AUSU Bylaw Amendment Notice

JAN 17, 2020 UPDATE: The bylaw changes as outlined below were voted in unanimously by council during the January 2020 council meeting and are now live on our website here.

AUSU council will be voting on revised bylaws during the January council meeting to make it more accessible for Athabasca University students to run in the AUSU election. AUSU is proposing these changes now so that students who want to run in the upcoming 2020 AUSU election can do so without worrying about requirements that have been a barrier in the past for otherwise qualified members.

You can view the proposed new bylaws online here (changes to sections 4.05, 4.07, and 5.02).

Changing the academic requirement for AUSU councillors

Currently, to run in the AUSU election, the bylaws state that students are required to have a GPA of 2.0 or higher on their Athabasca University courses. AUSU is proposing to change this to simply require students not be on academic probation with AU. This change will allow more students to consider running for council, while still ensuring that academic success is important for AUSU councillors.

Changing the course enrollment requirement for AUSU councillors

Currently, the AUSU bylaws state that councillors must maintain their membership status for 2/3 of the council term year, which means they must be active in an AU course for 8 out of 12 months per year. However, many AU students finish course(s) quickly because a concentrated period of study fits their schedule better, and many are studying part-time. AUSU is proposing to remove the minimum course timeline requirement, while still maintaining that councillors must finish at least one course per council term year. This allows councillors to complete their course(s) on whatever schedule works best for them.

We Value Your Input!

In accordance with the current bylaws, AUSU will arrange numerous ways for the membership to provide feedback on the new bylaws.

Public Readings of the Bylaws

AUSU will present the bylaws in “public readings” at two different council meetings. Meetings are by teleconference, and all members are welcome. Meeting agenda and teleconference instructions will be posted online here at least 3 business days prior to the meetings. There is a Q&A period at the end of all council meetings to allow feedback and questions from the membership.

• 1^st Reading: Monday, December 16 at 5:30pm MT.
• 2^nd Reading: Thursday, January 16 at 6:30pm MT.

Upon a successful vote at the second public reading, the proposed amendments to the bylaws will become official.

Member Consultations

AUSU council will host two membership consultations by teleconference prior to the second reading of the bylaws. Students are welcome to join and ask questions or provide feedback on the bylaw changes. (Teleconference details to come shortly)

The member consultations will be held on the following dates (click the dates to get the teleconference instructions):

• Tuesday, December 10 at 5:30 pm MT
• Friday, January 10 at 5:30 pm MT

Bylaw Forum

AUSU has a bylaw forum online here. Members are welcome to ask questions or provide feedback on the bylaw changes in the forums.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can also email ausu@ausu.org.