View the 2014 MSU General Assembly here.

View the agenda and more information here.

For context and a little bit of what to expect, read the Sil's GA primer, here.

Despite underwhelming promotion for this year’s MSU General Assembly, there are seven motions on the agenda for Wednesday's two-hour meeting in Burridge Gym. The General Assembly, held once a year in March, is the only venue for MSU members to submit motions whose votes are binding on the MSU if quorum is reached. It’s a way for full-time undergraduate students to directly affect change in the union they pay fees every year to be part of.

Quorum this year is 633, and the MSU would be hard-pressed to get that many students to fill Burridge Gym if reliant solely on a dismal promotional effort  leading up to the Assembly. But the first two motions on the agenda--the first arguing the MSU should “refrain from taking political and polarizing stances on international crises, conflicts and concerns” and the second requesting that students vote yes to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel--are likely to draw students to the event. Whether or not the polarizing debate will be enough to make quorum--and sustain it for two hours--is up in the air.

Motions on the agenda

Incoming SRA Social Science Sarah Jama introduced four motions on the agenda having to do with improved accessibility of the Pulse, priority clearing of ramps on campus, a proposed MSU survey to assess the Student Accessibility Service, and a proposed ramp in front of BSB.

The first motion listed on the agenda resolves that the MSU not take any stance on international crises, crises and conflicts “so as to remain a credible and representative voice of the entire student body.”

The McMaster BDS motion resolves that the MSU should endorse the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions global movement and “commit to identifying and divesting from companies that support or profit from Israeli war crimes, occupation and oppression of Palestinians….” The BDS motion stands in opposition to the first motion.

The final motion on the agenda resolves that the MSU advocate and work with Hospitality Services for Bridges Cafe to offer Halal and Kosher food and adhere to other “major religious dietary laws.”

Contention around BDS at recent SRA meeting

At Sunday’s SRA meeting (full video available here), the contention surrounding the first two General Assembly motions set the tone for the four-hour meeting.

SRA Social Science Ryan Sparrow, an outspoken advocate of BDS, voiced concern about the order of the motions, saying the pro-BDS motion should be listed first because it was submitted first. A tense back-and-forth ensued, where MSU speaker Maria Daniel was asked numerous times to provide the order in which the motions were submitted. (The McMaster BDS motion was approved on March 11 and the other was approved on March 19.)

“The role of the speaker is to be neutral and impartial. The order of the agenda doesn’t seem to reflect that in that this motion was publicized to students prior to there being the second motion. ... I think the order of the agenda is a bit politicized in this regard,” Sparrow said.

Daniel said she felt it made sense to have the motions going from overarching to more specific, and said there was no rule that stated the motions had to be in order of submission date. She ruled that the order would stay the same unless participants in the General Assembly were to vote otherwise.

A separate motion was tabled at the beginning of the meeting by SRA Science Anser Abbas, requesting that MSU board of directors refrain from using their credentials to endorse a position on General Assembly motions before the event.

MSU VP Finance Jeffrey Doucet was singled out in the SRA’s discussion for endorsing the ‘Vote No to BDS’ position publicly as VP Finance. At one point, an observer at the SRA meeting demanded that Doucet “retract his statements” with his credentials attached.

Doucet defended his decision by saying he was “obligated” and had the right to share with students his position on an issue that would affect the MSU’s finances, though that was debated extensively by the SRA over the next hour.

Ultimately, the motion requesting MSU board of directors to refrain from using their credentials to endorse General Assembly motions failed.

Meeting Quorum

Getting more than 600 students to fill a gym to discuss motions they may or may not have read has been a challenge for the MSU historically.

The last time quorum was reached for the General Assembly was in 2012, when former MSU president Matthew Dillon-Leitch launched a spirited and in-your-face promotional campaign marketed as the ‘601’. But after quorum was reached and the first motion on the Welcome Week fee, initiated by Dillon-Leitch, was passed, students began to file out. The Assembly lost quorum and votes on subsequent motions were not binding on the MSU.

Before 2012, the quorum had not been reached since 1995.

Last year, attendance at the General Assembly peaked at 60 students, and most of those who voted were either MSU executives, SRA members or Silhouette staff covering the event. There was a sole motion on the agenda asking the MSU to advocate for the university’s divestment from fossil fuel companies, which was passed by a 14-7-7 vote but was not binding. The MSU currently does not advocate for institutional divestment from fossil fuel companies.

Last year’s low attendance sparked a debate about the way the MSU promotes the General Assembly, but this year’s promotional efforts have not been appreciably different.

In an e-mail, MSU speaker Daniel wrote: “In terms of promotional efforts, I, along with David Campbell, have worked with a number of staff and outlets to facilitate the promotion of GA. We've followed a comprehensive model used by MSU Services for event promotions, which includes large format printing, posters across campus, digital displays on screens across campus, rave cards, promo team distribution, social media strategies, and a web presence. Also, there has been a strong effort within the student body to promote GA.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, about 252 people were listed as ‘going’ to an MSU General Assembly event on Facebook.

This year’s General Assembly will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26 at Burridge Gym. Eligible voters will need to validate their full-time status with their student ID cards. MSU members will be seated in front of the bleachers to ensure accurate counting of votes. The agenda for the event is available in full here.

