AMS Decoded: What to look for in the February 7 Council meeting

Every few weeks, your elected student government meets on a Wednesday night to talk about issues concerning the AMS. Agenda items can seem long, mysterious and confusing without the proper background, making it difficult to see how these issues affect students. Here’s what to watch out for in the upcoming AMS Council meeting on February 7:

Student Court referendum

Pursuant to a discussion held in the fall, the governance committee is coming to Council with a proposal to abolish Student Court, which has not existed in practice for quite some time. To do this, a referendum — in which all AMS members are eligible to vote — must be held. Council will be having a discussion on the text of the possible referendum question at this meeting.

Fee restructure

Council will be having a discussion on a proposal to have certain fees collected by the AMS subject to renewal votes. Similar to the Student Court proposal, this would also require a referendum to be held, a possibility which Council will be exploring ahead of the upcoming AMS elections.

Nest expulsion policy

A topic which has already received much attention online, Council will be considering updating provisions to grounds for expulsion from the Nest. The proposal, as written, includes being barefoot and salvaging food from disposal areas as possible grounds to be removed from the premises.

Jakob Gattinger, a fourth-year applied science student, is the former VP Academic and University Affairs pro tem for the AMS and a current member of Council for engineering, as well as a student senator.