GSU Spring AGM 2009 Minutes

GSU Spring AGM
25 March 2009

Kassem Abouchehade (Senate Rep), Shah Alam (VP Finance), Abdullah Alzaid (Biology), Md. Al-Amin Baksh (Candidate – VP Finance, Math), Emma Brand (Earth Sciences), Michelle Caputo (Biology), Khaled Chowdhury (VP Academic), Isabel Costa (Biology Rep), Sebastien Despres (VP Interal), Kathryn Guetting (Environmental Science), Kim Gill (WRC Rep), Tracy Hache (Anthropology Rep), Kelly Hickey (Women’s Studies, TAUMUN), Jess Huber (English Rep), Catherine Jalbert (President-Elect, Archaeology), Kimberly Keats (Biology), Todd Kristensen (Archaeology Rep), Anne Lafferty (Folklore), Ashlee Lillis (Biology), Kyle Matheson (Biology), Darek Moreau (CABE, Board of Regents Rep), Carlene Montgomery (HKR), Heather O’Brien (English), G. Phani Suresh Reddy (Mechanical Engineering), Ashley Robar (Biology), Ken Sands (Anthropology), Muzaddid Sarker (VP Comm), Jay Shah (Biology), Ryan Stanley (Biology), Erin Stevens (Biology), Mary Townsend (Biochemistry), Nate Wilke (Candidate – VP Finance, Biology), Arvindh Viswanathan (ONAE)

Call to order at 6:12pm.

1. Identification of visitors by Chair

Two people identified themselves as visitors, but were included on the attendance as graduate students.

2. Check-in

Round table introductions

3. Acceptance of Agenda

Keith suggested item 9 (GSU Election for 09-10) be moved to 5B.

Moved by Heather, seconded by Khaled. No objection.

Kelly asked to add a 5A (TAUMUN update).

Moved by Kelly, seconded by Jess. No objection.


Agenda adopted as amended. Carried.



4. Resignation/Introduction

No new or resigning members at this time.



5. Apologies for Absences

Amelia Fay, the CRO for the election, apologized for her absence due to illness. Amy-Lee Kouwenberg (CABE Rep) also sent her regrets.



5A. TAUMUN update

Kelly gave an overview of the drive, and informed the group that 80% of cards had been submitted. This would set up a vote beginning Tuesday or Wednesday.

Carlene asked how the vote information would be communicated. Kelly said it would be everywhere – emails, admin assistant notifications, website, posters, Facebook. Jess suggested anyone who wanted to know more could visit the TAUMUN office in the Loft space.

Heather asked if voting stations would have a list of voters. Kelly said they would, but the University compiled their list quickly, and it was possible that eligible voters may have been omitted from the list. She explained the process of double-enveloping those votes for possible inclusion afterwards.

Suresh asked about what made you eligible to vote. Kelly said that if someone is on the payroll for a GAship this term, they are eligible. Emma asked if the vote needed to take place this semester, and Kelly clarified that the vote needed to take place within 90 days of the first card being signed.



5B. GSU Election for 2009-10

Keith read out an email from Amy (CRO) who could not attend the meeting, outlining the procedures for voting and accessing information on the GSU website. Any technical problems should be directed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The candidates were permitted to campaign until the polls close. The email included an invitation for a post-election party at Bitters.

Jess clarified that the Elections committee would not finalize results until business close on Monday, and receipts had been received and reviewed.

Keith opened the floor to the candidates, organized by position. He noted that questions should be general and brief, and aimed at all candidates rather than individuals. A time limit of 1 minute was set for responses, and 3 minutes for speeches.

Darek pointed out that in the past, other candidates have left the room while others running for their position give their speech. The reasoning was that it prevents the last candidate from having the advantage of using material they have heard from others. The group decided that all would be present during question periods, but those running would leave the room during speeches for their position.

Catherine was acclaimed President. Isabel asked how in her role as President, Catherine would deal with the diverse opinions of grad students, naming union politics as an example. Catherine responded to say that she has her own opinion on these matters, but hoped to be able to represent what grad students wanted, rather than only her own views.

Kassem, Kimberley and Sebastien gave their speeches for the VP Academic position.

Kelly asked if any of the candidates had experience dealing with specific academic issues. Kimberley spoke first about her role as a student representative on the Academic Council, ensuring that students are treated fairly. Kassem spoke about his experience with appeals, policies, and supervisor relations, and his own involvement in work surrounding intellectual property. Sebastien said that he has been a student in four countries, and two programs at once. He has fought for students in his role as VP Internal, and has been involved with the Senate Committee on Copyright, and student committees at Mount Allison University.

