First ever proposed FSU governance changes
The Fanshawe Student Union
(FSU) is proposing a complete
change to their governance to allow
them to be more accountable, more
efficient and more transparent.
In order to make the changes however, the FSU is hosting an all-members meeting on Nov. 29 and inviting all eligible, full-time students to come out, have their voices heard and vote.
Eligible students include those who have paid the student activity fee and are also in good standing.
“I think it's important for students to show up to this meeting because it is the new direction of the FSU, we were kind of sick with the status quo and complacency because it doesn't work anymore,” said FSU president Carlie Forsythe.
As of right now, the FSU's structure is not in compliance with the Not-for-Profit Act, something that is mandatory with organizations.
The FSU has also outgrown its existing model of governance as it was created in the ‘70s and has yet to be changed since then.
“A lot of it is just the growth within Fanshawe; we keep adding new schools, we keep getting tons of new students, the board has just grown exponentially from when the structure was first implemented,” Forsythe said.
Another reason for restructuring is the current model gives the president too much power as no one is holding them accountable and the roles within the structure are not clear.
“We are one of the last schools in Ontario who still uses this type of structure,” Forsythe said. “[A school] who still has a super powerful president, who still have a very large VP team and SAC members who don't understand their roles per se which is the biggest problem that we have right now.”
The current structure, as illustrated in picture number one, is laid out as follows: student membership (owners) at the top; under them, we have the Student Administration Council (SAC) with 18 members who all have a vote to make decisions. Underneath is the president who is also the chair; the president also has a vote, but only to break a tie. Under the president are the five VPs who all have votes and whose workloads are completely unequal. All members above are elected in as of now. Under the VPs, there is the general manager. Finally, we have the benefits for student membership, also known as the customers.
According to Forsythe, the proposed changes are the right direction for the FSU, a direction that will have a structure in complete compliance with the Not-for-Profit Act.
The proposed changes for the current governance structure, as illustrated in picture two, are as follows: the students are still at the top of the organizational layout. Below we have the SAC members, but the number will be cut by 10 resulting in only eight; each member will still have a vote, can be from any school or program and will be elected in. The chair and the secretary will be chosen from the SAC members. Under the SAC members is still the president who will still be elected in, but will have no vote, making them completely accountable to the board. Under the president are the executive VP, the student life co-ordinator, the communications co-ordinator and the social programming co-ordinator, all of whom will be hired based on their skills and qualifications. Under them are still the customers.
“I like the change they are making mainly because it opens up all positions to all students [regardless of school, program or campus],” said Ken McDonald, a fourth year Fanshawe student working to get his bachelor of commerce-digital marketing degree.
McDonald is planning on attending the meeting to make sure his voice as a student is heard.
“I think it is important to have your voice heard as a student because students are spending anywhere from a year to upwards of four to five years of their life, five days a week, at Fanshawe and we [students] should have a say about what goes on at school and how certain parts are run.”
The meeting will take place at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge, SC2013 and in order for the changes to be implemented, the FSU needs 50 per cent of the vote plus one in favour of the changes. For more information visit fsu.ca/changes. Students planning on attending the meeting must remember to bring their student cards.
“These changes have been a long time coming, they're super important to actually have happen, otherwise we will be stuck in a cycle of complacency once again where we are actually not serving the students as well as we should be,” Forsythe said. “We want to better represent students…[and] we want more effective governance.”
The FSU is proposing a complete change of governance to allow for a more accountable, efficient and more transparent leadership. (Above 1) is the way the system is laid out currently; (below 2) is the proposed change. CREDIT: CARLIE FORSYTHE
In order to make the changes however, the FSU is hosting an all-members meeting on Nov. 29 and inviting all eligible, full-time students to come out, have their voices heard and vote.
Eligible students include those who have paid the student activity fee and are also in good standing.
“I think it's important for students to show up to this meeting because it is the new direction of the FSU, we were kind of sick with the status quo and complacency because it doesn't work anymore,” said FSU president Carlie Forsythe.
As of right now, the FSU's structure is not in compliance with the Not-for-Profit Act, something that is mandatory with organizations.
The FSU has also outgrown its existing model of governance as it was created in the ‘70s and has yet to be changed since then.
“A lot of it is just the growth within Fanshawe; we keep adding new schools, we keep getting tons of new students, the board has just grown exponentially from when the structure was first implemented,” Forsythe said.
Another reason for restructuring is the current model gives the president too much power as no one is holding them accountable and the roles within the structure are not clear.
“We are one of the last schools in Ontario who still uses this type of structure,” Forsythe said. “[A school] who still has a super powerful president, who still have a very large VP team and SAC members who don't understand their roles per se which is the biggest problem that we have right now.”
The current structure, as illustrated in picture number one, is laid out as follows: student membership (owners) at the top; under them, we have the Student Administration Council (SAC) with 18 members who all have a vote to make decisions. Underneath is the president who is also the chair; the president also has a vote, but only to break a tie. Under the president are the five VPs who all have votes and whose workloads are completely unequal. All members above are elected in as of now. Under the VPs, there is the general manager. Finally, we have the benefits for student membership, also known as the customers.
According to Forsythe, the proposed changes are the right direction for the FSU, a direction that will have a structure in complete compliance with the Not-for-Profit Act.
The proposed changes for the current governance structure, as illustrated in picture two, are as follows: the students are still at the top of the organizational layout. Below we have the SAC members, but the number will be cut by 10 resulting in only eight; each member will still have a vote, can be from any school or program and will be elected in. The chair and the secretary will be chosen from the SAC members. Under the SAC members is still the president who will still be elected in, but will have no vote, making them completely accountable to the board. Under the president are the executive VP, the student life co-ordinator, the communications co-ordinator and the social programming co-ordinator, all of whom will be hired based on their skills and qualifications. Under them are still the customers.
“I like the change they are making mainly because it opens up all positions to all students [regardless of school, program or campus],” said Ken McDonald, a fourth year Fanshawe student working to get his bachelor of commerce-digital marketing degree.
McDonald is planning on attending the meeting to make sure his voice as a student is heard.
“I think it is important to have your voice heard as a student because students are spending anywhere from a year to upwards of four to five years of their life, five days a week, at Fanshawe and we [students] should have a say about what goes on at school and how certain parts are run.”
The meeting will take place at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge, SC2013 and in order for the changes to be implemented, the FSU needs 50 per cent of the vote plus one in favour of the changes. For more information visit fsu.ca/changes. Students planning on attending the meeting must remember to bring their student cards.
“These changes have been a long time coming, they're super important to actually have happen, otherwise we will be stuck in a cycle of complacency once again where we are actually not serving the students as well as we should be,” Forsythe said. “We want to better represent students…[and] we want more effective governance.”
The FSU is proposing a complete change of governance to allow for a more accountable, efficient and more transparent leadership. (Above 1) is the way the system is laid out currently; (below 2) is the proposed change. CREDIT: CARLIE FORSYTHE
