The two motions on the agenda were not passed due to low attendance
Photo by Sage Blackwell.
On Feb. 26, 2026, the UVSS held their Semi-Annual General Meeting (SAGM). The SAGM is a special meeting where students can vote on special resolutions, rather than just the board of directors. However, the meeting never hit quorum — the minimum attendance needed for a vote on special resolutions to occur.
Quorum for the UVSS’ general meetings is 0.06 per cent of the student body, which was 110 attendees, according to Lindsey Andrew, director of events. The Martlet recorded a peak attendance of 50 people at the meeting.
This year’s SAGM only had two motions. One motion, put forward by Jonah Arnold, interim director of finance and operations, was to update Bylaw 8, which outlines the duties and responsibilities of lead directors. If passed, this motion would have required lead directors to respond to staff, students, and university administration in a timely fashion (3–5 business days), participate in hiring committees, host regular office hours, and more.
In a joint statement to the Martlet, Andrew and Katie King, director of student affairs, said the motion was put forward to “better reflect the duties and expectations for lead Directors.”
During the SAGM, Michael Caryk, interim director of campaigns and community relations, said that some of the initiatives done under the outreach portfolio “weren’t even done by the outgoing outreach director themself. ”
Caryk cited an initiative done under the outreach portfolio, which he said was his idea. The initiative had Alumo — the UVSS’ insurance provider — sponsor the annual general survey and provide a dollar per response to the campus food bank. The initiative resulted in $1 321 being raised as of the SAGM.
Griffin Foster, whose resignation from the outreach and university relations position was officially accepted on Feb. 2, told the Martlet that the dollar per response idea was Caryk’s, but also credited Laila Casado, the UVSS’ HR manager, for helping secure the donation with Alumo.
Foster said that “the outreach portfolio, “like all UVSS portfolios,” is a group effort, with input from other positions, and that he sourced “ideas, input, and critical insight from all committee members.”
Foster said he “approached [his] role in new ways that often frustrated those accustomed to the methods of [his] predecessors.” He also told the Martlet that he is confident he served the students of UVic to the best of his abilities.
The other motion, put forward by Caryk, was to remove faculty representatives from the UVSS bylaws and constitution, as the position no longer exists following the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in October last year.
Andrew and King said that students will be unaffected by this policy not passing, as it was “just an update to the language in the bylaws” to reflect the removal of faculty representatives.
Andrew and King attributed the low attendance to “end of year burnout,” and the fact that there were only two special resolutions put forward.
During the SAGM’s question period, an attendee asked how the meeting was promoted. Andrew responded, saying the UVSS does not use the social media platform Reddit, but they had been working hard to promote the meeting. She also noted that the director of outreach and university relations position was vacant, requiring other directors to take on that position’s duties.
King and Andrew told the Martlet that the SAGM was promoted via the UVSS and SUB Instagram pages, their newsletter, email blasts, posters around campus, and tabling.
During the AGM last October, the UVSS faced criticism for numerous issues, including a lack of accessibility due to the chat function being disabled, and a lack of consultation with marginalized groups on the failed decolonization and anti-racism policies, respectively.
The Martlet asked the UVSS if they had incorporated feedback from the AGM into the SAGM. Andrew and King said they tried to accommodate student requests as best they could, which included allowing attendees to communicate via the chat function. Though communication was limited, attendees could directly message Andrew to ask questions, so they did not need to verbally ask questions.
Initially, there was some technical difficulty, resulting in attendees not being able to message Andrew. However, it was resolved after a few minutes.
Although the meeting did not hit quorum, Andrew and King told the Martlet they were “thankful” for everyone who attended the SAGM, and said they will “continue to explore ways to best promote this and future events to students.”
