Annual general meeting yields intense debate over bylaw 8

This year’s AGM was unlike many of recent years in that a serious and lengthy debate ensued regarding a couple of proposed changes to who comprises the Executive Committee and who selects the President of SAMRU.

Most of the debate involved two changes: a proposal to create a fifth position within the Executive Committee and the idea that the elected Executive Committee select among themselves who will act as the association’s President.

Quorum was lost because it required that at least 100 student be present before either of these two proposed changes could be voted on.

The meeting lasted around two hours, but ended abruptly when quorum was lost – students were still in the middle of a heated debate. Photo: Kaity Brown

Currently the Executive Committee is comprised of four elected representatives: The President and three Vice-Presidents (Academic, External, and Student Life). The proposed change would see association members voting for five Vice Presidents (Academic, Administration and Finance, External, Policy, and Student Life) to form the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee would then choose among themselves who would function as the association’s President. The chosen Executive member would then function as both President and as Vice President-elect.

On this day, the concept of the Executive Committee being given “president’s choice” was to dominate discussion from the speakers on the floor. Debate lasted so long that the meeting was unable to maintain quorum.

By the end of the meeting, nothing ground-breaking was enacted.

The sheer number of people lined up to the microphone to comment and express their concerns might mean that there will be a lively round of elections to determine the new Executives and Students’ Council of next year.