WHAT TO EXPECT ON SUNDAY
The University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) is set to host their Autumn General Assembly (AGA) at the Alumni Auditorium in the basement of the UCU at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning (Nov. 17.) This Assembly is the highest decision-making body of UOSU, where students can discuss and vote on motions that shape the union’s priorities and policies.
Agenda items on the docket for this year include: the reduction in bilingualism standards for members of the executive committee; a renewal of the UOSU’s positions on solidarity with Uyghur Muslims and Palestine; the creation of a Francophone centre; pass-fail grading for electives; the requirement for criminal record checks for 101 Week guides; and the creation of a budget “specifically dedicated to accessibility initiatives and measures.”
The assembly will also vote to ratify the fall by-election results, which include the election of three members to the executive committee and four members to the Board of Directors (BOD). The members of the executive committee, while holding seats on the BOD, are also in charge of the day-to-day operations of the union and work full time.
Members of the union — U of O undergraduate students — will be given the chance to raise discussion points at the assembly, and question executives on their mandates and work since the beginning of the term.
What Happened Last Year?
Last year’s Autumn General Assembly was contentious. The approval of the by-election results — which this year seems like a mere formality — was subject to great debate. That fall by-election resulted in students voting to stop paying student levies to the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) and campus radio station CHUO 89.1 FM.
CHUO had responded to the referendum result by calling into question its legality and the lack of transparency surrounding its inclusion on the ballot. When she was still president-elect, current UOSU president Delphine Robitaille’s argument that ratifying those results would be a “legal liability” to the union ultimately stood, and attendees of the meeting would vote to not ratify those specific results.
The ensuing question of defunding OPIRG and CHUO was once again proposed as a referendum question during the winter general elections where students voted even more heavily in favour of defunding. The decision was then ratified during the Winter General Assembly.
Two near-identical motions calling for the reinstatement of CHUO’s levy were included on the proposed agenda for this year’s AGA, but were ruled unconstitutional at the Oct. 20 BOD meeting. Motions that call for changes to levies must be voted upon in referendums.
How Do I Get Involved?
While the motion submission period has closed, students still have until Thursday at 11:59 p.m. to register or assign a proxy to attend on their behalf. All proxies must be appointed by this deadline. For more information, contact the chair of the Board of Directors at [email protected].
