The SCSU Board of Directors amended a bylaw to add club’s funding duties to the responsibilities of the vice-chair of the board at a meeting on Thursday April 29th.
Handling of clubs funding duties were formerly unpaid and carried out by humanities director Maryann Raby who said the position is demanding and that the SCSU by-laws needed to be altered in order to “enhance the student experience and service of clubs funding for students at UTSC.”
Raby moved a motion to change duties of the vice-chair after a proposal to create a new position was not supported by the majority of board members because it would mean more spending and bureaucracy.
Those who supported the option to create a club’s funding officer position said the job will be done more efficiently by a person assigned for that specific task. They said the money could come from the $60,000 surplus the union made this year or by cutting salaries of the chair and vice-chair.
“If anything happens to the SCSU, we have to be able to pay it off with [the surplus],” said acting president Amir Bashir in opposition to creating a new position, alluding to the potential expenditure of law suits threatened by former president Zuhair Syed as an example. “And it is not fair to cut salaries.”
“Clubs want [the option to include club’s funding in the vice-chair’s duties],” said incoming president John Aruldason. “They like the idea of having an established role.”
Contenders of duty reallocation said the vice-chair cannot be in charge of interpreting the clubs funding polices and handle appeals from clubs at the same time. Before the change the vice-chair was responsible for interpreting club policy while Raby was responsible for administering funding tasks. The board later agreed that the chair, and not the vice-chair, will interpret policy 3-032, which deals with clubs funding.
