tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31708906373004822572012-01-05T03:32:20.873-08:00David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.comBlogger2841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-78874534554196661482011-04-13T16:00:00.000-07:002011-04-13T17:24:36.971-07:00

UVic Student Society elections may have their low points–most recently, last year's disqualification of two elected candidates and appointment of the losers–but it could be worse. We could be the Concordia Student Union.For the past ten years, CSU politics has been a battleground between "left" and "right" slates. The corrupt and extremist left, which took over the student newspaper and

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-58662511509940958092011-04-01T14:23:00.000-07:002011-04-07T19:41:38.984-07:00

Results from last night on the referendum question asking whether UVic students wish to continue as members of the Canadian Federation of Students are now out. The "No" side, supporting defederation, received a 71% majority.No: (Winner) 3255Yes: 1361Voter turnout: 30.9%The breakdown by buildings is also interesting.No / YesLibrary1181 / 381Clearihue622 / 348SUB474 / 264MacLaurin306 / 165Social

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-71701410808011641292011-03-27T22:46:00.000-07:002011-04-07T19:39:25.804-07:00

CFS executives from Ontario, Roxanne Dubois and Hamid Osman, preparing to sign up students for ISIC cards.Since the referendum campaign on membership in the Canadian Federation of Students began at UVic on March 21, CFS executives and staffers from outside UVic–even from outside BC!–have flooded onto campus to campaign for the pro-CFS side. To my knowledge, all campaigners on the anti-CFS

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-27081628034567100252011-03-27T18:00:00.000-07:002011-03-27T22:13:20.104-07:00

Last year I wrote two very detailed posts on the Canadian Federation of Students' national budget and financial statements. The latter post included a discussion of CFS-Services, a legally separate entity which functions as the corporate arm of the CFS, providing programs like the National Student Health Network and the StudentSaver discount card. As yet no audited CFS financial statements are

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-38790638996519617052011-03-26T15:37:00.000-07:002011-03-26T20:55:57.424-07:00

The following is a transcript of Thursday's CFAX broadcast interviewing representatives of the "Yes" and "No" side in the UVic referendum on membership in the Canadian Federation of Students. Geoff Sharpe, a former UVSS candidate, represents the "No" side and CFS national chair Dave Molenhuis represents the "Yes" side. Dave Dickson moderates the panel.Molenhuis in particular makes a few claims

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-16039115807081533352011-03-26T14:00:00.002-07:002011-03-26T15:14:31.450-07:00

Yesterday the votes for Director-at-Large positions in the UVic Student Society election earlier this month were recounted, with the result that Gabrielle Sutherland is now on the UVSS Board, and Chris Hackett is not. Eleven Directors-at-Large sit on the Board and students can vote for up to that number people on the ballot–the eleven with the most votes win. Both Sutherland and Hackett

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-6254377889776588472011-03-24T14:08:00.000-07:002011-04-07T19:42:28.512-07:00

This "Yes" side ad in the Martlet cost more than the entire budget allocated by the UVSS for the "No" side.This week's Martlet features not one or two, but four advertisements promoting the "Yes" side in UVic's Canadian Federation of Students membership referendum. Using calculations based on the Martlet's advertising rate schedule, it appears the "Yes" side spent $4,300 on these ads. The ads

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-67597083442808063852011-03-23T22:57:00.000-07:002011-03-27T21:25:41.857-07:00

"Yes" side poster outside the SUB today.While the Referendum Oversight Committee has blocked the "No" side in UVic's referendum on membership in the Canadian Federation of Students from mentioning that we send the CFS $240,000 a year, the committee was fine with this poster claiming CFS members get a "free" International Student Identity Card.The point the "Yes" side is trying to make is that if

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-20837780704041581202011-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:002011-03-24T14:04:00.443-07:00

In his 330-page paper on the Canadian Federation of Students, researcher Titus Gregory argues that "the referendum processes provided in CFS bylaws violate all rational norms for the fair administration of referenda, through a biased Referendum Oversight Committee that perpetuates the systematic suppression of freedom of speech on campus during the months preceding an affiliation or

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-85065444270708652582011-03-22T18:00:00.000-07:002011-03-22T19:45:35.217-07:00

News and links from Day Two of the Canadian Federation of Students membership referendum campaign at UVic: On the "No" side, we have the following links: UVic Wants Out Facebook page Lots of "No" side information here with sources backing it up. Conveniently, you can read either a short version or a long version. UVic Wants Out website Again, lots of information with links to sources in

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-22531105432369358182011-03-22T16:00:00.000-07:002011-04-13T17:23:00.292-07:00

The first week of the UVic's referendum campaign on our membership in the Canadian Federation of Students seems like a good time to revisit some court cases and referendum disputes in which the national organization is currently embroiled.Today pro-CFS campaigners were arguing that the UVic Student Society took the initiative in suing the CFS, not vice versa. This is true, but the CFS had denied

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-46854477560461346102011-03-20T22:00:00.000-07:002011-03-30T11:27:27.899-07:00

Campaigning in the UVic Student Society's referendum on continuing membership in the Canadian Federation of Students starts tomorrow. There is already an anti-CFS Facebook page and we can expect a pro-CFS one in the next 12 hours.Not all campaigners in the referendum will be UVic students. The Camosun College Student Society has approved unlimited spending to promote the pro-CFS side at UVic,

