Publications holds AGM

Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications (WLUSP) held its annual general meeting in the Turret Thursday night, attracting more than 50 voting members.

Highlights were president Bryn Ossington’s “state of WLUSP” address, the official approval of WLUSP’s new organizational structure and the acclamation of president-elect Erin Epp along with directors-elect Judith Brunton, Mike Lakusiak, Tom Paddock and Jon Pryce.

Ossington, leaving WLUSP after four years of involvement and two years as president, used part of his departing address to event attendees to note that WLUSP has become a top-tier campus media group.

“I think we’re getting creepily close to being the premier student media organization in the country,” he said.

Other topics of interest in Ossington’s address included WLUSP’s need to seek more community sponsorship to increase revenue and the need to justify Blueprint magazine’s financial position, but he was sure to note that the organization as a whole is financially sustainable and is running at a profit.

WLUSP members had a chance to ask questions of Epp and the board of directors candidates, where the main concerns voiced included the lack of physical space available and the organization’s poor record recruiting and retaining volunteers.

Ossington spoke about his involvement in remedying WLUSP’s space problem. “To stay where we are is not an option … we can’t wait until 2014.”

He did say that the university was willing to work with Student Publications on new space, but that this space would not be available for at least several years.
In terms of recruitment and retention, Epp expressed hopes to further WLUSP’s professional development programs for volunteers to attract fresh faces to the organization.

First-year business student and director-elect Tom Paddock expressed his ability to be helpful in attracting new volunteers, “With WLUSP there’s so many different ways to get involved,” Paddock noted. “I’m able to bring other first-years in to the organization.”

Radio Laurier (RL) program manager and director-elect Judith Brunton noted her excitement for RL to finally have a voice within WLUSP management, declaring that she will “be able to assist Radio Laurier by being a voice for RL on the board, which hasn’t really happened so far.”

Jon Pryce, a current Wilfrid Laurier Students’ Union director, was also acclaimed to the WLUSP board and is excited to perform in a new role, noting that “this is going to be a new challenge for me.”

Explaining the relevance of his experience, he added, “Both boards are different in their own ways.”

Other highlights of the AGM included the unanimous decision to amend the constitution to allow for “lifetime” WLUSP memberships to be granted by a vote of the general members. The decision was made to allow the first lifetime membership to be awarded to Angela Foster, WLUSP’s former general manager who recently retired.

Another constitutional amendment changed the structure of the organization effective immediately, adding the position of publisher and combining the positions of president, a position currently held by Bryn Ossington, and chair of the board, which is now held by Jordan Hyde, until the end of the fiscal year.

Regarding the fact that each position was acclaimed, Epp laughed, leaving those assembled with a final note.

“I guess you’d rather have me than nobody.”