The RSU’s annual general meeting was almost shut down after initally failing to draw enough students.
The AGM held on March 31 began almost an hour late after initially failing to meet quorum, which calls for a minimum of 100 people to show up as voters. The AGM is one of two meetings held by the RSU where students are able to take part in the voting process and pass motions.
This second meeting was a stark contrast to the one in November, the semi-annual general meeting, which saw a crowd of about 200.
Students voted on the agenda’s main motion — to opt out of the RSU — drafted by Mark Single, a former RSU presidential candidate. But opposition was strong and the motion was unanimously voted against.
The abysmal turnout gave enough reason for Single to fight for his motion which, if passed, would have allowed students the opportunity to choose whether they want to be members of the RSU.
Full-time students currently pay about $110 to the RSU, and the money is used to fund campus groups and run RSU programs. Opting out would have meant not being eligible for services like the TTC discount Metropass, and the International Student Identity Card.
“The RSU has stagnated into a self-serving lobby group for the Canadian Federation of Students which is no longer acting in the best interest of Ryerson students,” Single said at the meeting.
“How can we force someone to be a member of an organization that they neither support or utilize?”
David Fourney, an RSU presidential nominee in the last election, also supported Single’s motion.
“The primary issue here is an issue of accountability. We have to ask ourselves is it reasonable for us to pay $110 to then see members of our executive at another university advocating in their student elections without being here, where they’re paid to be with our $110.”
But, outgoing RSU president Jermaine Bagnall said: “This is about realizing our collective power and if we pass this we are totally, totally damaging ourselves.”
After the opt-out vote, quorum was lost and the meeting postponed.