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-25433636854760520732011-03-19T18:40:00.000-07:002011-03-19T19:46:13.945-07:00

CCSS executive Matteus Clement (centre) protesting student debt.On March 16 a "student debt protest" was held on the lawn of the BC legislature. According to its Facebook page this event was organized by the Camosun College Student Society, the Simon Fraser Student Society and the UVic Student Society. UVSS Chairperson James Coccola participated in the protest, but the other three UVSS

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-54500476748274753772011-03-12T13:04:00.000-08:002011-03-12T14:20:10.644-08:00

After a long night in the Student Union Building watching election results, I have been elected a Director-at-Large on the UVic Student Society Board. I ran with the Renew slate which also elected Tessah Clark, Chris Hackett and Allison Rhodes as Directors-at-Large. The opposing slate, Fuse, won the election by a landslide, electing every single one of their candidates–four executives and seven

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-54314370176758162582011-02-20T22:00:00.000-08:002011-03-12T13:03:20.089-08:00

Desmond Rodenbour, General Manager of the Kwantlen Student Association, was fired by KSA council on February 9. So far none of the Kwantlen newspapers appear to have picked up the story.Like former UVic Student Society General Manager Marne Jensen, who departed last year after a decade on the job, Rodenbour was a long-time fixture at the KSA. However, unlike Jensen, a former executive and

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-29120643292255538442011-02-20T20:00:00.000-08:002011-03-20T17:03:13.791-07:00

The BC government probably doesn't want your cell phone number...but the CFS does.On February 18 the BC Supreme Court set the dates of March 29, 30 and 31 for UVic's referendum on its membership in the Canadian Federation of Students. The CFS tried to delay the referendum, claiming the UVic Student Society owes thousands of dollars in unpaid CFS fees from the 1990s. CFS bylaws don't allow

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-75785865405104966062011-02-13T16:00:00.000-08:002011-02-13T17:57:21.979-08:00

To my readers: For election related reasons, I will not be covering the UVic Student Society on this blog until March 11. This is because I am in conflict of interest as a candidate, and also because UVSS Electoral Policy requires that all "campaign material" be approved by the Chief Electoral Officer before it is posted. Anything I write at this point related to the UVSS could be potentially

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-29501036657967964742011-02-01T10:40:00.000-08:002011-02-13T17:10:25.772-08:00

BC Supreme Court justice Malcolm Macaulay has ruled in favour of the UVic Student Society in their legal dispute with the Canadian Federation of Students. This decision ends the process which began last year, after the CFS threw out a UVic petition calling for a referendum on leaving the national organization. The UVSS Board passed a motion to pursue legal action in order to give students a

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-3122887500628747242011-01-30T20:00:00.002-08:002011-05-10T21:03:21.853-07:00

The UVic Student Society Board will be meeting one more time before the end of the month, in a special Board meeting tomorrow at 6pm. The agenda is crammed with referendum questions and election policy changes as well as a motion I covered previously on the Access UVic society of students with disabilities and the agenda of the UVSS Semi-Annual General Meeting on February 17. There are

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-10596716740425746092011-01-28T20:00:00.000-08:002011-01-30T16:32:11.565-08:00

At the recent UVic Student Society Special General Meeting, bylaw changes were passed raising the number of UVSS executives from four to five. However, a certain percentage of students must be present at a meeting in order to pass motions such as bylaw amendments–0.6% of the total undergraduate population. This magic number is known as "quorum," and quorum was 85 this year, according to UVSS

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-81138543612081098032011-01-27T18:00:00.000-08:002011-01-27T18:28:33.674-08:00

At today's UVic Student Society Special General Meeting, a bylaw change was passed which altered the current four full-time paid UVSS executive positions to five. The previous positions were Chairperson and Directors of Finance, Academics and Services; the new ones are Chairperson, Director of Finance and Operations, Director of Events, Director of Student Affairs and Director of External

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-69467989208369319552011-01-26T22:00:00.000-08:002011-01-27T20:05:49.817-08:00

In my previous post I discussed one change I plan to introduce to bylaw amendments at tomorrow's UVic Student Society Special General Meeting. The new bylaws would change the composition of the UVSS executive, but they also deal with the salaries executive directors earn. Currently there are four execs–the Chairperson and Directors of Finance, Academics and Services. Each exec position is

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-3961265120452970742011-01-26T20:20:00.000-08:002011-01-27T16:46:06.462-08:00

At tomorrow's UVic Student Society Special General Meeting, students will get a chance to vote on bylaw amendments to change the structure of UVSS executive executive positions–but only if the meeting achieves quorum, a minimum of 100 students present. The proposal would increase the executive from four members to five with more distinct roles: The Chairperson and Director of Finance will remain

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-22990124409038144772011-01-25T16:00:00.001-08:002011-01-27T16:55:05.410-08:00

On January 24 the UVic Student Society Board received a presentation in-camera of a financial report on Access UVic, the organization of UVic students with disabilities, reportedly in the works for months. The UVSS, guided by former General Manager Marne Jensen, had withheld Access' funding since the end of February 2010 and voted in August not to recognize Access as a UVSS constituency group.

