The BUG

Brock University Students' Union Inc. (BUSU) has a new Chief Returning Officer (CRO), Adam Marshall, who will be filling the role of overseeing BUSU elections and referendums starting in September. Former CRO Jimmy Norman, who served in the role for two years until this past April, has now taken a job as BUSU Special Events Coordinator.

Last year Marshall was in charge of news coverage at BrockTV, but will no longer be in that role in the coming year. He will stay with BrockTV to provide Brock Badgers sports coverage.

As BrockTV's newsman he renewed the student-funded media organisation's interest in campus political events including providing (rare) coverage of the March 2012 BUSU (Special) General Meeting. During the $20 Per Credit Student Life fee referendum he published, via BrockTV's news blog, an editorial piece titled "Short Election Period Makes for Uninformed Votes". Now he will become responsible for helping to provide more informed elections.

I'm PUMPED for September. LIVE @BrockBadgers action every week on @BrockTVSports and starting as the new CRO @BrockBUSU #busybadger — Adam Marshall (@AdamMarshall409) June 30, 2013

Norman's term as CRO lasted two years (two one-year contracts) and covered three referendums for the Brock Student Sexual Violence Support Centre including the March 2012 vote -- when it was called "Women's Centre" -- which was "invalidated" in the middle of the referendum. (click to see Busuleaks' highlighted BUSAC minutes of Norman's explanation of this decision.)

He also oversaw the referendums of Brock Radio and BrockTV in 2012. Most recently he was responsible for overseeing a referendum to create a new executive position at BUSU: Vice President of External Affairs and the Brock Student Life fee.

"Mark Yetman’s light sentencing is another example of how rape culture privileges the rights of the rapist while disavowing those of the victims," writes an author from The Brock Student Sexual Violence Support Centre (BSSVSC) in the April 3 edition of the Brock Press.

The letter to the editor is responding to a two year (less a day) sentence for convicted rapist Yetman, of New Foundland, whose case is famous because he was a Brock Badgers Hockey goalie for Brock University. He was "male Athlete of the Week" when the assaults took place. A week after the author wrote this letter, Yetman was given a three year federal sentence for a third rape conviction, concurrent with the two years provincial sentence.

In the letter, the author argues provincial court provided a slap on the wrist to Yetman in both the duration of the sentence and level of rehabilitation, while levying the accusation that the Brock Press and other media entities has participated in the "especially insidious role" that the media play to "valourize and excuse the behaviours of rapists".

"The Brock Press participated in diminishing the severity of Yetman’s actions by claiming that he 'had sex' with the victims. Mark Yetman did not 'have sex' with these victims, he sexually assaulted them" the author says.

In the Feb. 6 edition of Brock Press, the Brock Press quotes (or misquotes?) Ellie Donohue-Miller, Volunteer Coordinator of BSSVSC, as saying, “He targeted [the two girls] at Isaacs. They got drunk, went back home and had sex. He was very violent, choking them.”

At that time Brock Press reported, "The verdict came in on Oct. 23, 2012 with Yetman being found guilty on two counts of sexual assault." The two counts of choking and threatening did not stand.

The Toronto Sun didn't waste the opportunity for a pun: "Goalie nets prison time for raping sleeping student" (emphasis added).

His defense lawyer valourized him by claiming he was "revered", approached by children for "his autograph",  and was "a role model".

Niagara Advance reports:

The defence attorney then painted a picture of Yetman as a hard-working and well-respected young man who made a bad decision one night.

“He was on the (Brock) university hockey team. Children revered him, sought his autograph. He became a role model for others,” Barr said, adding later: “The good should be called in to balance with the bad. There's no good to be had by throwing this boy in jail.”

The BSSVSC author argues there is "an unwillingness to closely examine and correct the problems that lead to the crime in the first place".

--

On April 10, Yetman was sentenced by federal court to three years after pleading guilty to a  second case (and third charge) of sexual assault.

 The federal penitentiary sentence will be served at the same time as a sentence of two years less a day Yetman received last month for sexually assaulting two other women.

“Make no mistake, this is conduct on your behalf that is simply not tolerated in our society and can never be tolerated in this society,” Flynn told him.

Yetman had been free on bail since the conviction in October 2012 -- playing hockey in Newfoundland. The Standard noted Yetman as "a celebrated hockey goalie", referencing, "who helped his senior men’s team Eastlink CeeBee Stars clinch a prestigious championship in that province in March". They report " more than 40 reference letters from coaches, billets, teachers and others who know him."

