New Ombudsperson! Council appointed Katrin Iacono to be the new AMS Ombudsperson.
Free Legal Clinic: Council heard a joint presentation from the Student Legal Fund Society (SLFS) and the Law Students Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) about a new free legal clinic for UBC students.
Council learned that the SLFS has $750,000 in its fund, derived from UBC student fees. When asked about lowering its fee, SLFS presenter Jerome Goddard said that is absolutely something the SLFS would consider.
Ubyssey 101: Representatives of the 101-year-old Ubyssey newspaper told Council how the paper works. It is mostly online now, and its once-a-week print edition may not last much longer, but Muse Greenwood, the rep from the Vancouver School of Theology, said her constituents would like to see it, so the Ubyssey presenters said they would look into delivery to VST.
Zero Waste: Dani Stancer, the AMS AVP Sustainability, updated Council on AMS implementation of UBC’s Zero Waste Foodware policy. This will include fees on non-reusable cups and containers, a switch away from plastic, and improved signage at recycling bins.
Strategic Plan: AMS President Chris Hakim unveiled the new AMS Vision Statement (“Building a community where every student feels supported, represented, and engaged”) and said work will now begin on developing values to support that vision, which will in turn inform AMS goals and actions for what is meant to be a long-term, five-year plan.
Climate Strike: President Hakim also announced that the AMS has signed on to the Climate Strike letter, and VP External Cristina Ilnitchi said lots of Executives are excited about the strike on Friday.
Norm Theatre: VP Administration Cole Evans said he is finalizing the date for the reopening of the theatre; he is just waiting for the final inspection. He also did a walkaround with a theatre consultant with a view to adding live theatre events to the Norm’s offerings.
Services Restarting: Student Services Manager Ian Stone announced that Tutoring, Speakeasy, and Vice have started up again.
Financial literacy: VP Finance Lucia Liang sent word that the financial literacy event was a huge success.
Union Agreement: Managing Director Keith Hester announced that the union has ratified the agreement for the workers in the Sexual Assault Support Centre.
Iwana Taco: The Managing Director also announced that the Mexican food outlet has reopened.
Committee Time: Council discussed how best to schedule committee meetings: Facebook messaging or email?
Divestment: Council heard from Board of Governors rep Max Holmes about the processes involved in divesting from fossil fuels.
Seagulls: In light of the recent news about a seagull named Birb on campus, and the call to rename UBC’s sports teams the Seagulls, the Archivist explained how the Ubyssey kept the name from becoming Seagulls in 1933. VP Admin Cole Evans then tried to move a motion to name Birb an honorary AMS member, but it was ruled out of order.
Executive Committee: Board of Governors rep Max Holmes expressed concern that, according to the submitted minutes, the Executive is meeting less often and for shorter times. He said it is important for transparency that Executive business be conducted at the official Executive meetings. AMS President Chris Hakim made a commitment to fix this by shifting more discussions to the official meetings.
Committee Reports: Governance Committee Chair Katherine Westerlund noted that she is one of the few chairs submitting the required monthly reports. If no one wants to do these, should we change Code? This led to a discussion of the number of hours chairs are supposed to work: should this (and their pay) be increased?
Back to news