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-18646658874413015972011-01-25T14:00:00.000-08:002011-01-25T17:21:10.526-08:00

I'll preface this post by stating that I was hoping never to have to write again about conflict between the UVic Student Society Board of Directors and the pro-life student club Youth Protecting Youth. Punitive measures and subsequent appeals by the club, whose posters and events offended some students, formed an extended saga spanning my entire time at UVic to day, from fall 2008 to earlier

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-8270624045954368892011-01-24T18:00:00.000-08:002011-02-13T17:08:16.441-08:00

The UVic Student Society is looking at a potential three referendum questions in this year's student elections, which will be held via paper ballot after a motion for online elections failed. All three referenda have been initiated by petition, but they may not receive the required number of signatures, set at 10% of the student body or around 1600 students. This very high threshold, and the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-73173464094354998192011-01-23T20:00:00.000-08:002011-05-23T18:11:34.554-07:00

It's election time again in many student societies across Canada. The UBC Alma Mater Society just finished their executive elections, replete with "dirty tricks." In Ontario, the York Federation of Students is facing uncertainty after last year's disqualification scandal led to an investigation by the university, and the YFS rejected some of the resulting recommendations. Several issues faced

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-8860789928368206212011-01-07T16:00:00.000-08:002011-01-07T16:33:21.802-08:00

The UVic Student Society and the Canadian Federation of Students were disappointed if they expected a quick resolution today of their ongoing legal dispute. BC Supreme Court Justice Malcolm Macaulay has reserved judgment in the case over whether UVic students will be allowed a referendum on their CFS membership. At 10am this morning, the case resumed with CFS lawyer Martin Palleson's closing

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-18085331493819436322011-01-06T22:00:00.001-08:002011-01-07T14:51:06.692-08:00

BREAKING– As promised yesterday, here is part one of my coverage from the ongoing BC Supreme Court case between the UVic Student Society and Canadian Federation of Students. The UVSS has applied to the courts for a referendum on CFS membership for UVic students, which the CFS has refused to allow (see my previous post for the background.) The case will be continuing tomorrow morning since the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-28340238545829488792011-01-05T18:00:00.000-08:002011-01-06T17:50:43.868-08:00

The UVic Student Society will be asking the BC Supreme Court to order a referendum at UVic on students' membership in the Canadian Federation of Students in a full-day court session scheduled for tomorrow. In March 2010 the CFS rejected a petition of over 10% of UVic students calling for a CFS referendum, even though the petition appeared to meet existing CFS bylaws. The UVSS Board asked the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-8311811586211897002010-12-30T14:40:00.000-08:002010-12-30T15:07:44.039-08:00

The following letter was sent recently to the editors of Macleans magazine from UVic Student Society Chairperson James Coccola. Acting on a directive from the UVSS Board passed on November 29, Coccola informs Macleans that if they do not apologize for publishing their "Too Asian?" article the magazine will be pulled from the stands in the Student Union Building. The motion was moved by

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-57474317951570071072010-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:002010-12-22T08:18:03.918-08:00

The UVic Student Society Board is planning to call a Special General Meeting of the student body on January 27 in order to revamp executive positions on the Board, expanding the executive from four members to five. I covered a preliminary version of these changes in a previous post.Director-at-Large Jenn Bowie, who wrote the motion forming the ad-hoc Organizational Renewal committee, has created

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-54089810096149792672010-12-18T18:00:00.000-08:002010-12-18T19:47:02.501-08:00

In a previous post I recounted my attempt to submit an observer request to Canadian Federation of Students-BC Component chairperson Nimmi Takkar, for the January 2011 CFS-BC general meeting. Aware that requests for observer status have to be submitted eight weeks in advance under CFS bylaws, I sent an email to Takkar on October 16. After receiving no response I followed up with another email on

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-26028196681303327272010-12-17T16:00:00.000-08:002010-12-17T19:18:57.723-08:00

The Grinch does not approve.They may have reduced their salaries (set in bylaws) with one- and two-day unpaid leaves of absence, but the four UVic Student Society executive directors are taking paid leave over the winter holidays. A motion was passed at the December 13 Board meeting giving Finance Director Kelsey Hannan paid leave from December 15 to January 6. This is because lives in the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-64947213925716433082010-12-16T20:00:00.001-08:002010-12-17T19:55:38.054-08:00

In a discussion at a UVic Student Society Finance Committee meeting on December 14, it was noted that the UVSS contract with the Royal Bank of Canada will expire on March 31. Director-at-Large Rob McDonald suggested that the UVSS should switch its non-refundable Guaranteed Investment Certificates to cashable ones, since the interest would be lost if the GICs were withdrawn at the end of March.

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-88748370264064631542010-12-15T16:24:00.000-08:002010-12-15T19:44:15.086-08:00

It's that time of year again, and Eye on the UVSS has compiled our second annual holiday gift list based on the UVic Student Society Board's spending habits over the past year. For more gift ideas see last year's list. Students at UVic pay around $60 directly to the UVSS on an annual basis, so this is where some of your money is going.a membership in the Coalition to Build a Better BC (doesn't

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-75577210288887283462010-12-14T21:32:00.000-08:002010-12-15T16:05:55.434-08:00

The new UVSS logo. UVic Student Society Academics Director Rajpreet Sall has been working with the UVSS Communications committee for the past few months to redesign the student society's logo and website. The new logo was approved unanimously at the December 6 UVSS Board meeting and the new website went live today. At yesterday's Board meeting Sall encouraged anyone who has found a glitch

