First meeting in a month, but a relatively light agenda ^[1]. Here’s a rundown of what’s coming up.

Presentations

Strategic Plan – Bijan Ahmadian
Budget Committee – Elin Tayyar/Ben Cappellacci

Vague titles, but you can guess what sorts of things will be in them. The presentation arising from the Final Report on Systemic Discrimination in the AMS ^[2] was slated to happen this month but is not. The reason given by Ekat is “BECAUSE WE ARE EVIL”. That may have been a joke answer, with the real reason being that they didn’t want to have too many presentations on the agenda. However, using “keeping the meeting short” as a reason to leave things off the agenda should really be considered a joke as well.

2010-2011 AMS Budget

“BE IT RESOLVED THAT the 2010/2011 AMS Budget ^[3] be accepted as presented.”

Dear Councilors: please scrutinize this budget in depth. If you have not read the budget in detail, abstain from voting on it. Voting on things you haven’t read through fails pretty much everyone.

Speaking as someone who has read the budget in way too much detail: there are a number of really bad things going on with this budget which will be explained in a separate post, and probably be even better explained by the Ubyssey. Basically it boils down to the fact that execs were raising the alarm about the precarious financial situation of the AMS a few months ago, making lots of cuts to services and promising cuts to exec budgets as well. Now that the actual budget has arrived, the cuts to services are still there but exec budgets have actually increased, with a lot of the money finding its way into slush funds and executive perks. Even if you don’t mind the increased exec budgets (though I don’t know why you wouldn’t), the false pretenses put forward for the whole process is offensive.

BAFCOM motions

*An extra $1000 (from $5k to $6k) for the renovation of 42A.
*An extra $350 (from $2k to $2350) for installing safety rails.
*Up to $3,500 to renovate the 249 service centre
*Up to $2,500 to renovate the public computer terminals

Executive Benefits

Be it resolved that the members of the executive, and the ECSS have their compensation changed to add the following: The ability to be reimbursed for expenses not covered under their healthcare coverage that would be provided under the extended healthcare plan that the AMS’s permanent staff revive, up to $1200 per annum.

This is one of the aforementioned exec perks being proposed. Their argument is that it will simply bring them in line with other full time AMS employees. I’d argue that, although they work full-time, their primary identity should still be as a student (whom they are supposed to represent), not as an AMS employee. The execs are eligible for the AMS Health and Dental plan. My question to the execs: is that not an adequate health plan?

(To make matters worse, rumours also abound ^[4] about cuts to the student health plan next year.)

Elections Administrator

Trying to get an early jump on things because they are planning referenda for October, the AMS is hiring their EA now. There’s no name provided; interviews hadn’t been completed when the agenda came out. Who’s the (un)lucky person this year?

Committee Appointments

1 student-at-large seat on the University & External Relations Committee and 2 student-at-large seats on the Education Committee are up for grabs. Catch: the appointments are very short, ending at the first council meeting in September 2010.

Also available: 2 councilor spots on the UBC Ombuds Advisory Committee