The judge said he’d never seen so many reference letters. “It says a lot about your character,” Flynn said, “but these events happened in the dead of night in the bedroom of a sleeping woman. All the hockey coaches and the parish priest in Newfoundland weren’t there.”

Flynn said he found parts of the letters describing Yetman as a role model to school classes he’s visited and to hockey players coming up through the ranks disturbing.

Here is the list that is currently posted to BUSU.net/elections

Brock Student Life Fee – March 2013 – Passed (54.5%) Vice President External Constitution – March 2013 – Passed (70.7%) Brock Student Sexual Violence Support Centre – February 2013 – Passed (53.1%) Brock Student Sexual Violence Support Centre – October 2012 – Failed (41.9%) Women’s Centre Petition – March 2012 – INVALIDATED CFBU Fee – March 2012 – Passed (51%) BUSU Constitutional Changes – February 2012 – Passed (82%) Brock TV – February 2012 – Passed (51%)

A request made by The BUG to the Government Operations Manager (GOM) received the response, "I can certainly get you the information I have for you to do what you want," agreeing to meet with The BUG in July.

"I will say that we are still in the process of doing a very similar project on our own but you certainly have the ability to do your own," Doan said.

Doan, now starting his third year as GOM --a relatively new full-time position created during the term of President Daud Grewal (2011-12) -- has already brought improvements to the consistency of the transparency of current affairs.

However, a great deal of the past has been obscured when new BUSU website was launched in May of 2012 causing many of the "permalink" URLs to the documentation that this author had previously linked to on an earlier blog to become inaccessible. BUSAC meeting minutes only date back as far as October 2012. BUSU has minutes dating back to at least 2008 but they are offline since the new website came online. The referendum data that is currently posted to BUSU.net/elections only goes as far back as February 2012.

Obscurity also defines the standing Memorandums of Understandings (MOUs). The public has very limited access to documents known as the "Memorandum of Understanding" (MOU) which serves as the contract between the voters and the executing body -- either the Brock administration, BUSU Inc or a subsidiary.

Just days after annual emergency exercise, a "suspicious package" closed down the Alumni Centre building as a "precautionary measure" on June 26 as police investigated with bomb sniffing robot. Police say they are still determining what the "non explosive" "home made device" is.

Media reports that Niagara Regional Police detectives say, "a backpack contained a home made device but they are not sure what it is yet."

The robot "took X-ray pictures of the bag. [Police] said the pictures were inconclusive ... said the device in the bag is 'clearly a home-made device,' but police do not know what it is or what it does."

Brock News says, "a student union staff member reported the suspicious package"; Newstalk 610 CKTB reports, "Police say the package was considered suspicious because it was found at an unusual spot, and wires can be seen coming from the package." The Standard says police are "still trying to determine what was in a mysterious package that caused them to shut down part of Brock University for several hours"

Update: The item has been identified by police as "nothing more than a home-made talk box — a device used by musicians to alter the sounds of their instruments."

The device — which consisted of a circuit board, wires, a battery and a clear plastic container wrapped in black tape — was found in an open bag in the pub Wednesday by a student union employee who called police. Police arrived and were unable to identify the device.

Photo: 610 Newstalk CKTB

Brock University announce last week the appointment of the first director to the Brock Social Justice Research Institute (SJRI). The SJRI will position the university as a "leader in transdisciplinary social justice scholarship and community-university partnerships for the betterment of society in Niagara and beyond," reports Brock News. SJRI "brings together researchers and students from a wide variety of disciplines to produce socially relevant and community-based scholarship on social justice issues."

The BUG commented on the news story with this question: "What’s the difference between 'Social Justice' and 'Justice'?" Another commenter, Dr. Richard Mitchell of the Faculty of Social Sciences, explains:

Good question - here’s one point of view. To achieve what the term ‘justice’ implies in a social democratic system such as ours often costs money - and often more than average people can afford. ‘Social Justice’ has to do with being treated fairly in systems that serve people - in child welfare, schools, public spaces, hospitals, banks, stores, for example as well as in all other public services and our courts. In the preface for ‘Principles of Social Justice’ author David Miller (1999, Harvard University Press) tells us ’social justice is an idea that is central to the politics of contemporary democracies’. However critical pedagogues argue that the issue of how power is distributed and wielded within and beyond institutions can tell us more about the dimensions of social justice, and how those being discriminated against may be treated differently. This approach towards critical pedagogy… …signals how questions of audience, voice, power, and evaluation actively work to construct particular relations between teachers and students, institutions and society, and classrooms and communities…. Pedagogy in the critical sense illuminates the relationship among knowledge, authority, and power (Giroux, 1994: 30, Disturbing pleasures: Learning popular culture. New York/Routledge). At risk of over-simplifying the answer in a word, ‘fairness’ is central to social justice. That would be for all people regardless of gender, age, ability, sexual identities, ethnicity or cultural affiliation[s].

