An open letter from the International Students’ Group
Giovanna Di Sauro, President, On behalf of the International Students’ Group
Dear students and community of Simon Fraser University:
The International Students’ Group (ISG) is a constituency group founded in response to international students’ growing need for representation, at a time when universities worldwide are shifting their attention from the prestige of hosting an international population, to the advantages of utilising it as a supplementary funding source. The Group represents both undergraduate and graduate students at SFU.
On Friday, November 17, the impeached treasurer of the SFSS, Vanessa Kelly, sent out a letter to the members of the Simon Fraser Student Society regarding a negotiation proposed by the impeached directors to members of Students for a Democratic University (SDU), and the current Board of Directors, to solve the current financial impasse. The letter also directly accused Joel Blok (SFSS graduate issues officer) and Andrea Sandau (SFSS university relations officer) for the failure of such negotiation. Later that day, another letter was sent out by Kelly, stating that the SFSS Board of Directors had agreed to endorse the negotiations for the creation of a Committee to Discuss Signing Authority, composed of legitimate members of the current Board and members of SDU. The decisions taken at the November 15 Board meeting would also allow Kelly to remain one of the signing authorities of the Society “on a provisional basis until there is a ruling from the courts.”
It is important to understand that the November 15 Board meeting where such a committee was struck was not in order. In fact, five of the seven attendees were impeached Board members, and Kelly, who has a personal interest in this matter, was appointed to chair the meeting. Moreover, the meeting took place at the same time as Forum, and therefore both Blok and Sandau were unable to attend, as the Board is required to attend Forum meetings.
The Applied Sciences Faculty representative, Heather Ball, stated in writing that VanCity does not officially endorse such a solution to the financial impasse, and that this can be lifted only if “the four signing directors (Wei Li, Vanessa Kelly, Glyn Lewis and Shawn Hunsdale) rescind their signing authority” or once the courts make a final decision on the case. We must also be reminded that SDU has no authority and cannot be involved in such negotiations, as they are not endorsed by a legitimate Board meeting, and SFU students did not directly elect them. This is clearly another attempt of the impeached directors to attack legitimate Board members, destabilise the Board of Directors, and at the same time look like a collaborative party. It is disconcerting that student representatives, who are supposed to be sharing the ability for critical judgment with their constituents, persist in scorning and insulting their fellow students, assuming that they are devoid of such ability.
Whatever the decisions of the courts, we are confident that democracy and justice will prevail in a Student Society where more than 1,000 members spent hours on a cold afternoon at a Special General Meeting to decide on matters important to students at SFU. We believe that students have shown that they care about issues that involve them directly, and that they have the ability to confirm information for themselves in a critical manner, in spite of what the impeached Board members continue to preach. We stand assured that, no matter when this crisis will finally be solved and a new Board elected, this time students will look deeper into the intentions of the new Board candidates, and keep honouring the democratic tradition that makes the Simon Fraser Student Society our very own organisation: one that is worth fighting for.
In solidarity,
—Giovanna Di Sauro, President
On behalf of the International Students’ Group