People and Organisations
The EUS Council is the highest governing body within the EUS. It consists of seventeen voting members, comprised of the 6 Executives and eleven Club Presidents, known as the EUS “Board of Directors”. Also included in the Council are non-voting representatives from each of the Ex-Officio Clubs. Although these representatives are not granted votes (due to the likelihood of double representation of students already represented by their Club Presidents) and are therefore unable to move or second motions, they are considered respected members of the Council and are granted the same speaking privileges as other members of Council. Their insight into discussion topics and contributions to meetings are valuable and welcome.
The term “Councillors” officially includes all members stated above. The term “Director” is used to refer to voting members of Council (the Board of Directors): Club Presidents and EUS Executives.
Q&A:
Can anyone come to EUS Council Meetings or do you have to be a Councillor? You definitely do not need to be a Councillor to attend Council Meetings!!! Council Meetings are “open” and all members of the EUS may sit in without requiring invitations or notice.
Can I talk in a Council Meeting? Absolutely! Meetings are run by a Speaker who uses Roberts Rules. If you feel like you have something to contribute, simply raise your hand to catch the attention of the Speaker and you will may speak when acknowledged. All guests sitting in on meetings are reminded to respect the Speaker’s List, however, and keep talking amongst themselves when not addressing the Council limited as to not distract attention away from the main discussion.
How do I give a Presentation to Council? A presentation to Council is usually required when a request is being made to Council. Perhaps you want to run an event or start a new initiative and would like EUS support. If you wish to do so, email the EUS VP Administration & COmmunication and they will let you know when you may make your presentation. Presentations are usually allotted 10 minutes.
Is there food at the EUS Council Meetings? Yes but if you are attending with several people (or even by yourself), it would be wise to contact the EUS Secretary at secretary -at- ubcengineers.ca so that more arrangements can be made for food. Councillors will be given priority for food, since they are expected to attend each week.
What do you talk about at EUS Council Meetings? EUS Council Meetings are meetings during which the real Society-affecting decisions are made. Planning for referendums, discussing structure changes, deciding where large sums of money will go are just a few examples. Topics will significantly vary. Contact the EUS VP Administration & Communication at vpcomad -at- ubcengineers.ca if you’d like to know what topics are likely to come up.
Are EUS Council Meetings as silly as tEUSday Meetings? No! tEUSday Meetings are intended to be for information and entertainment purposes only. No real decisions are made during tEUSday Meetings unless time allowances make it absolutely necessary. Council Meetings are far more serious, though the occasional silly thing may occur!
What is the difference between and Executive Meeting and an EUS Council Meeting? EUS Executive Meetings are closed which mean that no other EUS members may attend without invitation–not even non-Executive Councillors! This has more to do with efficiency’s sake than anything else. EUS Executive Meetings as less formal and deal more with action items and tasks than large decisions. The EUS Executive will discuss things like details of an upcoming event, the coordination of services with another organization, or how planning is going on Frosh Week. The EUS Executive may make more minor decisions but all major decisions will be brought to the Council. In most cases, the EUS Executive will be responsible for compiling information needed to make the large decisions and organize them so that the Council may understand the situation in an efficient manner.
If you’d like more information about EUS Council Meetings, e-mail the EUS VP Administration & Communication at vpcomad -at- ubcengineers.ca!
