Students’ Legislative Council

Your Students’ Legislative Council (SLC) is the SU’s highest governing body. Its authority comes from Section 95 of the Post-Secondary Learning Act, S.A. 2003 c.P-195. This Act authorizes the SLC to make bylaws and policies regarding membership, elections, governance structure, meetings, membership fees, the acquisition, management and disposition of property, appointments to committees and any other matters important to students. The SU represents over 25,000 undergraduates and is governed by elected officials who have successfully run in an annual SU Election. These elected officials sit on the SLC and their primary purpose is to represent your interests and address your concerns.

As part of the Students’ Union mandate to serve and represent undergraduate students, meeting agendas, support documents, and reports, made available regularly by the Students Legislative Council members are open to all to view. In addition to the monthly reports prepared by faculty representatives, the five executives produce trimester reports on the status of their goals and initiatives.

81ST SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS & REPORTS

Only upcoming documents are held in this folder. Past agendas and documents are in the archive section below.

How be be heard at SLC

  • The SU values the student voice. As such, we welcome students-at-large participation at SLC meetings. Every meeting has a designated, 10-minute period – called Statements and Questions from Students-at-Large – during which gallery members can make statements to or ask questions of their elected representatives. You can see when it is scheduled on the SLC agenda.

    When SLC gets to this period in their agenda, the Speaker will ask the gallery if there is anyone who would like to speak. In order to get your chance to do so, you need to raise your hand and wait to be called on by them. When called on, we ask that you try and be concise so that everyone gets a chance to speak. Please note that your statement or question will not appear in the meeting minutes. There are a couple of other ground rules you need to know:

    1. You must introduce yourself before saying anything else (your full name and your status on campus – such as “undergrad student” – will suffice). You will not be allowed to continue if you don’t do this.
    2. You can talk about anything you want, but you need to do so respectfully. You are not allowed to use profanity or to yell. You are not allowed to make personal attacks on specific SLC members. If you do any of these things, the Speaker may rule you out of order and cut you off.
    3. While SLC members are obligated to listen to you, they are not obligated to answer your questions. Because they don’t know what you will be saying in advance, they may not in fact know the answer. If you do receive an answer to a question, you are not allowed to respond to that answer unless the Speaker once again recognizes you to do so.
    4. You are accountable for what you say. The SU expects you to be honest and the Speaker may ask you to back up any assertions you make with evidence. If you’re only sharing your opinion on an issue, you should be fine.
    5. If time runs out before you get to speak, remember that there are many other ways that you can communicate with the SU:
      • Speak directly to your elected officials – their contact information is publicly available on the SU website and is published on every course outline.
      • Submit a policy proposal – any student can put forward an idea to improve how the SU functions. The Policy Proposal Submission Procedure is available on the SU website.
      • Referenda and plebiscites – any student can propose a referendum or plebiscite question they would like to see appear on the ballot during an SU election. The SU provides support for this and more information can be found on the SU website.

MINUTES AND AGENDAS ARCHIVE

Becoming an SLC Member

Each year, the Students’ Union (SU) holds a general election – an opportunity for U of C undergrads to elect those students they wish to represent their interests for the following academic year (May 1 to Apr. 30). Currently your SLC is made up of 25 members. Twenty of these members are Faculty Representatives, elected by students of their specific faculty. Five members are Executives, elected by all undergrad students (students-at-large). Visit Student Leaders for a list of your current elected representatives, roles and responsibilities and contact information.

SLC Meeting Times

Your SLC meets regularly to make decisions and address issues:

  • During the spring/summer sessions (with the exception of May, when Executive are being oriented to the SU), your SLC meets every second Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers.
  • During the fall and winter sessions, your SLC meets every Tuesday, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers (with the exception of exam weeks).

As part of the SU’s commitment to transparency and accountability when representing your interests, all SLC meetings are open to the general public. In addition, at anytime you can review the SLC agendas and minutes on this web site.

SLC Committees

Along with regular SLC meetings, your elected representatives are also involved in a number of SLC Committees. Throughout the year your SU is also looking for members from the general student population who may be interested in serving on a particular committee. SLC Committees are an extension of the SLC. Through committees, specific issues, programs or topics are discussed and deliberated in depth by those who have a vested interest, before the issue proceeds to SLC. SLC committees address a broad range of issues and topics including those related to academic policy, sustainability, clubs along with financial and awards recognition programs, among others. Each SU Committee has a terms of reference which is a type of policy passed by SLC that details the purpose of the committee, its size, membership qualifications and reporting requirements. An SLC committee functions under the SLC, and the SLC is ultimately responsible for the actions and outcomes of these committees. For more on SLC Committees visit our committees section.

The Cabinet and Staff

Your SU Executive is the main link between the SLC and the SU staff. The SLC sets the direction of the SU and the Executive. The SU employs approximately 47 full-time and 175 part-time staff. Staff members carry out the decisions that are made at SLC and undertake the day-to-day work of the SU as delegated by the General Manager. Management of all staff is delegated to the General Manager. The Cabinet oversees the General Manager’s performance including the position’s responsibility for managing day-to-day SU operations (programs and services) and ensuring all operations are in alignment with the SU’s Strategic Plan. The Cabinet consists of all Executives, the Human Resources Manager (non-voting) and General Manager (non-voting).