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 taking place on March 1:
Student services review
Council is being asked to approve a series of 75 recommendations outlined in a comprehensive review of all the services the AMS offers. In addition to requiring a services review every three years, the report suggests that future reviews be carried out by someone reporting to the AMS president. Furthermore, there are a series of measures to increase AMS Service’s accountability to AMS Council. The report also recommends that Volunteer Avenue cease to exist as a service, citing strong overlap with the Centre for Student Involvement & Careers.
Ad hoc committee on constituency relations
Having received a presentation from the committee chair a few weeks back, AMS Council will be considering recommendations to refine its relationship with constituencies. Of the 12 recommendations, there are some that stand out as large changes for the AMS. The committee is recommending that an AMS President’s Council, composed of the AMS and constituency presidents, meet every month. Also being suggested is the standardization of election dates across constituencies so that all elections occur at once. All approved recommendations will need to be completed by November 2017.
Elections
The AMS is currently undergoing its annual elections! Voting takes place from March 6–10, with debates and other events taking place these next two weeks. To find out more and to vote, visit the AMS election page.
Ian Sapollnik is a third-year economics student, a member of the UBC Vancouver Senate and a member of AMS Council. The views presented are his own.