BREAKING NEWS: Students' Society to hold first-ever online General Assembly plebiscite
Tuesday's Students' Society General Assembly in Three Bares Park failed to reach qualified quorum, necessitating SSMU's first-ever online GA plebiscite.
Under bylaw changes approved in last year's fall referenda period, two per cent of the undergraduate student body (currently 397 students) must attend a GA for motions to become SSMU policy. If more than 100 but fewer than 397 students attend, any motion passed at the GA must then go to an online plebiscite moderated by Elections McGill. If fewer than 100 students attend the GA, the meeting then becomes a consultative forum.
Tuesday's GA was attended by approximately 120 students. The six motions passed at the GA will go to an online vote beginning within 48 hours of the assembly's conclusion. The quorum for the online plebiscite is 15 per cent of the student body.
"I have some concerns about our ability to reach the 15 per cent quorum required for the online vote," said SSMU President Kay Turner. "We only have 48 hours to get the polls open, there's no campaigning allowed on specific motions, and on top of that this weekend is Thanksgiving weekend, so with people going home to visit their families, running a 'get out the vote' campaign is going to be challenging."
Three motions involving the Canadian Military proved to be the most contentious, sparking extended debate among attendees. GRASPé member Cleve Higgins put forth a motion calling on SSMU to oppose McGill's involvement in the development of thermobaric weapons. It passed by a slim majority of 57-49. Motions requiring SSMU to support the implementation of a policy for public transparency and ethical evaluation of military research at McGill; and to not allow military publicity or recruitment in the Shatner building or in any SSMU publication, passed by wide margins.
Motions calling on SSMU to support campus student services, to assist the Association of McGill Undergraduate Student Employees, and to lobby Principal Heather Munroe-Blum to hold a catered house party will also go to plebiscite.
The GA lost quorum while debating a motion to refer to administrators as Star Wars characters. That motion and one to hold "No Pants Fridays" on every third Friday of the month will be carried over to the next GA.
"I'm hoping that a lot of the people who supported the bylaw changes will come out and participate in the online vote," Turner said. "I'll be disappointed if we get anywhere under 15 per cent turnout."
The online voting period will likely begin on Thursday and can be accessed at ovs.ssmu.mcgill.ca. Polls will remain open for 48 hours.
2008 Woodie Awards
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