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FAQ

FAQ

The Board of Directors

What is the SSMU Board of Directors?

The SSMU Board of Directors governs YOUR Student Union. It is composed of members, just like you.

What are the minimum requirements for sitting on the SSMU board of Directors?

  • Full-time or Part-time status as an undergraduate student at Â鶹ӰԺ University
  • 18 years of age at the point of ratification
  • Canadian Citizen or Permanent Residence

Exceptions include:

  • Persons who have not yet reached the age of majority
  • Persons who are not qualified to be a Director due to the institution of a regime of protective supervision in their respect or by one of the common causes of extinction of obligations provided for by law, such as if such person is recognized by a court as having lost the ability to reason, if such person becomes bankrupt, suspends their payments or if such person makes arrangements with their creditors
  •  Persons who do not possess Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status
  •  Persons who are neither Members of the SSMU nor Officers. 
How is the SSMU Board structured?

Please visit our “Board Structure†page under “How We Run†for more information.

What are the benefits of being a Director?

As a Board member, you will have access to benefits that will enrich your personal, social and professional life.

Personal → Board membership will assist you in developing a robust set of skills that can be applied to your personal and professional life. These skills include leadership, communication expertise, financial management insights, and more. Directors will also receive the personal satisfaction of contributing to positive change at SSMU and Â鶹ӰԺ University for other students (and themselves!)
Social → Board members are also given many networking opportunities with University and external actors, which will enhance your confidence and introduce you to new avenues of growth.
Professional → The skills and experiences granted by Board membership will allow you to refurbish your CV with new impressive information. Board membership, and your adjacent volunteering experiences, is also included on your Co-Curricular Record, which enables you to receive post-graduate recognition for your contributions to SSMU.

How are the Directors appointed?

1. By the Nominating Committee:

The Nominating Committee shall solicit, through an application process, and nominate four (4) Members who are not members of the Legislative Council to the Board of Directors, in accordance with Section 6.2 hereof.

2. By Appointment:

The Legislative Council shall nominate four (4) members of the Legislative Council, who are not Officers, to the Board of Directors, in accordance with Section 6.2 hereof.

3. By Election:

Some officers elected for the Executive Committee have seats on the Board; these are:

  • President
  • Vice President Finance
  • Vice President (Sustainability & Operations)

In the event that one or more Officers holding ex-officio seats on the Board of Directors do not meet the requirements provided for in Section 6.3 hereof, their seat shall be filled by another Officer. 

Note: the Vice-President (Sustainability & Operations) position has not been elected since summer 2017.

General Assemblies

What is a General Assembly?

A General Assembly (GA) is an opportunity for the student body to directly participate in student governance by voting on items such as motions, nominations, policy amendments and more. GA(s) have equivalent power to the Legislative Council, but there are restrictions on what can be done via GA. These restrictions include policies concerning the SSMU’s Constitution, any financial matters of the Society, or the composition of the Society’s staff. General assemblies can be further divided into regular, special, and strike GAs.
Regular general assemblies are held once per semester and facilitate regular feedback between student governance and its members.
Special general assemblies are those held outside of regularly scheduled meetings to address a specific cause or concern within the student body. Special assemblies can be requested by 200 members, with no school or faculty representing more than 50% of signatures, or 8 Councilors, with the representation of at least 4 faculties or schools, and quorum will remain 350.
Strike general assemblies are special general assemblies held to call for, or address a call for, a general strike of the student body. Strike GAs are requested in the same way as special assemblies, but have a quorum of 500 instead of 350.

How do I submit a question/motion for the General Assembly?

Motions can be submitted as an item on the General Assembly agenda by accruing the signatures of either 4 Councillors or 100 members of the society, so long as no one school or faculty forms half of the signatories. These items must be submitted at least two weeks before the date of the GA.
What is ‘quorum’?

‘Quorum’ is the minimum number of members that must be present in order for the proceedings of a General Assembly to be considered ‘valid’. That is, quorum must be met or exceeded in order for the meeting to continue. The quorum for regular GAs is 350 members.

How do I request accommodations for a General Assembly meeting?

SSMU is committed to ensuring the accessibility of its meetings and events. The following accommodations will always be available:

  • Meetings will be held in a physically accessible space near or on the Â鶹ӰԺ downtown campus. 
  • Repetition of all statements in both English and French by a translator. 
  • Whisper translation between English and French will be available.
  • Advertisement in advance to allow students to anticipate and request accommodations.
  • Clear signage during the meeting to instruct participants in locating the space.

There are a variety of additional accommodation options available to members upon request by contacting the Speaker (speaker@ssmu.ca). This includes (but is not limited to):

  • Sign language interpretation. 
  • Family care. 
  • Reduced stimulus areas.
  • Adapted physical access. 
  • Other reasonable accommodations as necessary.