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-45086373208553623472010-12-14T20:00:00.000-08:002010-12-14T21:03:51.355-08:00

The UVic Student Society Board voted unanimously to join a new group called "United for Public Education" at their meeting on December 13. UVSS Chairperson James Coccola, who helped found the group along with members of the Camosun College Student Society, said it will focus on increasing government funding to all levels of education."No matter where you are in the education system the biggest

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-60435585072083576662010-12-10T20:00:00.001-08:002010-12-17T15:44:03.787-08:00

The UVic Student Society Board passed a motion at their December 6 meeting to put money in their bank account into Guaranteed Investment Certificates in order to generate more revenue. The problem is, some of this money doesn't belong to the UVSS but rather to other student groups, and it appears these groups may not get the interest off their own fees.Students at UVic pay fees to a number of

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-29537615951833881352010-12-09T18:00:00.000-08:002010-12-10T13:40:31.190-08:00

The Canadian Federation of Students-BC Component currently has no website–and now they don't have a phone number, either. Which is awkward, since CFS-BC chairperson Nimmi Takkar doesn't consistently answer emails from CFS members.On October 16 I sent Takkar a request for observer status at the next CFS-BC Annual General Meeting. Some readers may recall that she denied my observer request for

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-82210499208636061882010-12-08T20:00:00.000-08:002010-12-15T16:07:41.251-08:00

Several offices in the UVic Student Union Building will be switching roles in the new year as a result of capital motions approved by the UVic Student Society Board at their December 6 meeting. The successful referendum increasing funding to UVic Pride, a student advocacy group which needs a larger office, has acted as a catalyst for restructuring of several areas in the SUB. Pride will be

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-70061677497706621932010-12-07T18:00:00.000-08:002010-12-08T17:56:45.921-08:00

The UVic Student Society's elections office report on the November student fee referenda has now been published. In the report, Chief Electoral Officer Shawn Slavin notes that no complaints were filed but raises several areas of concern in how the campaign was conducted. He calls current elections policy "extremely unfair and undemocratic" and makes some suggestions for improvement.Slavin

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-44534738172027346712010-12-07T16:00:00.000-08:002010-12-07T17:49:33.146-08:00

In the aftermath of the Canadian Federation of Students' national Annual General Meeting, held in Ottawa from November 24 to 27, the CFS has a new set of executives and is holding onto its claim that the UVic Student Society owes a total of over $240,000 in overdue membership fees from the late 1990s.The UVSS' motion requesting the allegations of outstanding CFS fees be dropped was defeated and a

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-80020435551149393082010-12-01T20:00:00.000-08:002010-12-16T20:59:36.058-08:00

A motion was passed to censure UVic Student Society Finance Director Kelsey Hannan at last night's UVSS Board meeting. This amounts to an official reprimand but does not restrict Hannan's duties or powers as a director of the society.A discussion on "director responsibilities" was held in-camera. Academics Director Rajpreet Sall and Chairperson James Coccola moved the motion of censure, and

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-27547339799317722702010-11-30T22:00:00.000-08:002010-12-01T18:00:23.508-08:00

With all the recent furor about the UVic Student Society Board banning Macleans, no-one bothered to notice that the Board also voted at the same meeting to spend up to $5,2000 on new carpets for the Resource Centre, which houses the Board offices. That's partly because the motion was passed omnibus–meaning a director made a motion to bundle together several main motions and vote on them all at

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-47091029026272325912010-11-30T20:00:00.001-08:002010-11-30T20:34:41.974-08:00

The following is a letter written to the UVic Student Society Board of Directors yesterday by Graham Briggs, a UVic student and Martlet writer, arguing against Director-at-Large Jaraad Marani's motion to ban Macleans from the Student Union Building for its "Too Asian?" article. Part of Briggs' letter was read out during the Board meeting by Director-at-Large Nathan Warner, who opposed the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-9771725590342580212010-11-29T22:00:00.000-08:002010-12-17T19:54:40.984-08:00

BREAKING– Tonight the UVic Student Society Board of Directors voted to ban Macleans from the Student Union Building if the magazine does not apologize by December 31 for publishing its "Too Asian?" article on Asian enrollment at Canadian universities. Debate lasted over an hour and around 25 students showed up to watch the meeting and provide their opinions. Two UVic professors were also in

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-91245422224318818602010-11-28T20:42:00.000-08:002010-11-30T21:00:01.861-08:00

At tomorrow's UVic Student Society Board meeting, the Board will be faced with a motion written by Director-at-Large Jaraad Marani which could ban Macleans magazine and Rogers advertising from the Student Union Building.This unusual motion is the result of a Macleans article published on November 10 and originally titled "Too Asian?" The article discussed whether merit-based admissions policies

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-47235609364283946762010-11-26T20:00:00.000-08:002010-12-07T17:23:19.943-08:00

The saga of the University of Regina Student Union's referendum on membership in the Canadian Federation of Students, which was held from October 26 to 28, shows no signs of resolution.A month after the referendum, results still haven't been released due to problems with verifying the eligibility of some voters. These voters' ballots were deposited in blank sealed envelopes, which were then

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-66482574320956469162010-11-26T18:48:00.000-08:002010-11-30T21:05:26.092-08:00

