AMS elections may look different next year.
Faculty society leaders and AMS executives went back and forth about de-slating the AMS executive elections during AMS Assembly on March 19 in Dunning Hall.
Following a heated discussion, student leaders confirmed they’ve received their student activity fees after a 128-day delay, and KMV gave a brief update about the JDUC move.
To de-slate or not to de-slate
Amaiya Walters, ASUS president, motioned to start amending section 2.2.2 of the AMS Constitution, allowing candidates for executive positions to run individually rather than as a team. The motion ed, but all three current AMS executive voted against the proposed change.
AMS President Kate McCuaig claimed the AMS Secretariat Alysha Ahmad already works 35 hours per week and won’t have the time to amend the constitution in time for the final AMS Assembly on April 9.
Michelle Hudson, AMS vice-president (operations), questioned whether the motion ing was “illegal,” as it may require Ahmad and the AMS Internal Affairs Office to work beyond the hours outlined in their contract.
“We can’t compel people to work more hours than policy,” Hudson said during Assembly.
The maximum hours an employee in Ontario can work is 48 hours a week, according to the Employment Standards Act. If employees work 44 hours or more in one week, they’re entitled to time and a half for those hours.
In a follow-up statement to The Journal, the AMS claims previous constitutional amendments took them just over four months.
Luca Disco, chair of the AMS Board of Directors, echoed Hudson and McCuaig’s concerns, describing the amendment as a substantial change requiring more effort than the 12-day timeframe until the next Assembly. The AMS won’t be able consult the student body with tight turn around, Disco said.
“This is the biggest change to the Constitution in the history of the AMS,” Disco said. “We don’t want to undertake this process without hearing student voices.”
Calder Bryson, AMS chief electoral officer, told Assembly she’s willing to shoulder the extra work to amend the constitution.
“Don’t worry about asking me to work outside my hours. I’m more than happy to take on the extra work,” Bryson said.
Walters acknowledged de-slating the executive election will take work but asked the AMS executives to make time in their schedules.
“I want to acknowledge this does sound like a big undertaking, but from what I’m hearing, this is work AMS Assembly are asking the AMS to take on,” Walters said.
This year, the AMS election season was extended following the dissolution of the only running team. The previous year, a racially insensitive image of an AMS executive candidate resulted in the withdrawal of a team from the election.
READ MORE: Racist image of AMS executive candidate made public
The past two years of elections have shown how difficult it is for students not involved in the AMS to form teams, Walters said.
The amended Constitution will be presented to Assembly on April 9 with a final vote expected then.
AMS doubles down on JDUC move
Faculty Society (FacSoc) leaders haven’t received updates from the AMS about their move into the JDUC. Megan McDowell, president of the Concurrent Education Student Association (CESA), asked other faculty society leaders if they’ve received any emails about the move from the AMS during Assembly.
In response, Hudson announced faculty societies will move into the JDUC on July 1. Hudson told McDowell she will provide FacSoc leaders with boxes to pack up their offices.
READ MORE: SLC fee fails at referendum, voters approve all other fees
As Hudson pushes the move to the JDUC, its uncertain how the failure of the Student Life Centre fee at winter referendum impacts the change. President McCuaig didn’t explain how the AMS’s plans to move into the JDUC after the fee’s failure.
McCuaig said the AMS is back at the negotiating table with the University to represent student interests over rent costs in the new JDUC.
FacSocs get their student fees
The Health Sciences Society (HSS) and Computer Science Student Association (COMPSA) received their 2023-24 student activity fees from the AMS this month, 128 days after they were supposed to receive them, according to the memorandum of understanding signed between the faculty societies and the AMS in September.
READ MORE: Collateral damage, AMS withholds student fees
The problem was resolved after Akash Singh, COMPSA president, and HSS executives met with Hudson.
Following the discussion, the AMS is rewording the faculty society memorendums of understanding, considering each FacSoc’s different policies.
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