Max: Michelle: Max: committee. Max: At our

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1 THE ALMAA MATER SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA VANCOUVER AMS Advcacy Cmmittee Agenda f June 12, 2018 Present: Max Hlmes (Chair VP Academic & Universityy Affairs), Cristina Ilnitchi (VP External Affairs), Dylan Braam (Cuncilr), Daniel Lam (Student at Large) Guests: Rdney Little Mustache, Rshni Pendse (AVP Academic Affairs) Regrets: Andy Wu (Cuncilr), Kate Burnham (Cuncilr), Hannah Xia (Cuncilr) Recrding Secretary: Julia Burnham (Academic Campaigns and Outreach Cmmissiner) Land Acknwledgement Call t Order 6:09pm called t rder Apprval f Agenda Amendments: apprval f the minutes frm May 29, discussin n engagement n Indigenus cmmittee r structure in the AMS Michelle: Add: discussin n Rdney s rle in the cmmittee, Trans Muntain pipeline statement Need t make sure we leave at 7, s Trans Muntain pipeline will need t wait until the next meeting. Can include Rdney s rle in this cmmittee in the discussin n the Indigenus cmmittee Apprval f Minutes Mved by Daniel, secndedd by Cristina Unanimus cnsent. Indigenus Engagement The AMS has had a majr failure in engaging Indigenus students. We aplgize fr nt creating this earlier. This needs t be the first gal that the Advcacy Cmmittee wrks n and becmes a cntinuus discussin in the AMS as a whle At ur last meeting, we discussed the principle f the AMS creating space/structuree that Indigenus students want within the rganizatin fr representatin and invlvement.

2 AMS Advcacy Cmmittee Minutes f June 12, 2018 Jasn: We agree that anything created needs t be an active discussin led by Indigenus cmmunities and Indigenus students, nt a siled cnversatin at this cmmittee Need t ask these cmmunities what structure they wuld like and what they wuld like us t advcate fr S t recap, there s interest in creating this cmmittee and pssibly much mre (i.e. different psitins r advcacy). This cmmittee needs t hld the AMS accuntable t make sure these things get dne. Indigenus cmmunities and students need t be deciding n this. Their recmmendatins shuld be what we apprve and send t cuncil. This is the first gal that we shuld wrk n. We need t reach ut t the Lnghuse and be setting up thse discussins Cristina: T add, we heard what yu (Rdney) said at the Indigenus Advisry grup said and we take this int accunt. We realize that this initial structure did nt prvide a successful envirnment fr this cnversatin. We want t d better when we are reaching ut the next time we g t Indigenus grups. We need t make sure that they are cnsulted in a way they see fit and is an envirnment that they feel welcme in jining the cnversatin. Rdney: Can the aplgy be made public by the President f the AMS? I can t speak n behalf f her, but I can immediately discuss this with Marium. I assume we all agree n this. This cmmittee can als lk at the text f this aplgy. This aplgy shuld be created. Rdney: When I was first at UBC, I ve been t the electins debates and I felt nt included in them. Nthing abut us fr us. Living with HIV, I fight t get my vice heard. We frmed the HPAA cmmittee, we gave them ur terms f reference. My visin is t be part f the AMS, 2 seats. I dn t knw hw many peple have tried this befre me. We can get ur archivist t lk at this. Rdney: Want the histry f hw First Natins were included. Where are the ntes fr advisry grup? Cristina: Passed publicly in cuncil, I can send t yu Rdney: Are any f these ffices Indigenus? Is there an mbudsman? N. We need t be advertising these t Indigenus grups, putting them in the Talking Stick newsletter, at the Lnghuse lunch etc. It will als be imprtant t have a staff member be respnsible t fllw thrugh with this. Rdney: As part f the Indigenus cmmittee, we need t have an Elder. This is the traditin here. 2

3 AMS Advcacy Cmmittee Minutes f June 12, 2018 Terms f Reference wuld be dne by us, I can give examples frm acrss Canada. After this cmmittee is frmed, wh wuld we submit it t? T be created, it wuld g thrugh this cmmittee bviusly we wuld apprve this in cnsultatin with them. Then at cuncil, when its presented, I wuld pass n the mtivatr at the meeting t have the chair f the Indigenus cmmittee mtivate it. Wuld then be mved, secnded, apprved by cuncil. Then, whatever structure is created culd wrk n these issues and bring frward directly t cuncil. This wuld be an autnmus functining cmmittee. Michelle: Hw wuld this wrk if cmmittees are required t have a certain number f executives n them? This may nt be a standing cmmittee, we culd make this an extrardinary cmmittee that has less structural requirements. This wuldn t be a standing cmmittee, but wuld have all the same apprval prcesses and g directly t cuncil like the Electins cmmittee. If this the structure that is decided. Rdney: I spke t the Lnghuse befre this and I ve been tld I need t g thrugh them t get anything dne with the AMS. Why? I spke with the Ubyssey abut this and they tk 5 mnths t print this stry, they released the Bard f Gvernrs ne first. That really upset me. Wh takes precedence with the AMS? The students? We have many cnstituencies, as well as clubs. Publicatins are independent the Ubyssey separately incrprated in We have n jurisdictin ver what they d. We d nt fund them. CiTR is als separate, we re a little invlved in their finances but nt their media publicatin. Rdney: Why d I have t g t the Lnghuse t get things dne with the AMS? I dn t think that shuld be the structure. We shuld discuss hw we can imprve this if it s been a failing in the past. We need t make sure Indigenus students can cme t the AMS t imprve that. Rdney: One f the things cming up in the next term is t include Native perfrmers there. T have Larry Grant speak and t have Cast Salish, as well as dancers frm acrss Canada, perfrm. 3