The Canadian Federation of Students' ongoing Annual General Meeting in Ottawa will be concluding tomorrow with closing plenary, where the motions actually get passed or failed. One issue that didn't make it into my previous post is the voting eligibility of certain locals, which was challenged in opening plenary. The University of Windsor Student Alliance, which has submitted a petition calling

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-59076811741678333772010-11-25T21:56:00.000-08:002010-11-26T18:47:16.844-08:00

CFS National chairperson Dave Molenhuis speaks at a rally on Parliament Hill earlier today. A motion to be considered at the CFS AGM would require a rally to be held at each general meeting "to be attended by all delegates."The Canadian Federation of Students is holding their annual November general meeting in Ottawa this week, from November 24 to 27. Yesterday was opening plenary where motions

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-28606460587954181802010-11-18T18:00:00.000-08:002010-12-17T19:54:18.379-08:00

At the November 15 UVic Student Society Board meeting, StudentCare representatives made a presentation to update the Board on the new student health plan, which was contracted to StudentCare in August. Previously the UVSS health plan had been run by Greenshield and Morneau Sobeco/Heath Lambert for over 10 years. Since the new plan started there have been some complaints about opting out,

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-87927741357307269542010-11-16T22:00:00.000-08:002010-11-18T16:40:29.390-08:00

The UVic Student Society's ad-hoc Organizational Renewal committee, formed in July to look at reforming the elected Board's structure, has come with a proposal for Board restructuring which could shake up some of the current full-time executive positions. The potential new structure was discussed at a committee meeting today, which I was unfortunately not able to attend. However, I believe the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-66541200792704801122010-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:002010-11-16T21:02:10.013-08:00

BREAKING– Today the UVic Student Society filed a legal statement of claim against the Canadian Federation of Students over the CFS' denial of a UVic referendum on CFS membership.A petition was circulated last year which met the criteria for a referendum initiative under CFS bylaws, receiving the signatures of over 10% of UVic students. However, the CFS claimed a counter petition collected

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-72278720606595148592010-11-10T16:00:00.000-08:002010-11-19T16:27:55.700-08:00

"UVSS fees at $62.45 per student per semester are among the highest for student unions in Canada, warranting reduction when financially feasible for the society."~UVSS Board report, 12 March 1999Breaking a twenty-year trend in which increases to UVic Student Society operating fees were repeatedly rejected, students at UVic voted to approve several fee increases on November 3, 4 and 5. A

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-53791338153099873172010-11-10T10:00:00.000-08:002010-11-10T12:45:44.370-08:00

In his activity report attached to the agenda of last week's UVic Student Society Board meeting, Finance Director Kelsey Hannan responded to criticism of the new UVSS health plan published in a Martlet article. The UVSS signed a new health plan contract in August after a deal made by the outgoing Director of Finance in April without Board approval was declared invalid. This represented the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-81142665604599037922010-11-09T22:00:00.000-08:002010-11-10T10:37:46.621-08:00

In a previous post on the University of Regina Student Union referendum on membership in the Canadian Federation of Students, I mentioned that the announcement of results after the voting ended was delayed in order to verify whether some voters were in fact eligible students. Over a week later the situation is continuing and there are still no results.Originally U of R newspaper The Carillon

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-10769259209357914262010-11-02T16:00:00.000-07:002010-11-05T12:40:06.662-07:00

The following is a guest post written by UVic Student Society Chairperson James Coccola urging students to support four questions which will be voted in a referendum held on November 3, 4 and 5. As many of you know, the UVSS is conducting several referendums this week. The purpose behind the referenda is to save the student society. Over the past three years we have accumulated a debt of

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-50430735459713690442010-10-31T16:00:00.000-07:002010-12-17T19:53:01.475-08:00

Audit rundown shows discrepanciesAt the UVic Student Society Finance committee meeting on October 19, Finance Director Kelsey Hannan went through last year's audit with the UVSS Finance Committee to explain the discrepancies between audited and unaudited actuals. The main difference is an increase in last year's operating deficit from $25,535 to $100,339.The largest portion of the unexpected

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-72470848231085797972010-10-29T20:00:00.000-07:002010-10-31T17:57:26.495-07:00

This anonymous poster would break election rules if it could be attributed to a referendum side or on campus group. "Otherwise it's kind of sketchy–sorry to use that word again."~Director-at-Large Rajpreet Sall on clarity in referendum policy, 10 August 2009Last year I wrote a post about proposed UVic Student Society referendum rules, suggesting such rules weren't necessary since several recent

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-64470725410345102222010-10-29T18:00:00.000-07:002010-10-29T18:33:50.658-07:00

                                            A notice posted on an engineering students' poster board during the U of R CFS referendum campaign. The Canadian Federation of Students membership referendum at the University of Regina was wrapped up yesterday, but the results are still unknown. The Referendum Oversight Committee, which administers referenda under CFS bylaws, reported today that

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-13405453254928663752010-10-27T22:00:00.000-07:002010-11-26T19:08:12.185-08:00

In a previous post I mentioned that the University of Regina Student Union is currently holding a referendum on their membership in the Canadian Federation of Students. Voting is underway from October 26 to 28.UVic students are also members of the CFS, and many similar issues are being raised about the national organization at a number of universities: pro- and anti-CFS activists debate whether

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-4080507588393289692010-10-25T11:00:00.000-07:002010-10-25T11:18:10.306-07:00

