Every other week, your elected student government meets on Wednesday night to talk about issues concerning the AMS. Agenda items can seem long, mysterious and confusing without the proper background, making it difficult to see how these issues affect students. Here’s what to watch out for in the upcoming AMS Council meeting on November 7.
Presentations
Council will be getting presentations on the UBC Excellence Fund, the AMS Victoria lobby Trip and The Ubyssey.
The Excellence Fund provides resources for initiatives that help UBC attract the best faculty and students, support world-changing research and deliver an exceptional learning experience. The fund is projected to grow to in excess of $30 million per year by 2018/19.
AMS VP External will be presenting on her lobby trip to Victoria that focused on 3 areas: student financial aid, open educational resources and sexual violence and misconduct policies.
Council will hear about the role of The Ubyssey from news editors Alexandra Nguyen and Zak Vescera.
Code Changes
Council will vote on code changes on discipline votes, transition procedure and resources for student Senators and Board of Governors representatives.
Arising from business last council meeting, code changes are being made for procedure regarding disciplinary resolutions so that no member may vote on a resolution concerning himself or herself nor vote on a resolution to add the item to the agenda. They may participate in debate.
Last Council meeting, a motion of censure was brought against the AMS executive for having failed to follow bylaw for the AGM. Prior to voting on the motion, there was debate on whether the executives should be allowed to vote on a motion of their own censure. Council voted that the executives were in an apparent conflict of interest, and were therefore not allowed to vote. You can read more about it here.
There will be the removal of honoraria for transitioning for the roles of elections administrator and ombudsperson.
Additional resources will be made for student Board of Governors and Senate members include office space in the Nest for work and official purposes.
Discussion
There will be a discussion on the role of AMS Council and its relationship to the executive.
Hannah Xiao is a fifth-year science student, a student senator and a member of AMS Council.