Unfortunately, you probably won’t get a chance to remember the next one.
We’re taking our gossip rag and running with it, as this has yet to be confirmed by any of the AMS Exec. But we have eyes, and suck at math.
Update: Elin Tayyar says “block party is not dead” via Facebook chat. Stay tuned to the wonderful wizardings of student politics…
Update 2: We seem to be pissing a lot of people off (see comments). Good. President Bijan sent out an email stating that “AMS still plans to support an end-of-year event that is robust and appealing to students” under a new financial model. We get that- they LOST around $100,000 last year which sucks balls.
So, there will still be some form of end-of-year bash. However, the way its funded (previously AMS, now constituencies will be bidding), the organization behind it (not AMS Events, more involvement from constituencies), and its name (maybe) are changing.
All in all, we stand by our reporting of this rumour – which, depending on who you talk to, is very true. We’re looking forward to council on Wednesday, and will continue to report the scandal. We are, after all, AMS Confidential- exposing the down & dirty of AMS Politics.
In looking over the proposed AMS Budget 2010-11, there is a shocking $0 allotted for Block Party, as opposed to the $38,000 they spent to bring us (along with the AUS) Barenaked Ladies, Hey Ocean, and All Access passes with free bzzr.Oh wait, you’re not all hacks. So the rest of you got to party your face off in the rain and drink bzzr.
Some of our secret, yet sexy, sources say that certain execs plan on doing this to pass some fucking referendum. You know, the referendum that will link student fees to the CPPIIPCIPCICIwhatever (aka inflation). Vote Yes, Get Block Party.
For now, we caution the AMS with this:
Don’t toy with an apathetic student’s heart…they don’t love Block Party enough to actually vote when you’re asking for more money (even though it makes sense) and taking away a party. Aren’t you supposed to be Fighting the War on Fun?
devious, or they could just be planing to try and break even on the party…
Haha seriously though nice rumor milling!
Maybe they’re planning a Surprise Block Party.
a former AMS Councillor says:
“Dammit. I could’ve sworn the discussion we had at budget committee was to lower the budget so the subsidy was much less (ie it should operate nearly budget-neutral). But if it’s not there at all, they won’t be able to do it, since there’s no line items.
So annoyed with so much of this budget stuff.”
I like how you rub in the faces of non-hacks how they didn’t get free beer because they aren’t hacks. wow guys, wow.
@Michael: Hacks et al are basically the reincarnation of Communist party members from the Warsaw Pact. They get steak, you get soup. They travel to Turkey and Cyprus for vacation, while you get a ‘workers vacation’ every couple of years to Georgia, if you’re lucky.
nepotism in the AMS for the loss!
I fully expect to see ice sculptures at the next MOA party. I would expect no less from the Kremlin.
@michael – have you ever read our blog? have you ever read our sarcastic commentary? also, if there was a block party next year, you too would get free bzzr.
I understand the sarcasm within the blog. Rubbing free beer in the faces of non hacks…not sure if that’s sarcasm. But I’ll support this money wasting event because I can get free beer from it?
hm, maybe they should just stop buying the two kegs that they always do for the lovely, privileged hack crowd? although that’d only save them pennies, compared to the real cost of the event.
I knew that was the problem, you know, kegs in this country cost like what 500 bucks? If you went through me I could get you kegs at 50 bucks a piece. However if you wanted something wild like a keg of Guinness, you would have to pony up 140. Keg of Heineken would only be 115.
Gosh, my point has been missed. It’s less about the cost of free beer for the nepotism within the AMS. It’s moreso about why the AMS loses tens of thousands of dollars yearly in the first place for such an event, and the rub-it-in-your-face attitude of the post.
Michael, I am aware but at the same time I’m not going to complain on one of their blogs. It’s a pointless and noble effort, but this will never change. Like I said earlier, the system creates these people. AMS parties = public money to have a party that they throw for themselves. While yes, the parties are open to everyone, only the AMS hacks show up – this should tell you everything you need to know. Therefore, you have two options, a) ignoring it while still being apart of the organ that creates it and just ‘play along’ or b) just ignore it completely and not get involved (like the majority of UBC students).
