The board also nominates members to vacant senate seats
File photo by Belle White.
In the Nov. 2 UVSS board meeting, board members filled committee vacancies, split policies into multiple documents, and discussed event planning.
The first main motion was put forward by Maddy Vanderhooft, director of student affairs, to fill a vacancy on the Senate Committee on Planning and one on the Senate Committee on Learning and Teaching.
The planning committee provides recommendations on “the physical development” of UVic’s campus, while the learning and teaching committee works closely with the Executive Director of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation and works to “enhance the learning and teaching environment at the university.”
Ame Sillars, director at large, was the sole nominee for the seat on the Senate Committee on Planning, and was elected.
Lauren Wyler, Society for Students with Disability (SSD) representative, was elected to the Senate Committee on Learning and Teaching.
Tam Aljundi, director of campaigns and community relations, moved to remove the committee terms of reference from the UVSS Board of Director’s Policy, and make it its own document. Aljundi said this would make it more accessible and convenient to find. The motion was carried, with only one opposed.
Another motion put forward by Aljundi was to remove Section 1.13 Excluded Personnel from the UVSS Board of Director’s Policy and put the section in its own document. The motion was carried.
The final motion, moved by Vanderhooft, was to approve publication funding for the following course unions: UVic Writing Undergraduate Course Union ($1 500), Visual Arts Students’ Association ($500), and Psychology Undergraduate Course Union (PUGS) ($450). The motion carried
During question period, Mohan Selvarajan, director of events, mentioned he wanted to plan a paintball event off-campus and asked the board if they had any concerns regarding the event.
Many board members had concerns regarding insurance for the event, the financial accessibility for marginalized students, and accessibility for students with physical disabilities.
The board discussed hosting a free event on campus — possibly a water balloon fight, or something similar to the colour run — but came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be a possibility with “Vikes opposition.”
The SSD’s International Student Representative, Arjun VedBrat, asked the board if the UVSS had any opinions on Saanich police potentially using drones to monitor students on campus this past Halloween.
Matthew Curtis, director of outreach and university relations, said he didn’t have a definitive stance at the moment. Some individual board members brought forward concerns regarding police surveying students without the UVSS’s prior knowledge, and that it could be potentially harmful to students.
Following the question period, the board moved onto reports. Of note, Vanderhooft said the clubs and course unions page will hopefully be seeing some improvements in January.
Selvarajan reported working on the Winter Holiday market, which will run from 12-6 p.m. on Nov. 24, and will feature a jazz band (The Meating), two food trucks, and over 50 vendors.
Director of International Student Relations, Cherop Lyoba, reported plans for networking events for international students in the coming year in preparation for the career fair.
Curtis reported on an upcoming meeting with Rhonda McEwen, UVic’s new president.
Gender Empowerment Centre Representative, Cecilia Bulbrook reported on introduction to boxing events — hosted on Nov. 3, Nov. 17, and Dec. 1 — for women, trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming students. The events are free, involve no sparring or contact, and will have equipment provided to attendees.
Wyler reported on an upcoming post-secondary conference for disabled researchers and disability research that they are hosting, slated for March 2027.
Following reports, the meeting moved in camera at 7:15 p.m., ending the public portion of the meeting.
