Here are notes from the AMS Council meetings of January 16 and January 25, 2023:
January 16 was a special meeting at which Anisha Sandhu was appointed Interim Vice-President Academic and University Affairs, replacing Dana Turdy.
The rest of the items are from January 25.
Fixing Reimbursements: Council heard a presentation from Peter Guo of MNP, the consultants providing advice on how to fix the problem with reimbursements, and then approved an expenditure of up to $120,000 to deal with the problem.
Elections: Elections Administrator Max Holmespresented the dates for the upcoming elections and said he would like to bring back postering to increase turnout. He also wants to eliminate unnecessary rules and would like to modify the recent Code change banning non-students from participating in election campaigns: he would like to allow non-student AMS staff and staff in clubs to take part.
Advocacy Committee: Council appointed Anisha Sandhu as Chair of the Committee.
Budget Amendment: Council learned that the Finance Committee has approved funding for a new laptop charging station in the Nest.
Pocket Lounges and Microwaves: VP Admin Ben Du said he ran two roadshows to gather in-person feedback concerning development of the Nest’s pocket lounges and increasing the number of microwaves.
Rent Increases: In response to a question from Science rep Salva Sherif, AMS President Eshana Bhangu said the rent increases of up to 8% in UBC student housing are to help recover from a deficit caused by a rent freeze during the pandemic. She said the AMS has voiced opposition to the increase, but if it has to happen it should be for no more than inflation and there should be bursaries to help students affected.
Bylaw changes: President Bhangu presented a draft of proposed changes coming out of the governance review process, including a plan to reduce the size of Council.
Action Items: A presentation on Campus Vision 2050 was announced.
Next meeting:
The next regular Council meeting will be on Wednesday, February 1 in the Michael Kingsmill Forum in the Nest at 6 pm.
Sheldon Goldfarb
Archivist & Clerk of Council
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