By Katherine Gibson (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: October 16, 2013
The latest Student Union Society (SUS) held its bi-weekly board meeting on October 11 at Canada Education Park. These meetings are open to the public and rotate among the Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission campuses.
Governance committee motions new electoral policy
Two substantial changes to this policy include a more detailed outlining of the rules and penalties within SUS election procedures, and the proposed moving of regular election dates.
“This is a rather extensive change,” VP internal Greg Stickland explained. “It clarifies all the rules much more clearly than the old policy did, it specifies penalties a lot more clearly, and it moves the election up one month so that nominations will begin in January, the elections will happen in February, and then that leaves March for transition.”
President Shane Potter acknowledges these changes as being a positive addition to the policy, noting particularly the benefits of moving the election dates.
“It allows us to actually transition the new government in order,” he says. “When I came into government—like a lot of us—one [government] ends and the next day the new government begins … you’re left with two or three months trying to get your feet under you.”
In the end, the motion was tabled in order for the board to review the policy further, after VP academic Kristianne Hendricks proposed several changes.
SUS turns down athletic funding request
The rowing club requested $2000 from SUS for race costs and travelling expenses for the 2013 Canadian University Rowing Championships. After reviewing the proposal, the finance committee recommended denying the full amount.
The board’s concerns came from uncertainty over whether or not the request had come from the rowing club or UFV’s varsity rowing team.
Overall, the board felt that the varsity team should be funded by the Athletics Department.
“This was sent back for review to gain more information regarding whether or not the rowing team was a club or whether or not it was a university department,” VP finance Ryan Petersen explained. “As far as we are aware, the rowing team is granted funds by the university.”
He goes on to explain the finance committee’s reasoning for denying the funding.
“This is something that the university should be funding itself if it is under the umbrella of the athletics department,” Petersen continued. “It’s unfortunate that with provincial cost cuts that universities are suffering so much, but at the same time I don’t feel that SUS’s position is to start shouldering the shortcomings of the university.”
Upon further discussion, Stickland explained to the board that he believed the funding request was not coming from the rowing team, but rather the rowing club.
However, due to continued confusion regarding the request’s origin, Stickland suggested that the funding request be denied, and that the board start from scratch to more clearly outline the differences between the rowing team and the rowing club.
SUS website development update
VP east Jarret Bainbridge did a short presentation regarding his progress in creating a marketing plan for SUS.
“We do not currently have [a marketing plan] right now.” Bainbridge explained, “and one of our problems is that we are not getting our message across to students.”
Bainbridge has created two marketing plans, one aimed at more advertising students the specials, services, and reopening of AfterMath, and the other geared to transmit general information about SUS.
Bainbridge also noted that the SUS mobile app has been downloaded over 500 times since its September launch.
SUS funds residency conference
The first presentation was given by two resident assistant (RA) representatives from Baker House, asking for a $1322 grant from SUS for an annual RA conference they are attending in Nordec, Alberta.
One of the Baker House representatives used his own personal dorm experiences to highlight the importance of going to this event.
“When I was a resident, I realized that when my RA came back from the conference they were much more polished, there was much more that they were bringing back – so if I go there, I will come back with more skills that I will use to enhance residents’ lives.”
Ultimately, this motion was carried by SUS and the grant was given to the Baker House RAs in full.
Additionally, a road trip planned by and for international students living in Baker House was granted $900 pending the finance committee’s approval.
The next SUS board meeting will be on October 25 on the Abbotsford campus in room A360.
