EWB is officially heading back to referendum following concerns over budget transparency and financial oversight
The McMaster Students Union Student Representative Assembly voted unanimously on Nov. 17, 2024, to send Engineers Without Borders McMaster to referendum after citing significant concerns about the organization’s financial practices and operational oversight under Bylaw 9. The vote is set to coincide with the 2024-2025 presidential election.
A memorandum from the Associate Vice-President of Academic Planning and Finance Maheera Choudhury on Nov. 3, 2024, outlined concerns about EWB's operations.
Key issues included the lack of guaranteed benefits for McMaster students despite a $12,500 contribution to Engineers Without Borders Canada’s fellowship program, which selects fellows from universities across Canada. EWB also faced a four-month delay in accessing its bank accounts, raising questions about financial oversight.
Each McMaster undergraduate student currently pays $0.41 into the group.
Each McMaster undergraduate student currently pays $0.41 into the group.
The committee noted that the group did not provide accurate financial figures for 2022-2023 and failed to present a concrete plan for reallocating funds previously reserved for the now-paused fellowship program. EWB was also sent to referendum that year, facing similar concerns of financial oversights.
At an SRA meeting on Nov. 3, 2024, EWB Co-Presidents Elizabeth Yorke and Gopal Uppalapati presented their budget plans for 2024-2025 in compliance with Bylaw 9.
In the meeting, Yorke claimed that the fellowship program had been paused due to restructuring at EWB Canada. To address the gap, the co-presidents proposed alternative uses for the budget, including charity events, case competitions, local field trips and sustainability workshops. The presentation lacked a cohesive budget plan.
At the Nov. 17, 2024, SRA meeting, Declan Sweeney, McMaster Students Union vice-president (finance), emphasized the finance committee’s stance that EWB had failed to meet key criteria for financial transparency, responsibility, and adherence to its mandate. Sweeney reiterated concerns raised in a Nov. 8, 2024 letter and urged SRA members to prioritize accountability for student groups funded through Bylaw 9.
During the meeting, MSU President
“The biggest thing the SRA has to hold these Bylaw 9 groups accountable [for] is whether or not they’re sticking to the mandate, looking at financial transparency and financial responsibility,” said Popovic.
Finance Committee member Kevin Hu described EWB’s operations as a “misuse of student funding,” while SRA representative Zachary McKay voiced the group’s lack of a clear spending plan for the current or upcoming fiscal years.
The unanimous vote sends EWB to referendum during the MSU presidential campaign voting period. Students will vote on whether to maintain EWB’s student fee or cut funding in January 2025.
This is an ongoing story.
Members of the Student Representative Assembly adopt a motion in response to the Middle East conflict amid rising campus tensions
On September 22, the McMaster University Student Representative Assembly passed a resolution aimed at addressing the impact of the ongoing violence in the Middle East on its student body. The resolution follows widespread grief among students, many of whom have lost family and friends in Palestine and Israel.
The SRA members adopted a motion supporting students' demands for transparency around McMaster University's investments and partnerships potentially linked to state of Israel. They also called for the University to divest from stakeholders partaking in human rights violations and urged adherence to its Social Responsibility and Investment Policy.
The SRA’s decision comes after consultations with various student groups and MSU clubs. In addition to the emotional toll of the conflict, students have reported a disturbing increase in incidents of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian racism on campus and globally.
Key points of the resolution include the SRA’s commitment to combating all forms of hate speech and racism, fostering a campus culture of inclusion and safety, and ensuring peaceful and lawful dialogue on campus.
The assembly's resolution emphasized the need for continued support of students affected by the crisis and urged the university to uphold its role as a safe space for diverse viewpoints, especially during these times of heightened tensions.
This resolution underscores the SRA’s dedication to protecting the rights of all students while actively promoting peaceful discourse and providing a platform for those impacted by the conflict to have their voices heard.
MSU president opened the Feb. 25 SRA meeting, detailing upcoming referendums, new event planning software and upcoming VP elections
The recent Student Representative Assembly meeting on Feb. 25 began with a report from the McMaster Students Union president, Jovan Popovic, on his his recent endeavours and future plans.
The report discussed the Feb. 7 opening of the Hub, the MSU's newest facility and on-campus social space. Popovic reflected positively on the large turnout to the opening event, where food and McMaster Student Union merch was given away to students. Popovic also stated that though the Hub is currently open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., new staff will be hired soon so that the hours can be extended in the near future.
Popovic then spoke on the upcoming MSU referendums regarding a new bike share program and for his own food accessibility initiative.
For the bike share program referendum, students will be asked if they would consider increasing their student fees by $24.50 annually for a bike share pass. The program would enable students to use the Hamilton Bike Share for 90 minutes a day throughout the year. Popovic noted that the proposed bike share pass is significantly cheaper than the normal $200 annual rate for a bike share pass from the city. Additionally, even if the referendum is successful, students would have the option to opt out of the program if they do not believe they would make use of it.
