Behind every student service at UW is the board of directors, the team at the core of Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) governance structure. Containing 13 student leaders, including the president, vice-president, and 11 elected directors, the board plays a huge role in shaping the direction of WUSA.

Board meetings happen monthly, with additional responsibilities throughout the year. In May, the directors met for a weekend retreat to kick off the term with goal setting and governance training. They finalized committee appointments and reviewed strategic priorities, compensation, and more.

One of the most notable decisions during the retreat has been the change of how directors are compensated for their time. 

According to Hannah Wardell, WUSA’s communications manager, “The board received legal advice indicating that linking director compensation to hours worked could create risks, including potential reclassification as employees.” Since only the president and vice-president are officially WUSA employees, the board moved to go over how the remaining directors are compensated.

Before 2025, directors submitted short written reports as a condition of their honorarium. “These reports had no quantitative basis and were often bland,” Wardell said.

Now, directors must log their hours, noting the date, duration, and task, in addition to submitting more comprehensive reports. This time log doesn’t directly affect how much they’re paid, but it’s mandatory and must align with their written summaries. Wardell emphasized, “Although compensation is no longer reduced if a director contributes fewer than the recommended hours each month, full disclosure of time committed is now mandatory.”

What counts as work? Directors must log hours spent on:

• Board and committee meetings
• Internal collaboration with peers and WUSA staff
• Policy research, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement
• Student outreach like surveys or feedback sessions 

WUSA has also put in place review and accountability measures the president now verifies time logs against written reports. Directors can also flag inconsistencies in each other’s submissions.

“During the 2025 AMM [Annual Members’ Meeting], an amendment permitting banked hours was passed. This will be maintained in spirit where gross hours are expected to balance out,” Wardell said. So, if a director is quieter during co-op but more active in off-term months, that’s okay, as long as contributions even out over the year.

Although the new system officially launches in July, directors have been handling the tool with a categorized template since May. “There is no agreed timeline for review,” Wardell noted. “But the system can always be amended if there are issues.”

This shift is about transparency and student trust. As Wardell put it, “Each director can now observe the quantity of hours committed by their fellow directors… This ensures a fair workload amongst board members.”