Meanwhile, University of Windsor decided to close down their Centre for Studies in Social Justice (CSSJ). OurWindsor.ca reports:

Tanya Basok, the Director of the Centre for Studies in Social Justice explained that in February she had met with the vice president of research for the university who explained that he was concerned about whether the centre produced enough synergies between various research, had applied for grants, and whether or not they had been co-publishing research.

Less than a week later, Basok received a letter explaining that administration had decided to close down the centre.

To some, this spelled a death of Social Justice itself. Protestors gathered petition signatures and this month hosted a "Mock Funeral" for the CSSJ.

Photo: TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star

Today the National Post published a story titled, "Social justice to join the ghostly ranks of obsolete academic departments haunting university campuses". 

While The BUG publicly launches an information request from BUSU for referendum data, this author notes that BUSAC and the student media have no apparent interest in raw referendum data -- either at the time of a vote, nor in retrospect.

The BUG seeks to determine how well organized this data is in the BUSU records and to glean whatever analysis comes from examining the data.

This author has previously compared the referendum results of BrockTV and Brock Radio. In 2012, 19 per cent of Brock Students voted in the BrockTV referendum. 650 ballots, or 19 per cent of voters, spoiled their ballots or abstained. It passed with just 51.35 per cent, or less than 74 people. One month later, Brock Radio's referendum had 13 per cent of voters participate. 300 ballots, or 14 per cent, became spoiled. It passed with just 51.5%, or less than 62 people making up the difference.

By comparison, 23 per cent of students (4160) voted in the Student Life fee referendum; of them only 2.3 per cent (100 votes) were spoiled. A swing of 376 votes made the difference; "yes" made up 54% of the vote. (Notably, according to the St. Catharines Standard, the size of the "yes" campaign team was  "370 people".)

While it is interesting in the student media referendums that the proportion of voters compared to the total student body is equal to the proportion of spoiled ballots compared to the total number of votes, it's impossible to draw conclusions from these small data samples. This author has previously made the observation that the student body is typically split 50/50 on any issue; the vote passes by the margin of those who directly benefit from the fee. As for the small portion (1/10th as many) of spoiled ballots in March, it's doubtless that passions ran deeper for the Student Life fee than they did for student media renewals, but without a wider array of data pertaining to Brock University student referedums, we have only our gut feeling to rely upon.

The BUG has launched a request for information to the Government Operations Manager of BUSU Inc. The data requested is records of electoral data which covers the entire gamut of existent ancillary fees.

BUSU referendums require a written agreement which voters are expected to become familiar with. This document is know as the "Memorandum of Understanding". Remember this term if you are not already familiar with it--M.O.U.-- because this is the legal contract that via Brock University Students Union Inc., make with admin- and/or BUSU-funded orgs. It's the legal bedrock of whatever comes after the election.

At present, there are well over a dozen separate fees listed on the BUSU website but the only MOUs that are accessible are the recent ones. Similarly, only recent referendums have election statistics and in recent years that data is presented in info-graphic format.

One can wonder how much accountability future generations can hold if the very circumstances that created a fee and provisions that guide it are not readily accessibly by the public.

The BUG wants to know

1. how well organized does BUSU Inc. keep these records? -how verifiable are the past agreements? 2. when was each fee approved and what are the provisions of each? 3. how many votes were counted as: yes, no, abstain/spoiled)? -what was the margin of victory of each? 4. what is the text for each fees memorandum of understanding?

It all adds up. At an estimated 75,000 credits per year-- purchased by undergraduates from Brock University -- the total monies generated by per credit ancillary fees tops $6.6 million, according to calculations conducted by The BUG.

