The Martlet

A petition to remove the elected UVSS board was presented at a special board meeting on Monday, Sept. 29, but did not result in a motion being added to the Annual General Meeting agenda as only six members were present. Eleven board members are required to make a motion.

José Barrios, a Munchie Bar employee, collected over 500 signatures (five per cent of the student body) as required to make the motion to the board for a “special resolution” at their AGM.

“I’m following the process rule by rule, but [the board] is still not putting the motion on the adgenda,” Barrios said.

UVSS Chair Caitlin Meggs was among the six present, though Meggs said several board members had other commitments, including Meggs herself, who had to leave after 30 minutes to attend a Board of Governors meeting.

“I have a lot of other responsibilities,” said Meggs. “I can’t spend all my time trying to deal with this petition.”

In the meeting, Meggs insisted that adding the petition’s request to the AGM would be breaking the UVSS bylaws because quorum was not met.

Meggs said most members were absent with regrets, while some didn’t show out of protest, thinking Barrios is trying to manipulate them.

Barrios presented his petition to the members in attendance, which Meggs received and put in her backpack before leaving for the other meeting.

“[These actions] are really hard emotionally,” Meggs said after the meeting. Meggs pointed out that Barrios could bring his request to the next regular UVSS meeting on Oct. 6, though it would be too late to make the agenda for the Oct. 16 UVSS Annual General Meeting.

However, the board could bring the request to a special general meeting, said Meggs.

“I wasn’t expecting the board’s support, but I do expect them to respect the process and their own bylaws,” Barrios said.

Barrios says he isn’t trying to remove the board as much as bring the issue to a democratic vote among UVic students.

“If the board really is doing a good job they have nothing to be scared of,” he said.