With the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Annual General Meeting approaching later this month, three major member-submitted motions are on the agenda.
Engineering director Andrew Sweeny submitted a motion that builds on the topic of an upcoming referendum, in which the union will ask its members for an additional levy charge of $3.75 per semester. If the referendum question succeeds, the money from the levy would be restricted to use only on club funding, events, and services of the union. None of the money would be allowed to be used on salaries or human resource expenses.
Sweeny’s motion proposes that spending on human resource expenses be further limited to no more than 42 per cent of the gross revenue from the regular UTSU membership fees, and that at least 40 per cent of that revenue would be allocated for spending on student clubs, events and services.
Victoria College student Steven Warner, a former member of the UTSU Board of Directors, is moving for a disclosure of how much money the UTSU spends on levy groups. The UTSU currently receives $37.31 per fall/winter term from all members, which goes toward its operating budget and levy groups. The UTSU operating budget only indicates how much money the UTSU directly spends itself, but not how much the levy groups receive or use.
All of the UTSU’s financial information is available through Audited Financial Statements, but the operating budget is much easier for students to access.
The final motion, which was submitted by Vice-President Internal & Services Mathias Memmel proposes changes to the UTSU’s bylaws to make the language of the bylaws consistent with the board structure changes the union made last year. The UTSU was required to change the structure of its Board of Directors when the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act created new regulations for not-for-profit
organizations.
The AGM will be held on October 27 at the OISE Auditorium from 6:00–10:00 pm.
