It happens every year. When the Students’ Administrative Council (SAC) needs to make serious changes to its bylaws and procedural rules, it relies on its Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The AGM is a public gathering on campus, where students are invited to scrutinize SAC’s budget and vote on major issues. The meeting is usually a raucous affair, with shouting, filibustering, squabbling and sometimes, a marching band.
This year’s meeting, scheduled for Jan. 27, will see major changes being proposed to the way SAC runs. Currently, SAC has three executive positions, directly elected by students—president, vice-president education, and vice-president operations. Students also elect directors, who represent constituencies like the Faculty of Arts and Science, Engineering, or the suburban campuses.
The rest of the SAC executive is composed of commissioners, who run smaller offices like university affairs, equity and promotions. The commissioners are directors who have been elected by their fellow directors.
Students aren’t the only ones who find the system confusing and cumbersome. SAC is trying to simplify matters by switching from three executives and seven commissioners to a new system of one president and six vice-presidents elected directly by students.
SAC representatives say the new system is more fair, and will save students approximately $20,000 per year in salaries.
The plan’s most important feature is that students will get to vote directly for more positions. “It’s giving the chance for the entire student body to vote for individuals, to vote for specific people for positions,” said Mary Auxi-Guiao, the equity commissioner.
Guiao said a side benefit is the cost savings, which will see SAC’s executive payroll top out at around $144,000 in the proposed system, versus $165,000 in the current system. “They’re going to increase the amount of hours that each executive has to work…The hours and the pay will reflect the amount of work they do.”
Mohammed Hashim, the university affairs commissioner, thinks the changes will recognize the amount of work involved in being on student government. “All of the bylaws we have recommended will make things totally more efficient. It’s about bloody time they make University Affairs a full-time position.”
Another supporter of the changes is My-Linh Nguyen, the commissioner for U of T’s Mississauga campus. She said the new structure will represent the suburban campuses better. “I liked all the amendments, because it’s more inclusive for UTM. In previous years, it was more St. George-centred.”
The new system, if approved, will mean an end to the system of “tickets,” where students voted for a team of people for the three top positions at SAC.
“People can organize and make speeches together, but they’ll be voted for as an individual,” Nguyen said.
Alexandra Artful-Dodger, the external commissioner, thinks the new system will “bring out more qualified people.”
Other changes up for approval at the AGM include making presidents of student societies part of SAC. “They will have a seat on SAC and they will have a say, but they don’t have voting privileges. I really like this idea because it gives student group presidents, who are closer to the students, input.” Nguyen said.
SAC President Rocco Kusi-Achampong said some proposals may not make it to the AGM, but he added he is “opposed to abolishing the slate team, as has been the practice for so many years. Then again, I am certainly not going to speak on behalf of the changes until the board of directors ratifies them.”
Artful-Dodger also supports the proposal to create an executive review committee to look over the executives’ shoulders.
The proposed committee, which would be responsible for disciplining executives who break SAC bylaws, would meet “only if there’s something to deal with,” she added. Artful-Dodger was critical of president Kusi-Achampong and vice-president operations John Lea a few months ago, when she accused them of stalling the signing of a cheque made out to the International Socialist club. The club wanted to attend a demonstration in Ottawa, but Lea alleged the organizers of the rally had not done enough to ensure the event would be peaceful.
