By Megan Lambert (The Cascade) – Email
In a small room on the third floor of the Student Union Building (SUB), the UFV Feminist Initiative had their first Annual General Meeting (AGM) — electing their new executive members with crayons.
Twenty-two UFV students attended the meeting to vote in the new president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer of the club that started gaining traction last semester.
After introductions, acting President Ekaterina Marenkov gave a report from last year about the status of the club.
“We’ve just been working on making an identity for ourselves,” she said. The UFV Feminist Initiative is a group on campus advocating for the rights and equality of women. At the student level, club members are encouraged to use inclusive language and talk about issues that surround gender equality.
The group elected Kyle Stamm, president; Mikeila Bellavance, Vice-President; Lizzi Klassen, treasurer; Robyn Mooney, secretary; and Kelsa Quakenbush, events co-ordinator.
After elections, President Kyle Stamm motioned to rename the group, formerly known as the UFV Women’s Initiative, as the UFV Feminist Initiative. He said that the idea behind the group is to promote feminist ideas and values, and those ideas are not just for women.
“Calling it a women’s initiative excludes non-binary folks. It would also exclude, at first glance, folks like myself who [identify as] male,” he said.
The UFV Feminist Initiative is planning to collaborate with UFV Pride and the English Students Association (ESA) on student events this academic year.
