 3 Abstain: Jarrad, Balkissoon, Elvikis Motion Passes • • •
Each candidate spoke in allocated time followed by an answer and question period; Balkissoon, Elvikis, Thomas (not present). The Assembly went into secret ballot vote. The Speaker announced that Gregory Elvikis was the successful candidate.
Moved by Kasmani, seconded by McBride that the SRA destroy the ballots thereby ratifying Gregory Elvikis as the SRA member and Aneel Janmohammad as the MSU member on the Standing Committee on Finance. In favor: 20 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 2 Abstain: O’Brien, Elvikis Motion Passes 3.
Close nominations for MSU members to the following Standing Committees
Moved by Pamukoff, seconded by Jacob that the SRA close nominations for MSU members to the following Standing Committees: Bylaws & Procedures (1), and Operations (1). • •
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Jacob - I have a nomination for Natalia Dmuchowska and Ryan Moreira. Finlay - we have two nominations for Operations and I think that since these MSU members are not in attendance, we should defer the closing of these seats until the next meeting when they can attend. Jones - to ensure that people have been nominated, I would relay that the SRA member that has those nominations, ask those members to be in attendance for the next SRA meeting.
Moved by Singh, seconded by Jones to defer this motion to the next SRA meeting. In favor: 25 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 0 Carried Unanimously
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Close nominations for MSU members to Other committees
Moved by Prevalus, seconded by Finlay to defer this motion to the next SRA meeting. • •
Singh - do we even have any nominations? Speaker - we do not have anything up here, I am not sure about if any Assembly members have nominations. In favor: 24 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 1 Abstain: Moran Motion Passes
5.
Close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board
Moved by Kasmani, seconded by Molenda that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board. • •
Speaker - nominated at the last SRA meeting were Elvikis and Finlay. Elvikis withdrew his nomination.
Moved by Kasmani, seconded by Molenda that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board thereby ratifying Ian Finlay. In favor: 24 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 1 Abstain: Finlay Motion Passes 6.
Open nominations for one (1) MSU member to the University Affairs committee
Moved by Jarrad, seconded by Ferguson that the SRA open nominations for one (1) MSU member to the University Affairs committee. •
Jarrad - Jacob was the MSU member however now that he is an SRA member, we need to fill this MSU seat. In favor: 25 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 0 Carried Unanimously
7.
Club Ratification
Moved by Davies, seconded by Pett that the SRA ratify McMaster Academia of Korean Canadians (MAKC) as an MSU club for the 2007-2008 academic year. •
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Davies - at the last meeting we deferred this. Since that meeting, Sharma, Dubeau, and myself had consulted HRES. They came to the conclusion that it wasn’t a human rights issue at all but given that the mandates of the two clubs are different, the second club should be ratified. I have received new information about these two clubs and one group is more a social scene group and the other is an academic group. Dubeau - my opinion still stands that we could have the clubs ratified for this academic year which can be reviewed for next year. Finlay - I feel by ratifying this club, we are setting precedence to make it harder to the Clubs Administrator with certain clubs that won’t or don’t work together. I do not feel that we should allow this quick fix to happen. Kasmani - we can amend the motion to specifically state that this is only on an interim basis.
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Khalifa - these are two clubs that have two completely different mandates. There can be two different clubs that can work differently. That is the whole point to MSU clubs. Moran - the mandate of MSU clubs, is not to make all clubs work together. Pamukoff - these clubs are probably already operating with or without club status by themselves separately since we are already in November. Jacob - the MSU’s mandate is to ensure that clubs exist, not that we dictate how certain clubs are run. We are a body that allows all students to have any kind of committee. Ferguson - it is not the same group of students we are talking about here. Pett - this is Dubeau’s full time job, many of us have not spent the amount of time she has in looking into this further. We should listen to our employees and uphold their judgment and ratify the club. Davies - I do not think we were having this conversation if they were overlapping clubs. I do not see why this is a problem to approve. The proof that they have different mandates proves that they cannot work together. Kasmani - the reason for reviewing this more in depth is because that is the SRA’s mandate. It is our job to overlook the entire organization as SRA members. Dubeau brought this to the SRA because she wanted to know how the SRA felt about this issue. There is a lot more that goes into this application process. There is administration that goes along with every club that we approve. We have to make sure that we run this organization effectively for all students.
Moved by Pett, seconded by Pamukoff to call to question. In favor: 22 Opposed: 3 Abstain: 0 Opposed: Finlay, Davies, Kasmani Motion Passes Vote on Main Motion In favor: 17 Opposed: 6 Abstain: 2 Opposed: Finlay, Kasmani, Gruca, Park, Jarrad, Prevalus Abstain: Balkissoon, Singh Motion Passes TIME OF NEXT MEETING The time of the next SRA meeting is scheduled for: Sunday November 25, 2007 @ 6:30pm Council Chambers, Gilmour Hall Room 111 CALL OF THE ROLL Present Balkissoon, Davies, Elvikis, Encinares, Ferguson, Finlay, Gruca, Jacob, Jarrad, Jones, Kasmani, Khalifa, Lanteigne, Lee, McBride, Molenda, Moran, O ’Brien, Pamukoff, Park, Pett, Prevalus, Saleem, Singh, Stewart Debski, Israni, Khan, Kong, Sharma Absent Excused Thisaveerasingam, Thomas, Vanderkruk Absent Late Darcie Maki (Nursing rep), Julie Ella Dubeau (Clubs Administrator), Dave Moore Others Present (MAPS/MSUAA), M. Ninham (Recording Secretary) Doan Speaker ADJOURNMENT Moved by Gruca, seconded by Balkissoon that the meeting be adjourned. In favor: 19 Opposed: 5 Abstain: 0
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Opposed: Park, Stewart, Jarrad, Singh, Ferguson Motion Passes Adjourned @ 8:54pm /mn
REPORT From the office o f the.
Bylaws and Procedures Committee Chair TO: Student R epresentative Assem bly FROM : Bylaw s and Procedures Comm ittee - Ian Finlay SUBJECT: Comm ittee R eport DATE: N ovem ber 2007
W e have recently filled all but one M SU m em ber spots on the Bylaw s Comm ittee and are currently looking for a tim e to meet. I w ould like to congratulate Mr. Elvikis and Mr. B alkissoon for their successful cam paign to be part of this action packed committee. Recently the main objective for the B ylaw s and Procedures Comm ittee has been to update the bylaws so that they stay current w ith the decision made by the SRA. The main achievem ent w e have had was w orking w ith the Operations Chair, and Services Chair to set out the jurisdiction for each o f our com mittees since they would appear to overlap. W e now have a concrete idea o f w hat our mandate is as a committee. A t our first m eeting w e will discuss our objectives for the year. These objectives will be outlined in my next report to the SRA, so look forw ard to these as well as some exciting proposals.
McMaster Stwten
MSU TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE:
REPORT From the office o f the...
Clubs Administrator Student Representative Assem bly Julie Ella Dubeau -C lu b A dm inistrator and B renda W on -A ssistant Clubs A dm inistrator M id term report N ovem ber 5, 2007___________________________
The Clubs Department is continuing its assistance to clubs. AV agreement In past years clubs have had free use of AV equipment in McMaster classrooms. This year it was brought to my attention that clubs were being charged. After speaking to David Kidney the Manager of Classroom Audio Visual Services, I discovered that this free use was an agreement that had not been renewed for several years. We discussed the matter and developed a new agreement. The Clubs Department has paid a flat rate of $1200 and all MSU clubs now have access to permanently installed Audio Visual Equipment in McMaster classrooms. Funding W e have allocated near $50 000 to clubs this semester. A total of 145 clubs submitted budget request. All first year clubs were allocated $100 (up from last year's $75). The maximum allocated to any club was $1000. Club will now have to submit receipts to claim their budget allocation. There will be a second round of funding allocation at the end of January for new clubs (2nd term ratification) and those who missed the first dead line. W e will have approximately $17 000 available to clubs at that time. No Special Projects Funding has been allocated as of yet. Reminders of this available funding will be sent to the clubs. Space Office spaces have been allocated. Most of those clubs allocated a space have office hours posted and attend them. Room 215c, the communal office, is not heavily used for office hours this year. However it is still being used for small club meetings. Room 215b continues to be used by clubs for meetings at all times of the day. The general Club Space is well used for club meetings in the evening. The new furniture in this space has proven to be very versatile for these meetings. Clubs will create circle, lines of seating, small groups or a clear area as needed. Club Lockers: we have completed the installation of new hasps, and lockers continue to be allocated as request from clubs enter. Showcase The MUSC Market Place was the site of the 1st Clubs Showcase on October 17th. This event was designed to allow clubs to go further then just a table display by demonstrating what they do. Although only 5 groups participated in the demonstration part of the showcase, we had a dozen table displays. The idea was well received by many clubs; unfortunately many could not participate because the timing in the sem ester was problematic (the date was in the thick of midterms). I hope to integrate a showcase aspect into either Clubsfest 2 or 3 in January.
