Proposed ToR for UNA Election Procedures and Policies Advisory Committee

UPDATE (Oct. 31, 2014): the terms of reference were modified at the Governance Committee for greater clarity.  Details will be forthcoming in the upcoming November UNA Board Package.

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Following my proposal to the UNA Board, first in the September Governance Committee meeting and then again at the October Board meeting, the Board finally agreed to review UNA Election Policies and Procedures. At the Tuesday Governance Committee I have proposed the following terms of reference that, with possible modification, I trust will be recommended to the UNA Board.  The Oct. UNA Board motion also asked that the governance committee recommend the individuals to serve on the committee.  Not sure if we can do that in time for November - here's hoping!
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The Board met on October 14, 201 and considered a proposal from UNA Director Charles Menzies to consider establishing an advisory committee on UNA election procedures and policies.

Moved by   , THAT the UNA Board of Directors will conduct a comprehensive review of the UNA elections policies and procedures  with the intent of improving the process in time for the 2015 UNA Elections. To assist the UNA Board of Directors, the Board will appoint an advisory committee, comprised of individuals with broad expertise in governance models and procedures to bring forward recommendations for its considerations. Further that the Board directs the Governance Standing Committee to:
1)     develop the terms of reference for the panel
2)     recommend the individuals to serve on the panel; and
3)     submit the terms of reference and the list of recommended individuals to the Board for approval at its November meeting.

Terms of Reference

1.     Purpose

The Elections Procedures and Policies Advisory Committee, a sub-committee under the Standing Committee on Governance, serves the UNA Board of Directors to conduct a comprehensive review of the UNA elections policies and procedures with the intent of improving the process in time for the 2015 UNA Elections.

2.     Objectives

The main objective of the UNA Elections Procedures and Policies Advisory Committee is to conduct a comprehensive review of the UNA’s current election procedures and policies.  To achieve this, it will focus on the following activities:

a.     To solicit UNA members input on the status of the current elections procedures and policies through written comments from UNA members and at least one public townhall meeting of UNA members.

b.     To assist the Board in enhancing the democratic structure of UNA Elections by identifying residents’  concerns and resolving issues, and to facilitate engaging residents in the election process.

c.     To assist the Board in designing and organizing an improved democratic election procedure and policy to be implemented in tie for the 2015 election.

3.     Composition

The UNA Election Procedures and Policies Advisory Committee will consists of individuals appointed by the Board of Directors who have specialized expertise in democratic governance models. A list of potential appointees will be compiled by the Governance Standing Committee and submitted to the UNA Board for approval at the November meeting of the Board. The Chair of the Governance Standing Committee will chair the Election Procedures and Policies Advisory Committee.

4.     Procedures

The Advisory Committee shall hold meetings on as needed basis and the Chair may call emergency meetings as needed. The chair will approve an agenda prepared by UNA staff and forward this to committee members at least three days before the meeting. A UNA staff may take the minutes subject to approval of the committee Chair. The Chair will send the draft minutes to all members and the committee at the next meeting will approve the final minutes incorporating revisions and corrections.

Following the Advisory Committee’s first meeting a public call for submissions on the UNA’s current election procedures and policies will be issued to UNA members via all UNA communication vehicles.  UNA members will be provided with at least 30 days to submit comments. 

The Advisory Committee will hold at least one public townhall meeting for UNA members on the subject of review of UNA Election Procedures and Policies within the first three months of the committee’s existence.

5.     Reports

The Advisory Committee will submit reports of activities at the monthly regular meetings of the Governance Standing Committee.  

The Advisory Committee will submit a final report that

a.     summarizes all written and oral submissions on the current UNA Election Procedures and Policies. 

b.     Recommends to the Board, through the Governance Standing Committee, a revised election procedures and policies that addresses concerns and advice of UNA membership.

Additional reports may be submitted on special activities and projects carried out by the Committee.

c.     Resources

The UNA Board of Directors will allocate resources needed by the Election Procedures and Policies Advisory Committee in carrying out its functions.

Motion:

Following Moved by,  ________,  that the Governance Standing Committee recommends to the Board of Directors that the Terms of Reference for the Election Procedures and Policies Advisory Committee be approved.

Democracy Cafe: a proposal to the UNA Board

The following is a proposal that I am brining forward to the UNA's Standing Committee on Governance as part of an integrated plan of improving and enhancing our local democratic capacity. 

The Democracy Café idea is based upon the concept set in play by the French philosopher Marc Sautet.  His idea is simple: a grassroots forum of discussion rooted in the general public.  Initiated in 1992 the idea has caught on world wide.  In the Lowermainland, SFU runs a widely popular and award winning series of cafés on all manner of subjects.  Our own Democracy Café would be designed to bring residents together in an informal, friendly setting to discuss face-to-face to discuss democracy, what if is, what it might be, what it can be.  As SFU states on it’s own web page: “Thinking the unthinkable, imagining the impossible, and discussing the improbable.”

The UNA has a long history of creating general and specific purpose volunteer committees.  Currently the UNA sponsors the Garden Stewards, the Multicultural, and the Civic Engagement Committees which all act as volunteer gathering places with specific domains of activities and interests.  In the past the UNA created the Schools Action Committee, which was an advocacy committee. The UNA has also created volunteer sub-committees for by-law development regarding noise, parking, animals, and waste management.  Democracy Café involves aspects of all of the above, but is centered on creating a social space for creative engaged dialogue on an issue that is relevant to most residents in a setting that will be encouraging and welcoming and not directly tied to formal policy formulation.

