The Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG) is undergoing an overhaul of its organizational policies and structure.
At a July 31 council meeting, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) councillors passed a motion to add a voting seat for CASG, which was raised by CASG vice-president (internal), Matt Pelletier.
Nineteen councillors voted in favour, three abstained, and one voted against.
Pelletier said this motion was not a new idea; CASG had motioned for voting status at the council several years ago, but was unsuccessful.
While CUSA and the Rideau River Residence Association both hold voting seats on CASG, CASG had yet to have a voting seat with CUSA.
“It didn’t make sense to leave this link out of the chain that works as sort of the inter-governmental relations at Carleton,” Pelletier said.
This motion marks the start of an overhaul of CASG’s organizational policies, Emily Grant, CASG president, said.
After looking at previous governing documents, Grant said CASG executives knew it was time to change them. The last time there were any changes to CASG’s governing documents was in 2009.
According to a CASG document that highlighted the proposed changes, the organization is updating language related to gender identity and voting status, and clarifies other guidelines, such as veto status in the Carleton Senate, ranked voting electoral procedure, and councillor eligibility.
Another change to CASG structure includes the revamp of student boards—internal CASG faculty-specific groups that meet to discuss faculty-specific academic issues.
Grant said she expects a debate from CASG councillors regarding a motion which would add a bylaw about what CASG councillors can and cannot vote on in their positions on other organizations’ councils, such as CUSA’s.
If passed, the motion would restrict CASG representatives from voting on anything related to impeachment or core operations within the other student associations, Grant said.
“That way, we’re staying out of it—it’s not necessarily our place to be voting on these things. It’s best if it’s left in their council’s hands,” she said.
Grant added that CASG executives plan on adding governing text that would mandate councillors to abstain on any motions related to the Canadian Federation of Students—a national group of student unions dedicated to lobbying the government on student issues—from which CUSA is currently lobbying to defederate.
“We believe the question for defederation is one that should be left to CUSA council and its directly-elected officials, and the broader undergrad community if or when a referendum to decide so is arranged,” she said.
CASG executives also proposed changing the requirements for attendance for councillors from twice to three times per semester.
But Pelletier said these proposals depend on the Carleton Senate—the highest academic body on campus—which must approve any changes related to CASG before they are made.
“We’re sort of beholden to a lot of outdated and obsolete material, and also when it comes to amending our constitutions—which a lot of operational stuff is in, which shouldn’t be there—we can’t make those changes until we get a buy-in from the Senate,” Pelletier said.
He added that CASG is the only student group on campus that has to ask the Senate to process its motions before any of its proposals related to amendments are brought into effect.
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