Days before their Semi-Annual General Meeting, the UVSS convened to discuss a new member at the table, Third Space’s rebranding process, and a change to Cinecenta.
The meeting started with Director of Outreach & University Relations Pierre-Paul Angelblazer welcoming Sabrina Studney as the new Executive Director, which resulted in gracious applause from the board.
With no amendments to the agenda or announcements from other board members the Third Space Women’s Centre took center stage.
New Third Space representative Isabella Lee was excited to announce the collective is in the process of rebranding their image. The group is currently working on their new website and refurbishing their room with new furniture and paint.
“The Brick is dropping off new furniture, it’s gonna look spiffy,” Lee said to the board. “You should check it out.”
“Aren’t we still banned?” the board asked: a reference to Third Space banning members of the UVSS after the group accused the board of a lack of accountability in a closed door meeting in the Fall.
Director of Finance and Operations Mackenzie Cumberland was one of the board members listed in a Third Space website post as “banned from all events, meetings, and the space itself.” When Cumberland asked if she was now welcome, Lee responded with a resounding “yes.”
Next on the agenda, Director of Campaigns and Community Relations Anmol Swaich promoted a new Peer Support Centre for students on campus.
The program would be run by student volunteers who are available for drop-in sessions with UVic students that want to gain knowledge on the transition to university, and who want help with their general mental health.
The student volunteers would be trained in how to support their peers, and the UVSS is currently accepting applications from students until the next of next week. Training will start in March.
The program is only offered to current students who will still be at the university in September rather than members of the community, in order to facilitate student to student interaction.
The official launch date for the Student Peer Centre is scheduled for next September, and the centre will be located in the SUB.
It was then question period for the board, who fielded a question from the Vancouver Island Public Research Group (VIPIRG).
A representative for VIPIRG asked the the board if they would be able to promote their upcoming conference on the digital screens in the SUB, “the board last year did it by the way,” they said.
The board responded with announcing they would look into the matter, and for VIPIRG to contact Dale Robertson to look further into the matter.
The meeting then concluded with Cumberland proposing a motion to use $5 000 from the Capital Account for the acquisition of four assisted listening devices for Cinecenta.
The devices would be used for people who have trouble distinguishing noise in speech in order to increase the overall watchability of movies in Cinecenta. The board unanimously passed the motion.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 19 in the SUB Upper Lounge.
