SUSREFERENDUM

By Beth .Kelleher

Almost two months after Student Union Society (SUS) executives and reps initially approved their own pay raises, UCFV students are demanding their concerns be heard.

During the October I0, 200 I Annual General Meeting, attended by only one nonSUS executive or n:p, members of the Swdent Union Society approved substantial pay increases for their executive members. Rather that the $150 per 111011thhunoruria at 3 huurs per week ($12.50/hour) exe<.:utives were muking prior 10 the AGM, they would now be making a salary of$ I SOOper month at 25 hours per week ($15/hour). They also implemented a decision approved in u refer• endum two years ago to double the honornria of reps from $75 to $150 per month.

Weeks after the AGM. articles in both SILident newspapers, as well as brochures circulmed by SUS entitled "Make $1500 Per Month!" amJ "What docs the SUS do?'' brought the issue out into the open and piqued student alarm.

Armed with the supporting SUS Constitution and By-laws, several SCMS students began to circulate a petition stating their concerns regarding the wnge increase.

/\ccording 10 the SUS constitution and by laws, attaining 10% of the UCFV's stu• dent's signatures would legally necessitate a "Special General Meeting" or referendum.

However, due to an uncharacteristic surge of studcn t participation wos c:llled for November 28 and 29 even before the petition was presented to SUS.

Though, if the referendum question was attempting 10 quell or an ·wcr some of student's enmity towarus SUS, it failed miserably.

The referendum question; "Do you think that the St11detll Union Society executives should work 15 or 20 hours per week and be paid $ I 3, $14. or $15 per hour?" only seemed Lo further complicate an already complex ethical. social, and financial situation, by foiling to follow standard referendum question formm !hat involves giving people the option of voting ''Yes" or "No," rather than "Yes" or "YES!" as the wording of this referendum would seem 10 imply,

SUS suggests that perhaps the unclear question was due, in part, to the non-specific nature of students' various complaints, leaving SUS unsure as lo what solutions, exactly. students were after. Concerned SCMS students who are calling them• selves the "SUS Watchdogs," insinuate thal lhc "Yes" or "YES!" wording is instead an indication that perhaps Student Union Society Exe<.:utivcsarc a lit1le more concerned about actually gelling the wage than the ethics behind how they got i1.

November 16, two days after the rch:rendum posters went up, posters advertising ''BOYCOTT SUS REFERENDUM'' infiltrated the halls. Simultaneously, emails from SUS Watchdog and SCMS Student, Darren Blackborough began circulating imploring students not to vote but to instead come to a "SUS Watchdogs" meeting and voice your SUS concerns on November 23rd.

Approximately 30 students, including every member of the SUS Executive and many SUS reps attended the Friday Forum, and nearly everyone present had something tu say. Succinctly. the student in allc:ndance arc disapproving of sheer size of the pay increase, particularly when it does not for the general rmurngcr were available upon request at the SUS office.

Although the point wus made that in the professional world pay raises usually follow increased productivity, it was agreed that having a paid executive is not, for the most part, objectionable. Apart from a new. enhan<.:cdmandate which is not yet availuhlc, the benefits of a paid executive include stricter accountability to job description, less <.:hanccto an executive quilling their position, superior commitment 10 position. and thus more involvement and availability to students. .White $1500 ,i,~ still a large monthly wage for n parHi1ne undergraduate student, few disputed that the SUS execu• tive position are deserving of at least some remuneration. "The money is i111111atcriul," emphasised Chilliwack rep, Ross Martens, "I'm here for the swdents!"

Aside form the obvious problem of the referendum question itself, the timing of the referendum is also of concern. According to SUS Constitution nnJ bylaws, because of th<.:petition, a referendum had 10 be called and now that it has been called, it can't be cancelled or amended unless SUS rescinds the motion behind the referendum in council. Thul process w(iuld start the whole rroces~ over again and due to the se111es1crend nnd exams, a new referendum could nut be held again until mid-January, meaning thut SUS erncutives would be making their former $1.50 I month until them. SUS Watchdogs want this mailer solved as quickly us possible also, in order to slllrt saving the wage-money from SUS exec pockets and start pulling it to other uses. Though the SUS Wat<.:hdogs~pokcsperson stressed "we still want this rcfcrendum stopped or if possible delayed, "we want to sec results!" ancJ thus far, the mor,llity behind SUS operations is questionable. "It's frustrating," says .lose Uzcatcgui. SUS Public Information Officer, "lo have the right thing, but lO undcrswnd it was achieved the wrong way."

"For me, it comes down 10 two things. ethics and a voice" summarises o fourthyear criminology sllldent ofter Friday's meeting, "If SUS expands their mandate und services. they deserve a raise. but they need 10 go about gelling it ethically and communicate with students and win their support by seeking their input rather than informing them after-the-fad how something will affect the111that they can no longer change it."

The rcfcrcndu111results hove been counted but arc 1101 ratified and will therefore cun not be published until after the next council .meeting.

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appear to them that services provided up the SUS have increased by nearly as great an increment. They arc concerned that over one third of the SUS annual budget is going toward salaries and question which services will be sacrificed in order to pay the increased wages because there is not an increase in the over-all budget. The issue of accountobilily for hours worked wus raised and several suggestions including pic<.:C· work pay and submission of hours to an external conirniuce for review were met with numerous criticisms from SUS. When asked if students could see the new, extended mandate of SUS, students were told that it was still in the works but that job description for c:ach of the executive as well a~

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