After a slight delay, the AMS’s new and improved website went live on September 18.
This summer, the AMS promised to update its website amidst the backlash of its since-reversed decision to shut down the SASC.
In particular, Student resource groups — including the Resource Groups Allocation Committee, the Pride Collective at UBC, the UBC Social Justice Centre, the Women’s Centre at UBC, Colour Connected Against Racism UBC and the AMS Bike Coop — called for this change in an open letter to the AMS.
AMS President Marium Hamid also said updating the website has been a long time coming.
“The prospect of renewing the AMS website has been there for a while now,” she said. The society hired Studiothink, a Vancouver-based web-design company, to help curate the transition between websites.
The website was meant to have been updated by August 27, but missed two deadlines. Hamid attributed them to the sheer volume of information that had to be transferred, restored and updated.
“We’re talking about a 100 years worth of work and history to a large extent to put into a website,” said Hamid. “To succinctly and effectively put it into a small number of pages is a difficult task, and we wanted to make sure we got it right.”
Changes to the website include information on the AMS’s various student services, a greater emphasis on student involvement and an overall more accessible interface.
The new website also clearly lists committee meeting times for AMS committees and even the food that is served during AMS council meetings.
“We hope that students are able to communicate with us, talk to us and have a conversation with us regarding what they see, what they like, what are some of the things they hope to change,” said Hamid.
UBC Pride and other resource groups did not respond to requests for comment.