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AUS General Assembly: LIVE

McGill Daily News live blogs from strike vote

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11:28 – GA not at quorum. Adjourned.

11:25 – Consolidating GA audiences from various rooms, counting in caf to see if quorum is met.

11:10 – Motion to adjourn fails, moving onto motion re: online voting.

11:00 – Motion to adjourn on floor.

10:59 – Motion to recount fails; refuse to recognize vote to move vote online; voting procedure ends.

10:50 – Call to suspend rules and adjourn GA.

10:46 – Robert Bell attempts to suspend rules and reconsider question because Lerer began voting in SSMU caf before LEA132 called to question. Lerer says LEA132 recount not communicated; did not change vote substantially and “no wrongs committed.” Would require 2/3 majority to reconsider question.

10:44 – Votes in from all three rooms: 495 for – 609 against – 16 abstentions.

10:37 – SSMU caf numbers are 191 for – 193 against – 3 abstentions, reported in ballroom but not in caf.

10:35 – Leacock voters turning in placards to avoid recount.

10: 18 – Ballroom votes no on strike, 87 for – 186 against – 4 abstentions.

10: 15 – Tension high as one section in caf is being recounted; LEA132 students still deciding whether to call to question

10:11 – Voting in cafeteria on strike motion. Lerer notes can be abstentions.

10:09 – Votes to call to question. Voting procedure begins on strike motion.

9:57 – Allow to call question, going to take time to count votes because other rooms want to continue debate. Vote on whether to call question ongoing in ballroom and cafeteria.

9:50 – Motion to call question denied; 5 amendments have been put forth by other rooms. Lerer deliberating motion to suspend rules.

9:49 – 3rd against: AUS VP Finance Marlene Benavides: takes issue with CLASSE fee demanded by motion; wants to maintain transparency for AUS budget.

3rd for: Ethan Feldman, phil student: joining CLASSE is important, in solidarity with other organizations and can partake in GAs; AUS would have 3 votes. $0.75 actually less than the $1 it should be. McGill has benefited from student movements in past but rarely joins.

9:46 – 2nd against: IDS/polisci student, “even if semester is extended by two weeks,” have to pay rent and summer jobs. Will pay equivalent of tuition hikes in these costs. Instead of disruptive action, why not be in favour of making sure money is allocated to students?

2nd for: 140,000 Quebec students on strike, out of solidarity for Quebec students and show McGill does not have to be odd one out.

9:43 – 1 speaker for and against each from LEA, ballroom, cafeteria. “This does not represent our views,” says 1st speaker against Brendan Edge. 1500 here but 6000+ in AUS [actually 7000]. “I am not going to put my summer job on the line for this.”

1st speaker for: Zach : How do you build society? Education. “About keeping the people empowered, and all the students who, if these tuition hikes go through, will not be able to afford education.”

9:40 – Debate speakers being chosen for motion re: general strike of AUS.

9:26 – Strike motion movers ask to present. “Pretty unique moment in the history of our school” says strike motion mover Jamie Burnett. Burnett says all francophone CEGEPs except 1 in Montreal on strike. “Only thing that has consistently worked” is student strikes, says Burnett. “This is our only opportunity to say we’re going to stand up… McGill will not be the only institution that doesn’t care enough, isn’t aware enough to get involved.” Applause follows speech.

Mover Amber Gross: semester has never been cancelled, academic amnesty up to professors, will be encouraged to respect decision of students just as students are encouraged to respect tonight’s decision.

9:20 – Cafeteria reads motion aloud, ballroom voted against reading aloud. Motion: strike indefinite would begin March 15 at 8 am, renewal votes in strike assemblies. Motion also asks for fee equivalent to $0.75 per student out of AUS General Budget in order to be member of CLASSE.

9:18 – Question period announced. No questions. Motion re: General strike of the AUS now up.

9:14 – Amendment to agenda passes in caf and ballroom, enough of majority that LEA vote doesn’t need to be counted. Agenda approved with new amendment.

9:07 – TVM motion passes; proposal to amend agenda to move motion re: online GA voting to second item.

9:05 – Lerer explains Robert’s Rules, reads agenda for approval. TVM motions to livestream GA; currently only livestreamed to other rooms.

8:58 – LERER ANNOUNCES WE’RE STARTING! Lerer: 450 in SSMU cafeteria, 2-300 in ballroom, 3-400 in LEA132

8:48 – Leacock 132 open; TVM livestream up! Overflow rooms being used are now: SSMU Ballroom, Leacock 132. (No EUS/AUS/Thomson House, says Lerer.)

8:08 – AUS VP Finance Marlene Benavides says AUS still searching for rooms, students still waiting outside.

8:02 – Open discussion taking place in ballroom, but all official debate will take place in SSMU cafeteria, according to Tong.

7:49 – Announced in Ballroom that AUS Lounge Thomson House also acting as overflow rooms.

7:44 – Lerer announces EUS Lounge being opened for student overflow; cap. 300.

7:39 – SSMU Speaker Nida Nizam acting as Speaker for SSMU Ballroom; explaining voting procedure to students in room now. No such action with Lerer and SSMU Speaker Michael Tong in SSMU caf.

7:34 – Ballroom and caf at capacity, Lerer says inquiries about Thomson House, GA will begin soon.

7:28 – SSMU caf determining if at capacity.

7:19 – Lerer says AUS will be turning people away; suggestions to open Thomson House ballroom rejected.

7:17 – Gerts set up for overflow; AUS Speaker Ben Lerer counts to see if SSMU caf is at capacity.

6:58 – Caf & Ballroom reported to fit ~1300 students; line still across campus and students still being let into both rooms. TVM set up but not allowed to livestream until motion passes permitting it.

6:18 PM – AUS tries to argue that non-voting press members should not be allowed into GA; Daily, Trib, and Délit reporters now inside as students are slowly filling SSMU cafeteria; overflow rooms being set up.