Post-SGM Aftermath

So the G7 are refusing to budge. Shawn Hunsdale and Wei Li sent a draconian letter Thursday to all SFSS staff. This letter contains nine instructions, and warns that "deviation from the direction given in this memo will be viewed as insubordination and grounds for discipline or discharge." The instructions are designed to centralize power in the hands of the G7, and to strictly limit the powers both of the staff and of the other members of the Board of Directors. Let us examine these instructions one by one, and note how they violate the By-Laws and/or the regulations, even if they were, in fact, still legitimate directors of the Society:

1. "All direction to staff will come in writing from Wei Li, Internal Relations Officer. Any requests from employees should be directed to Wei Li, Internal Relations Officer." A violation of AP-18 (3), which states: "Employee workload priorities shall be set by the Executive Committee in consultation with the employees concerned. However, this shall not preclude Executive Officers from giving direction to employees as needed to ensure that the duties associated with their portfolios are fulfilled, and/or to ensure that the Society’s day-to-day operations are carried out."
   
   
2. "All correspondence to and from University administrators should be directed through Margo Dunnet, External Relations Officer." A violation of By-Law 4 (7) (a), which states that the University Relations Officer (Andrea Sandau) shall "act as a liaison between the Board and the University."
   
   
3. "All contact with on-campus student groups, including the Graduate Issues Committee should be directed to Glyn Lewis, Member Services Officer." A violation of By-Law 4 (2) (a), which states that the Graduate Issues Officer (Joel Blok) shall "act as a liaison between the Board and the Society's Graduate Issues Committee." GIC is not a "student group," but a committee of the Board of Directors. Furthermore, this instruction effectively prevents Sam Bradd (Student Union Organizer) from doing his job.
   
   
4. "All contact with off-campus groups should be directed to Margo Dunnet, External Relations Officer." Valid (assuming Dunnet was not impeached, that is), but draconian.
   
   
5. "All contact with media, both on- and off-campus, should be directed to Shawn Hunsdale, President and Margo Dunnet, External Relations Officer." Valid (assuming they were not impeached), but still draconian. Seriously impacts Anthony Maragna's (Communications Coordinator) ability to do his job.
   
   
6. "All correspondance with the SFSS financial institutions are to be through Vanessa Kelly, Treasurer." Seriously impacts the ability of the Financial Coordinators to do their jobs.
   
   
7. "All correspondance with the SFSS auditors should be through Vanessa Kelly, Treasurer." Translation: whistleblowers, beware! A recipe for creating a financial scandal even greater than that currently afflicting the Douglas Students' Union.
   
   
8. "Other than payroll-related expenses, no cheques are to be processed." This will effectively shut down the Society in a few days.
   
   
9. "All questions regarding the legal affairs should be directed to Shawn Hunsdale, President and Margo Dunnet, External Relations Officer. Only these two directors should be in contact with the SFSS legal counsel, Rush, Crane, Guenther, and Associates." A violation of By-Law 4 (6) (f) which states that the Treasurer (currently vacant, but according to Hunsdale and Li, Vanessa Kelly) shall "coordinate the commercial and legal affairs of the Society."

The letter closes with this gem: "While it may seem that this direction is overly restrictive and limits employees' ability to perform their duties, the employer has taken this action for the protection of staff." Oh, how thoughtful! How gracious and compassionate! Mr. Hunsdale and Mr. Li are clearly very concerned about the protection of the staff, as clearly evidenced by their actions over the past few months....

The G7 have overstayed their welcome. SDU is preparing a legal challenge to their continued hold on power. In addition, some students have adopted some... unorthdox tactics. At noon today, around 30-40 members in good standing of the Society staged an impromptu "tea party" in the Board of Directors office, demanding that the impeached directors accept the results of the special general meeting.... Photos of this sit-in are available on Flickr, courtesy of Saxifrage and doviende.

On a side note, it would appear that our good friend Shawn Hunsdale observed the proceedings of the SGM from on high, surrounded by a small coterie of people who look like students, but who apparently decided against participating in the SGM. Question: are these SFU students?