REVIEW OF EVENTS
After a round table check in, the UVSS board agreed almost unanimously of being tired and stressed in this hectic time of school.
Several announcements were made congratulating the board on the recent success of the free store launch and the SUB’s Scare Fair debt walk last week.
PRESENTATIONS
UVision, a group soliciting student input before UVic updates its campus development plan, provided a summary of their recommendations to UVic up to 2026. These recommendations included conserving the Garry Oak Meadows, establishing a permanent location for the Campus Community Garden, and gradually reducing the number of parking spaces on campus over time. In addition, the plan calls for UVic’s single occupancy vehicle mode share to decrease to 25 per cent of the total by 2026 (currently, about 39 per cent UVic community members drive).
Further, two students joined the meeting on behalf of the Commerce Student Society to thank the UVSS for approving their request for a grant of $2 500 to go towards the upcoming Greater Victoria Business Banquet. After the students announced that their keynote speaker would be a Top 40 Under 40 Vancouverite working in the mining industry, members of the board voiced their concerns, stating that they may have voted differently had they known who the keynote speaker was. The board expressed that, in light of the recent vote brought on by Divest UVic, the keynote speaker may be an untimely choice.
GOVERNANCE ISSUES
A motion was then put forward to nominate a representative to the SPOKES External Advisory Committee. Director of Student Affairs Kaylee Szakacs nominated herself and was elected without opposition.
The board then addressed an issue brought on by a decision they had made in weeks previous. While the board agreed to meet for a mandatory anti-oppression workshop on Oct. 27, five members did not attend. Their previous decision had stated that any members who did not attend the workshop would be subject to a censure vote. Two members were removed from the list as their stated reason for absence were considered valid. However, after much debate, which left some members in tears, the motion to censure the remaining three board members failed to pass.
Finally, the meeting moved to a more personal matter that was introduced to the agenda moments before starting. One member of the board requested to take an extended leave of unpaid absence to attend a wedding. This topic became the second focus of a heated debate in the night as there had been an instance in the past of this member taking further time off. The issue once again ended in tears as some members of the board had to leave the room.
Once quorum was no longer met, the minimum number of members were then called back to the room long enough to table the issue and adjourn early for the evening.
Correction: The original article erroneously reported that UVision’s plan called for a 25 per cent reduction in parking spaces at UVic. In fact, the plan calls for reducing the share of UVic commuters who arrive by single occupancy vehicle (mode share) to 25 per cent. The text has been amended to reflect this.
