SU budget, VP external and more discussed at June 12 SLC meeting

By Matty Hume, June 14 2018 —

The Students’ Legislative Council made its way through a full agenda during the June 12 meeting, which included briefing notes for the upcoming General Faculties Council (GFC) Caucus meeting and the first reading of the 2018–19 Students’ Union annual budget. The budget passed its first reading before the council session came to a close.

The meeting began with a report from the Nominations Committee by committee chair and SU vice-president operations and finance Kevin Dang. He reported that the vice-president external position, which was left vacant following Puncham Judge’s resignation in April, will remain vacant until a byelection in October.

Vice-president academic Jessica Revington gave a briefing on the upcoming GFC Caucus meeting, which will include electing two academic staff members to the GFC executive committee and discussing potential changes to the Student Misconduct and Academic Appeals Policy and Procedures. Another significant talking point at the GFC Caucus is the potential implementation of a bylaw that states if a GFC member misses three meetings between September and April, the member’s appointing body will be asked to replace that member.

Faculty of Social Work representative Marissa Bennett raised concerns with the potential bylaw, citing the heavy practicum workload of social work students as a barrier to both attending meetings and finding a replacement if necessary.

“I think the potential problems of this come from the accessibility of the Faculty of Social Work in general,” Bennett said. “I have 300 hours of practicum in the fall and 400 in winter. Any other student [in the Faculty of Social Work] has the exact same workload, if not worse.”

The meeting continued with a reading of the SU’s 2018–19 annual budget and a vote to approve the first reading. Members of SLC did not have access to the budget in full. Instead, Dang presented an overview of changes. Most SU departments will see an increase in operating costs due the provincial increase of the minimum wage to $15 per hour that will take effect in October. The Den and Black Lounge projects a decrease in both alcohol and food sales. However, events such as concerts see a general increase in ticket sales.

A notable change in this year’s budget is the creation of a new SU department called “Building Manager.” The addition of this department is due to the SU’s new role of managing MacHall, owned by the University of Calgary, as part of the resolution of the MacHall ownership dispute.

The next meeting of SLC is June 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the MacHall Executive Council Chambers, where the second reading of the budget will be conducted. Access executive reports, minutes and all other SLC documents here.