Every few weeks, your elected student government meets on a 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 August 1.
Presentations
Based on the 2018 Academic Experience Survey Insights West Report, 27 new recommendations will be presented. Some include supporting campus groups with resources when dealing with sexual violence, hosting student consultations on how UBC and AMS can better serve the needs of students, lobbying for increased affordability and transit accessibility, as well as marketing services and on-going advocacy efforts via a variety of channels to increase engagement
Policies
The policies covered include the E-10 Mental Health Advocacy Policy, which directs goals relating to advocating to UBC and provincial government for increased mental health support and resources. The other covered policy will be the E-2 Environment & Climate Change Advocacy Policy which outlines the AMS’ stance on environmental and climate issues, including Climate Change Advocacy, UBC Divestment from Fossil Fuels and Zero Waste Advocacy. AMS intends to convey the urgency and severity of the global climate crisis to the broader UBC community. The AMS also intends to adopt the stance that the university should take all possible measures to forgo future investments in fossil fuels divest all fossil fuel holdings within five years. Finally, the Land Acknowledgment will be renamed the Territorial Acknowledgment and will be done before the agenda is adopted.
SASC Discussion
This discussion will follow the press release with the summary of all the details about the town hall held on July 5. Read the document here.
Sarah Park is a fifth-year science student and a member of AMS Council.