Edward Lovoquintanilla

Pro BDS

Within the occupied territories of Palestine, Palestinians are continually displaced from their homes; their olive harvests uprooted; mothers, sisters, and daughters are abused; children are arrested without trial; living in disconnected ghettoes that bear a stark resemblance to South Africa’s bantustans.

Along with Palestinian civil society, prominent South African anti-apartheid activists Bishop Desmond Tutu and the late Nelson Mandela have called upon us to endorse the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Its aim is to pressure the state of Israel to put an end to its military occupation of the Palestinians and its discriminatory policies.
Noble students around the world stood by the side of Nelson Mandela and the ANC as they endorsed the BDS campaign against the apartheid regime of South Africa. We must now do the same, as we are called upon to endorse BDS.

The student unions’ support of Mandela was instrumental in the struggle for black liberation. Mandela recognized the essential link between Israel and South Africa, as the former did not abide by the UN arms embargo against the latter. Birds of a feather flock together: Israel and South Africa, as well as their oppressed peoples.

Let us stand together against the oppressive Israeli regime and pressure them into ending their military occupation of and discriminatory policies towards the Palestinian people.

------

Alon Coret & Sarah Silverberg

Against BDS

BDS (Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions) is a hateful and illegitimate campaign that seeks to hypocritically single out Israel, the only liberal democracy in the Middle East. In this light, BDS has no place on our campus. The MSU should not be taking political stances on complex and polarizing issues that stand to divide our student body. This movement runs counter not only to peace and progress, but also against the values of mainstream, Canadian students who value moderation, peace and tolerance.

While offensive and discriminatory in its rhetoric, the BDS campaign on Canadian campuses is failing, and has had no practical impact on university decisions. In fact, not a single North American university administration has endorsed BDS, and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) just this year signed a Memorandum of Understanding with its Israeli counterpart calling for increased collaboration.

BDS has been criticized across the political spectrum by Canada’s three largest political parties. For example, it was deemed “grossly unacceptable” by NDP leader Thomas Mulclair. It has also been rejected as a tactic by well-known critics of Israel, including Norman Finkelstein, who deemed it a “hypocritical, dishonest cult.”

Even the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is opposed to BDS: “We do not ask anyone to boycott Israel itself… We have relations with Israel, we have mutual recognition of Israel.”
If BDS were selectively imposed on Israel, it would collectively punish every Israeli (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Druze, Atheist) regardless of their political views.

This is unacceptable. This includes Israeli goods, Israeli agriculture, and Israeli academics. It seeks to burn bridges, rather than build new ones; it seeks to censor universities, knowledge and free speech; it unfairly discriminates against an entire people based on their nationality and nothing else. For all intents and purposes, it undermines the rights and views of anyone who supports Israel and believes in their right of self-determination. It has also led to hate crimes on other campuses; surely we do not want such an atmosphere to be created here.

The BDS campaign delegitimizes, demonizes, and applies a double standard against the State of Israel. It is not about peace, since it blames Israel exclusively for the conflict in the Middle East; it emboldens the Palestinians in their non-compromising stance, further reducing the chances of a peace agreement.

BDS promotes a single story, which dangerously ignores the balance of voices needed when addressing such a complicated situation. If you are a critical thinker, an open-minded global citizen, a supporter of liberal values, and a student interested in dialogue and learning – say no to BDS.

BDS (Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions) is a hateful and illegitimate campaign that seeks to hypocritically single out Israel, the only liberal democracy in the Middle East. In this light, BDS has no place on our campus. The MSU should not be taking political stances on complex and polarizing issues that stand to divide our student body. This movement runs counter not only to peace and progress, but also against the values of mainstream, Canadian students who value moderation, peace and tolerance.

While offensive and discriminatory in its rhetoric, the BDS campaign on Canadian campuses is failing, and has had no practical impact on university decisions. In fact, not a single North American university administration has endorsed BDS, and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) just this year signed a Memorandum of Understanding with its Israeli counterpart calling for increased collaboration.

BDS has been criticized across the political spectrum by Canada’s three largest political parties. For example, it was deemed “grossly unacceptable” by NDP leader Thomas Mulclair. It has also been rejected as a tactic by well-known critics of Israel, including Norman Finkelstein, who deemed it a “hypocritical, dishonest cult.”

Even the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is opposed to BDS: “We do not ask anyone to boycott Israel itself… We have relations with Israel, we have mutual recognition of Israel.”
If BDS were selectively imposed on Israel, it would collectively punish every Israeli (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Druze, Atheist) regardless of their political views.

This is unacceptable. This includes Israeli goods, Israeli agriculture, and Israeli academics. It seeks to burn bridges, rather than build new ones; it seeks to censor universities, knowledge and free speech; it unfairly discriminates against an entire people based on their nationality and nothing else. For all intents and purposes, it undermines the rights and views of anyone who supports Israel and believes in their right of self-determination. It has also led to hate crimes on other campuses; surely we do not want such an atmosphere to be created here.

The BDS campaign delegitimizes, demonizes, and applies a double standard against the State of Israel. It is not about peace, since it blames Israel exclusively for the conflict in the Middle East; it emboldens the Palestinians in their non-compromising stance, further reducing the chances of a peace agreement.

BDS promotes a single story, which dangerously ignores the balance of voices needed when addressing such a complicated situation. If you are a critical thinker, an open-minded global citizen, a supporter of liberal values, and a student interested in dialogue and learning – say no to BDS.

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