Board rejects Builds SFU-related referenda proposals

As the clock ticked towards the imminent deadline for submitting referendum questions on March 4, the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) board of directors debated which questions should be put to a student vote in the 2015 SFSS elections.

These yes or no questions allow active members of the student society — any undergraduate student registered in a course or program for the semester — to vote on resolutions concerning the activities of the society. Referenda are required for the SFSS to make changes to student levies, bylaws, and debentures, among other matters.

In total, eight potential referendum questions were discussed; after much deliberation, board approved four questions that will be put to SFU undergraduates for a vote between March 24–26.

The future of the Build SFU projects generated extensive discussion among board members. No to Build SFU, a group that has been campaigning against the projects for the past several months, brought two motions to the table to be discussed by board.

The first motion proposed the immediate removal of the Build SFU levy. If passed, this would effectively remove any future student funding for the Student Union Building (SUB) and Stadium projects.

The second motion called for a bylaw addition to ensure that any project valued at over $5,000,000 and involving student money require a minimum of 10 per cent voter turnout and a 75 per cent majority vote.

No to Build SFU presented a petition to add the questions to the referendum, which had garnered 628 of the 1,000 student signatures required to force the questions’ inclusion on the ballot.

Several board members acknowledged the student support for the questions, but expressed concerns surrounding the wording of the proposed referenda. “The bylaw addition question doesn’t conform to the conventions of a special resolution, and thus would not have the force of effect on the SFSS bylaws upon an affirmative vote,” said Chardaye Bueckert, SFSS president. “I don’t disagree with its intention, but I have concerns around the wording and the process.”

The board felt there was not enough time to reword the questions before the 6:30 p.m. deadline that evening.

No to Build SFU members expressed their dissatisfaction with the process, saying they tried to come to the working group for help forming the questions, but received none.

At-large representative Rebecca Langmead moved to instead produce a web survey that would poll student opinion on the Build SFU projects. Built into the motion was a clause to withhold board members’ stipends should they fail to do so.

In addition to the proposed Build SFU questions, six other potential referendum questions were debated.

Health Sciences Faculty Student Union: Approved

The Health Sciences Faculty Student Union (HSUSU) is seeking to become the official faculty student union for health sciences.

In the election period, health sciences students will have the opportunity to vote yes or no to being officially represented by HSUSU.

SFSS Emergency Food Bank Levy: Approved

Board members are asking students to vote on increasing funding for the SFU Food Bank, which served 251 students this semester alone.

The program currently functions by providing certificates to be redeemed at Nester’s Market and the SFU Dining Hall.

The university has offered to match whatever the SFSS contributes, up to $16,000 yearly. In order to monopolize on that offer, the society would like to reallocate 25 cents per full-time student and 15 cents per part-time student from the Space Expansion Fund to finance the Food Bank.

Space Expansion Fund Levy and the Membership Fee Levy: Approved

The board added a question to the ballot that will ask students whether or not they support reallocating over half of the $10 full-time student Space Expansion Fund (SEF) levy to the society’s general fund.

Previous boards have suggested that the general fund is consistently under financial pressure, and since the board sees no pressing need for maintenance, which is the purpose of the SEF, the money could come from there.

Accessibility Fund Levy: Failed

Students will not vote on a question to discontinue the Accessibility Fund levy.

The question called for the immediate removal of the levy and the transfer of remaining funds into the unrestricted surplus, on the grounds that the Accessibility Committee does not use a good portion of the money.

Without an Accessibility Committee, VP finance Adam Potvin suggested that accessibility issues could be brought to the Space Expansion Committee.

Anthony Janolino, representative for Students United for Disability Support (SUDS) and member of the Accessibility Committee, expressed his opposition to the motion on the grounds that reallocating the funds could be seen as lowering the priority of accessibility. He instead suggested that the untouched money be put towards making member participation in society matters more accessible.

“This meeting is barely accessible,” he stated, pointing out that for someone with a vision impairment like himself, it is impossible to read the meeting agenda or to hold up the correct ballot at an SGM without braille.

Schools Building Schools Levy: Approved*

Students will have the opportunity to decide if they want to continue to fund Schools Building Schools, which currently costs $1 per term per full time student and 50 cents per part time student through an optional levy.

Schools Building Schools, which has a club at SFU, gives Canadian university students “the chance to gain practical experience in the development field” building schools in Uganda. Board members argued that, because the club is an external organization and not directly connected to SFU, requiring students to pay a levy may not be appropriate.

Members of Schools Building Schools were not present at the meeting, but sent in a letter stating that they were disappointed with the lack of communication from the board, and that they had only received informal notice the night before the meeting.

HiFive Levy: Withdrawn

Board also moved to reallocate 10 cents from full-time students and five cents from part-time students from the Accessibility Fund levy to the HiFive movement to address mental health issues.

The motion was ultimately withdrawn because of concerns that HiFive is not actually an SFSS club, and the request was not put forward by any of their representatives.

*The Schools Building Schools levy question was removed from the ballot at the March 11, 2015 board of directors meeting.