KSA AGM ended early, students raised concerns during executives’ reports

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The Kwantlen Student Association held their annual general meeting (AGM) on March 27 in the Conference Center at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey campus. The KSA AGM, which was scheduled from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, is an opportunity for current KPU students to vote on matters pertaining to the KSA’s business. A quorum of 60 students is necessary to conduct proper meeting business.   

The KSA’s speaker of council, Amrinder Sandhu, is supposed to lead all general meetings, according to the KSA’s bylaws. However, Sandhu was unwell, so the KSA hired Hassan Merali, an external speaker to chair the meeting, who is the director of communications for the Alliance of BC Students (ABCS).

The meeting started with amendments to its agenda. KPU student Jessica Griffith put forward a motion, stating she be appointed as a KSA director until the Faculty of Academic and Career Preparation Representative takes office after a by-election or March 31, 2025, whichever comes first. The motion also stated Griffith be responsible for the duties and portfolio of the Faculty of Academic and Career Preparation Representative while the position is vacant.

Griffith is an Employment and Community Studies (EACS) program student, which falls under the Faculty of Academic and Career Preparation (ACP). 

“As a student with a disability and a current EACS student, I am the right person to perform the duties of this position,” Griffith said.

“I have strong connections with the academic and career preparation faculty. This KSA position and portfolio has been vacant for a very long time, and I want to change that. I’m striving to raise both awareness of the ACP and disability issues that are often overlooked.”

Past KSA executive secretary and Cloverdale Campus Representative Jeremy Law also put forward a motion, stating he be appointed as a KSA director until the Faculty of Trades & Technology Representative under the same conditions as Griffth. It also stated that Law be responsible for the duties and portfolio of the Faculty of Trades & Technology Representative while the position is vacant.

KPU student Bobby Gardner put forward another motion to add a question-and-answer period. Students voted to add each motion to the agenda, which needed a majority vote to rule. While the voting was almost equally divided, all three amendments passed, as did the following motion to adopt the agenda as amended.

The first motion on the agenda was the one Griffith had put forward. At this time, groups of students started to leave the meeting until a quorum was no longer present. This meant students could no longer vote on Griffith’s or Law’s motions, which was next on the agenda. Both motions were suspended.

Tompkins Wozny LLP, the KSA’s independent auditors, then presented their reports on the association’s financial statements. The statements show expenses for activities went up from $489,426 in 2022 to $1,153,285 in 2023. The excess revenue for the year amounted to $2,631,958, and the funds the association received from KPU was $714,812. The executive and representative stipends went up from $119,965 in 2022 to $275,241 in 2023.  

The payments made to executives during 2023 went up with VP external receiving $47,553 in comparison to $30,974 in 2022, VP finance and operations received $61,483 in comparison to $20,000 in 2022, VP student life’s payment went up from $18,883 in 2022 to $54,536 in 2023, and VP university affairs received $52,863 in comparison to $47,363 in 2022. 

The wages, subcontractors, and benefits expenses amounted to $251,059, paid to three people in 2023. In 2022, expenses did not exceed $75,000 for a single paid contractor during the year. 

Shortly after the financial statements were presented, the fire alarm went off at 2:30 pm and everyone was evacuated from the building. The meeting was recalled at 3:09 pm, and enough students returned to meet quorum again. 

KPU student and newly elected Students of Colour Representative for the 2024-25 term Ishant Goyal called to suspend the agenda to reconsider Griffith’s and Law’s motions since quorum was present again, which required a two-third majority of all those who vote.

The vote was an almost even split, meaning the motion failed and the two motions would remain suspended. People responded with clapping and cheering.

The next agenda item was to re-appoint Tompkins Wozny LLP as the KSA’s auditors for 2024, which, after a vote, was approved.

A 15-minute question-and-answer period followed, which is an opportunity for KPU students to ask the executive director, executive committee, and council questions.  

Before the AGM began, each seat had a print out of an email thread between Randhawa and the KSA’s previous lawyer, David Borins, from December, stating concerns about the relationship between Randhawa and current Executive Director Timothii Ragavan and the hiring process of the individual. 

The email chain stated concerns of Ragavan and Randhawa being friends, that hiring him was a conflict of interest, and because the proper process to hire the executive director was not followed, the legal counsel resigned. A student asked Randhawa to comment on the situation and why the KSA council let this decision go through. 

Randhawa said there is an executive director search committee, which consists of five members working to fill the position, and there was a misunderstanding of the email. 

“No one is my friend in the whole executive [committee], as which came from Christopher [Girodat] who was our consultant to find the [executive director]. I have no conflict of interest in this,” Randhawa said. 

In the email from Borins, it says Ragavan was not one of the candidates shortlisted. Randhawa said there were different elements in looking for the executive director, “which was … less compensation, immediate joining, and relevant experience.” The search committee looked at the resumes from four to five candidates and interviewed those people, Randhawa said.  

“We reviewed each of them and we called the people who we felt were eligible for the [job]. … We felt like Timothii deserved to be on this job.” 

In July, the executive stipends increased from $1,273.69 to $1,592.80. Randhawa said he would return the difference in money at the AGM as the increase was intended for the other executives. The Runner asked Randhawa if he would still be returning the difference. He said he will be writing the cheque to send back the money next week. 

A KPU student raised concerns about how two council members did not receive the AirPods council purchased in December, that one member was not aware council purchased them, and asked for more transparency on where they went. 

Randhawa said every council member who received a pair has to send over a form to obtain the AirPods, and that the student can visit the KSA’s accounting department to see the records. 

Three bylaw amendments were proposed, which were all special resolutions requiring at least 150 members to vote, and 153 were present in the conference center. 