4 AMS Advcacy Cmmittee Minutes f June 12, 2018 Rdney: This is part f rientatins, which is dne by an rientatins steering cmmittee. S we d need t discuss this in the framewrk f whether that s smething they d like us t advcate n. We als want t create an Indigenus advcacy plicy t dictate what Indigenus students wuld like us t advcate n. Larry Grant des already d the Land acknwledgement, but f curse there is rm fr imprvement. As well, there s always big parties utside and there are n Indigenus parties there. As well, there was a speakers series n Wrld Peace and there weren t any Indigenus peple there. It s abut inclusin. Hw lng will it take t get tw seats n the cuncil set aside fr Indigenus peple? That s smething we want t talk t Indigenus cmmunities abut Rdney: Yu already asked that at that meeting last year. We tld yu already. There were recmmendatins that came ut f that advisry grup, but we want t make sure that we engage the cmmunity n a larger scale where all Indigenus students knw this is smething they can be part f when we create this. Rdney: S this is ging t take anther year? N, I dn t think s. We want t engage with students, which can be difficult smetimes ver the summer. If we can with gd turnut, then we will. If nt, that s the first thing we will d in the academic year. The timeline fr implementatin wuld be up t these students. Jasn: S hpefully this summer, but if nt, September? Yes. N matter what, if we establish smething this summer, we will revisit it in the academic year and is a cntinuus cnversatin fr the AMS. Rdney: It s frustrating. Since clnizatin, everything has been taken and we re trying t get back and be part f sciety. We face plicy after plicy, nt ur plicy, It s time fr UBC t start creating prgrams fr Indigenus peple. There s a lt f Native students wh see what s ging n in their hme cmmunities, but they can t g t university. We want t create separate prgrams fr Indigenus students s they can get here. This is actually ne f the things that a recent BG meeting discussed, the Abriginal Access Studies prgram at UBCO. We are explring implementing this system at UBC Vancuver, that any Indigenus student wh wants t study here shuld be able t. Rdney: I never learned f the imprtance f the land until I came ut here. I was thinking f a prgram where Indigenus Elders and peple living with HIV culd learn abut living with HIV. What s the next step? Reaching ut t cmmunities n campus. We can cmmit t the timeline f trying t engage with grups this summer, if nt, in September we will create and engage with a structure made by Indigenus students n campus. This is ne f the first things we will wrk n. Julia will cntact these grups. This will get dne by the AMS. 4

5 AMS Advcacy Cmmittee Minutes f June 12, 2018 I will speak with Marium t create an aplgy. I am gne frm June 23 July 3 rd, but Jasn and Marium can wrk n this when I am gne. Thank yu Rdney, fr all f yur effrts in bringing frward these issues. I m grateful t yu and all the peple befre yu wh has advcated fr this. Rdney: I m srry I ve been s pushy, but please understand where I m cming frm. There s different levels f activists in Indigenus grups, there s very few that are fighting fr what I m ding. We are trying t be included at times we are nt. Thank yu s much Rdney. We understand the frustratin. Cristina: We want t d better. In the interest f time, we re ging t remve the rest f ur agenda items. This was a gd discussin. I will put tgether the cmmittee gals int a ggle dcument, we will send it ut t all f the members, as well as t yu Rdney. Everyne can make additins and edits. We will be able t d an apprval vte r discuss it at ur next meeting. Michelle: Can I give everybdy a primer n my thughts n cmmittee gals? Okay, but we are ging vertime. Michelle: I ve dne research n ther student scieties are a lt mre prgressive than the AMS n human rights issues and scietal issues. I fund that these principles f scial justice and equity are enshrined in the cnstitutin and mandate, the AMS des nt. These are issues a lt f students n campus care abut, s I d lve t see this be a cnversatin n if these are things the AMS can speak up n. Dylan: D any scieties in BC say these things? The BC gvernment frces yu t put these things in bylaws, nt cnstitutins. Michelle: UVic des in their bylaws. This is imprtant, this is smething that wuld be dne at the AMS strategic planning prcess this year These are issues that the AMS has taken actin n in the past and cntinue t d as well. We can cntinue t have this cnversatin and figure ut hw t enshrine this. It s within ur cmmittee gals t have cnversatins n what advcacy psitins we d take. Adjurnment Adjurned at 7:08pm. Next meeting July 10 th at 6 7pm. 5