By Megan Lambert (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: June 4, 2014
On Thursday, May 29, the Student Union Society (SUS) board met in Chilliwack for their general board meeting.
Fair Elections Act
Bill C-23, put forth by the Canadian government, poses some issues that directly affect students. One of which prohibits Elections Canada from educating citizens on the various political parties. The bill would only allow them to communicate when and where to vote.
There was discussion on whether it was appropriate to take a political stance, but president Ryan Petersen stressed that SUS would remain “as non-biased as we possibly can.” Various board directors noted that SUS should officially oppose the bill by the Government of Canada, and not specifically against the Conservative Party of Canada.
CASA conference
The board members who attended the CASA conference (Thomas Davies, Ryan Petersen, and Dylan Thiessen) had nothing but positive feedback.
Petersen noted that he found it useful for “networking for information” on how different universities tackle common issues.
At the next conference, held in early July, action plans on issues surrounding student loans, aboriginal access to education, and mental health awareness will be discussed.
Health and dental
The stakeholder for health and dental, Studentcare, announced at its Montreal conference that it is developing a new app for smartphones, giving students better account access. The app will first launch for the iPhone, and then for Android devices.
Biologix is a new type of prescription drug that uses living proteins to treat various diseases such as Crohn’s and multiple sclerosis. Studentcare is assessing what level of coverage would be available to accommodate this kind of drug. However, it is so expensive that the premium could potentially increase. Petersen noted that because UFV does not have a cap, this would be something “we’ll have to look into.”
Campus connector
Thomas Davies noted that in UFV’s summer semester, the shuttle between the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses has been at full capacity and has had to leave students behind. Because there is not enough funding to add another shuttle, Davies commented on perhaps “tweaking the schedule” as a solution.
The forthcoming express bus pick-up and drop-off locations were also mentioned. For example, it could move from Chilliwack’s CEP campus to the downtown core, and students could take public transit to the university. However, nothing has been finalized.
