In a one-hour long meeting on Dec. 1, 2025, the UVSS Board of Directors discussed five main motions.
Photo by Belle White.
Agenda amendments
The meeting opened with two amendments to the agenda, including a motion to issue a statement on an unsanctioned event scheduled for December 2, 2025. The other motion to amend the agenda was to approve the new interim representative for the Gender Empowerment Centre (GEM). Both motions passed and the agenda was amended.
The minutes of the last board meeting were approved with no amendments.
Approving the GEM representative
Before ratifying the directors, the board skipped to the main motion to approve the resignation of now-former GEM representative Georgia De Souza, and accept the interim representative, Cecilia Bulbrook.
The motion carried, and Bulbrook was ratified as the interim GEM representative, and the Board of Directors moved on to the rest of their main motions.
Addressing campaign vacancies
Michael Caryk, interim director of campaigns and community relations, introduced a motion to fill vacancies on the Campaigns Committee, Course Union Council, Health and Dental Appeals Committee, and Peer Support Centre Committee.
The motion passed. However, as there were no nominations for any of these committees, filling them was tabled for the next board meeting.
Financial motions
Jonah Arnold, interim director of finance and operations, introduced two financial motions — one to approve the allocation of up to $15 000 from the UVSS Major Capital Fund to cover the costs of updating The Grill and the Main Kitchen’s fire suppression systems According to Arnold, the Main Kitchen provides services for the Health Food Bar and The Grill. This motion passed unanimously.
Arnold’s second motion was to approve the allocation of up to $25 000 from the Major Capital Fund to cover the costs of replacing the blinds in the Michèle Pujol Room. The motion passed unanimously.
Approval of a UVSS statement
The last motion of the evening was to approve a statement regarding an unsanctioned event hosted at UVic by Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Dallas Brodie, Jim McMurtry, and Frances Widdowson. The motion was carried. In the statement, the UVSS says they are “dedicated to supporting an inclusive and safe environment for all its members and does not support or condone events which may harm the UVSS community.”
Reports
Following the approval of this motion, some board members and constituency groups gave reports. During his report, Caryk said he had been lobbying for policies to help UVic students, such as pushing for reduced ferry rates for post-secondary students, and creating a food security grant that would allot $1.50 per undergraduate student to help fund student food bank jobs.
Multiple board members reported working on the “Global Village” event, a cultural exhibit created to celebrate diversity at UVic.
Following the reports, the meeting was moved in-camera and the public portion of the meeting concluded.
