This year, the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) amended a policy so that executives of the association cannot hold additional student government executive positions. Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) should adopt and enforce a similar policy to maximize student leaders’ voices and minimize confusion.
RRRA officials who voted in favour of the amendment said the policy would ensure executives’ independence and commitment to the organization as they wouldn’t have allegiances to other governing bodies.
Outside of RRRA, one person can hold multiple positions within Carleton University’s governing bodies but the overlap can create a conflict of interest that restricts the individual and limits the extent to which they can fully participate in their roles.
While each governing body is different, they often collaborate on issues such as ancillary and tuition fees, lease agreements and employee negotiations, among other things.
Conflicts of interest are always a possibility for any student leader. However, direct connections with multiple governing bodies pose a greater risk. If elected students have to abstain from voting due to potential conflicts of interest, the student body risks losing voting power within Carleton’s most important decision-making bodies.
While RRRA has made moves to minimize potential conflicts of interest by amending its policies this year, CUSA is lagging behind. The only policy which comes the closest to challenging an individual’s attempt to hold multiple roles is within CUSA’s board of directors terms of reference.
The policy states “board members may not maintain or hold fiduciary responsibility to another entity that could conceivably regularly conflict with their fiduciary responsibility to CUSA while a member of the Board.”
However, the vague wording leaves this policy effectively useless. In light of recent confusion over who is eligible to run in this year’s ongoing CUSA presidential election, the Charlatan spoke to three CUSA members about the policy and each had their own conflicting interpretations of what constitutes a conflict of interest. How can the policy be enforced if CUSA members can’t agree on when it should be applied?
Until CUSA policies change to ensure student advocacy will not be diminished by potential conflicts of interest, it is up to the student body to decide.
Featured graphic from file.
