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 9:
Changes to Elections
Following the spring 2017 elections, Council heard a series of recommendations presented on behalf of the Elections Committee. At this meeting, Council will be considering a series of changes to the Code of Procedure. They would change the way conflicts-of-interest are handled for members of the Elections Committee and change the process of the all-candidates meeting, as well as eliminate posters as an approved method of campaigning.
VP Academic Office Changes
In light of the resignation of the AMS VP Academic and University Affairs, Council will be considering a series of recommendations from the Human Resources Committee about temporary changes to the reporting structures and weekly hours of staff. Notable changes include the reports of some staff being shifted to the Associate Vice President Academic and University Affairs, as well as a decrease in hours for the interim VP Academic.
Appointments
As a result of vacancies on AMS committees, Council will be appointing some of its own members to the Advocacy and Human Resource Committees. AMS committees feature a combination of executive members, councillors and students-at-large. Council will also be considering a recommendation for a vacancy on the UBC Vancouver Senate for the Faculty of Land and Food Systems.
Jakob Gattinger, a fourth-year applied science student, is currently interim VP Academic for the AMS and a representative for engineering, as well as a student senator.