Substitute Speaker: In the absence of the regular speaker (Kareem Ibrahim), the chair was taken by Max Holmes, one of the student representatives on the Board of Governors.
Statements from Students at Large: There were two:
AMS President Chris Hakim said that the AMS is very clear in its message in support of democracy in this year of the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen, adding that the AMS will look again at keeping the wall up. VP Administration Cole Evans said a new place may be found for it.
Sustainability: Council received an update on sustainability from the VP Administration, in the form of a written submission. In response to a suggestion from Science representative Michelle Marcus, he said he would be happy to do a presentation at a later date on the new Sustainability Action Plan.
Annual General Meeting: AMS President Chris Hakim reported that everything went smoothly at the AGM; people even applauded after the Executives made their reports.
Later in the Council meeting some Councillors expressed disappointment that the announcement of the AGM again did not entirely follow the rules in Bylaws. AMS President Chris Hakim acknowledged the mistake and said he would be preparing a report for next year so this doesn’t happen again.
In the works: The AMS President also mentioned that his team is looking into a whistleblower policy, a rebranding of the AMS Ombudsoffice, and redesigning Councillor orientations, along with introducing orientations for committee chairs. He also said headway is being made on filling the vacancy on the Advisory Board.
More in the works: The Chair of the HR Committee, Riley Ty, said work is underway on hiring the elections team and on reviewing compensation for committee chairs.
Espresso machines: Managing Director Keith Hester said the new coffee machines have been installed, and he’s been told that the coffee tastes better than ever.
Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC): VP Administration Cole Evans updated Council on his review of the IFC. Key areas to look at have been established, including membership, structure, and liability.
Artworks: President Chris Hakim said the art sale committee (SHAPE) is rethinking which works the AMS should sell.
New Ombudsperson: The new Ombudsperson, Katrin Iacono, explained her role as one who tries to informally resolve issues between AMS members and who also handles complaints about the AMS.
Code changes: Council approved the removal of some outdated provisions from the Code of Procedure.
Name change: Council approved the new title for the President’s assistant on Indigenous issues: the Indigenous Student Engagement Facilitator.
No room, no room! Council approved a suspension of the rule requiring there to be an office for the student representatives on the Board of Governors and Senate, as the Nest currently doesn’t have capacity for this. VP Administration Cole Evans said there would be space next year.
Committees: There was discussion of what the committees are and are not doing. Reference was made to the lack of written reports. The lack of an orientation or transition for committee chairs was noted. Notice of motion was given to remove the chairs of three committees (Student Life, Operations, and Finance).
Next meeting: The next regular Council meeting will be at 6 pm on Wednesday, November 6, 2019 in the Michael Kingsmill Forum on the fourth floor of the Nest.
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