Council of Order Awards 2024-25

Dear students,

I am writing as the Chair of the Council of Order to inform you of the decision to grant the inaugural Council of Order awards. The Council of Order Awards are granted by the Council of Order to members of Assembly, the Society or the University, who have made unique, invaluable and outstanding contributions to the Internal Affairs Office by virtue of their commitment to good governance, or the support they offered to the Council of Order. These awards are established to recognize and encourage members to interact positively with and support the Internal Affairs Office.

The Council unanimously voted on the following award decisions:

Owen Rocchi is the 155^th AMS President, and throughout his term, has served the AMS in full compliance with the Constitution, as the bedrock of AMS governance, advocating for accountability and good governance for the Society. President Rocchi joined the AMS and was handed the responsibility of the oversight of the Internal Affairs Office, which in the early summer days was riddled with inefficiencies, lack of transparency. In the past eleven months, President Rocchi has supported every initiative to increase transparency of the office and has gone above and beyond to ensure that members of the office have a safe working environment in which their work is valued and respected. In moments where the autonomy and independence of sub-units of the office were called into question, President Rocchi ensured the good governance of the Society, by promoting the arms-length distance of the office from the Society.

As the office celebrates its 10^th anniversary, it has seen significant changes: from the addition of the Chief Governance Officer and Chief Returning Officer, to the changes in the JCOMM’s Hiring – President Rocchi has aligned the changed with the needs of students for fair and transparent proceedings. Between all the overhauls of the Elections, Judicial, Assembly policies, the public coverage of judicial case work, and the difficult moments – President Rocchi was present throughout it all to offer support. To members of the office who get lost in the depth of the policy, President Rocchi has reminded us of the student perspective. His support for strengthening Assembly as an accountability body, and advancement of key initiatives such as the Streaming of Assembly, and the Assembly Themes– in which different equity deserving groups were invited to speak to Assembly, has been crucial to a year with 15 Assemblies and setting up the AMS for a stronger and democratic governance system.

Owen – You have truly been the President the Internal Affairs Office has needed this year, and working with you has been a pleasure.

Katarina Bojic has served as the 2024-25 Director of Communitions. From the start of her term, Katarina has supported and advanced the transparency of the Internal Affairs Office. This past year, more than ever, the Internal Affairs Office has seen the release of public statements, and reminders informing students of key changes in governance, and important upcoming dates. Throught the late nights, and last-minute developments, Katarina’s patience and understanding of the nature of the jobs in the Internal Affairs Office has contributed positively to the initiative, morale and teamwork in the office. In difficult moments, and in response to media requests, Katarina has made herself available to guide the public relations of the autonomous units ensuring clear communication. In moments of doubt or worry, Katarina has shared her strength and encouraged us to do what is right – to serve the students in our mandate of impartiality and neutrality.

Katarina’s flexibility, kindness, and guidance has been instrumental in the improved transparency of AMS governance -while no one sees the work done behind the scenes by Katarina, the Council of Order has unanimously agreed and expresses deep gratitude and appreciation for your work.

Sahana Thangathurai is recognized by the Order of Outstanding Engagement, for her roles on the Student Activity Fee Review Committee and Sustainability Action Fund Committee. In September 2024, and after no member of Assembly volunteer to sit on the SAF Review Committee, which allocates three seats for Assembly members, the October 2024 Assembly concluded following a 4 hour meeting in which all groups initially assessed by the SAF Review Committee had to present to Assembly in recognition of the lack of membership on the committee. After multiple calls for members to join, Sahana took one for the team – and was for the majority of the year, the only member of Assembly on both SAF committees.

Sahana’s joining of the SAF committees, and the subsequently shorter January Assembly is not why she earned this award. Throughout her time as a member of Assembly, Sahana did not miss any meetings of the committees she was on. In each committee, her contributions showed well-reasoned opinions that are driven by the needs of her constituents. As a Commerce Representative to Assembly, Sahana advocated for the interests of her students, and engaged with the Assembly committees with excellence.

This award is granted for her self-less and consistent commitment to her role, and Assembly.

Amelia Redmond has served within the Student Conduct Office as a Case Manager for approximately three years. Throughout her time, Amelia developed a close working relationship with the Judicial Affairs Office, and has offered members of this office guidance, mentorship and support. When facing complex or difficult cases for the first time, Amelia has always made herself available to review policy with the JAO and ensure that the JAO adheres to the policy and procedures, as well as the principles of procedural fairness. Amelia’s flexibility and guidance, including all the short-notice, and on a few occasions long-meetings to discuss complex cases has been instrumental to the success of JAO in the past two years.

As a system that values educational outcomes, and students learning from other students, the Council commends Amelia for the invaluable learning experience she provided to students who work with and learn from the expertise of the Student Conduct Office.

Signed on behalf of:

Sylvie Garabedian   Chair & Secretary of Internal Affairs

Emma Capstick     Chief Governance Officer

Andrew Anderson   Chief Returning Officer

Rebekah Feldman   Chief Electoral Officer

Bella Quitazol       Judicial Disputes Manager

Ahnaf Khan        Speaker of Assembly

Simi Oluwole        Judicial Committee Chair (ex-officio, non-voting)