Council Summary – June 19, 2019

Standing with the First Nations: Indigenous student Rodney Little Mustache made a statement to Council about the recent report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and said that after four years of advocacy he is disappointed that there are still no seats for Indigenous students on AMS Council.

Councillor Muse Greenwood of the Vancouver School of Theology stood up to show that Rodney does not stand alone, and most of the rest of Council stood with her.

AMS President Chris Hakim thanked Rodney for his dedicated service and said that if the Indigenous Committee officially requests it the AMS Executive will support an Indigenous seat on Council.

 

Budget!  After vigorous debate Council passed the AMS budget for 2019-20 and directed two of its committees to review the budgeting process.

 

Executive Goals: Council approved the Executive’s 2019-20 goals, which include making the AMS data-driven and expanding communications.  Other goals include:

 

  • Sexual violence support
  • Inclusion of Indigenous voices
  • Climate Justice and Sustainability
  • Making the student experience affordable by looking at tuition, open educational resources, grants, etc.
  • Producing an AMS Strategic Plan
  • Prioritizing equity and accountability
  • Promoting holistic approaches to student well-being
  • Amplifying student voices nationally by working with the Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities (UCRU)
  • Advocate for implementation of the provincial mental health hotline
  • Long-term housing advocacy
  • Increasing provincial funding for postsecondary education
  • Creating a secure financial transfer system for Clubs and Constituencies
  • Implementing the AMS sustainable investment policy
  • Introducing programs to improve students’ financial literacy
  • Improving the usability of the Nest
  • Pursuing capital projects such as renovating the Clubs Resource Centre and refurbishing the Norm Theatre
  • Developing the AMS’s art assets
  • Lowering barriers to access to the Student Services.

 

AMS Student Lounge: Council approved a $57,000 renovation project to transform the current Clubs Resource Centre into the AMS Student Lounge.  It also directed the VP Administration to report back on metrics to evaluate the success of the transformation.

 

Sustainability: Council approved the year’s sustainability priorities, including the creation of a Sustainability Action Plan, revising last year’s Student Driven Sustainability Strategy, creating a resource document for Clubs and Constituencies, and redefining sustainability.

 

Next meeting: The next regular Council meeting will be at 6 pm on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 in the Michael Kingsmill Forum on the fourth floor of the Nest.

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