Event planning workshop On the same day as the Showcase we also hosted an Event Planning Talk as part of the Clubs Workshop series. W e had approximately 20 people attend the talk (again the time of year made it difficult for clubs to participate). Our guest speaker Dave Fraser the Event Coordinator for the Office of the President spoke well and touched on some key elements of event planning. The power point presentation used is posted on the Clubs website for any clubs who wish to have more information about planning events. Budget workshop Continuing Club workshops, there will be an introduction to budgets and finances info session for club treasures and financial officers. This is scheduled for November 14th at 5:30pm in Clubspace. I will be cover topics related to creating a budget, requesting sponsorship, fundraising techniques, accounting basics and so on. Since this workshop has a focused target audience, I hope for a good attendance. Applications 2nd term Applications for 2nd term club ratification will be posted November 19th. The dead line for submissions will be December 1st at noon. There is a detailed sample application available on the application webpage so groups can prepare all the information needed to fill out the forms. The list of clubs recommended for ratification will be brought to the first SRA meeting in January. Clubsfest 2-3 January also brings ClubsFest 2 and 3. They are scheduled for the first and second Wednesdays, January 9th and 16th. One of these will include a "showcase" component and each will have a maximum of 60 tables. Sign up for these clubs-only-ClubsFests will be available on December 3rd.
Coming soon I'm hoping the Clubs Executive council will be able to meet and assist me with some future events including divisional meetings/socials and the Award & Appreciation Night. I would also like to try an evaluation/research campaign to find out what impact clubs have on students and the community. A working title is "W hat do clubs mean to you?".
Feedback is always welcome, please feel free to stop by my office if you would like to chat or send me an email.
REPORT From the office o f the...
Chief Returning Officer, MikeTufts TO: FROM: SUBJECT DATE:
Student Representative Assem bly C hief R eturning Officer, D eputy R eturning O fficer Report to SRA; FYC and SRA By-election reports N ovem ber 1st, 2007
FYC Elections Inform ation Sessions - An inform ation session was held on Thursday September 20th, 2007. The event w as held at Quarters from 4-7pm. There w ere about 20 interested students w ho attended the session. The M SU President, V ice-President Administration, the DRO and the SRA External Chair w ere also in attendance. The m eeting consisted o f a brief presentation about FYC followed by a question and answ er period. N om ination forms w ere also available at this session. Proclam ation -T h e event w as advertised through various forms o f campus media. There w ere ads placed in The Silhouette, posters placed throughout campus, spots on ListServe and the M SU main W ebpage and through the M SU radio show on CFMU. Nom inations - The nom ination period was open from Thursday September 20th 2007 until M onday September 24th, 2007. In total there w ere 14 nom ination forms received. At the close o f the nom ination period there w ere no nominations received for the position o f Com m issioner o f Education and Comm unity Issues (Comm unity Outreach Coordinator). A t the same time, upon further exam ination o f the FYC by-law, I realized that two positions had been overlook for election. I opened those tw o positions for election as well. In consulting the inform ation from the previous CRO I found the positions w ere not elected last year (2006-2007). There w ere sufficient nom ination forms received by Thursday September 27th, 2007 to close the nom inations for all positions. Elections - The elections w ere held on October 2nd, 2007. Polling stations w ere located at M ary E. Keyes, Comm ons and MUSC. The following candidates w ere elected: M ale Co-Chair- George Farjou Fem ale Co-Chair - Jasm ine K ochar Com m issioner o f Program m ing (Events Coordinator) - Soheil M ohamm adi Com m issioner o f Service (External Coordinator) - M elissa M oralcchetti Com m issioner o f Education and Comm unity Issues (Comm unity Outreach Coordinator) N ancy Cho A dvertising Coordinator - A spasia M anos Com m issioner o f Organizational Issues - Sinead Quinless
Poll clerks - Poll clerks for this election w ere m ainly new to the job. All poll clerks arrived on time and w ere at their polling stations w ith them set up before the polls were set to open at 9.30am. There w ere eleven poll clerks hired. Two w ere stationed per station and there w ere tw o floaters throughout the day to ensure all individuals could get lunch and to cover for shift changes. All changes and breaks w ent smoothly and there w ere no com plaints from poll clerks about not being taken care of. M ike and M organne w ere also constantly checking in w ith the poll clerks in person to make sure everything was going well. All poll clerks w orked well together and w ere very professional. Additionally, there w ere no issues w ith payroll and paym ent o f poll clerks. Polling stations - All polling station m aterials w ere prepared in advance by M ike and M organne the night before, except for the ballots, w hich we had to organize into packages o f 50 the morning o f the election. The positions for the polling stations were well selected (one at Com m ons M arketplace, one at M ary E. K eyes residence, and one in M U SC near W illiams). The tables and chairs requested were located at all polling stations w hen the poll clerks arrived. Ballots- There w ere a couple mistakes made on the ballots. Firstly, there were contradictory instructions on the ballot. The instructions at the top o f the ballot instructed the voter to place the candidates in preferential order. Low er on the ballot, the voters w ere instructed to select only one candidate. This error resulted in M ike and M organne asking the poll clerks to direct the voters’ attention to the first instructions rather than the second set o f instructions. A second mistake was discovered later. A choice bubble was placed beside one o f the position headings. D ue to this second error the ballots were reprinted w ith the only the proper preferential voting instructions and the additional bubble removed. A t 10:30 am the ballot boxes containing the votes that had been cast on the uncorrected ballots w ere sealed and removed along w ith any rem aining ballots by M ike and myself, and replaced w ith new ballots and new ballot boxes. Ballot Counting and Fines - The fines m eeting w as w aived because there w ere no fines to present to the committee. The ballot counting began at approxim ately 6:30pm on O ctober 2nd, 2007. The results w ere ratified and posted on the w indow o f the M SU office at 8:30pm. W hat w ent well - The election w as a learning experience. I feel that voter turnout for the election was not enormous but it was encouraging. The election also provided a learning experience for me. I felt much m ore prepared for the SRA By-election after the FYC experience. The election was also a chance to make contacts w ith poll clerks w ho can w ork all year long. W hat w ent not so well - The nom ination period was extended to accom m odate for the positions that w ere overlooked. The by-law also had some ambiguous language. Section 5.3 states: “A majority in the election o f executive members and commissioners is defined as 50% + 1 vote from eligible participants”. As I interpreted it, that w ould mean 50% + 1 vote from all first year students. This section w as submitted to the speaker, Mr. Jones, and he ruled that a majority shall be defined as 50% + 1 vote from eligible
participants, w here participants means voters cast. The proofreading o f ballots is param ount to a successful election. The preferential ballot can be confusing w hen 5+ positions are being elected. I w ould recom m end the language in the by-law be amended to define a m ajority as a plurality o f votes.
SRA October By-Elections Proclam ation - The proclam ation was issued on O ctober 1st, 2007. The following faculties had seats open on September 30th 2007: H um anities (1), Social Sciences (4), Science (1), N ursing (1) and Engineering (1). V arious mean w ere used to proclaim the election; advertisements w ere placed in the Silhouette, the M SU main page ran a story about the openings and posters w ere placed across campus. There w as an error on the proclam ation w ere it stated that the Science faculty had tw o seats open w hen only one was available. N om inations - All forms w ere received on tim e and w ere validated by the CRO using resources from the registrar’s office. All o f the seats in the following faculties were acclaimed: Engineering, Social Science and Humanities. There w ere 3 nominations for the Science Seat and 2 for the N ursing Seat. The following seats w ere acclaimed: Social Science:
Humanities: Engineering:
Gregory O ’Brien K yle Balkissoon Gregory Elvikis A run Jacob Fredner Prevalus Ryan (Sungho) Park
Elections - Elections w ere held on O ctober 16th, 2007 for Science and Nursing. Voter turn out w as under 1% for both Science and Nursing. Ads w ere placed on the M SU w ebsite and in the Silhouette as well as posters throughout campus. The following candidates w ere elected: Jobin Thom as in Science and M ichelle Langteigne for Nursing. Ballot Counting and Fines - There w ere tw o fines issued for not returning expense sheets before the designated time. N o other cam paign violations w ere reported to the CRO. The ballot count got underw ay at 6:30 pm and was com pleted by 7:15 pm. The results w ere posted on the Election Service w ebpage and the M SU M ain Office window. Poll clerks - U nfortunately, M organne was unable to hire as many poll clerks as she w ould have liked due to there only being tw o faculties that w ere not acclaimed. The poll clerks that w ere hired for the election showed up on time and all clerks w orked all day, so there w ould be no com plications due to shift changes. All clerks w ere courteous and preform ed their duties well. Two issues arose during the voting process. The first was an individual who did not w ant to cast his ballot. He had filled out the ballot and then refused to put the ballot in the box. W e told the poll clerk to w rite “ spoiled” on the back o f the ballot and put it in
the box. This occurred at the science polling station. The second issue also occurred at the science polling station. The num ber o f ballots was not recorded upon the opening o f the envelope o f ballots. The final initialized list o f ballots only counted to 49. W e decided that w e w ould only need to address this issue if it came up during the ballot counting process. B oth M ike and M organne asked the individuals w ho had opened the polling station if they rem em bered counting the ballots, but neither could. This confusion may be rooted in the fact that the poll clerks that w ere to be stationed there for the morning had class until 9.20, so they w ould not be showing up to the station until it was to open. N o issue arose during ballot counting. So I will make sure to reinforce the voting procedure to the poll clerks the m orning o f the election, so they are clear. W e will also make sure to make it clear to poll clerks that any aberration from the set voting process M UST be reported to M ike and/or M organne im m ediately so we can make a decision as to w hat is best for the situation. Polling stations The polling station in health sciences (nursing) did not receive many (read less than 20) votes. Prior to the election, M organne asked the nursing candidates if they thought this w ould be an appropriate area for the polling station and they replied that it w ould w ork well because they only have classes in IAHS or health sciences. The science table had much better results despite being in a nook on the back side o f M DCL. For future SRA elections I w ould recom m end that Science Polls be held in BSB or ABB. W hat w ent well - This was, again, a learning experience. I felt the elections w ent very well from a procedural perspective. W hat w ent no so well - There w ere a few m inor problem s highlighted in the report; low voter turnout, incorrect num ber o f Science seats on the proclamation. The preparation o f ballots was the m ost tim e consuming aspect o f the election and will be planned for accordingly next time.
