By Kathleen Jolly
Contributor from the Et Cetera
The HSF’s Annual General Meeting this Wednesday taking place at the Student Centre at North Campus, which all full-time students can attend, promises to be a tumultuous one.
Vanessa Silaphet, HSF’s Special Projects Coordinator, said in an email interview that students could overturn election results if “they refuse to accept results for either Directors and/or Executives position.”
Silaphet went over the potential consequences of such an action.
If the Executive results are not accepted, she said the following could occur:
- There will be no Executives during the summer term (May to August)
- This affects the term they were elected for 12 months is reduced to seven months
- This will result in no student input/planning for HSF offerings like services, events, initiatives for the year (ex. Frosh, Orientation, etc.)
- No Executives during the summer term would translate to lack of training they would typically receive (since extensive training with our elected members are done in the Summer), thus they will be ill equipped to succeed in their position
- A by-election would need to take place in the Fall
- A by-election would require more staff time (marketing, expenses) and ultimately more students’ money to facilitate
Silaphet said if the Board of Directors results are not accepted, then the following could occur:
- No Directors/Board during the summer term
- No strategic planning/goal setting/initiative planning will be done in the summer
- No Directors during the summer term would translate to lack of training they would typically receive (since extensive training with our elected members are done in the Summer), thus they will be ill equipped to succeed in their position
- Lack of student input for Constitution/policy review in the summer
- Shortening the term they serve as Director
If a by-election occurs, Silaphet said the consequences would mean another election, including nomination, campaigning and voting.
“Some of the candidates that ran in the elections this year are expected to graduate, thus unless they plan to return as a full-time student next year, they won’t be eligible to run according to our Constitution/Policy,” she said.
Students will need to sign in at the meeting upon arrival, and only full-time students are eligible to vote. Non-full-time students can also attend to witness the events.
Silaphet mentioned that to her knowledge, the overturning of an election at the AGM has never happened before.