By Nick Ubels (The Cascade) – Email
After a heated debate, the SUS board voted to keep AfterMath open through the end of November.
The campus pub recently reached its deficit threshold for the year, exceeding its budget of $80,000.
This meant that it would take special action on the part of the SUS to keep it open.
The decision was reached this morning at a 4-hour regular meeting of the board of directors at UFV’s mission campus.
The question remains where exactly the extra funding required to keep AfterMath open for an additional month will come from. VP finance Sam Broadfoot said some of the money will come from a $8,000 deficit fund. VP social Chris Doyle suggested $ 10,000 to $ 12,000 might be re-allocated from events funding in the winter semester.
While funding was secured to keep AfterMath open through the end of fall classes, students will be able to decide whether to move funds from other areas of the SUS budget to keep AfterMath open for the rest of the year in a General Meeting set for November 21 at the Abbotsford campus.
CISSA president and UFV student Derek Froese was one of those most vocal opponents to allowing AfterMath to close. He presented a detailed argument before the SUS board showing that AfterMath has consistently reduced its losses each of the past three years and making the case that AfterMath is essential to campus life.
“The outcry against this is huge,” he said. “SUS has a budget problem, not an AfterMath problem.”
Froese also said students were not given nearly enough time to present solutions or have their voices heard on the issue before it was brought before the SUS board.
“If you truly want students’ input, give us time,” he said.
The potential closure was announced last Friday via a SUS press release.
Details to follow.
