Over the last three years, it has become clear to me that the Federation of Students (FedS) has done a poor job of capturing the Engineering opinion. This summer, I hope to change this by redefining the membership of the Board of Directors and altering the reporting structure of the FedS executive.
This past year, the by-laws of FedS have undergone much needed revisions. My changes are meant to modernize the outdated governance model to allow for more student engagement, more transparency, and make FedS a truly student-run organization.
While some changes have been welcomed easily, those that affect the executive and Board of Directors have been met with resistance by a select few of these members. My changes, based off a review completed by past president, Andrew Noble, include faculty seats on an 11 person, student-run Board, and a new organizational structure which would see the Vice-Presidents reporting to the President. For those of you who don’t know, currently the President has no authority over the Vice-Presidents, and the Board consists of 5 FedS Councillors and the 4 FedS executive.
In the coming weeks, I will be conducting consultations to ensure my changes align with what the students of Waterloo truly want FedS to look like. I’ll be making an effort to work with your EngSoc executive to properly capture the Engineering opinion. However, feel free to contact me directly with any of your questions (jesse.c.mcginnis@uwaterloo.ca).
I will be introducing these changes through a private members’ motion at the July 16 general meeting. This is your opportunity to enact change and voice your Engineering opinion.
I look forward to seeing you there,
Jesse.
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