As part of his campaign for re-election, Popovic promised to implement a soup and bread program on campus to help address food insecurity. This referendum will ask students if they would agree to a $5 increase to the MSU fee to fund the program.
Popovic continued to announce to the assembly that the MSU has decided to adopt a new event planning software called Bounce to replace the current platform Eventbrite. Popovic stated in his report that the implementation of the new software is a work in progress and the goal is to have implemented the new software before the end of this academic year. Popovic elaborated that other university bodies have considered adopting this new events platform as well.
“I’ve begun speaking with the athletics and recreation department and they have shown some interest in seeing a demo to see if they would switch as well, meaning everything [regarding events planning] on campus would potentially be through one platform,” stated Popovic.
I’ve begun speaking with the athletics and recreation department and they have shown some interest in seeing a demo to see if they would switch as well, meaning everything [regarding events planning] on campus would potentially be through one platform.
Jovan Popovic, president, McMaster Students Union
Popovic was questioned on the cost of implementing the new software and he responded by clarifying that the new software has no additional cost as they make money by charging one dollar for every ticket purchased.
According to Popovic, the new software would also save the MSU money. Popovic stated that the student unions at the University of British Columbia and Western University are currently using the Bounce platform.
Popovic then went on to address the upcoming elections for the MSU's vice presidential positions. Popovic reflected that last academic year, very few individuals applied for the VP positions and so recruiting the rest of next year’s Board of Directors has been a top priority for the past few months. In his report, Popovic stated that he is currently aware of several potential candidates intending to apply.
“We have been working very hard to ensure that what happened last year does not happen again this year so that we have a full crop of candidates. . .I believe we have been successful, we are seeing much more interest than previous years,” stated Popovic.
We have been working very hard to ensure that what happened last year does not happen again this year so that we have a full crop of candidates. . .I believe we have been successful, we are seeing much more interest than previous years.
Jovan Popovic, president, McMaster Students Union
Popovic also provided an update on the return of an on-campus homecoming event next September, another promise from his re-election campaign platform. Popovic stated that progress has been made coordinating the event with the university and it is expected to occur next September.
Popovic stated that McMaster University's administration does not want to affiliate the title "homecoming" with the event due to the potentially negative connotations, which Popovic referred to as "ridiculous." Popovic stated he is currently working with MSU VP finance Sefa Otchere to ensure that an adequate budget is dedicated to the on-campus event for next September.
Popovic’s report concluded with a statement regarding the new international student cap. Popovic stated that he will be meeting with university administrators to ask questions and learn about the impacts of the new policy on international students at McMaster so that the MSU will be able to act to support students.
To read more about from Popovic's report, the report itself and the minutes of the Feb 25th meeting are available on the MSU's website.
Presidential candidate Jialiang (Kevin) Hu was disqualified from the 2024 election for ten campaign violations, but was reinstated following his appeal hearing on Feb. 8
The McMaster Students Union presidential election came to a close on Jan. 25 and Jovan Popovic was announced as the winning candidate with 3620 votes. In this announcement from MSU Elections, candidate Jialiang (Kevin) Hu was noted as being disqualified from the running as a result of seven standard violations and three severe violations, which totalled in fines greater than half of the election budget.
A comprehensive list of Hu's violations and an official statement are available on the MSU Elections website.
"Due to the amount of fines exceeding half the spending limit, Jialiang (Kevin) Hu has been automatically disqualified under 7.12," reads a quote from MSU Elections on their website.
Rule 7.12 of the MSU presidential election rules states, "the Elections Committee shall automatically disqualify a candidate if they have accumulated fines exceeding half of the spending limit, accumulated seven severe and/or 14 standard violations, or if it finds that a candidate has deliberately sabotaged another candidate’s campaign."
Hu's violations included, but were not limited to, misrepresentation of campaign expense sheet, campaigning in group chats, forcing individuals to vote and contracting a vendor outside of the Underground printing service.
In an interview with the Silhouette on Feb. 10, Hu expressed his distaste with the elections protocol for making his disqualification public without undergoing the hearing first.
"It's an unofficial result at that moment. They still post it on Instagram, on their official Instagram. It is made public. The result being made public without going through a proper trial, without going through full investigation, without hearing the side of the candidates. . . you can see why it is very unjust," said Hu.
It's an unofficial result at that moment. They still post it on Instagram, on their official Instagram. It is made public. The result being made public without going through a proper trial, without going through full investigation, without hearing the side of the candidates. . . you can see why it is very unjust.
Jialiang (Kevin) Hu, presidential candidate, McMaster Students Union
Upon being notified of his disqualification, Hu decided to appeal all of his violations. The appeal hearing took place on Thursday, Feb. 8 and resulted in two of Hu's violations being overturned. The two violations that were overturned were violations 4.2, forcing individuals to vote, and 7.11.4, misrepresentation of expense sheet.
His disqualification was then retracted and his voting ballot opened and counted. An update was posted on the MSU elections Instagram with Hu's results included, but the result of the election did not change with the addition of Hu's ballot and Popovic will continue to serve as MSU president in 2024/2025 term.