The UVic Student Society is holding a referendum on November 3, 4 and 5 asking five questions which will increase or reallocate the student fees that UVic students pay every year. Each of these questions will be analyzed in upcoming posts. For now you can check out the Martlet referendum supplement below which will appear in the student newspaper on Thursday but was obtained in advance from the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-77706461249226011162010-10-25T10:00:00.000-07:002010-10-25T11:17:30.689-07:00

On November 3, 4 and 5 the UVic Student Society will be holding a specially scheduled referendum with a grand total of five questions on the ballot, all of them about the student fees UVic students pay every year. There appear to be no "no" sides for any of the questions, but that won't necessarily be an indication of their success. Last year a referendum question on increasing funding for four

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-31376059430251848912010-10-21T22:00:00.000-07:002010-10-22T18:41:23.144-07:00

The Canadian Federation of Students has been criticized as ineffective in some areas, but they are certainly good at losing things in the mail.As reported in an earlier post, the University of Windsor Student Alliance recently completed a petition with signatures of 20% of their student body in order to requisition a vote on their CFS membership. Now the petition has been sent in to the CFS

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-32789168981421609642010-10-21T20:00:00.000-07:002010-12-17T19:52:13.590-08:00

The UVic Student Society's bylaws on referenda no longer make sense–and it's partly my fault.At the UVSS Board meeting on October 18, Chairperson James Coccola moved a motion to schedule a referendum for November asking students if they support reducing the Building and Capital Fund by $4 per student per semester and reallocating the money to UVSS operating funds. Coccola explained that he and

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-56276382550758975722010-10-20T20:00:00.000-07:002010-10-20T21:43:56.786-07:00

University of ReginaThe University of Regina Student Union is–gasp–actually holding a referendum on their membership in the Canadian Federation of Students next week. Like the defederation campaign at UVic, in fall 2009 students at U of R collected a petition with the required 10% of signatures to initiate a referendum on the CFS. But while UVic students have been denied a referendum based on a

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-29315637755741863402010-10-19T20:00:00.000-07:002010-10-20T12:13:51.008-07:00

By now some students who pay close attention to the UVSS Board have noticed that two Board members, Finance Director Kelsey Hannan and Director-at-Large José Barrios, have joined the UVic chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Pledges wear a red and blue triangular pin and Hannan and Barrios began wearing their pins openly today. According to Hannan they pledged DKE on Sunday.UVSS

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-66396769973622664092010-10-18T14:00:00.000-07:002010-12-22T09:15:07.382-08:00

AGM Notes The UVic Student Society had its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, October 14, with the contentious issue of fraternities and sororities dominating the agenda, as covered in a previous post. However, a few other motions were passed which will have long-term effects on the student society.A motion I had brought forward by petition to reduce the amount of signatures required to call

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-24557543628099775102010-10-15T20:58:00.000-07:002010-10-16T19:44:21.535-07:00

At the October 14 Annual General Meeting of the UVic Student Society, a motion was passed rejecting recognition of fraternities and sororities by the UVSS. This means that students wishing to start a sorority at UVic will not be able to get UVSS approval.The motion affects sororities differently from fraternities because the national organizations for the two types of Greek letter societies

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-68041700837529745682010-10-12T20:00:00.000-07:002010-10-12T20:29:47.754-07:00

At the upcoming UVic Student Society Annual General Meeting on October 14, students will vote by ballot rather than by raising their arms.A number of controversial issues on the agenda include whether to allow sororities at UVic and reductions to UVSS management salaries. The meeting is being held in the Michèle Pujol Room in the Student Union Building which will hold around 400 students.Since

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-56563495737000500962010-10-10T18:27:00.000-07:002010-10-14T09:54:19.591-07:00

This post will address several bylaw revisions in the UVic Student Society reform package to be voted on at the Annual General Meeting on October 14. The clause changing what would happen to UVSS assets on the student society's dissolution and reforms to referendum bylaws have been previously covered.The issues of the start date for the Board of Directors' term and executive and management

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-60515412861014217522010-10-09T20:00:00.000-07:002010-10-09T20:55:49.821-07:00

In a previous post I covered some historical background on fraternities and sororities at UVic. This post will examine whether the UVic Student Society should pass the motion approving the existence of sororities at the October 14 UVSS Annual General Meeting, or return to our policy against Greek letter organizations. Fraternities don't need approval from the UVSS to exist on campus, but

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-64965178962641006572010-10-08T20:00:00.000-07:002011-11-06T11:11:08.665-08:00

At the upcoming UVic Student Society Annual General Meeting, students will vote on whether to allow sororities to form at UVic and whether to bring back a policy against fraternities and sororities. It's interesting to note that the role of Greek life in the UVSS, and the UVSS' relationship to these organizations, has been debated at UVic for over 20 years.The main difference between

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-9126226018944158582010-10-07T22:00:00.000-07:002010-12-17T17:42:46.462-08:00

Tara Paterson opposes initiatives to reduce UVSS execs' and managers' salaries.At the UVic Student Society Board meeting on October 4, Director-at-Large Tara Paterson introduced motions that the Board recommend against three sections of the reform package to be considered at the upcoming UVSS Annual General Meeting.Paterson said her intention wasn't to use any student society resources to

