Our History

A Brief History of the AMS

Great Trek 1922

UBC’s student body turns out in force in the famous 1922 Great Trek through the streets of Vancouver.  The march helped convince the provincial government to contribute the money to create the current UBC Vancouver campus in Point Grey.

  • September 30, 1915: First classes at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in its temporary location at Oak and 10th near the Vancouver General Hospital.
  • October 15, 1915: Formal constitution of UBC’s student organization, the Alma MaterSociety (AMS).
  • October 17, 1918: The Ubyssey, the student paper published originally by the AMS, puts out its first issue.
  • October 28, 1922: The Great Trek. Students march to call on the government to build a new campus.
  • September, 1925: New UBC campus opens in Point Grey on the western tip of Vancouver.
  • April 27, 1928: The AMS incorporates as a non-profit society and embarks on fundraising campaigns to build athletic facilities on campus.
  • January 31, 1940: Official opening of Brock Hall, the first UBC student union building,paid for largely by funds raised by the AMS.
  • September 26, 1968: Opening of the second Student Union Building (the SUB),replacing “the Brock”; again paid for largely by AMS funds.
  • February, 2003: The AMS gets an inexpensive bus pass system, the U-Pass, put in place.
  • March, 2008: A student referendum approves spending on a new Student Union Building, scheduled to open in 2014.
  • Want to learn more about the AMS. Take a look at our full timeline.
  • March, 2008: A student referendum approves spending on a new Student Union Building, scheduled to open in 2014.

Compiled by Sheldon Goldfarb, AMS archivist.