With a special General Assembly approaching this afternoon, the SSMU Executives want to provide more information to students regarding the impeachment motion to be presented, given how central the topic is to the student body. The motion seeks to remove SSMU President Dymetri Taylor from office.
On November 5th an initial motion was submitted to the SSMU Steering Committee titled the “Student Solidarity Strike Against Genocide in Palestine”. The Steering Committee concluded that the language was nearly identical to the Policy Against Genocide in Palestine (PAGIP), which has been under an injunction since November of 2023 (as summarized here).
November 8th, President Taylor sent an email incorrectly stating that any motion to strike in support of Palestine would violate the injunction against the PAGIP. The Executive Committee has communicated to President Taylor that this misconstruction of legal constraints was a serious misstep. President Taylor has since apologized for this mistake and will continue to accept accountability.
A new motion, titled “Strike in Support of Palestinian Liberation,” was submitted to the Steering Committee on November 13th. The motion was significantly revised per the guidelines provided by the SSMU and the Steering Committee. However, meeting the strike dates of November 25th to 29th was not possible due to logistical requirements, namely organizing a special general assembly, conducting a week-long referendum, and ratifying the results before proceeding with a public call to strike.
The legal opinion written by SSMU’s legal counsel on January 22nd, 2024, says SSMU should consult its lawyers before proceeding with motions relating to the PAGIP. In line with this legal guidance, the revised motion was sent to SSMU’s legal counsel for review on November 14th.
The special General Assembly is at 4 pm in the SSMU ballroom, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Signed,
The SSMU Executive Committee