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-45949889318332208192010-10-06T20:00:00.000-07:002010-12-17T19:51:32.376-08:00

At the October 4 UVic Student Society Board meeting, Chairperson James Coccola gave an update on the issue of lockout fines in university residence buildings. The housing office has started to charge a $20 fine for lockouts after the third time they have to let in a student who's locked their keys in their room. First year res student Richard Gardreau has gotten over 300 signatures on a petition

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-82237702676861674312010-10-05T20:00:00.000-07:002010-10-05T20:43:23.276-07:00

This is my second post in a series on the "reform package" of bylaw and policy changes I submitted by petition to the UVic Student Society Annual General Meeting to be held on October 14. In my previous post I discussed what is probably the most important motion–a constitutional reform to ensure that in the event of the UVSS' dissolution, any assets remaining would stay on campus and benefit

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-69938629601462174792010-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:002010-11-25T18:39:54.816-08:00

Newly elected UVic Student Society rep to the Canadian Federation of Students-BC executive Robyn Spilker resigned last night only three and a half hours into her term.When the UVSS Board finished its in-camera session on CFS legal issues, Spilker announced her resignation and an election was held to replace her. This time Director-at-Large José Barrios ran against Director-at-Large Dylan

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-85294928303694409562010-10-04T19:00:00.000-07:002010-10-06T19:02:35.718-07:00

Update: Robyn Spilker resigned from the position of UVSS CFS rep three and a half hours after this post. BREAKING–The UVic Student Society has a new representative on the Canadian Federation of Students-BC Component executive. Director-at-Large Laura MacLeod, who was elected to the position in May at the start of the new Board's term, handed in her resignation at tonight's meeting. A two-hour

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-15725489685668528462010-10-03T20:00:00.000-07:002010-10-04T19:53:20.055-07:00

The agenda for tomorrow's UVic Student Society Board meeting includes three motions proposing that the Board "recommend against" certain sections of the UVSS reform package of bylaw and policy amendments which will be considered at the October UVSS Annual General Meeting. There are several problems with these motions which were written by Director-at-Large Tara Paterson. One motion actually

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-34486063351725253932010-10-02T19:10:00.000-07:002010-10-02T20:50:12.344-07:00

This is the first post in a series about the UVic Student Society reform package which will be voted on at the UVSS Annual General Meeting in October. I used the initiative bylaw which allows motions to be added to an AGM agenda through a petition of at least 1% of the student body. 188 signatures on the petition were verified, exceeding the required number. The upcoming AGM will be the first

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-12612588438473212892010-10-01T14:00:00.000-07:002010-10-04T19:51:42.997-07:00

The CFS counter petition at the University of Windsor.The Canadian Federation of Students is using the petition shown above to try to prevent a referendum on students' CFS membership at the University of Windsor. In September members of the University of Windsor Student Alliance started circulating a petition calling for a referendum on leaving the CFS. Several UWSA board members expressed

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-73532665151584144302010-09-29T20:40:00.000-07:002010-12-17T19:51:03.983-08:00

On September 27 the UVic Student Society Board heard a presentation from a student who's lobbying the university to change their policy around lockouts in residence housing. Richard Gardreau, a first-year student at UVic who lives in res, has collected around 300 signatures on a petition asking UVic Housing to end the current fine for multiple lockouts.Gardreau explained that after the third

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-704831104763981692010-09-29T13:20:00.000-07:002010-09-29T13:52:37.657-07:00

UVic Student Society Finance Director Kelsey Hannan may have written his student number wrong, but he's still a student at UVic.Today Hannan produced an original of a verification of enrollment form from UVic registrar Lauren Charleton. According to this document Hannan is currently enrolled in 1.5 units and waitlisted in 3 units.The problem of verifying students' enrollment in general remains.

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-77619969667198913782010-09-28T21:20:00.000-07:002010-09-29T20:09:59.576-07:00

Today I received a letter from the UVic records office along with a number of petitions I had submitted for UVic Student Society bylaw reforms. The "UVSS reform package" consists of a set of motions which would be added to the agenda of the upcoming UVSS Annual General Meeting if they received the signatures of 1% of the student body. The university registrar has now confirmed that I exceeded

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-84583467063542373452010-09-28T20:00:00.001-07:002010-09-28T20:13:38.551-07:00

The following is a draft of the UVic Student Society's agenda for the Annual General Meeting on October 14. This was compiled from notes and tape recordings of the September 27 Board meeting when the agenda was approved, so the official version may look somewhat slightly different. There will also be motions to adopt the UVSS budget and audited financial statements and a reports section

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-91577523883623634232010-09-28T18:00:00.001-07:002010-12-17T19:50:33.388-08:00

The UVic Student Society Board approved the agenda of the October 14 UVSS Annual General Meeting at their Board meeting on September 27. The budget was adopted after a two-hour in-camera session.Women's rep Robyn Spilker, voted against the budget along with Director-at-Large Tara Paterson, but it appeared they weren't trying to make it fail. "I am opposed to the budget because the Women's

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-71238330492534706452010-09-26T18:00:00.000-07:002010-09-27T21:02:20.495-07:00

At tomorrow's UVic Student Society Board meeting, the UVSS budget will be presented for the Board's approval, and if approved will be forwarded to the October 14 Annual General Meeting. For the third year in a row the UVSS is budgeting for a deficit–the forecast deficit was around $8000 in 2008, $22,517 in 2009 and now possibly $81,211 (or $55,879 if the UVSS doesn't hire another General Manager

