Photo by Belle White.
The UVSS started 2026 with a quick 30-minute Board of Directors meeting on Jan. 5.
The meeting started with four amendments to the agenda. The amendments included adding motions to ratify the results of the club and course union meetings that occurred earlier in the day, adding a motion to accept nominations for the Multifaith Advisory Committee, a motion to strike reports, and a motion to add directors’ reports to the agenda. All motions passed successfully.
The amended agenda was passed with all in favour, and the board approved the minutes of the previous meeting without any amendments.
There were no directors to ratify, presentations, or email motions, so the meeting moved on to the main motions.
A motion was put forward by Jonah Arnold, interim director of finance and operations, to approve a question to be voted on via referendum during the 2026 election period on removing the $0.75 fee per full-time student dedicated to the University 101 program, which no longer exists. The motion passed with all in favour.
Katie King, director of student affairs, put forward a motion to approve a referendum question for the election period, which would increase the student fee collected by $1 per full-time student and $0.50 per part-time student to go towards funding for clubs and course unions. The motion passed unanimously.
Michael Caryk, interim director of campaigns, put forward a motion to elect a UVSS board representative to the Multifaith Advisory Committee. Jonah Arnold was elected to the committee following his self-nomination.
King put forward eight motions, which would ratify the club council and course union funding allocations. Caryk moved to omnibus these motions, which was successful, and the omnibussed motions passed without opposition.
King put forward a motion to ratify the Special Projects Grants — additional funding for special projects or events — that were voted on earlier in the day, during the club council meeting. The motion passed with all in favour.
After this motion, the meeting moved on to question period.
Artem Kuklev, a guest at the meeting who represented Students Supporting Israel (SSI) UVic at the Clubs Council meeting earlier in the day, asked why SSI UVic was voted on separately from the other clubs that applied for half-funding. Kuklev is also a member of UVic Senate, though he was not acting in a senate capacity at this meeting.
King responded that the club council held a motion to vote on SSI UVic’s ratification separately from the other clubs that applied for half-funding, as a number of clubs had previously complained about SSI UVic. King said this was done so councillors who wished to oppose ratifying SSI UVic would not have to vote against all half-funding applicants.
After question period, the meeting was moved to in-camera, concluding the public portion of the meeting.