When asked about his 4.2 violation by forcing individuals to vote, Hu responded that this claim was entirely unfounded and the evidence provided for this claim was unsubstantiated.
"In the meeting minutes provided, certain members of the committee said that they also witnessed this act [of forcing an individual to vote], but they don't provide any testimony. . .This is also a conflict of interest because you cannot be the witness, the jury, the judge and the executioner. This is like North Korea style trial," said Hu.
Despite Hu expressing his satisfaction with the hearing outcome on his Instagram story, with the caption, "justice has won at last", Hu also said in the interview that he felt all of his violations were unfounded and not based in adequate evidence.
"Those [violations] were the only two overturned, but I did provide concrete evidence regarding other ones. I don't understand why the committee didn't overturn these other violations. I'm slightly disappointed," said Hu.
Those [violations] were the only two overturned, but I did provide concrete evidence regarding other ones. I don't understand why the committee didn't overturn these other violations. I'm slightly disappointed.
Jialiang (Kevin) Hu, presidential candidate, McMaster Students Union
When asked about his violation for contracting vendors outside of the Underground, Hu stated that although he did utilize a third party service to print his lawn signs, he had received explicit permission from the Chief Returning Officer to campaign with lawn signs.
"So you're you are allowing me to use lawn signs, but the Underground doesn't make them, so where should I make them?" said Hu.
Hu currently serves as one of the engineering representatives in the Student Representative Assembly. When asked he was if he was planning on applying to other MSU roles in the future, Hu stated that he has considered running for a vice-president position, however he also added that he had concerns about the current practices within the MSU.
"I'm hesitant after what happened this time. . .personal bias and pettiness could get in the way of clear judgment for some people. We are all students who do not have a good understanding of the justice system and how elections are supposed to be run, how appeal process and the whole system is supposed to run," said Hu.
Hu concluded his interview by sharing some closing sentiments about the MSU electoral process being flawed.
"[MSU] elections are more like high school elections. It's more about how many friends you have, how many people will like you, rather than if your policy will actually benefit the student population. Despite being in university, it is still like high school. Favouritism still overwhelms rationality," said Hu.
With Hu's appeal hearing coming to a close, the 2024 presidential election results are now official and Popovic will begin his second term on May 1.
Ahsan's platform focuses on holding space for the diversity of opinions on campus, environmental concerns and the transition from university into the workforce
There are five major areas of focus to McMaster Students Union presidential candidate Muhammad Ammad Ahsan's campaign platform including increasing opportunities for students to raise concerns to the Student Representative Assembly; creating more space for the diversity of opinions held by students on campus; reducing the university’s carbon footprint while also increasing McMaster University's impact on the world and supporting students in advancing through their education and into the workforce.
Increasing opportunities to raise concerns with the SRA
On his first point regarding improving the ability of students to raise their concerns with MSU decision makers, Ahsan proposes an open-door policy for SRA meetings, creating an opportunity for students to speak directly with them. Ahsan believes transparency between the MSU and students is important and that the concerns and ideas of every student should be heard.
Holding space for the diversity of opinions on campus
Ahsan also believes there is strength in diversity and he is committed to having dissenting student voices included in conversations around campus. He believes accounting for the range of opinions of students will lead to the MSU making policies that are more considerate of the diverse interests of the student body.
In an interview with the Silhouette, Ahsan also mentioned one of his initiatives as MSU president would be to implement a men's only time at the Pulse, either late at night or early in the morning. after a conversation with a student who signed his nomination form.
Addressing environmental concerns
Regarding the issue of the climate crisis, Ahsan includes as part of his platform the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of McMaster. He intends to achieve this end by working with the university and students to implement eco-friendly practices on campus. He also plans to implement various information and awareness campaigns.
Increasing McMaster's impact
With the aim of improving McMaster’s impact on the world, Ahsan is looking to create greater incentive for industrial companies to conduct workshops with students.
Supporting transition into workforce
Finally, Ahsan’s platform outlines his hopes to provide students with more certainty in their prospects for success post-graduation by implementing the aforementioned workshops. He also proposes further changes be made to academic curricula to better prepare students to enter the workforce.
Ahsan’s platform does not include references to consultations with any individuals external to his campaign team.
Ahsan’s platform does not include references to consultations with any individuals external to his campaign team.
Ahsan concluded his campaign platform statement, with a note that after consulting with his campaign team on his platform points, they were given to the generative artificial intelligence software ChatGPT to produce his official written platform.
Voting for the MSU presidential election takes place from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25 using the Simply Voting platform. More information about the election can be found on the MSU Elections website.
SRA Members discussed the progress of committee reports, discussed the use of the SRA special projects fund and adjourned for the semester.
On Nov. 26, 2023 the Student Representative Assembly met for the last meeting for the Fall 2023 semester.