Election Committee The Election Comm ittee has m et to discuss the Electoral Appeal B oard and the N ovem ber by-election. There is also one seat open on the com m ittee for general M SU members. Thank you, M ike Tufts, C hief Returning Officer election@ m su.m cm aster.ca
MSUffi McMaster Students Union
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SRA REPORT M S U P resid en t
15
To:
Student Representative A ssem bly
From;
Ryan M o rin , M SU President
Re:
SRA R eport
Date:
Sunday Novem ber U , 2007
Greetings everyone, I hope a ll o f your sem esters have been going w ell so far, and hopefully there isn ’t too m uch w ork w eighing you a ll down. B eing that it has been two months since m y last report (as opposed to last one’s four), and I tend to try and give extensive inform ation at all m eetings, I w ill try not to let this d rag... but no prom ises. Projects
Poll O ut and Vote Together w ith V P Education, A rati Sharm a, we worked on the “P o ll out and Vote” cam paign to promote both the p ro vincial and the various M SU elections. Y o u w ill see resurgences w ith this project throughout the year, sp e cifically during the M SU presidential election period and the S R A general elections. M y prim ary role in this project was assisting w ith the design, themes and acquisition o f prom otional m aterials related to it.
Mac SHARE M ac S H A R E (Student H ousing And Rental Evaluation) is the name 1 am tentatively g ivin g to the off-cam pus housing review site that I have been w orking on. It is certainly proving to be a beast to tame, but it’s defin itely com ing together. Fo llo w in g the thumbs up from our legal council as to the layout o f the evaluation questions, and the disclaim er and terms and conditions o f use, 1 have been la y in g out the page structure in a word document that w ill be forwarded to our web editor Sarah K w asniew ski, who w ill work on it with a launch date o f January. The M ac S H A R E site w ill in directly com plem ent an in itiative o f the M cM aster O ff-Cam pus Resource Centre to revise their accom m odation review program .
50 Notebooks H opefully you a ll know what this project is, i f not, w ell, we’ll talk. B rie fly, the 50 Notebooks project is a collaborative art project that is being initiated b y the M SU and worked on b y the students o f M cM aster. The project is in fu ll sw ing now as all the notebooks have been distributed. Feedback 1 have received thus far from this project has been very positive, as w ell it has received p ositive attention from both the Silhouette and the Ham ilton Spectator. I have been
very pleased w ith th e d irectio n th is project has tak en and lo o k forw ard to seeing how it turns out w hen the notebooks beg in to get received back in D ecem ber.
Quality Report A ssociated w ith the 50 N otebooks project is the Q u ality R eport, an up d a te b ein g conducted by A rati and m yself, o f a statistic assessm ent o f the student op in io n o f q u ality o f education across the faculties. O riginally conducted and com pleted in sp rin g 2003 b y then V P E ducation A dam Spence, th e aim o f rein itiatin g this project is to b o th assess issues o f education quality at M cM aster, and also to b enchm ark in light o f th ese post double cohort years.
Project Watchdog T he creation o f the p o sitio n s o f C om m unity Standards A ssistants u n d e r th e S tudent com m unity Support N etw ork is p en d in g a m eeting, w ith O ff-C am pus R esource C entre acting m an ag er M ike Ferguson, to discuss an y potential revisions to th e program . W e h ad b een w a itin g o n short feedback reports from th e students w ho took o n the w atchdog roles d uring the sum m er. N o w that they h ave been received w e w ill convene to see i f any changes should b e m ade that m a y be highlighted in the reports o r b y o ur opinions. E ith er th e last m eeting o f this sem ester, or the first m eetin g o f next should b rin g these revisions to the SC SN policy.
First Year Council In th e p ast th e V ice-President A dm inistration had ty p ically taken on the ro le o f facilitating the im plem entation o f th e F irst Y ear Council, how ever, the FY C b ylaw d oes not outlin e this, bu t the P resident is an ex-officio m em ber, given this circum stance I had w anted to take o n the facilitation role. T he FY C w as elected in early O cto b er and h ave b een conducting th eir executive m eetings on M ondays at 12:30 in Bridges. A t present the applications h ave gone up for th e tw o appointed positions on their executive (F in ancial/A dm inistrative officer, Technical officer), as w ell, they have opened up applications for first years to serve as h all/facu lty reps on the council. T he FY C , at the start o f each year tends to find its e lf in a reb u ild in g process. Instead o f bein g a fluid and continuous council it seem s as though it is alw ays startin g from scratch, it is m y in tention to try and rem edy th is trend for this year, next, and id eally m an y after.
Homecoming T h e w eekend o f O ctober 12111 to the 14111w as M cM aster's H om ecom ing w eekend. T y p ically the organization and im plem entation o f th e student intended events com es from the M S U and the S tudent R elations C om m ittee, this year, w as o f course, no different. H aving a p articular interest in trying to establish trad itio n s am ong the students, i f not sim p ly trying to b u ild up the events that typically should already b e b ig (such as a h om ecom ing w eekend), 1 m ade sure to p la y a ro le in the organization o f a n u m b er o f the events. A central d ifficulty in trying to instill a sense o f spirit o r energy am ong th e students for the H om ecom ing w eekend is the fact that the stadium is still not finished, thus, the gam e rem ains off-cam pus. A s w ell, m u ch m ore support and p rom otion o f the w eekend is required b y o th er parties involved, w h eth er it is from the U niversity adm inistration level, o r from students/student leaders w ho do not tak e an active interest or ro le in the w eekend. T hat said, next y ear w ill h o ld m assive opportunity for M ac ’s H om ecom ing w eekend, as the stadium will be com plete and open, thus, 1 encourage an y o f y o u w ho w ill b e around next year to m ake sure y o u ’re active, i f not in the organization o f the events, then at least in the participation.
Honour M Plaque Related to Homecoming weekend, one o f the highlights was the 75th reunion of the Honour Society, the membership o f which consists o f all those who have received the Honour M award as a result o f exemplary contribution to extracurricular activities during their time as students. Coordinated through the McMaster Alumni Association and the McMaster Students Union Alumni Association, the event was great for getting a sense of history o f what McMaster was like for our alumni peers, as well as meeting individuals who had made significant contributions to what we now take as essential parts of the MSU and o f student life in general. The MSU’s central contribution to the event was the creation and presentation o f a plaque commemorating all who have received the award, and leaving space for future recipients. It now hangs on the North wall o f the MSU main office reception area.
