Questions around upcoming UTSU elections dominated last Thursday’s UTSU board of directors meeting. David Berliner, representing Victoria College, opened the discussion, asking executives to justify the “rushed” ratification of Lydia Treadwell as Chief Returning Officer.

The board was presented with Treadwell as the only choice for CRO at the board meeting two days after nominations had already opened, two weeks after election notices had appeared on the UTSU website and The Varsity. By then, it was too late for her to approve election notices or dates.

The notices advertise incorrect numbers of board members for Woodsworth College, New College, and the engineering faculty, which do not correspond with the size of the constituencies. UTSU will go ahead with the numbers as they are. This matter did not come up at the meeting.

“A number of the [Election and Referenda Committee] members have been extremely difficult with scheduling meetings,” said VP external Dave Scrivener. “As you can see in this room, a lot of people have gotten used to proxying and calling in their positions.” Scrivener said the ERC found it difficult to schedule meetings, but that he and committee members would come up with a system for future elections.

Scrivener said that the ERC picked Treadwell from several candidates because she is not a student, not involved with any club or college, and has never been elected to any position at U of T or any other university, and is therefore a neutral third party to the election. Three UTSU directors and three execs sit on the ERC, according to the bylaws.

Berliner later moved to create a working group to promote the election, in an effort towards inclusion and transparency. “The UTSU needs to make a better effort to reach out to students,” said Berliner.

His motion was met with varying degrees of dissent from other board members, specifically those on the UTSU executive. VP university affairs Adam Awad said the proposed group would be a “shadow ERC,” and echoed Scrivener’s earlier concerns that people just wouldn’t show up to its meetings. Awad, Scrivener, the chairperson (who was allowed to speak because of informal discussion), and others said that the functions of the proposed group would be better performed by the ERC herself with oversight from the board of executives.

Berliner withdrew the motion before a vote.