Discussion on divestment has been postponed following the delay of AMS’s Special Assembly meeting.
At the AMS Assembly on Nov. 18, AMS Vice-President (University Affairs) Alyssa Perisa motioned to move the Assembly from the planned Special General Assembly, which would allow all students who’ve paid their AMS membership fee the ability to vote, to a regular Assembly, where only members of Assembly can vote.
In a written statement to The Journal, AMS Secretariat Racheal Reddy explained that the move was made after the AMS determined the Special Assembly hadn’t been communicated to students in a timely manner.
“In compliance with our constitution, the Special Assembly was motioned to proceed as a regular Assembly because there wasn’t enough notice given to students announcing the Special Assembly. We wanted to ensure we were doing our due diligence by giving students a fair opportunity to attend and participate. This adjustment was anticipated in advance, as our staff have been very busy with the Fall Referenda and ensuring it ran smoothly,” Reddy wrote.
While not referenced in the statement, according to the AMS Constitution in Section 8.1.7, “Notice of the time and place of Society Annual Meetings and Society Special General Meetings (where possible) shall be given on the AMS website, in the Queen’s Journal, and other forms of media as deemed appropriate. Notice shall appear ten (10) or more days before the time fixed for the holding of the meeting.”
The change means motions that require Special Assembly consideration will now be heard at the next properly scheduled meeting. The motion to move the Nov. 18 meeting into a regular Assembly also included the striking of motions for 7, 8, 9, and 12 from the Agenda as they needed Special Assembly approval, with the motions primarily focusing on divestment and advocacy points for the AMS.
Reddy said they don’t anticipate any negative impacts from the adjustment, explaining that all relevant parties were informed. This is despite roughly eight students in attendance at the Nov. 18 Assembly leaving directly after the meeting was moved to a regular Assembly.
The next Special Assembly is set for Dec. 2 at 7 p.m., following the Corporate Special General Meeting at 5:30 p.m., with Reddy adding that “communications have already begun.”
Reddy says she’s “encouraging and looking forward to active student participation” at the upcoming Special Assembly.
Tags
AMS Assembly, AMS Special Assembly
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