MUSC seating OUSA Community Direction Paper Proposal Leadership sessions MUFA MSU Promotions -
Presidents Page Poster Series M e e tin g s
- Student Academic Council - Student Relations Committee - Student Services Committee - Athletics and Recreation Student Contribution Recognition - President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community - President’s Advisory Committee on Community Relations - Ainslie-Wood Westdale Community Association and AWWCA By-Laws - Brian McHattie/John Wigle - Campus Town Association - United Way Campaign Committee - Hamilton Roundtable with Provincial Finance Minister - University Senate - University Board of Governors -M SU and You - CFMU Board of Directors - MSU Executive Board
- MSU Board of Directors - Quarters Planning Meetings - McMaster University Student Centre Board of Management - Alumni Board of Directors - Lunch with MUFA - Coffee with University B.o.G. Chair - Peter George Coffees
m Conferences and Away Times Ontario Undergraduate Students Alliance (OUSA) General Assembly (Oct. 19-21,2007) Alumni Relations: Ottawa (November 12-13,2007) Canadian alliance o f Student Associations (CASA) Lobby Conference (November 13-14,2007) Community Service Learning: Cuernavaca, Mexico (February 15-22, 2008)
Current and Future Work First Year Council Quality Report Frost Week
Discussion Projects -
Student Memorial Policy and Monument Not for Profit Coffee Bar in Mills Learning Commons HSR Pass Renewal, and Pedestrian Safety on Campus Community Issues Trucks vs. Buses Student/City Volunteer Connection
MSU McMaster Studen
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REPORT Fromtheofficeofthe... Services Committee Chair
TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE:
Members of the Student Representative Assembly Services Committee Chair, Michael Pett Services Committee Report Sunday, November 11, 2007____ ____ __ ___
The Services Committee has recently filled its last vacant seat and has been able to meet twice. As 1 mentioned in my last report, the Services Committee will be conducting an internal review of all MSU services in an attempt to couple their respective mandates as outlined in MSU Operating Policy 1 with their actual practices. Each member of the Services Committee has been assigned at least three services, for which they will oversee the review process. The Services Committee has also recently completed and finalized the protocol for the review and the questionnaire to be used. Within the next couple of weeks, each member o f the Services Committee will be meeting with the coordinators/ managers of their assigned services in order to complete the questionnaire. The results of the review will hopefully be available in mid-December and will provided in my February Report. In addition, the Services Committee has also begun discussing a number o f possible improvements to services provided by the MSU. These proposed improvements are currently being assessed to determine whether or not they would be feasible, practical, and effective. Although I will not go into any detail, two of the proposed improvements include an online ticket sales system to be used in association with COMPASS and a volunteer portal to be included on the MSU website. As always, I am open to any ideas or constructive criticism, so please feel free to shoot me off an email or drop by a Services Committee meeting. Sincerely, Michael Pett
McMasur saidei
AGENDA - SRA 07J STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY Sunday November 11, 2007 6:30pm Council Chambers, Gilmour Hall Room 111 PROCEDURE Call to Order, Call of the Roll, Adoption of Agenda, Adoption of Minutes, Delegations from the Floor, Committee Business, Information Period, Question Period, Business Arising from the Minutes, Business, Unfinished Business, New Business, Time of Next Meeting, Call of the Roll, Adjournment DELEGATIONS FROM THE FLOOR COM M ITTEE BUSINESS Bylaws & Procedures Services Clubs Campus Events Emergency First Response Team Maroons Executive Board Vice-President (Education) - deferred from SRA 07I President
Finlay Pett Dubeau Bell Shuparski Phan/Cobey Kasmani Sharma Moran
BUSINESS 1. 2.
3.
4. 5.
Close nominations for one (1) SRA member and one (1) MSU member to the Standing Committee on Finance. Close nominations for MSU members to the following Standing Committees • Bylaws & Procedures (1) • Operations (1) Close nominations for MSU members to the following committees • Clubs Executive Council (1) • Teaching Awards Committee (2) • Elections Committee (1) • Mac Bread Bin Advisory (1) Close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board Electoral Appeal Board Ratification
MOTIONS 1. 2.
Moved b y ________ , seconded b y _________ that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member and one (1) MSU member to the Standing Committee on Finance. Moved b y ________ , seconded b y _________ that the SRA close nominations for MSU
3.
4. 5.
members to the following Standing Committees; Bylaws & Procedures (1), and Operations (1). Moved b y _________, seconded b y ________ that the SRA close nominations for MSU members to the following committee; Clubs Executive Council (1), Teaching Awards Committee (2), Elections committee (1), MAC Bread Bin Advisory (1). Moved b y _________, seconded b y ________ that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board. Moved b y _________, seconded b y ________ that the SRA ratifies Andrew Richardson, Sheila Sammon, and Nibaldo Galleguillos as the Electoral Appeal Board members for the 2007-2008 year.
Student Representative Assembly Meeting 07J Sunday November 11, 2007 @ 6:30 p.m. Council Chambers, Gilmour Hall Room 111
Call to Order at 6:32 p.m. CALL OF THE ROLL Balkissoon, Davies, Elvikis, Encinares, Finlay, Gruca, Jacob, Jarrad, Jones, Khalifa, Present Lanteigne, Lee, McBride, Molenda, Moran, O ’Brien, Pamukoff, Park, Pett, Prevalus, Saleem, Stewart Debski, Israni, Khan, Kong, Sharma Absent Excused Thisaveerasingam, Thomas, Vanderkruk Absent Ferguson, Kasmani, Singh Late Darcie Maki (Nursing rep), Jasmine Kochar (FYC), Julie Ella Dubeau (Clubs Others Present Administrator), Mike Tufts (CRO), Dave Moore (MAPS/MSUAA), Noel Irwin (SASS ex-officio), M. Ninham (Recording Secretary) Speaker Doan ADOPTION OF AGENDA Moved by Moran, seconded by Jones that the agenda be adopted as amended. Amendments • • •
Jarrad - add item of business # 6 - open one MSU seat on University Affairs committee Finlay - move item of business # 5 to item of business # 1 - EAB ratification Moved by Davies, seconded by Pett to add a motion that the SRA ratify McMaster Academic of Korean Canadians (MAKC) as an MSU club for the 2007-2008 year. In favor: 20 Opposed: 1 Abstain: 2 Opposed: Lee Abstain: Jacob, Saleem Motion to Add Passes
Vote to adopt amended Agenda In favor: 24 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 0 Carried Unanimously COMMITTEE BUSINESS 1.
Bylaws & Procedures - Finlay reported, attached •
2.
Finlay - report is attached and short. I have just had a meeting with some key people and we will be reviewing the bylaws and proposing these changes in upcoming meetings. Our first meeting is being held on Wednesday at 3:30pm. Services - Pett reported, circulated report
•
Pett - I apologize for no having this report attached to the agenda.We are just about tostart an internal review for our services. We have been discussing a couple of new ideas on how to improve services. Two of the proposed improvements include an online ticket sales system to be used in association with Compass and a volunteer portal to be included on the MSU website.
SRA 07J Page 2 November 11, 2007
3.
Clubs - Dubeau reported, attached •
• •
• •
Dubeau - a few thing the Clubs department has worked on are: AV agreement for clubs - all clubs now have access to permanently installed A/V equipment in McMaster classrooms without being charged; Funding - we have allocated $50,000 to clubs this year. All first year clubs received $100 and the maximum allocated to any club was $1000. There will be a 2nd round of funding allocation at the end of January; Space - office spaces have been allocated, most of those allocated a space have office hours posted and attend them; Showcase - the MUSC atrium was the site of the 1st Clubs showcase on October 17th. The event was designed to allow clubs to go further than just a table display by demonstrating what they do. Although only 5 groups participated, we had a dozen display tables. I hope to integrate a showcase aspect into either Clubsfest 2 or 3 in January; Event Planning workshop - we hosted an event planning talk as part of the clubs workshop series; Budget workshop - there will be an introduction to budgets and finances info session for club treasurers and financial officers, this is scheduled for November 14th at 5:30pm in the Clubspace; Applications 2nd term - applications for 2nd term club ratification will be posted November 19th and the deadline for submissions will be on December 1st at noon; Clubsfest 2 and 3 - scheduled for January 9th and January 16th. Balkissoon - how was the funding reviewed and allocated? Dubeau - we determine our decision on their projects, the scope of the clubs projects and how many McMaster students the projects will serve, not just how many students in their club the project will serve. Prevalus - do you have any information on Pangaea? Dubeau - that event is no longer through clubs, you will have to contact Diversity Services for more information on that event.
4.
Campus Events - no report submitted or attached
5.
Emergency First Response Team - no report submitted or attached
6.
Maroons - no report submitted or attached
7.
Executive Board - Kasmani reported, verbally •
• •
Kasmani - since the last SRA meeting, the Executive Board has had two relatively short meetings. At the meeting on October 30, we approved allocations for Marmor in the amount of $2500 for the purchase of two high end camera’s and approved an allocation for $1500 for two high end lenses. We also approved an allocation of $2500 for the purchase of 25 new manikins for EFRT first aid courses along with a $1500 allocation for 10 AED devices. At the meeting on November 6th, we approved the expenditure of $2500 for 25 manikins and approved the expenditure of $1500 for 10 AED devices. Davies - why did EFRT request to purchase 25 manikins? Kasmani - they need 25 manikins for a full first aid course. Some classes have had up to 60 participants. The reason why there are less AED devises is because EFRT only needs one per every 4 participants.
8.
Vice-President (Education) report - deferred from SRA 07I
9.