Jess brought up the current Presidential situation at MUN, and wanted to know what the candidates saw as their role in this process, as it was a concern for students. Sebastien said that the VP Academic should be the most concerned. He spoke about a meeting he attended with the premier on the subject, and said that the GSU was the only group that spoke out about how this decision could affect potential future research. Kassem said that he was aware of issues from his Senate involvement, and thought that it was important to consider the position carefully for its academic implications. Kimberley said that students should be informed in this process, and that the VP Academic should be the one to relay information to students on the matter. She stressed that having student involvement on the search committee was a must.

Darek posed a hypothetical situation: what would the candidates do if they received a student complaint against faculty or staff that they felt was not a strong case, or they disagreed with? Kassem said it was necessary to understand what was happening as the student saw it, and what the circumstances were. He said he would try and help the student as much as possible until they felt there had been a resolution. Sebastien compared the position to being like a lawyer for students – their role is to make sure the student comes out on top academically. In the event there may not be a case, it is their job to find another way to better represent the student. Kimberley said that it was important to find out as much as possible about the situation, and talk with the student about why it is an issue. She highlighted that if the issue had prompted the student to seek help, it must be a problem for them. She felt the position was one that needs to represent students and help them find the proper resources to resolve issues.

Tracy said that although tuition is reasonably low at MUN, there is a possibility that they may be raised in the future. She wanted to know how each candidate’s position on fee increases. Isabel posed a question at this time too, asking about the environmental implications of policy for thesis guidelines, as students must submit a report that is single-sided and double-spaced. She wanted to know if the candidates were willing to pursue the issue. Sebastien said that he has submitted over 10 000 pages to SGS over his academic career, which he thought was ridiculous. He mentioned recent work by environmental committees within the University. With regards to tuition, he said that there appears to be no upcoming lift for the freeze, and that international fees may be decreased. Kimberley said that she was against increasing fees, and would voice this opinion. She said that it might be an idea to discuss digital submissions to SGS, reducing the amount of paper involved. Kassem said that it was important to find ways to affect the decisions about tuition and fees, and to have a second plan in plan if the increase did indeed go ahead. He said he supported green initiatives and pointed out that sometimes multiple examiners requested their own copies, thus increasing the paper usage again. He said that work needed to be done with the GSU and SGS to minimize the environmental strain.

Heather asked that all candidates indicate what time remained in their program, and whether they could assure students that they would be here for their term over the next year. Sebastien said that he had four years, Kimberley had two, and Kassem at least one.

Khaled, Nate and Md. Al-Amin gave their speeches for the VP Finance race.

Ryan asked about how the candidates would make the budget information more transparent and available to students. Khaled said that he would use emails to communicate with students and indicate what resources are available. He agreed it was important that students be informed about what’s going on with the budget. Nate said that the budget should be available online, and there needed to be consistent reports made public. He suggested that more of the BOD should be involved, new issues should be examined, and feedback should be sought. Md Al-Amin pointed out that the website was definitely in need of updates, and that the budget should be kept up to date and posted online. He suggested that the budgets for each year be kept up for comparison purposes. He added that general awareness about the GSU would also help with this matter.

Sebastien asked for each candidate’s approach to the budget after being approved by the BOD. Nate said that although there will be disagreement, the student body should be involved and strategies for budget execution should be developed from their feedback. Md Al-Amin thought it was very important to include students’ opinions and explain the breakdowns of spending. Khaled stressed that communication and explanation needed to be improved, and once this occurred, student interests would be better reflected in the budget.

Jay asked about ways to increase revenue, and requested each candidate let the group know how long they would be at MUN. Khaled pointed out that the budget had been improving, since in the previous year there had been a loss of $25 000. He thought it was important to seek alternate sources of revenue. Nate said that he had two years left in his program, or at least until his funding ran out. He thought increasing profits from Bitters would be a good source of revenue. Md Al-Amin said that increasing revenue should not come from increasing student fees, but rather seeking money from donors or the University.

Isabel asked how candidates would increase voter turnout on the health insurance referendum, and how they thought the GSU should prioritize their spending. Md Al-Amin said that the GSU insurance package was a good deal for students, and the website and email should be used to communicate with students. He thought that conference spending should be increased. Nate said that strategies for the referendum should be worked out with the Health/Dental Committee. He suggested contacting TAUMUN to find out what strategies they used for their vote. Khaled said the health plan was one of the best, and that the GSU should focus on what would benefit students the most.

Muzaddid and Erin gave their speeches for the VP Communications/Research race.

