A Richmond student paved the path which led to the downfall of the Kwantlen Student Associations (KSA) former board of directors.
Sasha Mirza, who was on the ousted board, moved the motion at a special general meeting (SGM) last week at the Surrey campus to impeach 12 council members from the controversy-ridden KSA.
The Kwantlen Student Associations board of directors have brought shame and embarrassment to the Kwantlen community, said Mirza, according to the polytechnic universitys newspaper The Runner.
Mirza is now on the newly formed board of directors, voted into office unanimously by more than 300 students at a fiery and tense SGM.
She also criticized the former board for dropping the civil case that alleged former KSA directors and staff members had misused more than $2 million in student fees to commit mismanagement and breach of fiduciary duty.
And Mirza further attacked them for not revealing that some board members were directly related to defendants in the case.
Kwantlen students deserve so much better, Mirza added.
They need to be reminded that it is us, the students, who are in charge of the Kwantlen Student Association and not them.
Nina Kaur, spokeswoman for the former KSA board, claimed the Nov. 30 meeting was invalid because their director of operations had already called an SGM for Dec. 5.
We (the former board) have already consulted legal counsel and will be paying for it out of our own pockets, she told the News, indicating they intend to take their fight all the way to the BC Supreme Court. I hope (the new board) will be doing the same and paying for (legal counsel) themselves.
But the new boards director of external affairs, Arzo Ansary, said the procedures leading to the Nov. 30 SGM were followed to the letter.
Were just trying to run the day-to-day operations of the KSA now and figuring out what needs to be done, she said.
The SGM was delayed due to fire alarms and a pepper spray bomb being set off, leading to angry verbal exchanges outside the meeting between rival factions.
Meanwhile, university officials have confirmed they have suspended 13 students, all former members of the KSA.
The university has also launched an investigation.
As members in bad standing, all 26 are barred from running and voting in future student association elections.
The KSAs current board now consists of nine students, including the four remaining council members who were not up for impeachment: Langley campus director Jennifer Campbell, Langley representative Ken McIntyre, Richmond representative Corbin Mountford and Richmond representative Mirza.
With files from Amy Reid, Surrey Now