President’s Report - Moran reported, circulated •
Moran - I have circulated my report. Poll Out and Vote - we worked on this campaign to promote both the provincial and the various MSU elections. You will see resurgences with this project throughout the year. My primary role in this project was assisting with the design, themes, and acquisition of promotional materials related to it. MacSHARE - (Student and Housing Rental Evaluation) is the name I am tentatively giving to the off-campus housing review site that I have been working on. This site will indirectly complement an initiative of the McMaster Off-Campus
SRA 07J Page 3 November 11, 2007
• • • • • • • • • •
Resource Centre to review their accommodation review program. 50 Notebooks - this project is a collaborative art project that is being initiated by the MSU and worked on by the students of McMaster. The project is in full swing now as all the notebooks have been distributed. I have received very positive feedback so far about this project. Quality report - an update is being conducted by Sharma and myself of a statistic assessment of the student opinion of quality of education across the faculties. Project Watchdog - the creation of the positions of Community Standards Assistants under the Student Community Support Network is pending a meeting with the Off-Campus Resource Centre. First Year Council - in the past the Vice-President (Administration) had typically taken on the role of facilitating the implementation of the First Year Council, but the President is an ex-officio member. The FYC, at the start of each year tends to find itself in a rebuilding process. It is my intention to try and remedy the trend of the FYC having to start from scratch each year. Homecoming - was held the weekend of October 12th to 14th. Honour M Plaque - the MSU contributed for the 75th reunion, a plaque commemorating all who have received the award, and leaving space for future recipients. It now hangs in the MSU Main Office reception area. I have added in my report a list of different promotional ideas I am still working on for the MSU ie radio show, president’s page, etc. For the MUSC seating - there has been a delay in delivering the furniture however the furniture should be delivered before the holiday break. At the Board of Directors level, we have been pursuing with the Business Manager a remedy for the full time staff structure to help with the way the MSU has continually expanded over the years. We are trying to remedy the situation where some staff are being pulled in different directions. We will be sitting down with the Operations and Bylaws chairs to discuss these changes before we bring anything to the SRA level for approval. Discussions - Not for profit coffee bar - this is something we are looking at bringing into the library where the revenue from this bar would go towards the money needed to extend the hours of the learning commons. Will be talking about the HSR bus pass renewal. The University has directed the HSR to remove 25 buses from campus out of the 200 buses that enter the campus daily. This will begin in January. Prevalus - for your trip to Mexico, do you have any plans for fundraising? Moran - once I find out more information I will let you know. Pamukoff - for the 50 notebooks campaign, how are the books being distributed? Moran - they have already been distributed. They are out of our hands after the initial distribution. Ferguson - for the 912 program, is this a joint project between the MSU and the University? Moran - yes. Ferguson - which department would be better to leave feedback with? Moran - either department is fine. Ferguson - how much of students tuition goes towards funding this project? Moran - it does not come from tuition dollars. The actual budget comes out of the special projects budget. I can get figures for you.
INFORMATION PERIOD • • • •
•
Molenda - the finance committee tried to meet today but it was only the MSU member that showed up. I had no SRA members show up. We need to hold a meeting. Moran - the Campus Events department is entering a float in the Santa Claus parade this coming weekend. Jones - if you would like to help decorate the float, you must be there for 10:30am on Saturday. If you just wish to ride the float, you must be there for 11:30am. McBride - the Social Sciences general meeting is being held tomorrow in MUSC Room 311. The MSU club, Hamilton B ’Leafs will be hosting an all you can eat turkey dinner on November 22nd, I will circulate flyers for more information. Davies - the new SRA members have chosen their SRA office hours. Not much has change din terms of the schedule but I will send out an email soon.
SRA 07J Page 4 November 11, 2007
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Kasmani - I attempted to hold an External Affairs meeting as well. The turnout was low. In general, I would say that attendance to committees is as mandatory as your attendance on the SRA. Pamukoff - the Kin Formal was held this past week and it was a big success. Kin Games are in Halifax this year and we may be approaching the MSU for help with a sponsorship. Jones - there is a Senate meeting being held on November 14th at 3pm. The new Chancellor’s installation is being held on November 16th. Edwards Hall will be hosting an open house as well. I had my first security walkabout, which covered the Arts Quad. We looked for burnt out lights, trip hazards, shrubbery that should be cut back. It’s an exciting committee. I have taxi chits for any members that need to travel after SRA meetings that run late. We met with David Sweet this past Friday. Pett - I hold an executive position in the MSU Club - McMaster C.U.R.E. Tomorrow we will be sponsoring students from the Beasley area in Hamilton. We will be bringing 30 students to campus to give them an idea of University, to educate them that there is funding out there for them even though they live in poverty and access to University isn’t based on what background they come from. Moran - Board evaluations have been circulated. Please make sure that you complete them.
QUESTION PERIOD •
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Davies - to Jones - for committees/services not presenting reports, can you please speak with the Managers to ensure that these reports are submitted? What steps are taken when a committee or service doesn’t submit as required? Jones - all committees/services received an email at the beginning of the year with the report schedule. Any one that does not submit or at least show up to a meeting that they are supposed to report at, will receive a warning letter. I will be following up with the members that have not submitted or attended. Moran - I have noticed a trend of attendance issues and difficulty with our committees being able to meet. If you have been elected to a committee, it is your responsibility to ensure that you attend meetings as part of being an SRA member.
BUSINESS 1.
Electoral Appeal Board Ratification
Moved by Moran, seconded by Pett that the SRA ratify Andrew Richardson as the Community member, Sheila Sammon as the 1st alternate, and Nibaldo Galleguillos as the 2nd alternate for the 2007-2008 Electoral Appeal Board. • • •
Tufts - this committee was supposed to be struck in March however it was not done. I have advertised for these positions and these are the members that expressed interest. Kasmani - is there any potential conflict with Richardson being Coordinator of the QSCC and this Board? Speaker - each member are honour bound to declare his or her own conflict of interest if it comes up. In favor: 24 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 1 Abstain: McBride Motion Passes
2.
Close nominations for one (1) SRA member and one (1) MSU member to the Standing Committee on Finance
Moved by Molenda, seconded by Singh that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member and one (1) MSU member to the Standing Committee on Finance.
SRA 07J Page 5 November 11, 2007
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Molenda - I would like to close this and elect so that I can hold meetings. Finlay nominated Elvikis, accepted. O ’Brien nominated Balkissoon, accepted. Kasmani - are there any SRA members that do not sit on any committees? Finlay - our Bylaws state that you have to actively participate in committees, it does not mandate you to sit on committees, even if you don’t have voting rights on a committee, you can still actively participate. Stewart nominated Park, accepted. Pett - Thomas was nominated at the last meeting. Pett nominated O ’Brien, declined. Gruca nominated Encinares, accepted. Molenda - Aneel Janmohammad was nominated as the MSU member at a meeting in October and was never ratified. Park withdrew nomination. Encinares withdrew nomination. In favor: 25 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 0 Carried Unanimously
Moved by Davies, seconded by Molenda that each candidate be given 2 minutes for opening statements, 15 minutes for questions with a cap of 1 minute per response and 1 minute for closing statements. In favor: 22 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 3 Abstain: Jarrad, Balkissoon, Elvikis Motion Passes • • •
Each candidate spoke in allocated time followed by an answer and question period; Balkissoon, Elvikis, Thomas (not present). The Assembly went into secret ballot vote. The Speaker announced that Gregory Elvikis was the successful candidate.
Moved by Kasmani, seconded by McBride that the SRA destroy the ballots thereby ratifying Gregory Elvikis as the SRA member and Aneel Janmohammad as the MSU member on the Standing Committee on Finance. In favor: 20 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 2 Abstain: O’Brien, Elvikis Motion Passes 3.
Close nominations for MSU members to the following Standing Committees
Moved by Pamukoff, seconded by Jacob that the SRA close nominations for MSU members to the following Standing Committees: Bylaws & Procedures (1), and Operations (1). • •
•
Jacob - I have a nomination for Natalia Dmuchowska and Ryan Moreira. Finlay - we have two nominations for Operations and I think that since these MSU members are not in attendance, we should defer the closing of these seats until the next meeting when they can attend. Jones - to ensure that people have been nominated, I would relay that the SRA member that has those nominations, ask those members to be in attendance for the next SRA meeting.
Moved by Singh, seconded by Jones to defer this motion to the next SRA meeting. In favor: 25 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 0 Carried Unanimously
SRA 07J Page 6 November 11, 2007
4.
Close nominations for MSU members to Other committees
Moved by Prevalus, seconded by Finlay to defer this motion to the next SRA meeting. • •
Singh - do we even have any nominations? Speaker - we do not have anything up here, I am not sure about if any Assembly members have nominations. In favor: 24 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 1 Abstain: Moran Motion Passes
5.
Close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board
Moved by Kasmani, seconded by Molenda that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board. • •
Speaker - nominated at the last SRA meeting were Elvikis and Finlay. Elvikis withdrew his nomination.
Moved by Kasmani, seconded by Molenda that the SRA close nominations for one (1) SRA member to the Executive Board thereby ratifying Ian Finlay. In favor: 24 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 1 Abstain: Finlay Motion Passes 6.
