GSA General Assembly – Wednesday 2 May

May 2 General Assembly: with Lunch and Q & A with Provincial Negotiators

WHEN: Wednesday, 2 May at 12:00 noon
WHERE: CSU Lounge, 7th Floor Hall Building
Please note the new location and bring student ID

Celebrating the General Assembly!

Direct democracy – then a pizza lunch

The semester is drawing to a close, yet the Quebec student strike is continuing (at this time) after broken-off negotiations, and this very important General Assembly is needed to determine what the GSA will do next.

*Representatives from the CLASSE negotiation committee, who have personally met with government representatives to try to resolve the strike, will visit to give an update and answer questions.*

Whether or not you have been affected by the strike, and whatever your views are, the General Assembly is open to all members and structured in a way that strives for civil debate and open discussion for everyone present. Participation is important: the General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the GSA and one in which every member has an equal voice and an equal opportunity to bring forward and argue for propositions. This is a very common and longstanding practice in Quebec student associations and is in part responsible for the province’s exceptionally dynamic, engaged and well-informed student culture.

We’ll also have a celebration of the seventh General Assembly of the semester, by far the most the GSA has ever held! A pizza lunch will be served at the close of the meeting for those who attended.

So WHY come to the GA?

• it’s your right as a member of the association!
• you can bring proposals and ideas directly to your peers without any filter and if they’re voted through, see them put into action
• student politics can be frustrating: change that by bringing the politics back to the students
• because a GA can make policies without elected representatives, they make the association more responsive and innovative
• it is the highest decision-making body of the association
• the GA votes on what positions our delegates can bring to the CLASSE provincial student association: you can have a direct effect on the policy of this influential organization

Why come to THIS GA?

• this is an especially pivotal time for the debate on tuition and the student strike, and the government has announced new plans for financial aid and university governance that students must respond to
• the Concordia administration has rejected previous demands to extend the semester for departments affected by the strike, and students need to decide what’s next at Concordia
• meet the negotiators who represent you
• lunch is included!

Agenda:

1. Call to order and appointments
2. Adoption of the agenda
3. Update from the CLASSE negotiation committee
4. Update from the GSA executive
5. Plenary discussion of the strike so far and next steps*
6. Vote on continuation of the strike in light of new government proposals**
7. Mandates for CLASSE delegates***
8. Other business
9. Adjournment

*this means a more informal discussion with minimal moderation from the Chair
**for more details of the government proposals of 27 April, see our communication of the same date
***what delegates can and cannot vote for or propose at the weekly Congresses of the CLASSE

Any member of the General Assembly can propose to modify the agenda once the meeting has begun.