May 1, 2025
Dear UTFA Colleagues,
Fifty regular UTFA members in good standing have requested a General Meeting of the UTFA President by petition. This General Meeting is to be held on Thursday, May 8, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The 50 members have set the topic as University Pension Plan (UPP) Divestment.
The President and Executive have called this meeting in accordance with Article 10.2.iv of the UTFA Constitution, which contains the provision for member-requested general meetings:
10.2 The President shall call other general meetings of the Association (i) as directed by the Annual General Meeting, (ii) as directed by the Council, (iii) as directed by the Executive Committee or (iv) at the written request to the President of fifty regular members of the Association, the request to be accompanied by the proposed agenda of the meeting. (emphasis added)
Article 10.3 of our Constitution further explains that the agenda for the General Meeting shall be as proposed in the members’ request. Article 10.8 provides that Robert’s Rules of Order will govern the conduct of our Association meetings (provided the Rules are not inconsistent with the Constitution or the Bylaws). Therefore, the agenda for the General Meeting will be as follows. (See the hyperlink at item 3 for the main motion.)
Agenda
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Land acknowledgment (UTFA Executive) (5 mins)
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Opening remarks and clarification on use of technology (UTFA Executive) (10 mins)
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Presentation of the motion (by UTFA members of the UPP Divestment Campaign) (25 mins)
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Clarifications/questions on motion (up to 10 mins but these must be strictly clarification questions)
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Discussion (45 mins)
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Timed Item: 3:35 P.M. Closing debate and voting (25 mins)
The meeting will be held in person at the OISE Auditorium, located on the ground floor, Room G-162, at 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto. We encourage those members who can attend in person to do so. We also recognize the need to accommodate those who are unable to attend in person and are providing an online Zoom option that will allow full participation, including voting.
You must be an UTFA member in good standing to attend the meeting, and to allow UTFA staff to verify your membership, you must register in advance using your University of Toronto email address. Only those attending the meeting (in person or online) will be eligible to vote. To register for the meeting, please click here. When your membership has been verified, you will receive a confirmation email. We will also send you additional information on how to vote.
All attendees who register will be provided with a Zoom link, allowing them to vote using a secure electronic means, Zoom Polls. You must bring your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to the in-person meeting to be admitted to the Zoom Poll, added to the speakers’ list, and to vote. All attendees, whether attending in person or online, are required to log into Zoom at the beginning of the meeting so they can vote.
Please note that UTFA will have no electronic devices on hand at OISE to lend to attendees who do not bring their own.
UTFA is a democratic and rules-based Association that highly values the will of its membership. As your Executive, we strongly encourage your participation in this member-driven meeting.
Sincerely,
The UTFA Executive