KSA council calls for special general meeting this month, re-adopts several policies

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The Kwantlen Student Association held a council meeting on Aug. 23 at 10:00 am in Birch 250 on Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey campus and online via Microsoft Teams. 

Council appointed Associate President Ishant Goyal as acting speaker for the meeting as council has yet to fill the speaker of council position. Faculty of Science and Horticulture Representative Bhoomika Seera was appointed to the social justice and equity committee. 

In his report, President and Vice-President (VP) Student Life Yashanpreet Guron wrote he attended the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver. About 150 students turned out for the event, which focused on “revitalizing campus life and providing students with engaging experiences outside of their usual academic environment.”

Guron also wrote he attended workshops at the B.C. Legislative Assembly in Victoria, which included an on-site tour and sessions on public administration best practices, policy development, and effective public affairs management.

“Delegates gained valuable knowledge about the legislative process, the roles and responsibilities of elected officials, and the operation of parliamentary procedures,” he wrote.

In his report, Goyal said he has been working on potential changes to the KSA’s health and dental plan, provided through Gallivan, to make it more affordable and responsive to students’ needs. He also said he has been working with representatives from Student Price Card (SPC) to discuss partnership opportunities to provide students with savings on products and services.

VP Finance and Operations Simranjot Sekhon wrote in her report that she has been working with staff and the finance committee to improve the bursaries program and financial operations. She has also worked on budgeting for bursaries, reviewing operating expenses, overseeing services to ensure they are effectively promoted to members, and monitoring financial investments, she wrote. 

Sekhon added she attended the “Student Union Development Summit” conference, which was hosted by the University of British Columbia’s Alma Mater Society, from Aug. 9 to 12. There, she attended workshops, including one about governance, and took part in a networking event.

Council then proposed a motion to re-adopt the association’s sexual violence and misconduct policy for three years. The motion was carried. Goyal said the policy was not sent to Policy and Political Affairs Coordinator Diamond Obera beforehand, but the governance committee had a discussion about re-adopting it and will work on any possible amendments during the next month or two.

Advocacy Coordinator John O’Brian wrote in the meeting chat that the policy doesn’t fall under the mandate of the governance committee, and it should be considered by the internal, external, and social justice and equity committees.

Council also re-adopted the open education resource (OER) and course syllabus policies for three years. 

“OER and syllabus policies should be reviewed by [the University Affairs Committee],” O’Brian wrote in the Teams chat.

Council then re-adopted the KSA privacy policy for three years. Goyal said the decision came from the council as a whole.

“As the privacy officer, I was actually working on updating this policy, and I just wanted to know if you had consulted with … anyone in re-adopting this,” Records Coordinator and Archivist Kari Michaels asked.

Goyal said the policy was brought to Executive Director Timothii Ragavan’s attention for re-adoption and any related questions can be directed to him.

In her social justice and equity committee report, Students with Disabilities Representative Lesli Sangha said she has been appointed chairperson of the committee. She also said her and Queer Students Representative Arnav Grover have been working on developing once-a-month drop-in events at Grassroots Cafe for students to meet with council members.

Council then amended the agenda to discuss a motion calling for a special general meeting (SGM). The motion, which Goyal put forward, called for an SGM to take place on Sept. 20 at noon at the KPU Richmond campus to consider proposed bylaw changes.

Among the proposed bylaw changes is a special resolution for borrowing money from a third party to develop a new student union building.

“This is not responsible for council to just call a special general meeting without due consultation and review of the bylaw changes, nor properly presenting the bylaw changes to reflect what’s actually changing,” Michaels said.

Sangha put forward a motion to have the SGM resolutions be reviewed by the governance committee, approved by legal counsel, and then brought back to the KSA council. Sangha’s motion failed to pass, and the motion to hold the SGM was approved. 

Council also held an executive committee meeting on Aug. 23 at noon in Cedar 1244 on KPU’s Surrey campus and online via Microsoft Teams. 

The committee approved a total of $6,015.52 in legal and professional fees to their legal counsel, Miller Thomson LLP. Two amounts of $4,450 were approved to hold both the “Movies for Mental Health” and “Wellness in Words” events. 

Council passed another motion to approve $2,242.57 for the KPU Sport and Recreation and KSA badminton service proposal, which would cover the cost of rackets and shuttles for students. 

The next KSA council and executive meetings are scheduled for Sept. 6 at noon and 2:00 pm respectively. Scheduled council meetings are currently not listed on the KSA’s website. Interested students can email info@kusa.ca to join.