Open nominations for one (1) MSU member to the University Affairs committee
Moved by Jarrad, seconded by Ferguson that the SRA open nominations for one (1) MSU member to the University Affairs committee. •
Jarrad - Jacob was the MSU member however now that he is an SRA member, we need to fill this MSU seat. In favor: 25 Opposed: 0 Abstain: 0 Carried Unanimously
7.
Club Ratification
Moved by Davies, seconded by Pett that the SRA ratify McMaster Academia of Korean Canadians (MAKC) as an MSU club for the 2007-2008 academic year. •
• •
•
Davies - at the last meeting we deferred this. Since that meeting, Sharma, Dubeau, and myself had consulted HRES. They came to the conclusion that it wasn’t a human rights issue at all but given that the mandates of the two clubs are different, the second club should be ratified. I have received new information about these two clubs and one group is more a social scene group and the other is an academic group. Dubeau - my opinion still stands that we could have the clubs ratified for this academic year which can be reviewed for next year. Finlay - I feel by ratifying this club, we are setting precedence to make it harder to the Clubs Administrator with certain clubs that won’t or don’t work together. I do not feel that we should allow this quick fix to happen. Kasmani - we can amend the motion to specifically state that this is only on an interim basis.
SRA 07J Page 7 November 11, 2007
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Khalifa - these are two clubs that have two completely different mandates. There can be two different clubs that can work differently. That is the whole point to MSU clubs. Moran - the mandate of MSU clubs, is not to make all clubs work together. Pamukoff - these clubs are probably already operating with or without club status by themselves separately since we are already in November. Jacob - the MSU’s mandate is to ensure that clubs exist, not that we dictate how certain clubs are run. We are a body that allows all students to have any kind of committee. Ferguson - it is not the same group of students we are talking about here. Pett - this is Dubeau’s full time job, many of us have not spent the amount of time she has in looking into this further. We should listen to our employees and uphold their judgment and ratify the club. Davies - I do not think we were having this conversation if they were overlapping clubs. I do not see why this is a problem to approve. The proof that they have different mandates proves that they cannot work together. Kasmani - the reason for reviewing this more in depth is because that is the SRA’s mandate. It is our job to overlook the entire organization as SRA members. Dubeau brought this to the SRA because she wanted to know how the SRA felt about this issue. There is a lot more that goes into this application process. There is administration that goes along with every club that we approve. We have to make sure that we run this organization effectively for all students.
Moved by Pett, seconded by Pamukoff to call to question. In favor: 22 Opposed: 3 Abstain: 0 Opposed: Finlay, Davies, Kasmani Motion Passes Vote on Main Motion In favor: 17 Opposed: 6 Abstain: 2 Opposed: Finlay, Kasmani, Gruca, Park, Jarrad, Prevalus Abstain: Balkissoon, Singh Motion Passes TIME OF NEXT MEETING The time of the next SRA meeting is scheduled for: Sunday November 25, 2007 @ 6:30pm Council Chambers, Gilmour Hall Room 111 CALL OF THE ROLL Present Balkissoon, Davies, Elvikis, Encinares, Ferguson, Finlay, Gruca, Jacob, Jarrad, Jones, Kasmani, Khalifa, Lanteigne, Lee, McBride, Molenda, Moran, O ’Brien, Pamukoff, Park, Pett, Prevalus, Saleem, Singh, Stewart Debski, Israni, Khan, Kong, Sharma Absent Excused Thisaveerasingam, Thomas, Vanderkruk Absent Late Darcie Maki (Nursing rep), Julie Ella Dubeau (Clubs Administrator), Dave Moore Others Present (MAPS/MSUAA), M. Ninham (Recording Secretary) Doan Speaker ADJOURNMENT Moved by Gruca, seconded by Balkissoon that the meeting be adjourned. In favor: 19 Opposed: 5 Abstain: 0
SRA 07J Page 8 November 11, 2007
Opposed: Park, Stewart, Jarrad, Singh, Ferguson Motion Passes Adjourned @ 8:54pm /mn
REPORT From the office o f the.
Bylaws and Procedures Committee Chair TO: Student R epresentative Assem bly FROM : Bylaw s and Procedures Comm ittee - Ian Finlay SUBJECT: Comm ittee R eport DATE: N ovem ber 2007
W e have recently filled all but one M SU m em ber spots on the Bylaw s Comm ittee and are currently looking for a tim e to meet. I w ould like to congratulate Mr. Elvikis and Mr. B alkissoon for their successful cam paign to be part of this action packed committee. Recently the main objective for the B ylaw s and Procedures Comm ittee has been to update the bylaws so that they stay current w ith the decision made by the SRA. The main achievem ent w e have had was w orking w ith the Operations Chair, and Services Chair to set out the jurisdiction for each o f our com mittees since they would appear to overlap. W e now have a concrete idea o f w hat our mandate is as a committee. A t our first m eeting w e will discuss our objectives for the year. These objectives will be outlined in my next report to the SRA, so look forw ard to these as well as some exciting proposals.
McMaster Stwten
MSU TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE:
REPORT From the office o f the...
Clubs Administrator Student Representative Assem bly Julie Ella Dubeau -C lu b A dm inistrator and B renda W on -A ssistant Clubs A dm inistrator M id term report N ovem ber 5, 2007___________________________
The Clubs Department is continuing its assistance to clubs. AV agreement In past years clubs have had free use of AV equipment in McMaster classrooms. This year it was brought to my attention that clubs were being charged. After speaking to David Kidney the Manager of Classroom Audio Visual Services, I discovered that this free use was an agreement that had not been renewed for several years. We discussed the matter and developed a new agreement. The Clubs Department has paid a flat rate of $1200 and all MSU clubs now have access to permanently installed Audio Visual Equipment in McMaster classrooms. Funding W e have allocated near $50 000 to clubs this semester. A total of 145 clubs submitted budget request. All first year clubs were allocated $100 (up from last year's $75). The maximum allocated to any club was $1000. Club will now have to submit receipts to claim their budget allocation. There will be a second round of funding allocation at the end of January for new clubs (2nd term ratification) and those who missed the first dead line. W e will have approximately $17 000 available to clubs at that time. No Special Projects Funding has been allocated as of yet. Reminders of this available funding will be sent to the clubs. Space Office spaces have been allocated. Most of those clubs allocated a space have office hours posted and attend them. Room 215c, the communal office, is not heavily used for office hours this year. However it is still being used for small club meetings. Room 215b continues to be used by clubs for meetings at all times of the day. The general Club Space is well used for club meetings in the evening. The new furniture in this space has proven to be very versatile for these meetings. Clubs will create circle, lines of seating, small groups or a clear area as needed. Club Lockers: we have completed the installation of new hasps, and lockers continue to be allocated as request from clubs enter. Showcase The MUSC Market Place was the site of the 1st Clubs Showcase on October 17th. This event was designed to allow clubs to go further then just a table display by demonstrating what they do. Although only 5 groups participated in the demonstration part of the showcase, we had a dozen table displays. The idea was well received by many clubs; unfortunately many could not participate because the timing in the sem ester was problematic (the date was in the thick of midterms). I hope to integrate a showcase aspect into either Clubsfest 2 or 3 in January.
Event planning workshop On the same day as the Showcase we also hosted an Event Planning Talk as part of the Clubs Workshop series. W e had approximately 20 people attend the talk (again the time of year made it difficult for clubs to participate). Our guest speaker Dave Fraser the Event Coordinator for the Office of the President spoke well and touched on some key elements of event planning. The power point presentation used is posted on the Clubs website for any clubs who wish to have more information about planning events. Budget workshop Continuing Club workshops, there will be an introduction to budgets and finances info session for club treasures and financial officers. This is scheduled for November 14th at 5:30pm in Clubspace. I will be cover topics related to creating a budget, requesting sponsorship, fundraising techniques, accounting basics and so on. Since this workshop has a focused target audience, I hope for a good attendance. Applications 2nd term Applications for 2nd term club ratification will be posted November 19th. The dead line for submissions will be December 1st at noon. There is a detailed sample application available on the application webpage so groups can prepare all the information needed to fill out the forms. The list of clubs recommended for ratification will be brought to the first SRA meeting in January. Clubsfest 2-3 January also brings ClubsFest 2 and 3. They are scheduled for the first and second Wednesdays, January 9th and 16th. One of these will include a "showcase" component and each will have a maximum of 60 tables. Sign up for these clubs-only-ClubsFests will be available on December 3rd.
Coming soon I'm hoping the Clubs Executive council will be able to meet and assist me with some future events including divisional meetings/socials and the Award & Appreciation Night. I would also like to try an evaluation/research campaign to find out what impact clubs have on students and the community. A working title is "W hat do clubs mean to you?".
Feedback is always welcome, please feel free to stop by my office if you would like to chat or send me an email.
REPORT From the office o f the...
