UWSA continues to violate bylaws By D'Arcy Bresson Editor-in-Chief March 26, 2008 If you’re fed-up with the UWSA then the Annual General Meeting is the place to be. The entire election process was wrought with inconsistencies and allegations of nepotism, secret meetings and heel-dragging. Even though the results were ratified, students can attend the AGM and demand the decision be overturned.
Following the election debacle, the UWSA’s announcement of its AGM came after the 10-day minimum notice. “The UWSA was supposed to meet the following points laid out in its Constitution and Bylaws concerning notice to members,” said former law representative Ken Birchall. “I did see the small black and white photocopied signs but I have seen no evidence of anything else.” Birchall says he recently resigned due the UWSA’s “lying.” >> | UWSA council majority passes election report By Nick Olynyk News Reporter March 26, 2008 A secret ballot vote during Thursday’s UWSA council meeting ratified the chief returning officer’s (CRO) election report.
By a majority of 13-2 (one abstention), the controversial decision became seemingly less controversial.  The vote capped a growing pile of complaints against the UWSA in recent weeks over a flawed system. CRO Justin Teeuwen spoke in front of council members and an unusually large crowd of 20 onlookers.
A point of contention throughout the election had been the issue of demerit points being dealt to candidates at the CRO’s discretion. This complaint was brought forth by Tosin Bello, who ran and won the chair of vice president of finance and operations (VPFO). >>  | | Campus Kiss | | UWSA law representative quits due to election controversies By Nick Olynyk News Reporter March 26, 2008 UWSA law representative, Ken Birchall, resigned from council last week, over what he says is a flagrant disregard for democracy.
The third-year law student has been known to passionately speak his mind at UWSA meetings and says he has had enough. “I’ve been unhappy for a while. I’m unhappy with what I felt was . . . direct lying from certain executive on certain topics, at different times. The Lance contract was one of them.”
Birchall officially resigned from the council on March 18, citing that the issue of Tosin Bello being disqualified from the election was “the last straw.”
He also added that CRO, Justin Teeuwen, made poor discretionary decisions involving campaign posters, voting stations, candidate speeches in classrooms, and handing out demerit points. “If [students] want to see big changes [in how council works], they should go to the AGM [Annual General Meeting],” said Birchall. >> |