The meeting commenced with Jovan Popovic, McMaster Student Union President, requesting on behalf of Abigail Samuels, MSU vice-president (education), who was absent, to push back both the University Affairs Committee report and Executive Board committee to the next SRA meeting. Only the University Affairs Committee report was pushed back through unanimous voting. Despite the unanimous voting Kevin Hu, from Engineering Academic Division, voiced a question about the lack of submission for SRA reports and year reports. The question was unanswered due to it being posed during the wrong period of meeting and Hu was encouraged to discuss this privately or at the next SRA meeting directly with Samuels.
During this SRA meeting there were summaries of the First Year Council report, Science Caucus report, Social Sciences Caucus report, Municipal Affairs Committee report, Executive Board report and VP (Administration) report.
SRA members shared a questioning period where two points were primarily discussed.
There were discussions regarding the Union Market, which at the time of the meeting had not been open. Popvic shared that the timeline has been pushed back numerous times and explicitly mentioned at the meeting that they expected an opening for following Monday but that it was the third week of the expected opening date being pushed back.
“It’s been one of the many challenges in opening the entire food and beverage department in such a rush. We’ve had, obviously, the POS issues. There’s been staffing issues. Still attempting to overcome it all,” said Popovic in the 23K SRA meeting.
There were discussions regarding the recently passed motion regarding violence in the Middle East, as described by the MSU. All of the questions were about how a donation from the motion was taken from the SRA Special Projects Fund, for which approximately $15,000 of $19,000 were utilized.
Simon Batusic, from the Social Science Academic Division, asked if there was enough consultation done when taking money from the SRA pool for SRA-specific projects. Kerry Yang, from Health Sciences Academic Division, also questioned if SRA members were informed about the use of SRA Special Projects Fund, as she had thought it would come from a different budget. Popvic answered that extensive consultation was done and that previous precedent dictates that for such a motion SRA Special Project funds are utilized.
“We spent a vast majority of the time crafting the motion as well as consulting with various different parties to fully understand what it is that the students were actually looking [for]. To make sure that student voice and student priorities were heard,” said Popovic in the 23K SRA meeting.
Nelosha Suganthan, from Sciences Academic Division, inquired what the current timeline for donations. Safa Otchere, MSU VP (finance), said there was no definitive timeline but that the process would likely commence within the next few weeks.
Overall, the SRA will have several reports and seats to discuss in the first meeting of the Winter 2024 semester. As the new year commences, students should hope to hear more updates on the opening of Union Market and successful donations to the decided charities.
Student Representative Assembly represents the undergraduate students of McMaster University to ensure equitable services and advocate on their behalf to McMaster staff. They meet bimonthly, discussing a range of topics.
SRA meeting on Jan. 29 involved discussions on the role of the Ombuds Office, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and the MSU rejoining CASA.
he Student Representative Assembly meeting 22M took place on Jan. 29 in Gilmour Hall. In this meeting, the assembly covered the accessibility and services of the Ombuds Office, the initiatives being pushed by the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and a motion for the McMaster Students Union to have observer status on the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.
University Ombuds Carolyn Brendon and Assistant Ombuds Meghan Rego attended the SRA meeting and spoke on the role of the Ombuds Office and the services it offers to McMaster University students.
The Ombuds Office representatives as a part of an outreach initiative to help the university better understand the role of the office within the community.
The Ombuds Office is located at MUSC 210 and offers free and confidential counseling to all members of the McMaster community. Brendan explained that the mandate of the Ombuds details three key principles by which their practices abide by — independence, impartiality and confidentiality.
The Ombuds Office operates outside of the academic and administrative hierarchy and strives for minimal institutional impediments. They also abide by standard confidentiality principles, in which all information discussed is confidential unless there is an imminent risk of harm.
The Ombuds Office operates outside of the academic and administrative hierarchy and strives for minimal institutional impediments. They also abide by standard confidentiality principles, in which all information discussed is confidential unless there is an imminent risk of harm.
The Ombuds Office deals with academic and non-academic issues, including student financial matters, behavioral and professional codes of conduct, employment and any other student-related issues and concerns.
OUSA President Jessica Look and executive director Malika Dhanani also spoke at the SRA meeting about their organization. OUSA is a collaboration of student governments across the province that advocates for affordable, accessible, accountable and high quality post-secondary education.
Some of the core functions of OUSA include developing informed substantive policy papers, lobbying the provincial government to enact changes and representing the student perspective on the provincial level.
Some of the core functions of OUSA include developing informed substantive policy papers, lobbying the provincial government to enact changes and representing the student perspective on the provincial level.
Look and Dhanani detailed how they aim to uplift the student voice through their blog, where student contributors outside of OUSA are free to submit pieces on policy issues they are passionate about. Additionally, OUSA offers summer student internships.
Following the discussion on OUSA’s initiatives and role representing the MSU, the meeting transitioned to other matters, including a discussion around seeking observership with CASA.
The motion to discuss and vote on CASA observership was moved by MSU President Simranjeet Singh and seconded by Vice President (Education) Elizabeth Wong. Singh shared that CASA is currently the largest body that does advocacy work for student unions at the federal level.
