UOSU SET FOR LONG AGA WITH NEARLY TWICE AS MANY MOTIONS AS YEAR PRIOR
This year’s University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) Autumn General Assembly (AGA) will take place on Nov. 22 at UCU’s Alumni Auditorium at 10 a.m. If you think the name’s a mouthful, come and see what the fateful day has in store for you! For those unable to attend in person, UOSU will provide a Zoom link to tune in to the proceedings. UOSU also offers a translation service so that students can follow along in French; however, this service is only offered online, meaning Francophone students will need to bring their own headphones.
If you plan on tuning in virtually, you must register by Nov. 17 to receive the Zoom link. If you miss the deadline, you can still attend the event in-person and register that morning. Students unable to attend in-person or virtually may assign their vote to a proxy; one member can act as the appointed proxy for a maximum of four other members. We recommend the tried and true rock paper scissors method for deciding which of your friends will attend. Remember, clubs are highly encouraged to send a representative!
On the day of, members of the audience will be invited to participate in a question period directed at the UOSU executive team after the agenda is approved and the members of the executive give their term updates. These question periods have gained notoriety for their tendency to become a contentious spectacle, but above all, they reflect an opportunity for students to speak directly to their union representatives.
Next on the agenda is the ratification of the fall by-election results in which two executive, six board of directors (BOD), and four senate candidates were elected to fulfil their individual mandates until the winter general election. Advocacy commissioner Norah Bello, who previously held the position in an interim capacity, had her mandate extended after receiving a commanding 78.46 per cent of the vote over challenger Arman E. Similarly, Dan Ngenzi Da Ruty held on to his previously interim role as commissioner of francophone affairs after receiving 80.02 percent of the vote over challenger Jacob Pilon.
Additionally, students will be presented with a vote to ratify Ben Cameron as Director of Indigenous Students following a nomination from the Indigenous Students Association. Cameron previously served as UOSU’s chief electoral officer.
After these ratifications, the meeting will move to approve the audited financial statements from the 2025-26 fiscal year completed by Logan-Katz LLP. Logan-Katz will then be subjected to a vote to determine if the firm will be re-appointed as the union’s auditor.
Before moving to member-submitted motions, attendees will have the chance to review and vote on proposed amendments to the constitution.
From Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, all UOSU members were provided the opportunity to submit motions to be deliberated and voted upon during the AGA. This year, nine motions will be discussed during the AGA, four of which were submitted by Ethan Rolando Dolcino. Dolcino’s motions carry a cohesive theme, with all four targeting accessibility for students with disabilities. One of these motions proposes the creation of an institutional certificate that recognizes the additional skills that people with disabilities are often forced to acquire, such as self-advocacy, institutional navigation, and conflict resolution. Dolcino additionally presented a motion for efforts to ensure all UOSU-related services are accessible to all students, beyond just events.
The ISA’s external co-president and former director of indigenous students, Kim Mantha, is presenting a motion to revise the language of the constitution in a continued effort to decolonize the practices of the union and university as a whole.
Another motion submitted by J. Hepburn calls for less UOSU ‘spam’ emails. Hepburn cited how the influx of UOSU emails can be “rather annoying.”
Those craving an additional third space on campus will be delighted by the news of a motion presented by U. Pio Cacciamani Fanelli to collaborate with the now-defunct U of O table tennis club to provide their old tables in various locations across campus for students to use free of charge.
A motion put forward by Ben Cameron proposes an amendment to the Restriction on Activities section of the union’s articles of incorporation. While the current document stipulates the union may not enter into any “perpetual agreement” which cannot be terminated by a vote of the BOD, Cameron’s proposal would extend this restriction to “all agreements.” The amendment would expand the BOD’s oversight over the UOSU’s third-party agreements.
This is a motion of interest for students following last year’s Bounce app debacle which saw UOSU invest $60,000 in an app designed to make university events more accessible and salient to students. This investment sparked an array of responses from students, from concerns about the lack of safety and privacy mechanisms within the app itself, to whether the investment was adequately reflective of students’ interests.
Finally, a motion forwarded by Trevor Ng would see the creation of a scholarship worth at least $1000 named after himself. The grant is intended to provide financial support to those who can no longer access extracurricular activities due to the affordability crisis. The grant would be distributed on an annual basis and would be funded by a donation of $500 from each Ng and UOSU. If passed, you could also receive co-naming rights to the scholarship by contributing the minimum sum of $500 to become a sponsor!
Considering last year’s AGA consisted of five motions compared to this year’s nine, a lengthy assembly is not inconceivable. However, light snacks, refreshments, and some rowdy student politics will be available throughout the event!
The Fulcrum will be providing live coverage on the day of the event on our Instagram @uottawafulcrum to keep you informed about the proceedings of your student union.
In the meantime, the full AGA agenda is available for all to digest prior to the event.
