Student apathy shines through
http://www.ryersonline.ca/articles/2543/1/Student-apathy-shines-through/Page1.html
Josh Swan
I’m a fourth-year undergraduate in the Bachelor of Journalism program at Ryerson University. What I enjoy most about journalism is when I have the opportunity to write profiles. I enjoy having longer, face-to-face conversations with interview subjects. Writing profiles is a great way to find out what motivates and drives an individual.
My other journalistic interests are politics at the municipal and federal levels.
By Josh Swan
Published on 04/9/2008
The Ryerson Students' Union's annual general meeting was over almost before it began.
The Ryerson Students’ Union’s annual general meeting was over almost before it began. Barely an hour had passed before the meeting adjourned because it had lost quorum.
Most of last Wednesday’s annual general meeting was taken up by procedural motions from RSU executives Heather Kere and Chris Drew to move items up on the agenda. Only one piece of business, the RSU auditor’s report for 2007, was approved before a second-year computer science student called a head count, and meeting chair Walieed Khogali determined the meeting had lost quorum and called a motion to adjourn.
Under RSU bylaws, 100 students are needed to maintain quorum at AGMs. The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. by RSU president Nora Loreto, and was over by 7:10 p.m.
“I’m disappointed we can’t maintain quorum at a student organized group,” said James Larcombe, the computer science student who called for the head count.
Larcombe is a member of his program’s course union and has previously been involved in student politics when he attended Selkirk College in B.C. Larcombe said he suspected that the meeting had lost quorum when he saw students leaving.
He said students don’t care about the RSU and he blames the union for not doing enough to improve the quality of student life at Ryerson.
“Too many of these student politicians are focused on launching their career(s) in a partisan group,” Larcombe said in an interview with The Ryersonian after the meeting.
“They’re there for a reason: to make student life better . . . We pay them a lot of money to create a social environment (on campus).”
Larcombe wants to see the RSU focus on creating more student activities, such as bringing in musicians to perform regularly at the Ram in the Rye.
Chris Drew, the RSU’s outgoing vice-president of finance and services, said he’s not surprised the AGM ended so abruptly.
“I think (the AGM) was pretty predictable given how the year’s gone,” Drew said.
“Unfortunately, things in some ways are so divided that . . . it takes so much time to get through each item.
“There seems to be a lack of trust, a lack of constructive dialogue, a lack of professionalism among everyone.”
Drew said bylaws at AGMs must be passed by the students who attend, though motions, which made up the majority of business on the agenda, can be passed by the board of governors and RSU executives.
At the meeting, members were to vote on a motion calling on Ryerson administration to allow tuition fees to be paid in two instalments, and another one supporting the construction of an underground bicycle parking lot beneath the former Sam the Record Man building.
“The motion on RSU supporting bike space, the board can pass that, the executive can pass it. (But) it has more power if it comes from students,” Drew said.
Drew said there has been discussion in past years about lowering the number of students needed for quorum at these meetings, but said such a motion would be a bylaw change and require students at an AGM to pass it.
He is opposed to changing the number of students required for quorum.
“One hundred students out of 22,000 students in my mind isn’t that difficult . . . Everyone needs to take responsibility.”
The Ryerson Students' Union's annual general meeting was over almost before it began.Student apathy shines through
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| Josh Swan / Ryersonian Staff |
| The RSU executive and meeting chair Waileed Kohgali at the RSU annual general meeting last week before they lost qurom. |
Most of last Wednesday’s annual general meeting was taken up by procedural motions from RSU executives Heather Kere and Chris Drew to move items up on the agenda. Only one piece of business, the RSU auditor’s report for 2007, was approved before a second-year computer science student called a head count, and meeting chair Walieed Khogali determined the meeting had lost quorum and called a motion to adjourn.
Under RSU bylaws, 100 students are needed to maintain quorum at AGMs. The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. by RSU president Nora Loreto, and was over by 7:10 p.m.
“I’m disappointed we can’t maintain quorum at a student organized group,” said James Larcombe, the computer science student who called for the head count.
Larcombe is a member of his program’s course union and has previously been involved in student politics when he attended Selkirk College in B.C. Larcombe said he suspected that the meeting had lost quorum when he saw students leaving.
He said students don’t care about the RSU and he blames the union for not doing enough to improve the quality of student life at Ryerson.
“Too many of these student politicians are focused on launching their career(s) in a partisan group,” Larcombe said in an interview with The Ryersonian after the meeting.
“They’re there for a reason: to make student life better . . . We pay them a lot of money to create a social environment (on campus).”
Larcombe wants to see the RSU focus on creating more student activities, such as bringing in musicians to perform regularly at the Ram in the Rye.
Chris Drew, the RSU’s outgoing vice-president of finance and services, said he’s not surprised the AGM ended so abruptly.
“I think (the AGM) was pretty predictable given how the year’s gone,” Drew said.
“Unfortunately, things in some ways are so divided that . . . it takes so much time to get through each item.
“There seems to be a lack of trust, a lack of constructive dialogue, a lack of professionalism among everyone.”
Drew said bylaws at AGMs must be passed by the students who attend, though motions, which made up the majority of business on the agenda, can be passed by the board of governors and RSU executives.
At the meeting, members were to vote on a motion calling on Ryerson administration to allow tuition fees to be paid in two instalments, and another one supporting the construction of an underground bicycle parking lot beneath the former Sam the Record Man building.
“The motion on RSU supporting bike space, the board can pass that, the executive can pass it. (But) it has more power if it comes from students,” Drew said.
Drew said there has been discussion in past years about lowering the number of students needed for quorum at these meetings, but said such a motion would be a bylaw change and require students at an AGM to pass it.
He is opposed to changing the number of students required for quorum.
“One hundred students out of 22,000 students in my mind isn’t that difficult . . . Everyone needs to take responsibility.”