Students’ Council censures Undergraduate BoG Rep Sangram Hansra

Students’ Council censured Undergraduate Board of Governors (BoG) Representative Sangram Hansra on Tuesday evening for “creating an environment in which students felt unsafe or intimidated” and “compromising the Students’ Union advocacy efforts.”

Council approved the motion in a secret ballot, with 21 votes in favour and 12 votes opposed after debating the issue for approximately three hours in a private, in-camera session.

To censure means to formally disapprove of a member in a legislative body.

SU Vice-President (Operations and Finance) Cory Hodgson and Faculty of Arts councillor Marina Banister moved to censure Hansra after several people approached them, who provided anonymous testimonials regarding Hansra’s behaviour as an elected representative of the undergraduate student body. The testimonials were provided to council after they moved in camera due to the sensitive nature of the allegations made against Hansra.

Censuring Hansra was “symbolic in nature,” Banister said Tuesday, after council approved of her motion on their last meeting of the academic year.

“Censuring distances someone from an organization,” she said. “We’re symbolically saying the Students’ Union wants to distance themselves from perceived actions.”

Since the anonymous testimonials were provided in camera, they could not be released to the public on Tuesday.

Hansra was elected as Undergraduate BoG rep last March, and has represented undergraduates on the U of A’s BoG, the highest decision making body on campus. Prior to being elected as BoG rep, Hansra served several terms as a Students’ Council Faculty of Law and Faculty of Science councillor.

Hansra, who left council chambers after Students’ Council moved ex camera, declined to comment.

Banister, who told The Gateway she voted in favour of the motion on her secret ballot, said she “wholeheartedly believes it was the most appropriate thing to do.”

“Prior to this process, people approached me indicating that they felt this was a good thing to do … as a result, I went about things,” she said.

“Based off of the testimonials, I believe we made the right decision.”

More to come.