The much anticipated 2016 Feds winter general meeting (GM) took place March 23, 2016 in the SLC Great Hall with the biggest member turnout in the event’s history, according to Feds President Chris Lolas. </p>
After discussion from both sides, the motion for the agenda item regarding a referendum to change Waterloo Public Interest Research Group’s (WPIRG) fee collection structure failed. The vote tally for the motion was 157 in favour and 246 against.
The following motion on the agenda was a proposed $1.35 Feds fee increase, in addition to the 1.1 per cent consumer price index increase that was approved beforehand at the GM.
Feds VP Education Stephane Hamade explained that the fee increase would be beneficial to students since a new lobbyist position called the stakeholder relations officer would be created at Feds to continue improving resources for student financial aid, a better e-mail system, improved transit, and other long-term issues at both the university and government levels.
The stakeholder relations officer position was deemed essential by Hamade as current Feds executive are only in power for a short time, and creating a long-term plan for Feds necessitated a full-time, non-elected position. The motion passed with 139 votes in favour and 50 votes against.
Before both of these topics on the agenda were moved, attendees had the opportunity to run to be a member of the Feds Board of Directors (BoD). Ballots were collected, counted, and the victors were announced. Caleb Voskamp, Sacha Forstner, Fatema Hakimuddin Boxwala, Alexander Wray, and Jana Elkhatib were elected to the Feds BoD.
More to follow.
