This workshop, led by Serge Haddad, Lara Saikali, and Kristel Bou-Lahoud, gave the students the resources necessary to run their club meetings.  The team and select student volunteers acted out several scenarios that might occur during a ULC meeting. Kristel and Lara were on opposing sides of a debate. 

At the mock-ULC meeting, a motion was introduced that was meant to be controversial.  The goal of each group was to convince the attendees to vote in their favor.  Serge gave a brief overview of what a motion is, and how to discuss, pass, amend and properly debate it during a club meeting.

The scene was played out with the start of a ULC club meeting with Serge acting as a moderator. Lara and Kristel’s groups would come late to the meeting and loudly enter, interrupting an ongoing club meeting. The moderator would (in most cases) be unable to contain and control the interruption at which point Serge would take over as moderator.

The hypothetical motion made by Kristel’s team consisted of moving $500 from the $1500 ULC hafleh budget to create club t-shirts. An objection from Lara’s team would immediately follow that to which Serge would point out that a second is needed before any discussion was held. The motion would be debated and an amendment from Kristel’s team would be suggested to decrease the amount from $500 to $300 since LCN would give the club $200 for putting the LCN logo on their club shirts. A move and second would take place and discussion would ensue on the new amendment. Once discussion was complete, a vote would take place on the amendment and main motion.

It was a fun exercise in which the students learned about motions, amending a motion, discussion procedures and policies, calling the question, and general meeting decorum.   Each attendee received a pamphlet on parliamentary procedures and running effective meetings. This regular workshop has influenced ULCs to reorganize their meetings formats and accomplish more.