Here are notes from the regular AMS Council meeting of June 2, 2021 (held virtually on Zoom):
New Speaker: Neal Cameron chaired his first AMS Council meeting.
The Ubyssey: The Ubyssey gave its annual presentation to Council, explaining how to submit pieces for publication, discussing other procedures, and calling themselves a “hippie collective.”
AMS/GSS: Council approved an MoU between the AMS and the Graduate Student Society on lobbying. The MoU includes a clause under which, if the Undergraduates of Canadian Research-intensive Universities (UCRU) imposes a fee on its members, graduate students at UBC will not pay the fee, even though the AMS is now a UCRU member.
Residential Schools: AMS President Cole Evans noted the news out of Kamloops about 215 bodies found buried at the site of a residential school and said this was an emotional time for Indigenous people.
UBC Restarting? President Evans reported on a Town Hall on the pandemic at which cautious optimism was expressed about the school year.
And AMS Council Too? Council discussed the possibility of returning to in-person meetings or some sort of hybridized meetings, perhaps as soon as July. One Councillor asked if there would be snacks.
Committee Appointments: Committees were filled in an online vote. The President expressed disappointment in the turnout: only 60% of Councillors voted on Councillor appointments, and only 45% voted to choose the students at large to serve on the committees.
The standing committee chairs will be:
Advocacy: Eshana Bhangu (the VP Academic & University Affairs)
Governance: Katherine Feng (Science)
Operations: Katherine Feng (Science)
HR: Romina Hajizadeh (Arts)
Finance: Mary Gan (VP Finance)
Student Life: Emily Gubski (Medicine)
Steering: Cole Evans (President)
Fermentation Lab: AMS President Cole Evans, who is chairing the ad hoc Fermentation Lab Committee, said the ball has started rolling on this project after radio silence for a couple of years.
Fees and Waivers: Council reinstated the $21 AMS Athletics and Intramurals fee, rescinding last year’s waiver. At the same time it approved a partial waiver by the Commerce Undergraduate Society of its Constituency fee for Sauder students.
Next meeting:
The next regular Council meeting will be held on June 23, 2021 at 6 pm on Zoom.
Sheldon Goldfarb
Sheldon Goldfarb
Archivist & Clerk of Council