The MSU is currently part of a separate federal advocacy organization, the Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities. Singh explained that with UCRU, the MSU was able to meet with 20 Members of Parliament during lobbying week, while members of CASA were able to meet with 156. The MSU was a member of CASA in the past but left in 2017 due to issues with their management of affairs.
Singh and Wong are proposing CASA observership, a two-year process in which the MSU would attend meetings and try out a CASA membership. Observership would allow the MSU to make an informed decision about whether shifting to CASA involvement would be beneficial.
Singh and Wong are proposing CASA observership, a two-year process in which the MSU would attend meetings and try out a CASA membership. Observership would allow the MSU to make an informed decision about whether shifting to CASA involvement would be beneficial.
Observership can be revoked at any point with no consequence and the MSU would remain with UCRU throughout the observership. Following some discussion, the motion was passed with 26 in favour, zero opposed and two abstaining.
McMaster Lifeline club de-ratified after student petition receives over 3000 signatures
C/O Silhouette Archives
McMaster Lifeline has been an active and often controversial anti-abortion group on campus, over the past few years. Recently, their Instagram account began to circulate widely on social media and prompted criticisms from students.
Upon learning about McMaster Lifeline and their Instagram page, McMaster student Adriana Hutchins started a petition for the de-ratification of McMaster Lifeline.
“I made sure to include in the petition statement that we are not against free speech by any means, but hateful messages have no place on campus,” said Hutchins.
“I made sure to include in the petition statement that we are not against free speech by any means, but hateful messages have no place on campus."
Adriana Hutchins
Hutchins wrote in the petition description that Lifeline is spreading propaganda and misinformation about reproductive rights. Section 5.1.1.3.2. of the MSU clubs operating policy includes spreading false information as a class A offence, where an action interferes with the abilities of individuals to enjoy the McMaster community.
“5.1.1.3.2. Dissemination of false information with the intent to mislead the general public.”
The McMaster Lifeline Instagram page currently contains a post that reads: “abortion is never medically necessary.” According to the website for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “there are situations where pregnancy termination in the form of an abortion is the only medical intervention that can preserve a patient’s health or save their life.”
Hutchins’ petition gained a lot of student attention.
“[There] was an overwhelmingly good response [to the petition] . . . Within the first 24 hours, [there were] over 1600 signatures,” said Hutchins.
As of publication, the petition has over 3000 signatures. Along with signing Hutchins’ petition, many students also reached out to the MSU Clubs Department directly with their concerns.
As of publication, the petition has over 3000 signatures.
“The content shared led the Clubs Department to believe that Lifeline had possibly violated Clubs’ policy,” said MSU Vice-President (Finance) Jessica Anderson in an email to The Silhouette. The students’ emails led to a meeting of the Clubs Advisory council.
Shelby Seymour of SRA Social Sciences and a member of CAC, noted that Lifeline has previously violated club policies and faced consequences as a result.
Seymour explained that in the 2019-2020 school year, Lifeline had tabling events on campus without getting MSU approval. This violation of policy placed them on probation.
Under section 4.1.2. of clubs operating policy, probationary clubs are required to notify the club's administrator about all events. However, according to Seymour, Lifeline was holding events without the permission of the club's administrator. These events were promoted on their Instagram.
Seymour stressed that the decision to recommend Lifeline for de-ratification was entirely on the basis of policy violations.
“We need[ed] to base this [decision] off of policy and not our own political and moral opinions . . . They violated their probation and they were also spreading misinformation,” said Seymour.
"They violated their probation and they were also spreading misinformation."
Shelby Seymour
Anderson was able to shed more light as to why specifically the CAC de-ratified the club.
“Ultimately, CAC found Lifeline in violation of several policies, including the dissemination of false information with intent to mislead the general public, as well as numerous instances in which the group failed to comply with McMaster University Risk Management policy,” said Anderson.
Failure to comply with the McMaster University risk management policy is a class C offence. Under the clubs operating policy, class C offences will always result in a punitive sanction.
“Ultimately, CAC found Lifeline in violation of several policies, including the dissemination of false information with intent to mislead the general public, as well as numerous instances in which the group failed to comply with McMaster University Risk Management policy."
Jessica Anderson
On March 21, the SRA held a meeting in which they formally de-ratified McMaster Lifeline, upon the recommendation of the CAC. Disbandment, or de-ratification, is under sections 5.4.2 and 5.4.2.1. of clubs policy.
“5.4.2.1. Disbandment: If, in the opinion of the CAC, a Club is either incapable of or unwilling to correct its behaviour and/or the interests of the MSU and student body would be best served by the disbandment of a Club, the Clubs Administrator has the right to recommend that the SRA rescind the MSU’s recognition of the Club.”
The sanction will remain in effect for at least one full calendar year. For the club to be re-ratified, McMaster Lifeline must present sufficient evidence that they have changed.
Update:
According to numerous MSU documents, Lifeline has violated multiple Clubs policies on multiple occasions in the 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. However, the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 policy violations were only recently exposed.
In 2018-2019, Lifeline hosted eight tabling events without submitting the necessary documentation and therefore without approval. At the time, failure to abide by MSU or McMaster policy was a Class B offence rather than Class C.