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-79674123142697539102010-09-24T18:00:00.000-07:002010-09-24T19:34:41.809-07:00

After a much delayed UVic Student Society Finance committee meeting (Finance Director Kelsey Hannan couldn't get his computer to print the required documents, so the job had to be done at ZAP!) the final version of the UVSS 2010-11 budget has been sent to the Board for approval at its September 27 meeting. Unfortunately, the deficit has grown again, though I submitted two last-minute cost-saving

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-21862844524399289522010-09-22T20:00:00.001-07:002010-09-22T21:09:02.717-07:00

On Monday, September 27, the UVic Student Society Board will set the agenda, including the time, for the UVSS Annual General Meeting on October 14. The AGM is one of only two meeting per year where theUVSS' general membership, which includes all students at UVic, are able to participate directly in student society governance. Items on the agenda will include a motion on whether the student body

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-60544471119130655512010-09-22T18:00:00.000-07:002010-09-22T21:09:32.406-07:00

Yesterday the second draft of the 2010-11 UVic Student Society budget was presented to the Finance committee, but final decisions were put off until another meeting scheduled for Friday. The budget will be brought to the UVSS Board at their September 27 meeting to be recommended to the Annual General Meeting on October 14. Unfortunately, the current budget anticipates a substantial deficit of

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-37287218518042894272010-09-19T18:00:00.000-07:002010-10-01T14:17:26.273-07:00

Lawsuits are erupting this fall as the Canadian Federation of Students seeks to hold on to several member student unions which voted to leave the organization in the spring. Average students will be funding both sides of these expensive wrangles between their local unions and the CFS, which could continue for years, long after most current students have graduated. Meanwhile student associations

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-14386862256812619552010-09-18T18:00:00.000-07:002010-11-05T12:48:28.357-07:00

As a result of my petition campaign for bylaw changes to reform the UVic Student Society, which need the signatures of 1% of students by the end of September to be added to the October Annual General Meeting agenda, I haven't had time to update this blog for a week. Here I will cover some highlights and lowlights of the past week for the UVSS and the Canadian Federation of Students.Board shows

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-62512683285030185882010-09-12T12:00:00.000-07:002010-09-12T12:48:42.376-07:00

Students at UVic who have already paid their tuition fees, including $288 for the UVic Student Society extended health plan, will now get a credit of $15.28 back in their tuition accounts. Students who haven't yet paid their tuition and are enrolled in the health plan will be charged $272.72 instead of $288.This is welcome news since the UVSS Board was unsure whether money already collected from

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-69164349711502863612010-09-08T20:00:00.000-07:002010-12-15T18:08:30.999-08:00

"The SUB should be subsidizing the UVSS, not the UVSS subsidizing the SUB."~former General Manager Ross McKinnonA preliminary draft of the 2010-11 UVic Student Society budget made its first appearance yesterday in the UVSS Finance committee. The UVSS finances are currently in very poor shape and deficit of at least $50,000 is forecast, but there is still a possibility, however slim, that the

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-55034400592674099252010-09-06T22:00:00.000-07:002011-02-23T19:01:19.416-08:00

With many new students coming to UVic this week, I can probably expect a number of new readers on this blog. Here I will be answering some basic questions: What is the UVSS and why should you care? Who is on the UVSS Board and what do they do? What is Voter Funded Media and why is it being introduced at UVic?The UVSS is the UVic Student Society, a compulsory membership organization to which

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-63492909692919339312010-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:002010-09-02T17:50:24.970-07:00

With the departure of General Manager Marne Jensen last month, the UVic Student Society is now looking for a new chief of staff. Jensen held the position for 10 years, by far the longest for any UVSS General Manager since the student society began to hire its own management in 1989. Examining the record and background of Jensen's predecessors, and the evolution of UVSS management structure over

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-20078337019455642302010-09-01T12:00:00.000-07:002010-12-17T19:48:27.193-08:00

Felicita's to become less noisyAt the August 30 UVic Student Society Board meeting, Finance Director Kelsey Hannan moved a motion recommended by the Finance committee to spend up to $8000 on acoustic drapes the reduce noise levels in the Felicita's pub in the Student Union Building. While the UVSS has spent significant amount on SUB upgrades this summer, the drapes will deal with complaints

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-65588576931869574162010-08-31T18:00:00.000-07:002010-12-17T19:47:37.823-08:00

After a long discussion at yesterday's UVic Student Society Board meeting and another discussion today at the Finance committee, the UVSS is moving forward on the controversial issue of the student health plan administration fee.The Board entered into a new contract with StudentCare for 2010-11 on August 3 to replace the one signed by former Finance Director Edward Pullman in April without Board

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3170890637300482257.post-86981739659966636832010-08-26T10:00:00.000-07:002011-02-19T20:47:23.941-08:00

Over 800 students showed up to debate two sets of UVSS organizational changes at the 1995 Annual General Meeting.On July 5 the UVic Student Society created a new ad-hoc committee to examine proposals to restructure UVSS governance. The motion was written by Director-at-Large Jenn Bowie who said, "Times change, structures change, new and radical ideas come up, and if we ignore them and just stay

David J. A. Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05373610288859765195noreply@blogger.com6