The first one concerned councillor attendance and removal, and stated, “A councillor shall cease to hold office if they cease to be a Member, resign, are expelled, are placed in bad standing, or absent from three Council meetings.” 

The second amendment concerned the regulation of electoral slates. The motion stated, “Slates, expressed or apparent, may only operate to the extent that they are permitted by the KSA Regulations. Nothing in this provision shall be construed to require that slates be permitted.” 

The third motion concerned the eligibility requirements for council candidates, and stated the CRO should only accept the nominations from candidates who are a member of the association, in good standing with the association, and have a minimum term grade point average (TGPA) of 2.67 for the term completed prior to nomination period. The CRO may also deem a candidate eligible for nomination if they fail to meet the requirements under their discretion. 

All three motions failed as they required a two-thirds majority vote to pass, and voting was an almost even split. 

The executive committee presented their annual reports to the student body, which detail what they’ve accomplished during their term.

VP External Affairs Jasmine Kaur Kochhar said when they came into council, they had a primary goal of establishing student life on campus, and she did her best to address issues students are facing in post-secondary education. 

“Student advocacy has never been compromised this term at every step. I had ensured that the facets that needed to be spoken and I heard properly,” Kochhar said. 

Kochhar said she did a number of initiatives to help students. The “Brick by Brick” event hosted last year, which helped students navigate the housing crisis, and the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) Day of Action, where she had a tabling event and a walk through campus event to learn about issues students care about most, are some of the initiatives she mentioned. 

She said she was in constant contact with MPs and MLAs during her term, and attended conferences where she spoke about student advocacy. Kochhar also took part in many different events that happened on and off campus such as nature trips to Grouse Mountain and Cultus Lake, musical gatherings such as “Melody” and “Bollywood night,” and the recent Women of Wisdom event. 

In Gurtejpreet Kaur Kailyan’s VP of finance and operations report, she provided an overview of her activities and contributions in this role, as mature students representative, and finance committee chair. Kailyan was elected as VP of finance and operations on Feb. 2, after Amitoj Singh resigned from the position due to wanting to be closer to family. 

Kailyan said one of the key responsibilities she worked on was overseeing the budget process, including allocating funds to support various initiatives and events. She worked closely with the finance committee to develop financial policies and procedures to ensure transparency and accountability in their financial management at several levels, she said. 

Kailyan said she also advocated for policy changes and initiatives that benefit students at the university and gained insight from other representatives across the country. 

“My experience as VP finance and as a student leader has been incredibly rewarding. I have learned a great deal about leadership, advocacy, and the importance of student engagement in shaping the future of the university,” Kailyan said. 

In Randhawa’s report, he said serving as the president has been an honour and privilege, and he’s proud of the dedication and hard work exhibited by each KSA member and the initiatives taken to enhance KPU. 

He said one of the key initiatives they worked on was the extension of library hours during exam periods at the Surrey campus. 

One of the main achievements was initiating more bursary opportunities for international students, which will be in the referendum this year, Randhawa said. Providing more diverse dining options on campus, advocating for an additional water fountain in the Surrey main building, and a convocation bursary to help support international students with convocation expenses were the achievements Randhawa mentioned in his report. 

“Together, we’ve made significant strides in empowering and assisting our student community,” Randhawa said. “I was elected by you, [and] I tried my best to serve you. Whatever was to my ability, I did it, and what I felt was right at that point.” 

VP of Student Life Jashanpreet Singh Sekhon did not present his final report. The Runner asked Sekhon why he was not able to present his report. 

“I’m not feeling well, there [are] some problems with my throat,” he said.

After the meeting, The Runner requested a copy of Sekhon’s final report. The report summarizes the events Sekhon worked on and his contributions to student life at KPU, including Watershed Park and Grouse Mountain hikes, a tour of Cultus Lake Waterpark,  “Melody Night,” “Bollywood Night,” and welcome week. 

“As we reflect on the past year, we are proud of the vibrant community we have nurtured and the positive impact of our initiatives on student life,” reads the report. “The commitment of the Student Life Committee and the enthusiastic participation of our students have been pivotal to our success.” 

After the executive committee presented their reports, the floor was open to questions. One student raised concerns about student support programs being put on the upcoming referendum, some of which include Advocacy, KSA Peer Support, and REBOOT Computer Repair. 

“Would you pay for something that you are not benefiting from?” Kochhar said, adding that students have the right to choose whether they want to keep these services or not, since they pay for them. 

A student also raised concerns about Kochhar working at Applewood Nissan Richmond while being a full-time executive. The student said they were Kochhar’s customer. She denied the allegation. 

“Being in these roles of executives is a full time job because you’re investing your time, investing yourself, being in the office … without having any other side hustle along with that,” she said. 

The speaker needed to leave at 4:00 pm due to a prior commitment and suggested a vote to appoint chief returning officer Sameer Ismail as the new speaker for the AGM. The motion failed, to which a student nominated KPU student Lorne Putman to be the new speaker, but couldn’t be passed through as another student asked to adjourn the meeting, which passed and ended at 4:20 pm. 

The executive director report, Indigenous fee waiver motion, and the introduction of the new council could not proceed and were not presented. 

The KSA posted on their website that they would give students prizes at the AGM, including tuition credit vouchers and bookstore, Amazon, and Grassroots Cafe gift cards. These prizes were not given out. 

Events and Marketing Specialist Dinsan Valavi wrote in an email statement to The Runner that the KSA’s initial plan was to make the prizes announcement following the executive director’s report during the AGM, but was unable to due to the meeting ending early. 

The KSA will use a “random picker” to pick the prize winners from the students who attended the AGM. Valavi wrote that registered attendees will receive an email regarding the announcement of winners, how they will be selected, and then the winners will be announced. Valavi wrote that the winners will be announced next week.