The per-credit ancillary fees represents an estimated seven per cent of tuition ($88 of $1144*)

About half -- $3.3 million -- goes directly to the administration: Athletic, Intramural, Recreation Program, $16.91 = $1,268,250 Access Copyright©, $5.20 = $390,000 Recreation Facilities, $2.11 = $158,250 Student Life fee, $20.00 = $1,500,000

The BUSU fee of $17.69 per credit generates $1,326,750 per year while the $7 per credit "Strategic Expansion Fund" collects (and saves) $525,000 per year.

There is a "BUSAC Capital Fund" which amounts to $187,500 and the Clubs Levee is $150,000. The "BUSU Safety Fee" generates $18,750 per year and "BUSU Environment Levy" generates $75,000 per year. $42,750 goes to funding BUSU's membership in the Ontario Undergraduate Students Alliance (OUSA).

Brock University undergraduates fund student media to a total of $548,250.00 per year. BrockTV, $3.01; Brock Press, $2.80; and Brock Radio, $1.50.

Social justice advocacy orgs total $386,250 per year: Per credit, Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) receives $1.50; Student Justice Center (SJC), $0.80; and the Brock Student Sexual Violence Support Centre (BSSVSC), $2.80.

Note:*These numbers are sourced from BUSU.net which does yet include the Student Life fee nor the BSSVSC and, according to the Vice President of Financial Affairs, many of these numbers are likely to "be updated" this year with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

@BrockBug @BrockBUSU Many of the fees have to be updated due to CPI changes. These will be updated for incoming students #fiscalhawk

— Christopher Yendt (@ChrisYendt)

This author has provided an Information request to Josh Doan, BUSU Government Operations Manager. The BUG will be producing a chart of levies and the electorate data that supported them.

The following tweets exemplify the purpose of publishing The BUG. Past experience has shown this author that publicly prodding for progress is effective. As the corporation strives to nullify our criticisms they will be naturally nudged into better transparency and accountability.

@BUSUGov The @BrockBUSU website does not make accessible meeting minutes prior to 2012. http://t.co/0g5Mqew4BR Is that transparency?

— The BUG (@BrockBug)

June 23, 2013

@BrockBUSU @ChrisYendt http://t.co/H1ZPN6Q853 Note: This data is not complete if it continues to lack the $20 per credit student life fee

— The BUG (@BrockBug)

June 23, 2013

Update: Yendt responds

@BrockBug @BrockBUSU Many of the fees have to be updated due to CPI changes. These will be updated for incoming students #fiscalhawk

A team of BUSU members are in Halifax this week for the 2013 Canadian Organization of Campus Activities (COCA) conference, #coca2013.

The BUSU expedition team to COCA2013 consists of: Liv Meriano, Vice President Student Services Chris Green, Manager, Marketing & Communications Jimmy Norman, Special Events Coordinator Chuck Thompson, Event Programmer

The events of the week include inter-campus networking, music and comedian showcases, and the occasional inspirational message.

Amazing discussion with Mt Allison, Ottawa U, and MacMaster! O-Week just got a lot better badgers! @BrockUniversity @BrockBUSU @yourCOCA

— Jimmy Norman (@jnorman92)

June 21, 2013

Truly inspired with Frank Warren's chat about mental health and erasing the stigma associated #coca2013 #MentalHealthMatters

— Jimmy Norman (@jnorman92)

June 22, 2013

If you want your students to trust you in marketing, you need to trust them. @stephenkosh #coca2013 Marketing 101/102.

— Chris Green (@Greener9595)

June 21, 2013

Reference to the trip is nil on the BUSU website, but the team member's social media is atwitter with moments like circling around on a segue and being ferried by rickshaw up a hill.

Here the team toys around on the ocean pier with futuristic transportation devices, Segues:

They also dabbled in more antiquated forms of transportation. Green takes a rickshaw taxi: "kid nailed it up the hill!"

COCA.org says the organization represents 65 campuses across Canada. The team members engage in various networking and entertainment events including music and comedy.

Wow eefff the gym! I'm gonna have a freakn 6-pack by the end of this conference. Soo many good comedians! #coca2013 @yourCOCA

— Liv Meriano (@LivMeriano)

June 22, 2013

Norman, formerly the Chief Returning Officer of BUSU elections and referendum, is in a new role at BUSU as Special Events Coordinator.

The Brock University Gadfly (The BUG) is an independent intermedia publication founded in Spring 2013 which aims to provide news and commentary on issues that pertain to Brock University, student media, student governance and undergraduates.

