The Quality Service to Students council held a meeting last Thursday to approve and pass student services budgets for 2012/2013.
The meeting covered proposed student services fees, all operating plans, and budget votes that had been delayed since February 3.
QSS rescheduled the latest meeting three times this year because UTMSU representatives were unavailable to attend. Without student union representatives, QSS could not meet quorum, the minimum number of people to vote on motions. QSS needs at least 11 members to be present, six of which must be students, in order to pass motions.
The QSS meeting was postponed in part because of the recent Mississauga Academy of Medicine referendum, which resulted in MAM being represented by UTMSU. The referendum results were released in the first week of February, but the board meeting to officially confirm the results did not take place until February 17. Even after this, MAM will not officially be part of UTMSU until April 2012. In order for UTMSU to represent MAM at the QSS meeting, MAM representatives must first give input as to how they would like to be represented. UTMSU negotiated with MAM at the Council of Student Services meeting on February 2 to discuss representation. The QSS meeting, then rescheduled for March 1, became pressed for time to pass the student services budgets and operating plans.
QSS usually meets once per month and is responsible for making recommendations regarding the operation and funding of UTM student services and ensuring the quality of the services to UTM students is developed and maintained. QSS is made up of staff, including Mark Overton (the Dean of Student Affairs), Alison Burnett (the Health & Counselling Centre director), and student members, including Gilbert Gassar (the president of UTMSU) and Sunny Bahia (the president of the UTM Athletic Council).