Kimberley said that she had attended this year’s Aldrich conference and noticed that most of the audience was made up of other presenters. She asked how they would improve turnout. Muzaddid said that there were twice as many participants this year, so the involvement was up. He said that some presentations had a large audience, while others may not have had such a large turnout. He said some sessions had over twenty people in attendance. Everyone was asked to provide feedback on the conference. Erin said that there needed to be more publicity about the conference, and invitations should be extended to Departments, government agencies, and undergraduate students. This could also work for student networking.

Isabel asked how they would publicize the services offered by the GSU. Erin said that people should get involved in their departments, and also allow other groups to publicize through the GSU. She mentioned making use of the list serv for advertising, but cautioned against using it too much and irritating students. Muzaddid said that the Aldrich conference could be used to publicize the GSU, and Doug should be consulted about publicity. He said that all methods of communications should be used, including poster ads and emails.

Abdullah asked what they would do about advertising on the list serv. Muzaddid said that he could not control how students respond to sales posts on the list serv, as often times students just delete everything coming from the GSU. Erin said that it might be an idea to separate sales from events and GSU issues on the list serv, so that students can select what they want to receive and read.

Suresh asked about incentives to get more students involved with Aldrich. Erin said that she would take the time to build up the conference and attract students from other schools. She suggested there be another keynote speaker that presented closer to the weekend.  Muzaddid said there was much work to be done with the conference, but that the GSU was limited due to the SGS organized events. He said the committee should consider this matter, and thought it was important to bring in students from other institutions.

Carlene asked how they would promote Aldrich among the faculties. Muzaddid said that to raise the profile of the conference, they have opened it to undergraduate students and faculty as well. He said that even though the conference was in the Business building, there was no one from Business who presented. Erin said that people could not be forced to participate, but the GSU could reach out to people who haven’t typically been involved in the past. She said that board reps should reach out to their departments, as it is an interdisciplinary conference.

Muzaddid and Erin both indicated that they had at least one year remaining in their programs.

Catherine asked if there could be a ten-minute recess, but Keith said it would be better to take a more natural break after the last group of candidates had spoken. He also suggested that students consider nominations for the Facilities Management Board during the upcoming break.

Shah Alam, Jay and Emma gave their speeches for the VP Internal position.

Abdullah asked how the candidates would increase the involvement of international graduate students who do not socialize as much at GSU events or outside of the ISA. Jay said that he was proud of MUN and the GSU’s efforts to include international students, and suggested that there be more multicultural events. Shah Alam said that once students find out about events and share the benefits of getting involved, more students would come out. Emma agreed that the efforts were good, but international events still needed more support. She said that they have to reach out to students via these events and make sure they consult students about activities they want.

Ryan spoke about his experience as a Bitters employee, and noted that while there are large turnouts at times, he is unsure of how many people that come to regular events are graduate students. He asked how to gauge success as a graduate student union rather than a bar. Shah Alam said that students should be asked about what activities and events they would get involved in. He said that the boat tour this year, for example, required two outings to allow everyone who wanted to go to participate. Emma said that they had to work on getting people out, and having things they wanted to go to. She said that it would be their role to create excitement and have others talk about events. There needed to be an “X factor” that encouraged students to come. Jay said that they needed to review past events to see what worked, what needed improvement and what needed to change. He said that it would be important to coordinate with departments and to perhaps offer prizes and incentives for attending events.

Charlene said that the recent Winterfest was great, and she wanted to know what plans each candidate had for throughout the year, rather than solely orientation-type events. Jay said that examining past attendance is important in order to see what sort of events work and which do not. Shah Alam said that there are year-round events, but it is difficult to get students to participate, as their terms get busier as time goes on. He said that those who get involved at the beginning are likely to keep coming out, but there needs to be a way to get students active socially while not hampering their academics. Emma said that they shouldn’t go overboard with events, but should aim for more events during the week while students are on campus and are in need of ways to battle fatigue.

Erin asked about how they would plan for events that would include students with disabilities or those who are unable to partake in physical activities. Emma said that the abilities of students must be taken into account. She had thought about having a bike tour, but was trying to think of other ways that the event could be inclusive. She wanted to ensure that all students could be involved in some way. Jay said that all students with differing abilities should be able to have the opportunity to be involved. Shah Alam said that accessibility was a problem all over the University. He said that obtaining appropriate transportation and making sure all event locations were fully accessible were important considerations.

All three candidates indicated they had at least one more year at MUN.

Sebastien wanted each candidate to speak to what they understood as the role of the VP Internal. Shah Alam said that they needed to attend regular meetings and be involved with orientation and GSU events. Jay said that it was about getting students acquainted with what the campus has to offer, and helping students to relieve stress. Emma said that the happier students are, the more likely they are to succeed academically.