While we have faith everyone has the best intentions, we operate under the premise that the proper function of the media is to modify the self-interest of those in power: to remind them that their actions will be recorded into the public record.

This foreknowledge of inevitable exposure (without necessarily the judgement of ‘good’ or ‘bad’, simply the facts) provides a sense of accountability and responsibility.

Brock University Students Administrative Council (BUSAC) debates and votes upon political policies which are presented to council. They have the function of providing continuity of agenda as one year's BUSAC membership transitions to the next, as well as signifying-- ostensibly through a democratic process--the direction that the undergraduates want to see things go in. It appears political policies have a three year shelf life. The active political policies are available in a document on the BUSU website.

Greek Life Policy - BUSU will "provide political assistance" to legitimize fraternities. Trimester Policy - BUSU will "advocate" for "more comprehensive" Spring/Summer semester. Modulated Budget Policy - BUSU "supports Dr. Lightstone's modulated budget initiative". SJC Policy - Specifies the Student Justice Centre referendum will be October 2013. Affordable Food Policy - defines and mandates BUSU begin "actively working" on strategies to provide "accessible" and "affordable" food options on campus.

We learn in the May 24 BUSU Board of Director minutes that the 'rape crisis centre' has lost its on-campus space. BUSU President Cooper Millard asks, "What happened to the space in the women's studies department?" The presenter (presumably "Em Firesmith") responds, "The math department needed an extra space, as such the women's studies space needed one back so we lost it."

BUSU General Manager Juliette Prouse queries, "Where are you hoping to get located?" The answer given is, "Somewhere central on campus, ideally with 24 hour access."

"Anywhere specifically?" Prouse prods.

The presenter says, "We need somewhere with a bit of space, multiple rooms to help address confidentiality."

Millard: "And if you can't?"

Presenter: "Women's studies is willing to give us enough space for counseling, a lot of our services need a space to be done well, but will still operate if we need to."

Adding, "Like if BUSU had to all operate from home, it could be done but it isn't ideal"

Aggarwal asks if money has been allocated for office space. This predictable circumstance did not have a contingency; the budget doesn't include a line item for rent. Firesmith says, "we expected to get a space for free."

At this meeting, A Safer Brock seeks $34,732 in start-up money from BUSU on May 24 to hire a coordinator starting June 1, and conduct other work ahead of Orientation Week in September.

When the presenter leaves the room the board of directors debate the loan. Prouse asks if Millard if he is "concerned about the fact there is a lack of space?" He says, "yes"

"I don't think we should give them money for the Admin Coordinator until they find space", Millard suggests. He turns to Vice President of Financial Affairs Christopher Yendt and asks, "What do you think, Fiscal Hawk?"

Yendt says "I'm not a big fan of the budget but the students voted for it, it is the democratic system that the students supported this."

First BUSAC meeting is tomorrow (Sunday) at 11 a.m. The agenda was posted in advance by @BusuGov (PDF of May 5 BUSAC Agenda) Here's a breakdown of it: Opening Procedures: "BIRT BUSAC Approves Josh Doan as BUSAC Speaker for the 2013-2014 term"; "BIRT BUSAC Approves Kayleigh Munro as BUSAC Deputy Speaker for the 2013-2014 term"; "BIRT BUSAC Approves the Agenda for the May 5th Meeting"; "BIRT BUSAC Approves the use of the 2012-2013 Standing Orders for the May 5th Meeting"; "BIRT BUSAC Approves the minutes of the April 9th BUSAC Meeting (2013-2014 term); Then there is Open Question Period which is anyone's opportunity to ask questions. There are no presentations or old business. In "new business", they will approve "BIRT BUSAC approves July 19th-21st as the July Retreat Dates" They will select an executive and two BUSAC Councilors to the BUSU Board of Directors; and select an executive for BUSR (Brock Radio) Board of Directors. They will Elect BUSAC members to various committees: Ethics Review Committee (3 BUSAC members) Appeals Committee (3 BUSAC members) Legislative Affairs (2 BUSAC Councillors), Finance Committee (3 BUSAC members) "BIRT BUSAC Submits the following slate to BUSR" - I'm not sure exactly what this means. Item 18, "BUSAC Over the Spring" states, "BIRT BUSAC Transfers its authority to the BUSU Board of Directors until the BUSAC July Retreat Meeting."