KSA served SGM petition calling to remove 2 councillors and appoint 4 disqualified candidates

Editor’s note: The online version of this article has been edited to reflect the updated date for the KSA’s next council meeting.

The Kwantlen Student Association held executive committee meetings on May 8 and 16 and a council meeting on May 9, where it discussed receiving a petition to hold a special general meeting (SGM).

During the May 8 meeting with the executives, Vice-President Student Life Ishant Goyal shared a petition served to the KSA on April 24 by the student membership.

The petition calls for an SGM on Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey campus to remove Goyal and Students with Disabilities Representative Bhoomika Seera from office and appoint four students — Tejas Pathania, Aditya Kapoor, Gurparv Singh, and Prabhleen Kaur — to the council.

The four were each previously declared elected council members in the 2025 general elections before Chief Returning Officer (CRO) Gurinder Singh Gaddu disqualified them post-election due to alleged slating.

Goyal said the association has had multiple meetings with KSA Executive Director Timothii Ragavan regarding concerns about the validity of the petition.

“There are students who have raised serious concerns that this is not their signature, even though the [student] ID and the name are similar on the petition,” Goyal said. “Regardless, even if it’s like one signature or 10 signatures, it still raises concerns for us on the validity of the petition and as to what the intent or the political gimmick might be behind this.”

Ragavan added he is working with the KSA’s legal counsel Miller Thomson LLP and Gaddu to verify the validity of the petition.

Goyal said the petition, which has 120 signatures, was served by KPU student Hardik Kansal.

During the May 9 council meeting, KSA student representatives voted in favour of calling an SGM in the month of July, either on or before July 14, with Ragavan and Gaddu having the authority to set the date, space, and time in consultation with KPU.

In a May 15 email sent to the KSA, which The Runner was copied on, Kansal wrote the council selected a range of dates for the SGM that fall outside of the statutory window outlined in the KSA’s bylaws and Societies Act.

“In the petition, the petitioners specified May 30 as the meeting date should Council not issue a compliant call. Council has not done so. The KSA cannot rely on its own inaction or procedural delays to circumvent the clear deadlines established by legislation,” Kansal wrote.

“Please be noted that the SGM will take place on May 30th with or without the directors as the societies act gives us this authority.”

The association’s bylaws note that a general meeting should be called within 21 days of receipt of a petition. Both the bylaws and Societies Act note that a general meeting should be held within 60 days of receipt of a petition.

On May 16, Kansal sent a notice via email to the KSA that students will go ahead in holding an SGM on May 30 at 3:00 pm in KPU’s Surrey Conference Centre. That same day, KPU also sent notice of this SGM to students in an email announcement.

The Runner will provide more updates into the SGM as they become available.

In his report during the May 9 council meeting, Goyal said the KSA served about 100 students free coffee during the exam period, as well as provided 100 to 125 students free snacks per day over a span of 11 days. The KSA also sold 248 discounted movie tickets to students during the semester break, which were about $6 per ticket and capped at two tickets per student.

He also said the KSA executives received a presentation from Gallivan, a student health and wellness provider, about its new app for students, which goes into effect Sept. 1, and that the student union had a meeting with its legal counsel regarding its master lease agreement.

Ragavan added the association hopes to have finalized drafts of the agreement sent out soon.

During the May 8 executive meeting, the committee approved $3,248 for the KSA’s FIFA Knockout Tournament on May 21 and 22 at Grassroots Cafe.

“That’s going to be a tournament on PS5,” Goyal said. “There’s going to be food and there’s going to be prizes. And the grand prize for students is the winner [will be] eligible to win a PS5 with controllers all on the house.”

During the May 16 executive committee meeting, Goyal said the KSA received another presentation from Gallivan on its app, as well as a presentation from KPU criminology instructor Tara Lyons and student research assistants about their study on the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ post-secondary students.

The executive committee approved $19,740 for supporting this presentation. Goyal said of this funding, $4,560 will be given to the four student assistants a part of the project as a “full-time salary” for contributing to the study’s initiatives, and $1,500 will go towards supporting their attendance at a series of conferences on issues related to 2SLGTQIA+ and social justice issues.

Goyal also said in his report the KSA is looking to launch a food support initiative like a community cupboard for students to grab non-perishible food.

The executives also approved $3,000 for swag for the KSA’s clubs department and $1,500 for the KPU Kick Off Event. Several clubs also received funding for this event.

The Muslim Student Association also received $1,045 for its Eid Picnic event.

The next KSA executive committee meeting is scheduled for May 22 at 3:00 pm, with the council meeting slated for May 28 at 1:00 pm. Interested students can email info@kusa.ca to join the meeting.