At 4pm Eastern Time today, history was made at McMaster University. In less than a day, a coalition of students collected the necessary signatures to force their student government to hold an emergency meeting. This is the first time that members of the MSU have envoked their right to require the SRA to meet.
The petition stated the following:
Mr. Ryan Moran
Vice-President Administration – McMaster Students Union
McMaster University Student Centre Room 201
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4S4
Mr. Moran,
We, the undersigned members in good standing (registered in 18 units or more of undergraduate degree courses) of the McMaster Students Union, hereby petition under Article 4.2.4.1 of the MSU Constituition for a meeting of the Student Representative Assembly to be held no later than 10 days after the receipt by you of this petition. Article 4.2.4.1 states:
4.2.4.1. The SRA shall meet within ten days at the call of the Vice President; or on petition to the Vice President of not less than 1% of the MSU membership; or on petition to the Vice President by not less than 10 members of the SRA.
It is your duty under the MSU Constitution to call this meeting. We respectfully request that the meeting be held at 6:30pm on December 10th as it will be on the day of the week and time that the SRA normally meets.
The meeting will be for the purposes of reconsidering the matter of the termination of the Silhouette Executive Editor. We feel this meeting is necessary in light of the statement of Ombuds dated November 29, 2006.
Students have decided they have had enough and we are acting to seek respect for due process. It is time for the SRA to act properly.
The message of students to the SRA is simple; we do not accept your actions. The Speaker of the MSU, membership of the MSU, past MSU Presidents, past Silhouette Executive Editors, and now the McMaster University Ombuds have all told you what happened was wrong. We, the members, were able to grasp that the abuse of power by the BoD was wrong just by taking a simple glance at MSU Policy. Why are you still unable to grasp things? SRA, our message to you is simple. You choose to not act and we the student have.
We will see in the next 10 days what the MSU.
I would also like to state however, that although the student petition was handed with enough members to sign, there was a petition that SRA members themselves where signing which invoked Section 4.2.4.1 of the MSU Constitution which states “The SRA shall meet… on petition to the Vice President by not less than 10 members of the SRA.”
However, these members, myself included wanted to make an informed decision as to the ombuds ruling. Thus we had followed up with the Ombuds office to ask them if they had enough relevant information to make the correct decision and once we got their answer (which was yes) we signed the petition.
Thus to say that the SRA is not accountable is an unfair claim, because it is part of our duty as elected members to make sure we are informed of all relevant information that we can get our hands on before signing or voting on anything.
THIS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.
People like Paul Jones, Jill Roberts, Azim Kasmani, Arti Sharma, April Cherian, and Ray Laywor among others are unbiased members who act in the best interest of the SRA and students. This list includes members who hold 5 of the 6 chair positions, it includes two members who are on the exec board, it includes two members who are on the ad-hoc committee for the review the BoD job performance, it includes a member who is on the Sil board of Pub; just to name a few positions.
We have sacrificed our academic, social, work, and personal time to ensure that we are doing the best job possible. I am sure you can agree to this, and I hope that you write in your bog, that there was a strong movement within the SRA to ensure that any wrongs have been corrected. And that there are hard working SRA members who will not jump on ANY band wagon; but will try their best to ensure that interest of the STUDENTS AND THE MSU COME FIRST BEFORE THAT OF ANY PERSONAL PLANS OR RELATIONSHIPS.
Sincerely,
Waqas Kayani
SRA SCIENCE- Caucus Leader
Chair of Operations
Chair of By/Laws and Procedures
SRA representative on Sil Board of Pub
SRA representative for Clubs Exec Council
SRA Member on the Ad-Hoc Committee for BoD job performance
There is no dispute that there were members of the SRA who submitted a petition after students had submitted there petition.
Students were very confident in the Ombuds from the start. We also knew that the BoD had abuse their power from the start. We, the studetns, are able to observe the MSU with a neutral eye overall. There is a massive movement on campus for democratic reform of the MSU. This petition that has forced the SRA to act is a clear sign of that. I am very proud to have been the first signature on the petition. Many of the signatures were people that attended the last SRA meeting and were outraged at what transpired. I have never disputed there are some decent members on the SRA, but overall the MSU has an attitude problem towards students. It is not new, I remember the insulting comments made last September (2005) when students submitted a petition to have a referendum on the Coke Contract. Some members of the SRA can be upset all they want that students have exercised their rights yesterday, I am very proud to be one of those students.
Im sorry in my hesitate of commenting to your blog i did not properly look over what is said and so I have re-written it.
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My comments may offend some members of the SRA by accident and I apologize for that, There are members who are blindly supporting one side or another and those comments are directed towards them.
Now for your ascertion that the only reason SRA has a petition going is because the eng. students had one going is false. I will leave it at that, if ppl have a problem what what i said come and speak with me…
No surprise, the MSU Executive has already expressed their distain of this petition by calling it an Engineering petition. It is not, it is a student petition with signatures from EVERY faculty.
BTW, when was there a second class of MSU membership (of course, MSU members-at-large are already second-class) because one is an Engineering student.
I know what this reminds me of, the SFSS G7′s distain for Grad Students.
Get a grip MSU!
BTW, lets review the camps:
The BoD was right:
Only members of the Executive Branch of the MSU and their friends.
The BoD was wrong:
Students
SRA members
Bylaws
Speaker
McMaster University Ombuds
Past MSU Presidents
Past Silhouette Volunteers
Past Executive Editors
Then there are the fence sitters who think maybe the students, SRA members, bylaws, Speaker, Ombuds are wrong.
Joey, let me pose something… if what was said about closed session is in fact true with regards to the motions (people are not permitted to speak about what does and doesnt happen in closed session, and I am not about to break policy. however some ppl pick and choose which policy should and should be broken—> informant) so i am not going to say if it is or not. but for the sake of arguement lets assume they are… wouldnt the MAJORITY of the sra would have had to of voted to not re-instate mr jaic.. furthermore, it was in secret ballot so no one should have felt intimidated by the BoD or other members. Also, in open session, did the MAJORITY of the sra vote saying they felt as though policy was NOT broken after hearing the business manager, the BoD, the MSU lawyer, and Chris Jaic speak>? so if you feel people are not taking your side in the arguement, im not sure why you only target me… as i hope you are smart enough to realize, just because i am vocal with what i believe in and not just anonymous (like a cowardly informant) i am not alone in my beliefs.. in fact i would say it is safe to say that the MAJORITY of the sra agrees with me and what my constituants have told me. Perhaps you can respond to me.. you know my email as well if you would prefer that form of communication.
Kyle Park