Terms of Reference

1.     Purpose

The Democracy Café, a sub-committee under the Standing Committee on Governance, serves the UNA Board of Directors to promote engaged creative dialogue, on issues related to democratic practice locally and globally.

2.     Objectives

The main objective of the UNA Democracy Cafe is to build the UNA neighborhoods into a vibrant, inclusive, participatory, democratic community.  To achieve this, it will focus on the following activities:

a.     To host a series of ‘Philosophers’ Cafés at the Old Barn Community Centre.

b.     To facilitate a discussion of existing and potential democratic models. 

c.     To explore and discuss democracy movements in Canada and globally. 

d.     To carry out other functions and activities approved by the Board on engaging UNA residents in creative dialogue related to democratic practices locally and globally.

3.     Composition

The UNA Democracy Café is coordinate by a steering committee that consists of residents, and one or more elected resident directors and UNA staff as members.

4.     Procedures

The Steering Committee of Democracy Café shall hold meetings as needed for planning the activities anticipated under the objectives of Democracy Cafe.  The discussions at the philosophers’ café events will be summarized and made available to UNA residents and form a portion of the steering committee’s reports to the UNA.

5.     Reports

The Steering Committee of Democracy Café will submit a report on its activities at the monthly regular meetings of the Governance Standing Committee and at Board of Directors when needed. Additional reports may be submitted on special activities and projects carried out by the Committee

6.     Resources

The UNA Board of Directors will allocate resources needed by Democracy Café in carrying out its functions.

UNA Board Meeting (OCt. 14) Storifyed

Indigenous BC. A special panel presentation at the Old Barn Community Centre

Proposal for Public Review of UNA Elections and Elections Policies

The following document and proposal is being presented to the UNA Board Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014.  This is a following up to my proposal that failed to be approved previously.  The older proposal was specifically focussed on the UNA balloting procedures.  This proposal is for a more general review of UNA elections and is designed to build upon community input and consultation. This item can be found under item D.2 of the Oct. 16th UNA Board of Directors agenda.

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The UNA is a society under the Societies Act of BC. The UNA also, via the Neighbours’ Agreement, manages some of the services (as delegated by UBC) that a municipality might also deliver. Residents have an expectation that the UNA manage it’s affairs in as open and democratic a fashion as possible. Since being create by UBC in 2002 the UNA has slowly grown in membership as the overall residential population of the University Neighbourhoods have developed. Prior to 2002 Hampton Place was governed by a joint UBC Properties Trust – Council of Strata Chairs process that seemed to meet their needs. Hampton Place, at full build out, had just over 1000 units of housing. In 2001 the first residential units in Hawthorn Place were occupied. These buildings were all, initially, faculty staff rental buildings, and the Hampton Place governance model was inadequate and unable to accommodate the needs and interests of the new members of what came to be the UNA Area. As a consequence a democratic residents association was created, the Hawthorn Lane Residents Association, to advocate on behalf and to represent the interests of Hawthorn Place residents. The university eventually responded by setting up a majority appointed University Neighbourhoods’ Association, registered under the Societies Act of BC, to deal with the emerging concerns and governance issues of the non-institutional residential areas.

Over time the UNA has slowly added elected resident directors (as per a formula tied to number of residential units built). The early elections were small, involved few voters, and took place primarily at the Annual General Meeting. As the UNA governed area has increased to include Chancellor Place, Westbrook Place, and East Campus Neighbourhood, the number of potential and actual ballots cast has increased. Over this same period of time the voting process has developed into one in which ballots are mailed to registered UNA members, candidates are provided with a membership list of UNA members, candidates’ are allowed to reproduce ballots, candidates (or others) can solicit and hand in completed ballots, balloting is then closed at the start of the AGM which has now become regularly scheduled for the month of September (in the past the AGM was held during the late spring/early summer).

The current model of voting used by the UNA is consistent with that of a society or public enterprise but not with local area governments in BC. During the course of the past election for resident directors a series of community concerns have been raised. These concerns highlight practices that could undermine the legitimacy of the UNA electoral process and thereby undermine the UNA’s capacity to effectively conduct its business and to effectively represent UNA area residents. Concerns include: the standard practice of candidates reproducing their own copies of the ballots, direct solicitation of potential voters, simultaneously signing residents up as UNA members and soliciting their vote, and collecting discarded mail in ballots (found in AGM packages) and allegedly submitting them without the knowledge of the addressee. These are serious concerns. The UNA has an obligation to ensure that whatever electoral process is used it is one that is beyond reproach.

Proposed Motion
Moved by , that the UNA Board of Directors delegates the Chair of the Governance Committee to set in place an ad hoc public review of UNA Elections and Election Policies; that this review will consist of a panel of responsible individuals with experience in the study and development of democratic governance models, elections, and election procedures; that this panel of responsible individuals will take public input and comment in relation to improving the UNA Elections and Elections Policies; that notice of this review shall be placed in the October Edition of the Campus Resident, on the UNA web page and social media sites, and distributed via the UNA email notice system; that the panel of responsible individuals will consider written submissions and oral comments at at least one public forum, and; that this panel of responsible individuals shall report to the Governance Standing Committee with recommendations by November 25, 2014.