Photo by Belle White.
On March 9, the UVSS Board of Directors opened nominations for two committee representatives, re-opened a former committee, and approved funding for replacements and updates in the SUB.
The meeting opened with a land acknowledgement given by Michael Caryk, interim director of campaigns and community relations. The board then moved through the adoption of the agenda and previous meeting minutes and began main motions.
Katie King, director of student affairs, put forward a motion to open nominations for two committees seeking Faculty of Health undergraduate student representation: the Appointment Committee for the Associate Dean of Research and the Appointment Committee for the Associate Dean Academic.
Native Student Union (NSU) Firekeeper, K’sana Wood Lynes-Ford, nominated herself and was appointed to both committees.
King also put forward four motions, which approved the ratification of four new student organizations at UVic: the American Indian Engineering and Science Society University of Victoria Chapter, Tenfold UVic, the UVic Japan Association, and the UVic Seismic Design Team. All four groups were formally ratified without funding.
The next motion introduced by King was to approve edits to clubs policy, including that clubs have a constitution that complies with clubs policy and is ratified by clubs council. The motion carried.
King put forward a motion to reopen the SUB Occupants Committee, which is comprised of “the SUB and discusses matters relating to the SUB.” The motion carried.
Jonah Arnold, interim director of finance and operations, brought forward two motions. The first was to allocate $6 500 from the Major Capital Fund to cover the costs of replacing the Munchie Bar’s ice machine, and the second was to allocate $2 500 from the same fund to cover the costs of a new point-of-sale system for Zap Copy. Both motions carried.
After main motions, the board moved into a 15-minute question period, which opened with Arnold alleging he had been “harassed” publicly by a former board member who was present at the meeting. He said if the former board member were to speak, he would accept “an apology or nothing at all.”
The former board member then spoke, suggesting Arnold had just made a statement, rather than a question. She also raised a concern about being “barred from speaking” during question period unless she was apologizing. Lindsay Andrew, director of events, called for a point of order and said that was not the case. She pointed out to the chair of the meeting (Caryk) that the question period is intended for questions. Caryk then further encouraged people to ask questions.
Arnold then said that while all students are free to speak, he would no longer be interacting with the former board member any further unless he receives an apology.
The former board member raised another concern about whether Arnold had made a statement or a question, and Andrew called point of order again, saying that this was not the best use of the question period.
The former board member then asked what behaviour a student should reasonably expect when engaging in a conversation with a lead director about their role. Andrew replied with an overview of her personal approach, including the importance of listening to and acknowledging concerns, and said that it is difficult for students to raise concerns. Andrew also said she will ask if the student is just disclosing an issue, or looking to find a solution.
The former board member then asked if a student should reasonably expect to have comments made about their body when speaking with a lead director about their role. Caryk replied that it is unreasonable to have comments made about others’ bodies.
The former board member asked what response to expect from the board in the case that these comments were made by a lead director, and Andrew outlined the process of pursuing both formal complaints and less formal options.
The former board member asked whether it would be reasonable for a student to “expect to be called a liar” by a sitting board member after starting the process of a formal complaint. Caryk said he does not believe people should be jumping to name-calling, and Andrew agreed, adding that no matter board members’ personal thoughts, it is inappropriate to speculate and doing so would defeat the purpose of an investigation.
Gender Empowerment Centre (GEM) Representative Cecilia Bulbrook requested that the former board member share their perspective on the matter, requesting specificity on the situation the former board member described, including what questions they asked the lead director and how they felt about the scenario. The former board member said that she was comfortable sharing “what happened,” but questioned whether it was an appropriate time to do so.
Caryk responded that the question period should remain for questions, but invited the former board member to file a formal complaint. Andrew said that while her preference is to keep these issues private, she said that, as Arnold shared his side of the story publicly during the meeting, the former board member should be granted the same opportunity.
Lynes-Ford, the Firekeeper, reminded the former board member that the meeting was being recorded, and the former board member said that she does not want to jeopardize a potential complaint by going about this improperly, but recognized that the public may deserve to hear her side of the story.
Caryk suggested that they send the executive a formal complaint that would include all board members except the respondent. After this, the question period ended, and the board moved on to reports.
The excluded managers thanked everyone involved in the UVSS election. Many directors reported preparing for their successors.
Caryk reported that he brought forward his work on food insecurity to the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities through Oak Bay, which had support from Victoria but not Saanich. Additionally, he said will be attending a Transit Commission meeting to advocate for students facing issues with the transit system.
Arnold reported that he has been working on the UVSS Annual Report, for which he will be the point person on, and should be ready before the end of his term in May.
Andrew reported working on a comprehensive training manual for her successor, as well as the annual report. She also reported another successful hot lunch and an upcoming clothing swap. Cecilia Bulbrook also reported on the successful first events of the GEM’s FemExpo, such as a clothing swap and zumba, and continued to outline the week’s schedule.
Lynes-Ford announced that the NSU AGM will happen on March 24, and their election begins next Monday. Roven Brooks-Stephenson also reported that the Students of Colour Collective is planning their AGM around the end of March.
After reports, the meeting moved in-camera. The UVSS Board of Directors will meet again on March 23.
