Here are notes from the regular AMS Council meeting of August 23, 2023 and the special meeting of August 29, 2023:
PC1 and PC2: Heated debate on the proposed revised versions of the policies on sexualized violence and respectful community resulted in the early adjournment of the regular meeting August 23. The discussion resumed at a special online meeting on August 29. Many guests were present on both occasions, voicing their opposition to the revised versions, and in the end Council voted to postpone them indefinitely.
CM4: A policy that did pass was the revised version of CM4 on communication with the Musqueam. Revisions included changing the liaison person from the Policy Advisor to the Communications Manager.
Code changes: Council approved changes to eliminate external policies, since these are not used anymore, and to specify that the Speaker is a non-voting member on the Agenda Committee and the committee for Executive Performance and Accountability (EPA).
Senate appointments: Council recommended that Samuel Kenston be appointed as the student senator representing the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and that David Qi be appointed as the student senator representing the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Budget amendment: Council approved a $10,000 budget amendment to cover the cost of hiring a Campaigns and Community Outreach Commissioner reporting to the VP Academic & University Affairs.
Health & Dental Plan: At the August 23 meeting a long discussion took place concerning revisions to the Health & Dental Plan necessitated by continuing financial difficulties. AMS President Esmé Decker reported that the AMS/GSS Health & Dental Committee had decided to decrease coverage for dental work, eyeglasses, and psychological counselling sessions. Discussion focused on the decrease in coverage for counselling sessions from 100% to 80%. There were suggestions that it might be better to retain the 100% coverage per session and instead reduce the overall benefit from $1250 to $1,000. The AMS President said she would take the feedback back to the Health & Dental Committee.
Next meeting:
The next regular Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 13 in the Michael Kingsmill Forum in the Nest at 6 pm.
Sheldon Goldfarb
Archivist & Clerk of Council
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