Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) councillors and executives voted against considering a motion to dismiss chief electoral officer (CEO) Alexa Camick at a Jan. 28 Zoom council meeting.
The motion to dismiss CEO Alexa Camick for a conflict of interest was not brought to the floor, as a vote to consider the motion failed.
Camick currently serves as vice-president (internal relations) of the Sprott Business Students’ Society (SBSS) alongside SBSS president and Students First vice-president (finance) candidate Emily Buchkowsky.
Public affairs councillor Nicolas Gil said a student in his faculty requested him to present the motion.
Gil said he was not accusing Camick of expressing bias toward Buchkowsky, but that Camick could potentially act with bias.
“Nobody’s saying as of right now that they are going to cheat or that they can be influenced to do so,” Gil said. “Rather that the issue [of bias] can arise given their close personal relationship, along with their leadership roles together.”
Camick confirmed she worked with Buchkowsky on the SBSS executive, but said it should not preclude her from serving as CEO.
“This was not a conflict of interest,” Camick said. “We work together on professional means.”
Camick said she did not believe the relationship would impact her ability to serve as CEO.
“If the CEO was not allowed to have any previous connection with any candidate, you would never find an individual suitable for this role,” Camick said.
The CUSA electoral code states the CEO should immediately inform the CUSA president and council of any conflict of interest that compromises their ability to perform the duties of the office. It also states that CUSA council can remove the CEO for conflict of interest by a two-thirds majority.
“I must admit it is hard to be receiving so much hate and distaste for a situation I explicitly sought to keep removed from,” Buchkowsky said in an email to the Charlatan. “I do not believe a conflict of interest is present, and I seek to remain focused on my own campaign.”
After the meeting, public affairs councillor Emily Sowa, who consulted with Gil on the motion, told the Charlatan she thought Camick understood the gravity of the situation.
“It’s very obvious that she cares so much about this position and wants to do well on behalf of the students and not on behalf of any potential conflict of interest,” Sowa said.
In a statement, the Carleton Campus Conservatives requested a revote on bringing the motion to the floor because the vote was completed by secret ballot, after which the ballots were destroyed.
However, using secret ballots is standard practice for CUSA meetings.
The Carleton Campus Conservatives also expressed concern over the involvement of two CUSA executives in the vote. The statement said Farook Al-Muflehi, the temporary council chair and current vice president (internal) who counted the ballots, was involved in the hiring of the CEO. It also said current president Kathleen Weary, a candidate for Students First in the election, had voting rights on the issue.
Despite saying he believes Camick has a conflict of interest, Gil told the Charlatan after the meeting he was satisfied with the way the vote was held.
“As one of the councillors for the association, I can tell you that [the conflict of interest] was addressed and that protocol was followed and democratic process was implemented, and the decision came through,” Gil said.
Council chair resigns
Al-Muflehi announced at the start of the meeting that CUSA council chair Ryan Boucher had resigned “due to some personal reasons.”
The January council meeting, originally scheduled for Jan. 14, was cancelled because of a “predicament with the council chair,” Al-Muflehi wrote in an email to council at the time.
In the Jan. 28 meeting, Al-Muflehi nominated himself as council chair when no one else expressed interest.
Presentation of audit review
Despite a cut of 15 per cent to its budget due to the Student Choice Initiative, CUSA entered the pandemic with a surplus of $484,000, according to vice president (finance) Jacob Howell, who presented a completed audit of the financials for CUSA Inc.
The audit, which ran from May 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020, showed significant cuts to CUSA services during March, the first month of the pandemic.
Reports from council
In her report to council, Weary said CUSA will be “upping the sense of urgency” on Carleton to divest from fossil fuels. A divestment strategy is currently under review by the investment committee of the Board of Governors.
Tinu Akinwande, vice-president (student issues), told council she has spoken with “the provost and other high university officials” about increasing mental health accommodations, including expanding sick notes to include mental health notices.
Akinwande said the accommodations are still being developed but they could be made for future semesters.
Usage for mental health support through CUSA and Studentcare, the health plan provided to students through the association, has increased, according to Howell. He said he is looking into increasing mental health coverage and how to add it into future budgets.
Undergraduate Board of Governors representative Nathaniel Black said he is planning to bring a motion to classify the N-word as a fireable offense at the next board meeting.