“Since McMaster Lifeline has submitted all their re-ratification documents in a timely manner and are only in violation of the lack of event forms for their tabling, the Clubs Department concluded that a probationary period would be a more appropriate course of action,” wrote Aditi Sharma and Maddison Hampel in the Lifeline Probation Letter. This letter was dated Sept. 24, 2019.
“The club has been made aware of their infractions, and the concerns regarding their tabling behaviour. Because of the EOHSS approval infractions, it is the Clubs department’s recommendation that this club be ratified contingent on them being on a close-watch probationary period for the 2019-2020 year. Any infraction during this period may warrant the club being de-ratified,” wrote Sharma in the clubs ratification memo.
Their probation also required that the Clubs Administrator be made aware of the time and place of all club tables, events and executive meetings at least two weeks prior to the event via email. The SRA ratified Lifeline and their probation in July 2019.
Yet, despite the close-watch probationary period, Lifeline managed to run at least two unapproved events during the 2019-2020 probation year undetected until March 2021. As a result, Lifeline was ratified for the 2020-2021 school year without incident.
The current Clubs Administrator Jenna Courage sent a memo to the Clubs Advisory Council on March 20, 2021 to recommend that CAC recommend the SRA immediately de-ratify Lifeline due to a number of policy violations from their probationary year in 2019-2020 and this year.
Courage identified that Lifeline did not submit any events through the McMaster Student Events Management Portal after Feb. 28, 2020. However, Lifeline was found to have hosted events on March 4, March 6 and May 15, 2020, as well as on March 4 and March 18, 2021.
On March 21, 2021 Seymour and the rest of CAC submitted a letter to the SRA with the evidence and description of the violations. According to the letter, CAC voted unanimously to immediately de-ratify Lifeline after discussion of their policy violations. The SRA officially de-ratified Lifeline that day.
“While we acknowledge concerns brought forth from the student population regarding the content of McMaster Lifeline’s, the CAC’s opinion on their Clubs Status is solely related to violations of MSU and McMaster University Policies,” wrote CAC in the letter to the SRA.
Both Courage and CAC’s letters included the appeal procedures. The disbandment can be appealed to the Clubs Advisory Board. “A member of the club’s proposed Executive shall notify the Clubs Administrator of their intent to appeal within one (1) week of sanctions,” per section 5.7.1 of the Clubs Status policy.
Lifeline has not responded to our question on if they intend to appeal.
One of their offences was spreading false information to mislead the public. Abortions are covered by provincial and territorial health insurance plans through the Canada Health Act, which requires medically necessary procedures are publicly insured. All provinces and territories have designated abortions as essential services throughout the pandemic.
In an interview with The Silhouette, Elizabeth* shared her experience with a medically necessary abortion. Last year, Elizabeth had excessive pain and bleeding which her doctor initially thought might be due to her intrauterine device being out of place. After typical medical tests, her doctor discovered that Elizabeth was pregnant and sent her to urgent care for an ultrasound.
IUDs are a highly effective form of contraception, with a failure rate of less than one out of 100 users in the first year of insertion. In the case of pregnancy, a doctor will advise that the IUD be removed as it can cause preterm birth or miscarriage.
At the urgent care centre, they found that Elizabeth had a hemorrhaging cyst and sent her to the McMaster Women’s Clinic to speak with a gynecologist. The gynecologist thought that the pain and the bleeding were primarily from the hemorrhaging cyst, in addition to the uterine pregnancy and the IUD. The gynecologist suggested that Elizabeth check back in three days because it was possible that her body was taking care of the cyst on its own.
“That was terrifying. The thought of just sitting at home and knowing that I had no idea or control of what was happening to my body, that could potentially, it could kill me. It could change my entire future and I just would have to sit in that anxiety for three days,” said Elizabeth.
Instead of the waiting option, the gynecologist proposed an exploratory surgery. Elizabeth explained how, while at the urgent care centre, she instinctively knew something was wrong and thought it may be an ectopic pregnancy. She opted for the exploratory surgery and described being lucky because the McMaster Children’s Hospital surgery waiting rooms are decorated with stickers and moons. “Adorable,” she said.
When Elizabeth woke up from the surgery, the doctors told her that they found both a cyst and an ectopic pregnancy growing on her fallopian tube.
Ectopic pregnancies occur when a fertilized egg attaches to someplace other than the uterus and are life-threatening if left untreated. The embryo is nonviable and cannot be saved or turned into a uterine pregnancy. If the egg continues to grow in the fallopian tube, or anywhere outside the uterus, it could cause serious damage and heavy bleeding that could be deadly. Further, damage to the reproductive organs could cause problems getting pregnant in the future.
For Elizabeth, the surgeons performed a medically necessary abortion and had to remove the fallopian tube.
“The whole situation was almost like a dream because it had kind of felt like my entire existence had stopped in 18 hours and resumed again but flipped on its head,” said Elizabeth.