For more information, or any concerns about the accessibility of SSMU meetings or events, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator (accessibility@ssmu.ca).

Executive Committee

What is the Executive Committee?

The Executive Committee, governs the Society between meetings of the Board of Directors, in a manner not inconsistent with a Policy set out by the Board of Directors. It comprises seven (7) elected officers and the ex-officio non-voting General Manager.

What are the minimum requirements for sitting on the Executive Committee?

  • Full-time or Part-time status as an undergraduate student at Â鶹ӰԺ University
  • 18 years of age at the point of ratification

Exceptions include:

  • Persons who have not yet reached the age of majority
  • Persons who are not qualified to be an officer due to the institution of a regime of protective supervision in their respect or by one of the common causes of extinction of obligations provided for by law, such as if such person is recognized by a court as having lost the ability to reason, if such person becomes bankrupt, suspends their payments or if such person makes arrangements with their creditors
  •  Persons who are not members of the SSMU

Note: These qualifications do not apply to the General Manager.

How is the Executive Committee structured?

It comprises seven (7) elected officers and the ex-officio non-voting General Manager.

The Officers of the Society shall be the following: the President, the Vice-President (Student Life); the Vice-President (Internal Affairs); the Vice-President (External Affairs); the Vice-President (Finance), the Vice-President (Sustainability & Operations); and the Vice-President (University Affairs).

How are the Executives elected?

The Officers are elected by and from the Members of the Society through an Election. Elections are held once a year in March. For more information, see

Legislative Council

What is the Legislative Council?

The Legislative Council is the representative and political body of the Society.

What are the minimum requirements for sitting on the Legislative Council?

All Members shall be eligible for appointment as a Councilor. No Member may hold more than one position on the Legislative Council

How is the Legislative Council structured?

Thirty (30) councilors are elected by specific constituencies, including school and faculty associations and councils representing particular student demographics, and the seven (7) SSMU Executives comprise the voting members of Council. The Speaker, Parliamentarian, General Manager, and Recording Secretary are non-voting members.

How are the Councilors elected?

Councilors are elected by specific constituencies, including school and faculty associations and councils representing particular student demographics. See your faculty or school association’s website for more information.

Student Senators

What are Student Senators?

Student Senators represent the student body at Â鶹ӰԺ’s Senate. The Â鶹ӰԺ University Senate is a governing body tasked with general control and supervision over the academic matters of the University.

How are Student senators elected?

The elections are done through each faculty association and school. See your faculty or school association’s website for more information.

Referenda

What is a referendum?

A referendum is a vote held by an organization to determine its membership’s position on a particular question. The outcome of a referendum is binding, i.e. the organization must take steps to comply with the outcome of the vote.

Ways to Introduce a referendum question

Referenda can be either student-initiated or council-initiated. Either way, the question must get approval by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Elections SSMU before it can be put on the ballot. The CEO ensures that the question is neutrally posed and complies with the other rules relating to referendum questions contained in the Constitution and Internal Regulations.

  1. Council-initiated

The Legislative Council decides whether to have a direct and binding measurement of student opinion on an issue. Usually, -initiated referenda are limited to issues where Council is required to get approval from the membership for some measure it wishes to undertake. When a non-binding opinion is desired, Council may also place plebiscite questions on the ballot.

      2. Student-initiated referenda

This does not require the participation of Council at all. Any student may collect 500 signatures in order to have a referendum question placed on the ballot. Provided that all of the rules are properly followed, the question will be placed on the ballot at the next referendum period. It is important to note, however, that student-initiated referenda may not alter the composition of the Society’s staff or any financial matters of the SSMU.

When is the referendum held?

Members of the SSMU participate in direct democracy by voting in referendums, held once a semester (early November and early March).

Other

How do I stay up-to-date with SSMU?

SSMU has a variety of channels that you can use to keep in touch! Our website has all of our information compiled for you, but it’s not the only way you can learn more. You reach us on social media via Instagram (@) and . All members are automatically subscribed to receive our listserv as well as any public statements made by SSMU governing bodies/individuals, if you believe you are not subscribed properly, please reach out to us (info@ssmu.ca). For specific questions or concerns, see our Contact Us page to figure out who you should contact. 

What is the Steering Committee?

The Steering Committee is the Legislative Council committee that is responsible for any and all matters related to the operation and management of Legislative Council conduct. What this means is that they are responsible for a variety of tasks including setting agendas for meetings, reviewing documents for structural consistency, monitoring deadlines, and enforcing rules and regulations.

Questions?

For more information, go to . If you have any questions please contact Elections SSMU at elections@ssmu.ca.