Crystal Witter's Response to The Journal
Written by Crystal Witter
Photo by SMUSA
Disclaimer: This article was written by SMUSA Board Chair Crystal Witter in response to the Journal’s article “SMUSA Constitution News” which can be read here. The Journal enjoys sharing views of all stakeholders at Saint Mary’s University and wanted to share the view’s of the Student Association with our readers on this controversial topic.
In the true spirit of integrity for Saint Mary's University Student's Association, I would like to add my voice to a recent news article entitled "SMUSA Constitution News," of which my submitted responses were not included. Beyond what is insinuated, I am confident as the Chair of the Board and from consultation with our expert governance advisor, that the SMUSA board of directors is acting in good governance to our students and [the] wider community by having Henry complete his term as a board member.
Hence, I want to reassure you that there is no current breach of SMUSA's constitution.
It is in the best interest of SMUSA to have good governance and a full complement of directors.
Article iv section 1.1 states that "there shall be a board of directors comprised of 9 directors elected at large to serve for the duration of two fiscal years from amongst the members and possess general oversight of the governance and affairs of the Association". In accordance with that policy, we will maintain our current membership. There are many repercussions of not having a full board complement, as was seen in previous years. A successful board is dependent firstly on the presence of all members and particularly on their dedication to the tasks which epitomizes Henry and current board members. We are committed to carrying on the work of the committees and the Board to ensure our obligations are met.
Henry was duly elected with 182 votes in 2018, and it is with this that I vehemently believe that Henry should not be 'punished' (removed from the Board) for graduating. In fact, the Board should be commended for enforcing policies that state that we should commit to our two terms. Henry is an asset to the Board, serving as the chair of the Society Committee. For clarity, his term, like mine, ends in two months— 8 weeks, 60 days, 1460 hours of continuous hard work.
Article IV: 1.4 in our constitution makes it clear on the terms for which a board member should be removed from the Board; a) the directors absence from three meetings of the Board in one fiscal year b) Being found by a competent authority to be of unsound mind; c) The conviction of an indictable offence in a court of law, and d)Death.
It is understood that Henry is a registered student until the end of the term in which he graduated. Based on his student ID, Henry is still a registered student until April 2020 and has access to services as a student until September 2020 (expiration date on student ID)
Article 11 Section 1.3 gives the Board the authority to interpret our policies. With that, it is imperative that we think about the context of each policy. What was the intent? What harm is this policy preventing? I am excited about our plan to move forward in making our policies plain English. We are working to amend policies to reflect the current practices of the association. I acknowledge that our current policies around membership does not consider unique situations like this. However, while everyone is entitled to their own interpretation it is in scenarios like this where the interpretation of current board members takes precedence. The Board uses a perspective of maturity, wisdom, and open-mindedness in the interpretation of our policies.
SMUSA's Transparency:
· Though not perfect, SMUSA's transparency continues to improve over the years. We all have a role to play in this effort. Acknowledging this and with the aim to improve transparency, the Board established an open-door policy giving students the opportunity to come in at any time. The Board has never taken this approach before. We are happy for the students who took the time to come see us.
Further, we are active in confronting difficult situations, and most importantly, we involve everyone in the decision-making process. These actions have resulted in improved transparency. We understand that leadership is not a "one-man show" or, in this case, not a "one-woman show" and therefore, should be inclusive. We are elected by students, and students should be involved. In addition to making our meetings public, we have kept a good record and update of meeting minutes on SMUSA's website.
Final Message to students:
· A hearty congratulations to our incoming president and incoming board members. I encourage all student leaders and students at large to 1)Be fair, 2) lift each other up, 3) embrace the hard decisions, 4) maintain courage in the face of adversities and 5)Maintain professionalism and decorum. Fairness goes a long way in guaranteeing a productive team. It takes a lot of courage for students to take up leadership roles or simply run in elections, win or lose. Recognizing [student leaders'] sacrifice of time and many contributions to the community, student leaders should be celebrated. In the same breath, I would like to commend my board members for a productive year to date. It was a pleasure working with exemplary student leaders. Too often, leaders avoid making tough calls and lose drive in adversity. Tough calls and adversity should be looked at as learning experiences; how can we improve SMUSA and the society, what steps can we take to improve the productivity of our teams, how we can help others to become the best version of themselves. We are members of a learning institution, and as such, we should use every opportunity good or bad as a learning experience. We are not really preparing for the real world; this is already the real world!
The article has been edited for clarity, but the content remains unchanged. The views expressed here are not a reflection of The Journal and are those of the author alone.