Elizabeth said she had a lot of support from her family and partner… “When I look at the messages that Lifeline has put out I can’t help but think about people who have been in a situation like mine who did their best to prevent it from happening — it was not my fault it wouldn’t be their fault — and they didn’t have any other option than to get surgery and have the fallopian tube, including the embryo removed,” said Elizabeth.
“I personally am someone who is very pro-choice, I believe that everybody should have the right to decide what they want to do with their body but, I can imagine for someone that doesn’t feel the same way, or at least doesn’t feel that way for themselves and wouldn’t choose to have an abortion themselves. If they see a message like the one that Lifeline has put out saying that “abortion is never medically necessary”, that could cause serious, serious harm for that person who might already be struggling with that experience of medical trauma and may now have to think to themselves, “So, I had a choice in this? If it wasn’t necessary then I just did this because I wanted to, this is somehow my fault.” It can really end up being harmful,” said Elizabeth.
Elizabeth added that Lifeline’s messaging also teaches people how to react to situations like hers.
*Name was changed to preserve identity
This article was updated April 13, 2021
Correction: April 13, 2021
An earlier version of this article included an incorrect quote that Lifeline was on probation in 2020-2021. They were on probation in 2019-2020.
Student concerns after presidential acclamation lead to SRA review of elections bylaws
C/O The Silhouette Photo Archives
The Student Representative Assembly has been discussing possible changes to Bylaw 7/A, which outlines the electoral procedures of McMaster Student Union electoral at-large elections. The change could add a vote of confidence to the procedure instead of acclamation.
The MSU's president-elect for 2021/2022 was recently acclaimed. Bylaw 7/A outlines the procedures for acclamation: “If the number of valid nomination forms submitted is fewer than or equal to the number of available positions, the [Chief Returning Officer] shall declare all nominees duly elected by acclamation.”
Nominees in this circumstance are automatically acclaimed to the position, as there is no vote of confidence available to the student body. The bylaw applies to candidates for SRA, MSU presidential and MSU First-Year Council elections.
In response to the presidential acclamation, the first in at least 40 years, the MSU Board of Directors tasked the SRA Internal Governance Committee to do a review of Bylaw 7/A. The IG committee has completed research on the bylaw and will propose updates at the March 7, 2021 SRA meeting.
In response to the presidential acclamation, the first in at least 40 years, the MSU Board of Directors tasked the SRA Internal Governance Committee to do a review of Bylaw 7/A. The IG committee has completed research on the bylaw and will propose updates at the March 7, 2021 SRA meeting.
Over the past month, general students and SRA members have expressed interest and thoughts on what the changes should look like, including the implementation of a vote of confidence for would-be acclaimed seats.
To specify what this vote of confidence would look like, SRA representatives conducted polls on social media within their faculties to collect data. Most SRA representatives asked students to identify whether a vote of confidence should be implemented, who the vote of confidence would apply to, who the vote of confidence electorate should be and which elections the vote of confidence should apply to and in which circumstances.
Considerations included whether the student body at-large or the SRA, whether it be the incoming or outgoing group, should take the vote of confidence. Further, some SRA members proposed a vote of confidence from the outgoing SRA for each incoming SRA member, including those elected by the student body.
The SRA caucus data results were presented at the Feb. 21 meeting. While each caucus had slightly different results, the majority reported a favour in adding a vote of confidence for MSU presidential elections.
There was a mixed consensus from all faculties on having a vote of confidence on SRA and First-Year Council elections, as well as whether the student body or SRA should be taking part in the vote of confidence.
In the meeting, SRA Social Sciences caucus members explained how some students’ concerns from the data indicated that they should be given more power in the vote of confidence, especially as a step towards building more trust with MSU. This data was collected by a Google Form that was circulated in Avenue groups and social media posts.
25 students responded to the survey. For the results, 84.6% of students wanted there to be a vote of confidence. Out of those who voted, 100% wanted students to have that vote. 50% of students said all elections (would-be-acclaimed and those with a surplus of candidates) should have a vote of confidence, 25% said they did not know, and 25% said they only wanted would-be-acclaimed ones.
Moreover, 83.3% of students said all elections that fall under that Bylaw (SRA, MSU President, and FYC) should have a vote of confidence, and 16.7% said only the MSU President should have a vote of confidence.
There was also a large concern from SRA Social Sciences members about potential conflict of interests with those running in elections.
These concerns were echoed by the McMaster Political Science Students Association, who worried that the change would require any incoming SRA member, including those elected by the student body, to undergo a vote of confidence by the outgoing SRA members.
“There was a universal push back [within our association] against [this] sort of move. We believe that the student voices should remain to the students and that it shouldn't be taken out from them in any capacity,” said Gurwinder Sidhu, MPSSA president.
The MPSSA has started a petition, which all MSU members can sign, against the suggestion of outgoing SRA members conducting a vote of confidence on the incoming SRA members, both elected and acclaimed.
The form states the association’s concern that these vote of confidence changes will compromise student democracy by giving the current SRA members the power to determine the members of the assembly, regardless of student votes.