Chief Returning Officer, MikeTufts TO: FROM: SUBJECT DATE:
Student Representative Assem bly C hief R eturning Officer, D eputy R eturning O fficer Report to SRA; FYC and SRA By-election reports N ovem ber 1st, 2007
FYC Elections Inform ation Sessions - An inform ation session was held on Thursday September 20th, 2007. The event w as held at Quarters from 4-7pm. There w ere about 20 interested students w ho attended the session. The M SU President, V ice-President Administration, the DRO and the SRA External Chair w ere also in attendance. The m eeting consisted o f a brief presentation about FYC followed by a question and answ er period. N om ination forms w ere also available at this session. Proclam ation -T h e event w as advertised through various forms o f campus media. There w ere ads placed in The Silhouette, posters placed throughout campus, spots on ListServe and the M SU main W ebpage and through the M SU radio show on CFMU. Nom inations - The nom ination period was open from Thursday September 20th 2007 until M onday September 24th, 2007. In total there w ere 14 nom ination forms received. At the close o f the nom ination period there w ere no nominations received for the position o f Com m issioner o f Education and Comm unity Issues (Comm unity Outreach Coordinator). A t the same time, upon further exam ination o f the FYC by-law, I realized that two positions had been overlook for election. I opened those tw o positions for election as well. In consulting the inform ation from the previous CRO I found the positions w ere not elected last year (2006-2007). There w ere sufficient nom ination forms received by Thursday September 27th, 2007 to close the nom inations for all positions. Elections - The elections w ere held on October 2nd, 2007. Polling stations w ere located at M ary E. Keyes, Comm ons and MUSC. The following candidates w ere elected: M ale Co-Chair- George Farjou Fem ale Co-Chair - Jasm ine K ochar Com m issioner o f Program m ing (Events Coordinator) - Soheil M ohamm adi Com m issioner o f Service (External Coordinator) - M elissa M oralcchetti Com m issioner o f Education and Comm unity Issues (Comm unity Outreach Coordinator) N ancy Cho A dvertising Coordinator - A spasia M anos Com m issioner o f Organizational Issues - Sinead Quinless
Poll clerks - Poll clerks for this election w ere m ainly new to the job. All poll clerks arrived on time and w ere at their polling stations w ith them set up before the polls were set to open at 9.30am. There w ere eleven poll clerks hired. Two w ere stationed per station and there w ere tw o floaters throughout the day to ensure all individuals could get lunch and to cover for shift changes. All changes and breaks w ent smoothly and there w ere no com plaints from poll clerks about not being taken care of. M ike and M organne w ere also constantly checking in w ith the poll clerks in person to make sure everything was going well. All poll clerks w orked well together and w ere very professional. Additionally, there w ere no issues w ith payroll and paym ent o f poll clerks. Polling stations - All polling station m aterials w ere prepared in advance by M ike and M organne the night before, except for the ballots, w hich we had to organize into packages o f 50 the morning o f the election. The positions for the polling stations were well selected (one at Com m ons M arketplace, one at M ary E. K eyes residence, and one in M U SC near W illiams). The tables and chairs requested were located at all polling stations w hen the poll clerks arrived. Ballots- There w ere a couple mistakes made on the ballots. Firstly, there were contradictory instructions on the ballot. The instructions at the top o f the ballot instructed the voter to place the candidates in preferential order. Low er on the ballot, the voters w ere instructed to select only one candidate. This error resulted in M ike and M organne asking the poll clerks to direct the voters’ attention to the first instructions rather than the second set o f instructions. A second mistake was discovered later. A choice bubble was placed beside one o f the position headings. D ue to this second error the ballots were reprinted w ith the only the proper preferential voting instructions and the additional bubble removed. A t 10:30 am the ballot boxes containing the votes that had been cast on the uncorrected ballots w ere sealed and removed along w ith any rem aining ballots by M ike and myself, and replaced w ith new ballots and new ballot boxes. Ballot Counting and Fines - The fines m eeting w as w aived because there w ere no fines to present to the committee. The ballot counting began at approxim ately 6:30pm on O ctober 2nd, 2007. The results w ere ratified and posted on the w indow o f the M SU office at 8:30pm. W hat w ent well - The election w as a learning experience. I feel that voter turnout for the election was not enormous but it was encouraging. The election also provided a learning experience for me. I felt much m ore prepared for the SRA By-election after the FYC experience. The election was also a chance to make contacts w ith poll clerks w ho can w ork all year long. W hat w ent not so well - The nom ination period was extended to accom m odate for the positions that w ere overlooked. The by-law also had some ambiguous language. Section 5.3 states: “A majority in the election o f executive members and commissioners is defined as 50% + 1 vote from eligible participants”. As I interpreted it, that w ould mean 50% + 1 vote from all first year students. This section w as submitted to the speaker, Mr. Jones, and he ruled that a majority shall be defined as 50% + 1 vote from eligible
participants, w here participants means voters cast. The proofreading o f ballots is param ount to a successful election. The preferential ballot can be confusing w hen 5+ positions are being elected. I w ould recom m end the language in the by-law be amended to define a m ajority as a plurality o f votes.
SRA October By-Elections Proclam ation - The proclam ation was issued on O ctober 1st, 2007. The following faculties had seats open on September 30th 2007: H um anities (1), Social Sciences (4), Science (1), N ursing (1) and Engineering (1). V arious mean w ere used to proclaim the election; advertisements w ere placed in the Silhouette, the M SU main page ran a story about the openings and posters w ere placed across campus. There w as an error on the proclam ation w ere it stated that the Science faculty had tw o seats open w hen only one was available. N om inations - All forms w ere received on tim e and w ere validated by the CRO using resources from the registrar’s office. All o f the seats in the following faculties were acclaimed: Engineering, Social Science and Humanities. There w ere 3 nominations for the Science Seat and 2 for the N ursing Seat. The following seats w ere acclaimed: Social Science:
Humanities: Engineering:
Gregory O ’Brien K yle Balkissoon Gregory Elvikis A run Jacob Fredner Prevalus Ryan (Sungho) Park
Elections - Elections w ere held on O ctober 16th, 2007 for Science and Nursing. Voter turn out w as under 1% for both Science and Nursing. Ads w ere placed on the M SU w ebsite and in the Silhouette as well as posters throughout campus. The following candidates w ere elected: Jobin Thom as in Science and M ichelle Langteigne for Nursing. Ballot Counting and Fines - There w ere tw o fines issued for not returning expense sheets before the designated time. N o other cam paign violations w ere reported to the CRO. The ballot count got underw ay at 6:30 pm and was com pleted by 7:15 pm. The results w ere posted on the Election Service w ebpage and the M SU M ain Office window. Poll clerks - U nfortunately, M organne was unable to hire as many poll clerks as she w ould have liked due to there only being tw o faculties that w ere not acclaimed. The poll clerks that w ere hired for the election showed up on time and all clerks w orked all day, so there w ould be no com plications due to shift changes. All clerks w ere courteous and preform ed their duties well. Two issues arose during the voting process. The first was an individual who did not w ant to cast his ballot. He had filled out the ballot and then refused to put the ballot in the box. W e told the poll clerk to w rite “ spoiled” on the back o f the ballot and put it in
the box. This occurred at the science polling station. The second issue also occurred at the science polling station. The num ber o f ballots was not recorded upon the opening o f the envelope o f ballots. The final initialized list o f ballots only counted to 49. W e decided that w e w ould only need to address this issue if it came up during the ballot counting process. B oth M ike and M organne asked the individuals w ho had opened the polling station if they rem em bered counting the ballots, but neither could. This confusion may be rooted in the fact that the poll clerks that w ere to be stationed there for the morning had class until 9.20, so they w ould not be showing up to the station until it was to open. N o issue arose during ballot counting. So I will make sure to reinforce the voting procedure to the poll clerks the m orning o f the election, so they are clear. W e will also make sure to make it clear to poll clerks that any aberration from the set voting process M UST be reported to M ike and/or M organne im m ediately so we can make a decision as to w hat is best for the situation. Polling stations The polling station in health sciences (nursing) did not receive many (read less than 20) votes. Prior to the election, M organne asked the nursing candidates if they thought this w ould be an appropriate area for the polling station and they replied that it w ould w ork well because they only have classes in IAHS or health sciences. The science table had much better results despite being in a nook on the back side o f M DCL. For future SRA elections I w ould recom m end that Science Polls be held in BSB or ABB. W hat w ent well - This was, again, a learning experience. I felt the elections w ent very well from a procedural perspective. W hat w ent no so well - There w ere a few m inor problem s highlighted in the report; low voter turnout, incorrect num ber o f Science seats on the proclamation. The preparation o f ballots was the m ost tim e consuming aspect o f the election and will be planned for accordingly next time.
