The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) voted in favour of a motion to change the CUSA awards policy in a meeting on Feb. 26.
Maddy Porter, vice-president (student issues), tabled the motion at CUSA’s monthly meeting. The motion will establish a firm timeline for both the application process and the distribution of awards.
Porter said the motion would help more students benefit from CUSA awards.
“I wanted to make sure that it is a very consistent process from year to year to year so the maximum number of students can benefit from it,” she said. “There’s always been a pretty good amount [of students applying], but it could be better.”
Details of the CUSA awards, including monetary amounts, will be made available on the CUSA website under the new policy change by Sept. 1.
Going forward, applications will be due by the first Monday in March, and awards will be distributed by April 15.
Porter said making the process take place earlier in the year would help students, especially during the end-of-term rush.
“The other thing is it’s later in the year, and people are trying to finish off school so I think it would be easier if it was a little earlier, and then students could finish off their year and have these awards for graduation,” Porter said.
Porter said to the council that she created this motion because of difficulties she had at the beginning of her term as vice-president.
“Last year, I got handed off the awards and I was supposed to hand them out as the incoming [vice-president (student issues)] and I didn’t think that was really appropriate,” Porter said.
Porter said this policy will ensure the entire process is completed by that year’s vice president (student issues).
The motion passed unanimously.