“The key thing here is that people need to pay attention to what the student government is doing, because at the end of day, this affects them more broadly,” emphasized Sidhu.
During the Feb. 21 meeting, MSU President Da-Ré clarified to all SRA members that the discussion was not about SRA vetoing someone that was chosen by the student body, emphasizing that this would be very undemocratic. He explained that the voting body cannot change. For positions elected by students, such as SRA members, the voting body would remain students.
During the Feb. 21 meeting, MSU President Da-Ré clarified to all SRA members that the discussion was not about SRA vetoing someone that was chosen by the student body, emphasizing that this would be very undemocratic. He explained that the voting body cannot change. For positions elected by students, such as SRA members, the voting body would remain students.
The SRA has forwarded the student data to the SRA IG committee for further analysis and interpretation, in addition to their committee research. The IG committee has put forward their proposed changes to Bylaw 7/A along with a memo to summarize and explain the amendments.
Notably, the amendments propose a student body vote of confidence. The changes will be debated and likely voted on at the March 7 SRA meeting.
“We [SRA Internal Governance Committee] are suggesting a Vote of Confidence for FYC, SRA and Presidential Elections when the number of candidates is less than or equal to the number of positions available. The vote of confidence will be conducted by the student body where there would have previously been an acclamation,” wrote Associate Vice-President (Internal Governance) Michelle Brown in the memo.
According to the SRA discussion in the Feb. 21 meeting, there cannot be any bylaw changes made to the upcoming SRA elections. However, these could be implemented in the next election cycle.
Prior to the March 7 meeting and likely vote, MPSSA plans to continue their advocacy with their petition and by reaching out to other McMaster clubs and organizations for support. They are also currently in touch with SRA members to encourage them to vote against any changes that would compromise students’ democracy.
“I have good faith that this will be solved in an adequate manner… only time can tell that,” said Sidhu.
The Silhouette will continue to follow this story. For an in-depth explanation of the 2021 Presidential Acclamation and Bylaw 7/A amendment procedures, read: “The election that wasn’t: MSU president acclaimed.”
The announcement of an acclaimed MSU president-elect should raise questions as to why no one is running for MSU positions
Graphic By Nigel Mathias/Contributor
By: Belinda Tam, Contributor
On Jan. 26, 2021, it was announced that Denver Della-Vedova was acclaimed for the position of McMaster Students Union president for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Taking into account both world events and student’s everyday lives, this news may not be on the top of everyone’s mind at the moment. Knowing that this semester is a continuation of a time where the majority of classes are being conducted online — besides a small subset of students being on campus — there’s no doubt that students have been pouring more time into their studies.
Since an acclamation hasn’t occurred within at least 40 years, it's important to discuss the barriers in running an election. There are multiple rules in place for running candidates, which can pose as a potential financial barrier if you get fined.
Since an acclamation hasn’t occurred within at least 40 years, it's important to discuss the barriers in running an election. There are multiple rules in place for running candidates, which can pose as a potential financial barrier if you get fined.
Depending on the position the person is running for, guidelines and rules can vary. Violation of election rules may cause you to be fined unless you go through an appeal process. Furthermore, there is the issue of having financial accessibility if a candidate racks up lots of fines, which in turn may stop them from wanting to run.
With that said, there is actually a lot of work to be done when running for one of these positions. In previous presidential elections, candidates often take time off from class, especially for the campaigning period in order to inform the general student population about their mission and what they are hoping to do when elected.
When taking time off from class and possibly even work, not only does the student have to put in extra time and effort to catch up but this time off may also impact evaluations at work as well as testing in courses. Based on the amount of time required to dedicate yourself to running, this may also eliminate more candidates from applying.
In addition, the candidate also often makes a campaign team and has to coordinate the more minor details such as making sure someone was always present at their campaign table.
With that being said, having a team does alleviate the workload but much work is to be done at the beginning of this process when it comes to planning your campaign, as well as managing the team.
This is a lot to handle in conjunction with coursework and personal life. With this level of commitment and time invested, candidates seem to be willing to do whatever it takes to get the position.
Another important note is that you may have a better chance of winning the election if you are more involved and connected with people in the MSU.
Another important note is that you may have a better chance of winning the election if you are more involved and connected with people in the MSU.
Previous presidents such as Ikram Farah, Josh Marando and Giancarlo Da-Ré were all heavily involved in the MSU, which may have had a role in them winning since they had connections to others in the MSU.
As a result, they are more likely to know people who are in positions of power, so it’s easier for them to reach out and build their platform. While opinions may vary, having connections could mean that you have a better chance at winning.
However, we might be missing out on those in the student population who want to run — and might actually be good at the job for that matter — but won’t win because they don’t have those connections.
If this indeed is the case, this means that there is a bias in the system. Those who choose to run by themselves are at a greater disadvantage compared to those who have connections with the predecessors in the role they are campaigning for.
With Della-Vedova’s acclamation of such an important role within the MSU, it is important to reflect on why this issue may have arisen in the first place. If elections aren’t accessible for anyone to run, we may see more acclamations in the future.