Election Committee The Election Comm ittee has m et to discuss the Electoral Appeal B oard and the N ovem ber by-election. There is also one seat open on the com m ittee for general M SU members. Thank you, M ike Tufts, C hief Returning Officer election@ m su.m cm aster.ca
MSUffi McMaster Students Union
■
SRA REPORT M S U P resid en t
15
To:
Student Representative A ssem bly
From;
Ryan M o rin , M SU President
Re:
SRA R eport
Date:
Sunday Novem ber U , 2007
Greetings everyone, I hope a ll o f your sem esters have been going w ell so far, and hopefully there isn ’t too m uch w ork w eighing you a ll down. B eing that it has been two months since m y last report (as opposed to last one’s four), and I tend to try and give extensive inform ation at all m eetings, I w ill try not to let this d rag... but no prom ises. Projects
Poll O ut and Vote Together w ith V P Education, A rati Sharm a, we worked on the “P o ll out and Vote” cam paign to promote both the p ro vincial and the various M SU elections. Y o u w ill see resurgences w ith this project throughout the year, sp e cifically during the M SU presidential election period and the S R A general elections. M y prim ary role in this project was assisting w ith the design, themes and acquisition o f prom otional m aterials related to it.
Mac SHARE M ac S H A R E (Student H ousing And Rental Evaluation) is the name 1 am tentatively g ivin g to the off-cam pus housing review site that I have been w orking on. It is certainly proving to be a beast to tame, but it’s defin itely com ing together. Fo llo w in g the thumbs up from our legal council as to the layout o f the evaluation questions, and the disclaim er and terms and conditions o f use, 1 have been la y in g out the page structure in a word document that w ill be forwarded to our web editor Sarah K w asniew ski, who w ill work on it with a launch date o f January. The M ac S H A R E site w ill in directly com plem ent an in itiative o f the M cM aster O ff-Cam pus Resource Centre to revise their accom m odation review program .
50 Notebooks H opefully you a ll know what this project is, i f not, w ell, we’ll talk. B rie fly, the 50 Notebooks project is a collaborative art project that is being initiated b y the M SU and worked on b y the students o f M cM aster. The project is in fu ll sw ing now as all the notebooks have been distributed. Feedback 1 have received thus far from this project has been very positive, as w ell it has received p ositive attention from both the Silhouette and the Ham ilton Spectator. I have been
very pleased w ith th e d irectio n th is project has tak en and lo o k forw ard to seeing how it turns out w hen the notebooks beg in to get received back in D ecem ber.
Quality Report A ssociated w ith the 50 N otebooks project is the Q u ality R eport, an up d a te b ein g conducted by A rati and m yself, o f a statistic assessm ent o f the student op in io n o f q u ality o f education across the faculties. O riginally conducted and com pleted in sp rin g 2003 b y then V P E ducation A dam Spence, th e aim o f rein itiatin g this project is to b o th assess issues o f education quality at M cM aster, and also to b enchm ark in light o f th ese post double cohort years.
Project Watchdog T he creation o f the p o sitio n s o f C om m unity Standards A ssistants u n d e r th e S tudent com m unity Support N etw ork is p en d in g a m eeting, w ith O ff-C am pus R esource C entre acting m an ag er M ike Ferguson, to discuss an y potential revisions to th e program . W e h ad b een w a itin g o n short feedback reports from th e students w ho took o n the w atchdog roles d uring the sum m er. N o w that they h ave been received w e w ill convene to see i f any changes should b e m ade that m a y be highlighted in the reports o r b y o ur opinions. E ith er th e last m eeting o f this sem ester, or the first m eetin g o f next should b rin g these revisions to the SC SN policy.
First Year Council In th e p ast th e V ice-President A dm inistration had ty p ically taken on the ro le o f facilitating the im plem entation o f th e F irst Y ear Council, how ever, the FY C b ylaw d oes not outlin e this, bu t the P resident is an ex-officio m em ber, given this circum stance I had w anted to take o n the facilitation role. T he FY C w as elected in early O cto b er and h ave b een conducting th eir executive m eetings on M ondays at 12:30 in Bridges. A t present the applications h ave gone up for th e tw o appointed positions on their executive (F in ancial/A dm inistrative officer, Technical officer), as w ell, they have opened up applications for first years to serve as h all/facu lty reps on the council. T he FY C , at the start o f each year tends to find its e lf in a reb u ild in g process. Instead o f bein g a fluid and continuous council it seem s as though it is alw ays startin g from scratch, it is m y in tention to try and rem edy th is trend for this year, next, and id eally m an y after.
Homecoming T h e w eekend o f O ctober 12111 to the 14111w as M cM aster's H om ecom ing w eekend. T y p ically the organization and im plem entation o f th e student intended events com es from the M S U and the S tudent R elations C om m ittee, this year, w as o f course, no different. H aving a p articular interest in trying to establish trad itio n s am ong the students, i f not sim p ly trying to b u ild up the events that typically should already b e b ig (such as a h om ecom ing w eekend), 1 m ade sure to p la y a ro le in the organization o f a n u m b er o f the events. A central d ifficulty in trying to instill a sense o f spirit o r energy am ong th e students for the H om ecom ing w eekend is the fact that the stadium is still not finished, thus, the gam e rem ains off-cam pus. A s w ell, m u ch m ore support and p rom otion o f the w eekend is required b y o th er parties involved, w h eth er it is from the U niversity adm inistration level, o r from students/student leaders w ho do not tak e an active interest or ro le in the w eekend. T hat said, next y ear w ill h o ld m assive opportunity for M ac ’s H om ecom ing w eekend, as the stadium will be com plete and open, thus, 1 encourage an y o f y o u w ho w ill b e around next year to m ake sure y o u ’re active, i f not in the organization o f the events, then at least in the participation.
Honour M Plaque Related to Homecoming weekend, one o f the highlights was the 75th reunion of the Honour Society, the membership o f which consists o f all those who have received the Honour M award as a result o f exemplary contribution to extracurricular activities during their time as students. Coordinated through the McMaster Alumni Association and the McMaster Students Union Alumni Association, the event was great for getting a sense of history o f what McMaster was like for our alumni peers, as well as meeting individuals who had made significant contributions to what we now take as essential parts of the MSU and o f student life in general. The MSU’s central contribution to the event was the creation and presentation o f a plaque commemorating all who have received the award, and leaving space for future recipients. It now hangs on the North wall o f the MSU main office reception area.
MUSC seating OUSA Community Direction Paper Proposal Leadership sessions MUFA MSU Promotions -
Presidents Page Poster Series M e e tin g s
- Student Academic Council - Student Relations Committee - Student Services Committee - Athletics and Recreation Student Contribution Recognition - President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community - President’s Advisory Committee on Community Relations - Ainslie-Wood Westdale Community Association and AWWCA By-Laws - Brian McHattie/John Wigle - Campus Town Association - United Way Campaign Committee - Hamilton Roundtable with Provincial Finance Minister - University Senate - University Board of Governors -M SU and You - CFMU Board of Directors - MSU Executive Board
- MSU Board of Directors - Quarters Planning Meetings - McMaster University Student Centre Board of Management - Alumni Board of Directors - Lunch with MUFA - Coffee with University B.o.G. Chair - Peter George Coffees
m Conferences and Away Times Ontario Undergraduate Students Alliance (OUSA) General Assembly (Oct. 19-21,2007) Alumni Relations: Ottawa (November 12-13,2007) Canadian alliance o f Student Associations (CASA) Lobby Conference (November 13-14,2007) Community Service Learning: Cuernavaca, Mexico (February 15-22, 2008)
Current and Future Work First Year Council Quality Report Frost Week
Discussion Projects -
Student Memorial Policy and Monument Not for Profit Coffee Bar in Mills Learning Commons HSR Pass Renewal, and Pedestrian Safety on Campus Community Issues Trucks vs. Buses Student/City Volunteer Connection
MSU McMaster Studen
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REPORT Fromtheofficeofthe... Services Committee Chair
TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE:
Members of the Student Representative Assembly Services Committee Chair, Michael Pett Services Committee Report Sunday, November 11, 2007____ ____ __ ___
The Services Committee has recently filled its last vacant seat and has been able to meet twice. As 1 mentioned in my last report, the Services Committee will be conducting an internal review of all MSU services in an attempt to couple their respective mandates as outlined in MSU Operating Policy 1 with their actual practices. Each member of the Services Committee has been assigned at least three services, for which they will oversee the review process. The Services Committee has also recently completed and finalized the protocol for the review and the questionnaire to be used. Within the next couple of weeks, each member o f the Services Committee will be meeting with the coordinators/ managers of their assigned services in order to complete the questionnaire. The results of the review will hopefully be available in mid-December and will provided in my February Report. In addition, the Services Committee has also begun discussing a number o f possible improvements to services provided by the MSU. These proposed improvements are currently being assessed to determine whether or not they would be feasible, practical, and effective. Although I will not go into any detail, two of the proposed improvements include an online ticket sales system to be used in association with COMPASS and a volunteer portal to be included on the MSU website. As always, I am open to any ideas or constructive criticism, so please feel free to shoot me off an email or drop by a Services Committee meeting. Sincerely, Michael Pett
