CU Student’s Assocation

CUSA General Elections

February 10 & 11

More to come…

January Council Meeting – Recap

- CUSA has started a fundraising campaign to raise money for help in the relief fund to Haiti. Look for volunteers in the atrium, a talent show, and a garage sale. You can also make donations in the CUSA office.

- The CUSA General Elections will be February 10 & 11. If you want to run, nomination period starts Monday, January 25th, 2010. For more information visit CUSA’s election website.

- Councillors elected an Electoral Board. Sitting on the important decision-making body that will help monitor the CUSA Elections are Heather Murley, James Witherspoon, and Alexandria DiBellonia.

OTHER MOTIONS *Find the original motion below

- Council adopted the first motion to ban audio-visual material in the election. I spoke in favour of the motion, believing it would give some students with equipment and the know-how with an unfair advantage.

- We also voted in favour of the motion to give equal consequence to the “No” committee in an election. This will prevent one side taking advantage of opposing a ballot question.

- The third motion to consolidate the electoral code did not get a seconder, and was thrown out.

- The final motion, to put important announcements on the CUSA website, was referred to the Constitution and Policy committee.

That was all. The election’s on its way… so expect a wild race.

Motion to Ban Audio/Video Campaign Materials

PRESENTATION SUMMARY:

Whereas audio/visual campaigning was prohibited in the 2009 Elections because of it was deemed by both the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Board to be unfair;
Whereas it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to judge the “fair market value” of video production, giving candidates with access to professional audio/visual equipment an unfair advantage;
Whereas it is impossible for the Chief Electoral Officer to ensure the fair use, distribution and content of sites such as You Tube;

INFORMATION TRANSFER

Be it resolved that the following section be added to the Consolidated Electoral Code Policy:
12.0 Campaigning
12.22 “The use of Audio/Video campaign material is not permitted. This includes but is not limited to Radio Advertisements, Youtube videos etc

MOVED: Nick Curtis         SECONDED: Abdirahman Hussein

Motion to Amend Electoral Code Section 15

PRESENTATION SUMMARY:

Whereas there are serious consequences for a YES Committee that deals with a requested levy such as the with-holding of up to ten (10) percent of the requested levy;
Whereas the most serious consequence for a YES Committee that deals with a requested levy is “…the with-holding of one hundred (100) percent of the requested levy, immediate disqualification and loss of re-imbursement of funds spent on campaigning;
Whereas all other referenda committees, including any NO Committee that deal with a requested levy, are subject to only the loss of any possible re-imbursement;
Whereas there is no incentive for a NO Committee to ensure a fair vote other than losing money spent;
INFORMATION TRANSFER:

Be it resolved that the Section 15 Disciplining of Referenda Committees of the Electoral Code Policy be amended to read:
15.2 All other referenda committees:
a. The first offense will result in a warning
b. The second offense will result in the loss of fifty (50) percent of any possible re-imbursement
c. The third offense will result in the loss of approved campaign materials up to fifty (50) percent of the agreed upon flyers and posters
d. The forth offense will result in the with-holding of five (5) percent of votes favorable to the offending referenda campaign
e. The fifth offense will result in the with-holding of ten (10) percent of votes favorable to the offending referenda campaign
f. The sixth and final offense will result in the with-holding of one hundred (100) percent of the re-imbursement of funds spent campaigning and immediate disqualification.

MOVED: Erik Halliwell                 SECONDED: Abdirahman Hussein

Motion to update the Consolidated Electoral Code in Section 12.16 and Section 12.17

PRESENTATION SUMMARY:

Whereas there is no reason to prevent candidates from campaigning in what is the most active part of the University;
And whereas the CUSA Offices, Service Centers and Businesses should be impartial in the elections;
And whereas the Service Centers should be permitted to participate in referendums relevant to their purposes.

INFORMATION TRANSFER:

Be it resolved that Section 12.16 be amended to read:
12.16    Campaigning is not permitted in CUSA Offices, Businesses or Service Centers.
And be it resolved that Section 12.17 be stricken from the Electoral code and all subsequent sections be renumbered to reflect the change.
And be it resolved that Section 14.1j be amended to read:
14.1j.     Campaign in the University Center in the areas designated in Section 12.16.

MOVED: Brandon Wallingford            SECONDED:

Motion to Make All Important CUSA Announcements Put on CUSAonline.com

Whereas it is unreasonable for the Carleton University Students’ Association to assume that students regularly go to the CUSA office; and
Whereas students are not informed enough about activities going on in CUSA; and
Whereas we are in the 21st Century where the internet is a key element of university students’ lives; therefore

Information Transfer:

Be it further resolved that Carleton University Students’ Association put ALL announcements regarding dates for meetings, elections, referendums as well as other essential information for students on the CUSA website; and
Be it further resolved that the CUSA Executive ensures that the information on the website is correct and takes precedence over all other locations of the information;
MOVED: Brian Mason                SECONDED:

November Council Meeting – Important Agenda Items

There are four motions of interest:

1) Support the white ribbon campaign to end violence against women. It began as a way to urge men to speak out against violence against women.

2) Oppose the Canadian Blood Services lawsuit against Kyle Freeman, a gay man who gave blood. Gay men are excluded from the practice because they are deemed “high risk”.

3) Support the December 6th campaign, a national day of remembrance and action against violence against women for the anniversary of the Montreal massacre.

4) Motion CUSA to request CFS-Ontario’s acknowledgment and receipt of the petition submitted. It called for a referendum on Carleton’s continued membership in the Canadian Federation of Students.

If you have any last minute motions or points of interest you’d like me to raise – please let me know!

October Councilor Report:

Not much to report this month. CUSA will be adopting a minute of silence during Remembrance Day. Also, a motion to oppose the Univeristy’s steps to eliminate examination proctors was passed.

September Councilor Report:

We had our first CUSA Council meeting tonight for the Fall term. I spoke of Journalists for Human Rights “Speak Silence” on Oct. 6 which calls for 24 hours of silence in solidarity with journalists who cannot speak freely themselves. I also mentioned students will be in the Atrium and the Market from 11-3 taking donations to help send Canadian journalists to train African reporters to report on human rights abuses.

I raised concern over the outdated CUSA Council website and was assured they are in the process of updating the site.

And finally, the most heated debate of the night was over a motion with regards to the recent petitions circulating to withdraw from the Canadian Federation of Students. The motion wanted to mandate all CUSA Councillors to support continued membership in the CSA and be mandated to caompaign in support of membership in the CFS.

While I have been clear that I support the CFS and the importance of being in a national student union, I do not believe mandating councilor support is within the spirit of democracy. Therefore, I abstained.

The motion passed with 17 for, 9 against, and 7 abstentions.

As always, I am open to comment, debate, and discussion.

About:

The Carleton Universty Students’ Association is an incorporated, non-profit, student-run organization that promotes the interests of students. Every Carleton undergraduate student is a

member of CUSA and you are encouraged to take advantage of the services and advocacy the Association officers.

CUSA sponsors over 200 clubs and societies and runs a number of service centres to help students become active in their university. They also own and operate a number of businesses on campus and organizations student events.

CUSA isn’t just a social organization, they also provide a voice for students to the University administration, and to the local, provincial, and federal governments.

For more about CUSA and other services the Association provides, check out the tunnel boards, the website, or visit the office at 401 Unicentre.

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