Features

This category contains 74 posts

Issue of the Day: Sustainability

I like to think of myself as an environmentalist, and its definitely how I got my start in student politics – co-chairing the Student Environment Centre for two years. Those two years were spent feeling frustrated and overwhelmed – partly because of the generally poor organizational structure of the SEC (and other Resource Groups), and [...]

Issue of the day: The UNA – Interveiw with Mike Feeley

The UNA aren’t the fat-cats we students like to imagine. The University Town Neighbourhoods are the five outlying areas of UBC’s campus that have been leased out to private developers for the purpose of building high-end residential neighbourhoods, and thereby growing UBC’s financial endowment. The university has envisioned these neighbourhoods as part of making UBC [...]

How the President is voting – Jeff Friedrich’s ballot

Jeff Friedrich is the current AMS president. These are his words. (Cartoon by JJ McCullough):Ok… not to add fuel to the endorsement fire- but endorsing joke candidates? Maayan and Timmy, I think you two can step up and make a real choice here. And nothing against Erin, but being a joke candidate affords you a [...]

Issue of the Day: Governance, Pt. 2 – Internal Issues

At the end of the day, UBC is an academic institution. The Board of Governors should be responsive to students’ concerns, needs and priorities. Creating a University Town has changed the campus community (read about the ramifications in Tim’s article about on campus events, alcohol licensing, ACF), and has created many new pressures and responsibilities [...]

Issue of the Day: Governance Issues Pt. 1 – Municipal Governance

This is an important issue, and a big topic. It came up in the VP Academic debate yesterday, and could use some explanation. There are two important background points to understanding this issue: 1. When UBC was created, the Province endowed the University with a lot of land – 175 acres; 2. That land is [...]

Issue of the day: Student Senate Caucus, efficacy of.

I admit that I cannot comment on the senate proceedings this past year, as I am now living on another continent. However, if history is an indicator of the present and future, I will allow myself to write a short excerpt on student senator’s and their caucus’ effectiveness. The Continuity HarpThe majority of the Senate’s [...]

Issue of the Day: AMS Businesses

The AMS businesses are an important way for the AMS to make money so that we can keep student fees lower. And we do have some of the lowest student union fees in the country (when you take out athletics fees, health & dental, U-Pass, etc, and you’re left with the AMS’ actual operating budget). [...]

Issue of the day: Campus life

Boy, it’s hard to write “Issue” posts when there’s no candidate platforms four days before voting. Oh wait, the campaign just started today. Never mind that, then. Last year I spent a lot of time harping on what I see as the slow and steady decline since I first came to UBC in the good [...]

Allan McEachern

It’s elections season. The posts will be coming fast and furious. Please scroll for Brendon’s thoughtful first Issue of the Day. UBC’s Chancellor Allan McEachern died last week. And over the weekend had a bit of a chance to reminisce and reflect. He led a fascinating life. His death is reverberating through the legal community; [...]

Issue of the Day: Executive Portfolio Reform

This is the first of a series of daily articles that will highlight “UBC issues.” The Issue of the Day provides an in-depth analysis of a certain topic that may require more background information to understand, or more analysis of the pros and cons and factors to consider. We will try to focus on key [...]

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