What is the Notice of Referendum about this year?
By Nazeefa Ahmed, March 2 2024—
During the 2024 election season, the Students’ Union (SU) has released a Notice of Referendum for students to vote on. The referendum questions will appear as a question on the online voting form and the in-person ballot as a yes or no question.
The referendum question for this year asked students to either accept or reject the consolidation of the SU Union Bylaw and the SU Constitution so that the portions of the SU Constitution not in the Bylaw be incorporated into the Bylaw. If accepted, the constitution will no longer be a governing document within the SU.
“Do you support the proposed incorporation of the SU Constitution into the Union Bylaw, and the subsequent rescindment of the SU Constitution effective on April 16, 2024?” reads the question.
The SU Constitution was enacted in 1948 by the Senate of the University of Alberta when the U of C was not a university. In 1966, the U of C separated from the U of A and the SU Bylaws were enacted. The so documents are very similar and the SU aims to bring the change in conjunction with many other post-secondary institutions in Alberta.
“Other student associations in post-secondary learning institutions within Alberta such as the University of Alberta, Mount Royal University, MacEwan University and Athabasca University have either repealed their constitutions or recognize their union bylaw as their highest governing document in their governance processes,” reads a statement from the SU website.
Though the average student will not be impacted by the change, voting yes for the referendum will help the SU consolidate their governing documents into one place and simplify processes for future candidates.
“If you ever choose to run in the SU Election, or join one of our committees, reading governance documents is an important part of that role. Having one document would make things more efficient and clearer for engaged students who choose to be involved in our governance practices,” read a statement.
More information about the referendum can be found on the SU website.