Keith informed the group that there would be a five-minute recess. Isabel described the Senate and FMB positions that were available and that nominations would be accepted.

Kelly nominated Arvindh for the Senate rep position. He accepted, and Erin seconded. For the two FMB spots, Ashley nominated Michelle Caputo (seconded by Isabel) and Suresh put his name forward (seconded by Jay). Both were accepted.



Break: returned at 8:51pm.



6. Ratification of Fall 2009 AGM Minutes

Moved by Sebastien, seconded by Jess.

Sebastien asked that Muzaddid edit #2 in 8A. Muzaddid said he would be in touch with him about this matter.



7. Receipt of Work Summaries

A. Reports from Executive Directors

In the interest of time, Darek suggested that anything listed under item 8 should not be discussed at this time, but reports should be thorough to let students know work that has been done.

i. President: Matt Fuchs

Matt was unable to attend the meeting. Muzaddid spoke to thank him for all the work he had done during his time with the GSU, and said he had done a great job as an ambassador for the GSU. Several other directors extended their personal thanks to Matt and said that it had been a pleasure to have him as President. Muzaddid made a motion to officially thank Matt for his work. This was seconded by Darek.

ii. VP Academic: Khaled Chowdhury

Khaled thanked his friends and colleagues for the great experience he had, and said he learned a lot. He said that he had been involved with TAUMUN and the CFS, along with the MSA, ISA and committees on the library and graduate funding. He said that he had also worked to fill vacant positions on the BOD in a timely manner.

iii. VP Finance: Shah Alam

Shah Alam thanked everyone. He spoke about his involvement as the chair of the Finance Committee. He held several meetings and was involved with SPGs and the budget. During their meetings they approved purchases for Bitters, and spoke about the Student Development Fund. They dealt with insurance opt-outs and reimbursements. He was also involved with TAUMUN and met with Lilly Walker and Eddy Campbell on student issues.

Arvindh asked about funding for student societies. Shah Alam said that societies must be active, and other sources of income should be explored. The maximum limit was set at $500.

iv. VP Communications and Research: Muzaddid Sarker

Muzaddid asked that 8B and 8C be moved to 7. A. IV. Seconded by Arvindh.

Muzaddid thanked everyone, and emphasized his work with the Aldrich conference. He showed the group the bag and programs that participants received, and said that they all got two free lunches. The budget had been set for $3000, with an approved overhead of another $3000 if it needed to be spent. Muzaddid was glad to report that they had only spent $3500, and had received a $500 donation from CFS-NL and food donated by TAUMUN. He thanked the staff at Bitters and the organization committee. He presented gifts to the members. He indicated that revisiting the constitution was a large project that still loomed in the future for the VP Comm, and that much work needed to be done on the website. Md Al-Amin volunteered to take on this task, if possible. Muzaddid also spoke about plans to create a GSU scholarship. After attending meetings for the CFS in Ottawa, he announced his pride in being part of a student movement that is respected nationally.

Catherine asked if anyone had considered moderating the list serv. Muzaddid said that they should work on separating the important GSU messages from students posting items for sale. Sebastien said that the answer might not be in separating messages, but just sending them out in a weekly newsletter format. He also added that moderating the list was time consuming.

On the topic of scholarships, Darek said that he had been in contact with the people in charge of awards at the University. They told him that once they have the money, setting up a scholarship is a fairly simple process.

v. VP Internal: Sebastien Despres

Sebastien said that events were streamlined to be cost efficient, and the larger events that were well attended were the main focus. He said that everything was compiled so that the incoming VP could have a record of methods and events that did or did not work out. He was on all standing committees with the exception of three, and participated whenever he was in attendance. As much as he enjoyed the position, he could not run for a third term.


B. Reports from BOD Members

Jess spoke about a student that had almost lost her funding due to a pregnancy that affected her research timeline. She said there was a quick response from the funding agency and that the decision did not go through.

Tracy thanked members of the GSU who helped out with the Ten Thousand Villages sale.



8. GSU Issues, Events, and Activities

A. Budget 2008-9

Shah Alam highlighted and reviewed the numbers and amounts. He said that facility and special event funding went up, and $50 000 was secured from the Graduate Student Development Fund. Isabel said that Bitters did very well this year. Sebastien was glad to see that the projection was closer to the actual.

Shah Alam moved to accept the budget; seconded by Sebastien. Carried.

Isabel said that during the next AGM, the new budget would be presented and changes could be made there, rather than now while reviewing the previous year.



10. Other Business

None.



11. Adjournment

Moved by Tracy, seconded by Isabel. Carried.



Meeting adjourned at 9:50pm.