You are right to say this is not really a sarcastic website. All one has to do is to look at their tags for posts: ‘fuck yeah bc liberals’ tag says it all.
UBCers and especially AMS people live in a world that does not exist. When you are the creme of the creme in life and society has told you so, this happens. Let the kids have fun and waste other people’s money, because they sure are going to miss the good ol’ days when life comes around the corner and hits them upside the head.
Focus on school and get your revenge on said people after graduation when you get the better coffee job.
Here endeth the sermon.
@pierce- our blog has no partisanship, the “fuck yeah bc liberals” tag was just a thing about the u-pass. re: hst, there could be a “fuck yeah ndp” one as well.
Taylor, how long have you known me? And given that length of time, at what point have I ever given less than 150% of myself to parties on campus? At what point did I ever give any indication of letting the Axis of Boring win the War on Fun?
You should know better, Taylor.
Jeremy, when did how long Taylor has known known you for have any relevance to this discussion? At what point does your commitment to parties on campus matter when Block Party’s future is communicated in a way that, at best, confused the media? At what point did Taylor personally criticize you in this post, necessitating this personal response?
You should know better, Jeremy.
Taylor never contacted me about this, and instead asked Kai for the inside scoop. Not only that, but after having already talked to Elin, and been assured that Block Party will still happen, this post stays up (despite its misinformation) I have still not been directly contacted, and she did personally undercut me (and the rest of executive) by asserting that this is a ploy to get the referendum to pass.
The actual cost of the event far exceeds $38,000, and that line item from last year was the deficit amount the AMS was willing to accept from its general funds. This year we anticipate a $0 deficit, hence the allotted amount.
And further, Justin, she goes on to chastise us for not doing enough to fight the War on Fun, despite the innumerable hours we’ve spent doing exactly that. If that isn’t a personal criticism (considering my part in coining the term itself) I don’t know what is.
You may believe that the post was a personal criticism because of your past advocacy of certain issues on campus, but I very much doubt other people would see it that way—it’s a budget/communications issue.
Jeremy-
I didn’t feel a need to contact you because you are the VP External, not VP Finance. I was never “assured that Block Party will still happen.” Instead, I was told to wait until council. The budget is very vague, and the media in general (see: UBC Insiders, The Ubyssey) were also confused, along with AMS Councillors involved with the budget. It was not just me. From my finance experience, line items still need to exist- whether you plan on losing money or not. Just take this as a lesson for greater transparency when you release budgets, which Bijan has admitted was a fault, and then no confusion occurs.
I also didn’t “assert” that this is a “ploy” – I stated that I had heard rumours that it was. Which I have, from very reputable sources.
Regarding your concerns about the post staying up- you never delete things. You correct them. Which I did, and following the AMS’ panic over this, will do so again. I stand by my reporting of this rumour – which is printed as a rumour – because the name, who is organizing it, and the way it is funded (see: update) is changing. AMS Events will no longer be putting on Block Party. Instead of any of my, or Justin’s, or Neal’s questions being answered we were just told that it’s still happening. Except no one’s telling us how.
This post was in no way written as a personal critique of your work- you are the VP External, not the President or VP Finance. I am sorry if you took it as such and will seek to make amends in a personal way other than writing <3 <3 <3 in a blog comment.
Love,
Tay
OMG the new SUB is going to so AWESOME.
AND I’m working on making the AMS more inclusive and representative.
Oh yeah.
That’s me….
No big deal…
And it’s Saturday on a sunny day so…. GO DO FUN THINGS OUTSIDE.
He is getting stagnant, I think i heard the same speech nearly verbatim the other day. Either that or your a spy…
Koerners is dead. Don’t kill the last day celebration. This year is not the year to be playing games with anything in the “fun” portfolio.
Meh, there’s always the welcome back concert. Unless that too is gone.
You could always do a poetry slam or a dj night at War. Get Scary Mike to do it.
Who needs Block Party when you can have executive benefits! My friends at the UN will not be happy about this one.
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