Michael Paolucci / McGill Tribune

Last Thursday, March 29, SSMU Council discussed the status of the lease on the Shatner Building.

 “We’ve been in negotiations about the lease since our mandate was not renewed some time in the first semester,” Emily Yee Clare, VP University Affairs, said.

 Last November, Council voted against accepting the administration’s current lease proposal, meaning that SSMU currently does not have a signed lease for the Shatner Building.

 In a closed council meeting, the council produced two mandates. The first stated that their general manager Pauline Gervais should attend all their lease negotiations and the second that they should release a public statement about the state of negotiations.

 “We didn’t get a lot of helpful response from the university for a while, but over the last few weeks we have started negotiating more successfully over key concerns,” SSMU President Maggie Knight said. “Our key concerns … largely address issues of financial security and for SSMU to be able to plan for its financial future. We are responsible for utilizing students’ money effectively.”

 “There will be a huge increase on SSMU’s side in terms of investment,” Clare said. “In Fall 2012 we will be likely going to referenda for the fee increase.”

 Knight explained that the increase will most likely take the form of two fee levees.

 “One will be an increase to the SSMU base fee to cover utilities costs, as the university is adamant that SSMU must pay for an increasing amount of its utilities,” Knight said. “[There may also be] a more short term fee levee to cover a capital investment in the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system.”

 Knight estimated an increase of five to 12 dollars per student, but emphasized that that is only a rough estimate as they are still in negotiation with the university.

 “If we’re a student union trying for accessible education, of course we want to keep fees down,” Clare noted.

 The council also discussed the student strike actions that have taken place at McGill.

A few people in the gallery expressed concern over the role that SSMU Council members and SSMU resources had played in the recent student actions.

 “Exactly how much of those funds were allocated to Mob Squad?” Kayla Herbert, U1 English, asked on hearing that some SSMU funds were put towards promoting accessible education.

 VP External JoÃl Pedneault explained that it would be impossible for SSMU to directly support Mob Squad, as they are not an official group.

“Mob Squad doesn’t exist the way people think it does,” Pedneault said. “Mob Squad is a Facebook page, a listserv. You can’t cut a check to Mob Squad, for example.”

 Shyam Patel, SSMU VP Finance and Operations, was unable to access the finance files during the meeting but encouraged any students with questions about the way SSMU money is spent to come to his office hours.

 The council also discussed the departmental strikes and picket lines and their effects on students.

 Senator Haley Dinel expressed concern over the complaints she received from students who were prevented from reaching their classes by hard picket lines.

 “I’m having a really hard time knowing what to tell them when they call me in a panic telling me they can’t reach their classrooms,” Dinel said. “They essentially don’t know if they have a space which is a safe space on their campus … When I have students coming to me saying they don’t feel safe in their buildings, that’s when I get concerned.”

“In regards to hard picketing, that is no way to garner support for your cause,” arts representative Justin Fletcher said. “Don’t interfere with their lives. Don’t drum, that is not a way to get anyone on your side.”

 Later in the discussion, a motion was put forward to release a statement condemning hard picketing. The motion did not pass, however, as council members raised concerns about respecting the authority of student associations.