Meetings in May

So, it's the May second meeting of student council, and given that I don't actually see anyone from the UBC Insiders crew here today (correction - Maayan, apparently, it here somewhere), so I guess that I'll report on the goings on.


Appointment of the Speaker
Sadly, we do not angrilly drag our speaker up to his chair up upon his appointment, much to my dismay. The AMS needs a little more ceremonialization, methinks. Dave was reappointed.


SA-Link
Brittany and Sarah are very gung ho about a program to streamline the bureaucratic administrative processes of the AMS.


U-Blvd.
Well, the people form UBC External Affairs made a presentation on what their vision was for the U-Blvd design. It... was not good. The actually have managed to systematically remove any type of benefit from the original design, the one that students voted on.

I am not opposed to developing this space. I like the idea of plazas. I'm actually really quite fond of plazas. However, there is not a good use of plaza space, and there is no integration with the SUB, something that has, up to now, functioned as a hub of student life.

I really like how this guy brought in anecdotal evidence on the need for retail. He spoke to the changing face of campus, how there will be more need for a greater variety of campus. However, this is fundamentally incorrect. Campus is actually becoming more homogeneous. We exist within a smaller and smaller age cohort - so I don't really know what he's talking about.

I like the Knoll. It is a necessary and useful meeting place on campus.

The administration seems to assert that we on AMS council are part of a very vocal minority of involved individuals. To this end, I have reached through time to someone who is unequivocally not involved. I beg my readers indulgence to introduce a non expert witness. John Naylor, graduate of Biology in 1976, never ran for office, never joined a club, and never lived on campus. He spent time in the SUB, and enjoyed Dr. Bungbogo's Pandemonium Medicine Show in the Norm. Now, he lives in Calgary, Alberta, home of Canadian capitalism, and works as a doctor. Here is what he has to say:

The SUB was a place to go. It was a hub of Student life on Campus. I enjoyed my time at UBC. The Knoll should serve its purpose. The presence of green space and traditional student meeting places is important and should be preserved.

In terms of development:

Development must be aesthetically and functionally useful. Students would have to be involved in the process. Any business that goes there must fit with the concept of being a university - the concept of being an institution of higher learning, as opposed to just shops. There must be something to do with the needs of campus.

Two generations of UBC students oppose this idea of non consultation. When you can convince some capitalist pig like me (or my family, for that matter) that this program is bad for students, there is a problem.

Here was an interesting exchange...

Are these things (shopping malls) that students have said that they want on campus?

No.

An absence of universal vocal opposition does not imply an implicit approval.

So, I support the petition. I think that a complete redesign needs to take place, and that the current plan is unacceptable (read - does not take into account the SUB, nor does it exist in, tactfully, a non-ugly fashion).


A Thought on Norm, the guy from the office of the UBC VP External
Were people idiots when he was on AMS council, because he sure assumes that we are all of a below standard level of intelligence.


CASA Motions
A bunch of CASA motions came to Council today. They were to ratify changes to the fee structure, the constitution and the bylaws that we made at the AGM. I am happy that they passed so very uneventfully.


WOW Discussion Topics
Developing Provincial Partnerships: How should the Department of External Affairs proceed in developing provincial partnerships with other student associations. How should our friend-finding occur, and what friends should we find? What should the mandate of the organization be, and what should our role in it be?

Campus Community and the Future of Life on Campus: What challenges present themselves to us in creating a campus community for a student body on a commuter campus? What do you think will be the future of our life on campus, and how are we going to interact with the growing Universities Neighbrohood Association, and what our focus should be?