Direct democracy will be on full display on Thursday’s General Assembly, which will take place at 6 p.m. in the Shatner Building cafeteria. The GA, which is held once a semester, give students a chance to share their opinions and vote on resolutions proposed by fellow students and member of the Students’ Society Council. As usual, the motions submitted run the gamut from serious to silly.

Resolution regarding Gender Parity

This resolution would abolish the current policy that allocates speaking privileges at SSMU Legislative Council and at General Assemblies to males and non-males in alternating order.  Billy Farrell, who wrote the motion, said that speaking privileges should no more be determined on the basis of gender than on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other similar characteristic.

“When you actually stop and think about it, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.   

Resolution regarding AUS Fundraiser

If passed, this motion would require SSMU to hold a bake sale for the AUS in order to rescue it from debt. This year’s AUS inherited a $50,000 deficit from last year’s executive, and has incurred major losses this year from Frosh and a federal back-tax seizure.  

“Our faculty societies are important, and it’d be good for SSMU to show solidarity with them,” said Farrell, who also wrote this motion.  

Resolution regarding Gert’s Renovations

The most far-fetched motion at this year’s GA would mandate Gert’s to install a stripper pole and host an “Amateur Night” every Thursday if it passed.  Paul Nobel, the author of the motion, said that it was a serious attempt to “differentiate Gert’s from other bars,” but it is clearly one of the many half-serious motions that always appear at the GA.  

Resolution regarding Liability

A joke motion with a serious punchline.  In light of recent disputes over SSMU clubs and services’ right to use the McGill name, the motion proposes that SSMU rename itself the “Students’ Society of the Educational Institute Roughly Bounded by Peel, Penfield, University, Sherbrooke, and Mac Campus,” or SSTEIRBBPPUSAMC.  It would make no changes that would cost anything, and SSMU would not have to design a new logo.  

“The changes would be in all communications,” said author Eli Freedman, “most importantly in communication [of] the administration. Using this foreign or unknown acronym they’ll need to explain why it was [passed], and that explanation will include addressing the issue at hand, which is the liability concerns.”

Freedman said that the motion would be a way to comment on McGill’s tight-fisted use of its name, and a way to promote the GA as a forum open to any constitutional motion, however silly it might be.  

Resolution regarding Student-Run Printing Services

In an effort to promote student-run initiatives, this resolution would redirect overflow on the SSMU office printer to Copi-EUS, the only student-run printing service on campus.

Resolution regarding Maintenance of SSMU Liquor Licence

In Quebec, liquor licences have to be held by either Canadian citizens or Quebec permanent residents.  SSMU’s Legislative Council currently oversees its liquor licence, but as members of Council are not required to be Canadian citizens or Quebec permanent residents, SSMU is currently violating this law.  If passed, the resolution would create a new board of directors that meets the requirement to hold the license.  

If the resolution does not pass, SSMU may face punishment from the province.   

“It’s important for us to be square with the law,” said SSMU President Zach Newburgh, who wrote the resolution.

Resolution regarding Volume in Gert’s

In response to complaints from patrons, this resolution would require Gert’s to keep the music volume below 60 decibels, except during special events.  

“We want to be able to talk there,” said resolution author Alan Cyril.  

Gert’s manager Natasha Geoffrion-Greenslade, however, said that the resolution would not be a good way to solve the problem.   

“Obviously for a lot of events you don’t want blaring music, but music is very important for creating an ambience,” she said. “I really think it should be judged on a case-by-case basis by the manager on the floor.”