Here are notes from the regular AMS Council meeting of July 21, 2021:
In Person! For the first time since the beginning of COVID, Council met in person, at least in part. About 15 people showed up in the Council Chambers, and the rest attended on Zoom. AMS President Cole Evans said he thought the hybrid meeting went relatively smoothly.
Budget: Council approved the 2021-22 budget, with a projected deficit of $784,000: less than was projected in the preliminary budget. In response to a question from Councillor Max Holmes, Managing Director Keith Hester said there will be a staggered reopening of AMS businesses. Those open now will continue to be open; others will reopen in October.
Masks and Vaccines: At the request of Eshana Bhangu, the VP Academic & University Affairs, Council approved a motion and a letter calling on the University to mandate vaccinations for those living in student residences and to require masks in large lecture halls.
More on Masks: Council discussed whether to modify the AMS policy requiring masks in the Nest. The consensus was not to modify the policy. Signs will go up saying that masks are required, but staff will not be expected to actively enforce the requirement.
Code changes: Council approved changes to remove fee listings from the Code (while ensuring they appear on the website) and to remove the student-at-large member from the Steering Committee. Council also tweaked the rules for remote attendance and email voting.
Services: Student Services Manager Mitchell Prost said the Services this year will focus on marketing to make sure students know what services we offer and will especially focus on outreach to the affiliated colleges.
First Week: Events Manager Rish Das said orientations this year will continue throughout September to cater to more students and will include over 30 events, mostly in person, in contrast to last year’s mostly virtual offerings. Among the events will be an “Almost” Welcome Back Barbecue, a free in person event featuring local talent.
Air Conditioning: Michael Kingsmill, from the AMS Design Office, explained a proposed $250,000 project to add more air conditioning in the Nest.
Indigenous Culture Month: AMS President Cole Evans announced that plans are underway for a month to highlight Indigeneity (in October).
Strategic Plan: President Evans said he has been talking to the Advisory Board about creating a strategic plan.
Information on the Move: Managing Director Keith Hester said the “Information” touch screen on the main floor of the Nest has been moved to the third floor and replaced by a central ordering app for AMS businesses.
Advisory Board: President Cole Evans said each member of the Executive has been assigned a mentor from the Advisory Board.
Brewery: President Evans said that with the brewery project having received final approval from the UBC Executive Committee (it still has to go to the UBC Board of Governors), the AMS is sending out Requests for Information to breweries, which would then lead to Requests for Proposals.
Presidents Council: President Evans said he is looking into the model of having a different Constituency host each month.
Board of Governors: President Evans and Board of Governors student rep Max Holmes discussed what could be done to have more Board of Governors items discussed in open session rather than behind closed doors.
Committee minutes: Max Holmes urged committee chairs to submit minutes and reports.
Next meeting:
The next regular Council meeting will be held on August 4, 2021 at 6 pm.
Sheldon Goldfarb
Archivist & Clerk of Council
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