Here are notes from the regular AMS Council meeting of June 19, 2024:
Food Bank and SGM: Council heard statements from three students at large associated with Sulong UBC, a Filipino student group, about access to the AMS Food Bank for non-students and about the Special General Meeting (SGM) on the issue.
AMS President Christian Kyle responded to the statements, discussing the situation at the Food Bank and the handling of the SGM.
Kathleen Simpson, the Senior Manager of Student Services, provided details about the increased demand at the Food Bank and the challenges it faces in order to provide food to all the students in need.
Sustainability Priorities: AMS VP Administration Amy Liao and her team made a presentation to Council about sustainability issues for the coming year, mentioning carbon emissions, Indigenous relations, food waste, and ensuring the Nest is a safe and accessible space.
Volunteer Opportunities: AMS President Christian Kyle said that after receiving 200 student at large applications for AMS committees, he is working on creating more volunteer opportunities in the AMS.
Executive Dynamic: President Kyle said the new Executive has developed a good dynamic and will be holding an Executive retreat this summer in Whistler.
Working with Constituencies: VP Academic Drédyn Fontana said he is working with the VP Academics in the Constituencies, and VP Finance Gavin Fung-Quon said he is working with the Constituency VP Finances.
Campus Base and Clubs: VP Administration Amy Liao said clubs are being migrated away from the Campus Base platform, adding that new club applications opened June 17. Club orientation courses are also underway.
SUDS and Elections: VP External Ayesha Irfan told Council about the good engagement so far for the annual SUDS conference in August. She also said her team is planning for the upcoming provincial election and hopes to hold a leaders’ forum in the Nest. She added that there will be polling stations in the Nest.
Workday: VP Academic Drédyn Fontana said he is in conversations with the University Administration about the Workday platform, which UBC is now using for registration. The Archivist gave a historical update on how registration used to work in ancient times (e.g., 1949) before Workday.
Committees: Most of the committees reported that they are now meeting or about to meet. Governance Committee Chair Eshana Bhangu said her committee hopes to clean up Code and look at committee structures.
Next meeting:
The next regular Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 3, 2024 in the Michael Kingsmill Forum in the Nest at 6 pm.
Sheldon Goldfarb
Archivist & Clerk of Council
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