The Insiders
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Jan
21
Issue of the Day: Campus Life
Posted by: Neal Yonson | January 21, 2007 | 50 Comments
A lot of ink has been spilled about “apathy.” We believe that the way to address apathy is to run a (student) government that’s relevant and important to students, voter turnout and promotions be damned.
One of the recurring themes involves student life. Comments on earlier posts have included:
- “Are there not enough people coming out to X event? Then let’s figure out how to get more people to talk about X event.”
- “I’ve spent my entire time at UBC pulling away from campus events and finding cool shit/people in Vancouver for the simple reason that events on UBC campus are largely in terrible venues (aka the SUB) with crap music, food and beer”
- “why would someone subscribe to drinking beer in a tent in a parking lot or the dusty-ass SUB ballroom when they can go see the Roots at the Commodore?”
- “i care about the ams, but i never went to the events. get maxwell maxwell to plan the events. they’d be great.”
Some seem to think the AMS ought to run bigger, better events. Others think it’s worthless to compete with Vancouver. For reference, AMS Events (see link) runs two kinds of events: special events like Welcome Back BBQ and concerts in the Pit, and helping clubs/constituencies run theirs (bookings for ACF, Cold Fusion, etc.) Anybody go to the Gallery for karaoke on a Tuesday? That’s actually run by AMS Events.
So we’re like to ask: what’s the role for the AMS in campus life? Some candidates, like Sarah Naiman and “the Maxwell”, see a positive role, an AMS that ought to actually run parties and events and be good-times central. It’s also been suggested that the AMS role ought to be more of a facilitator of events, by making easier for other campus groups to do the events. And if the AMS does throw a kick-ass party, does it matter that students know it was the AMS? Or should we just ignore parties, and make sure the beer is as cheap as possible? Would you rather spend Friday night in a dingy but cheap campus bar, or a shiny but pricey one?
Comments
50 Comments so far
I don’t think it has to be “cool”, like Anon suggested in the post below. I guess what they mean by “cool” is hip and sexy and something like MuchMusic that someone frequently would watch (had they cable) to keep up with what’s tu jour in popular music culture.
I think the diversity that our campus has is reflected in the 200+ clubs we have on campus. What is “cool” for each student differs, and we embrace and foster that. Or at least, try to.
There’s the classic argument to be made in rebuttal, which is that the number of clubs is reflective of the community which we are failing to provide as the AMS, and thus the outgrowth of this is students seeking to create their own. I find that argument to be presumptuous of a homogeneity which I myself haven’t observed on this campus, and I’m grateful for that. I love the different “niches” each club fills. I’ve been part of at least 5 clubs and two resource groups at my stay at UBC. A central beer garden could never replace them for me. I don’t like beer.
I think what we mean by student engagement is to pique student interest and consult them on issues which will shape the discourse at the platform level of governance talk. This isn’t met without an awareness on how the university is run. That in turn isn’t met without an emotional affinity towards the student union. And for this, one could argue, a sense of unity does need to exist.
I don’t think the number of clubs are an impediment to this. But there is a real segregation in terms of how the campus is laid out. Everyone is in their program, within their department, within their faculty, within their year rank.
I probably differ from Tim on the extent to which we think the students should have a “unified school spirit”. I support a student society in which plurality is fostered, but this doesn’t mean that the current fragmentation and compartmentalization of “units” within campus should persist.
I’m rambling.
I don’t think it has to be “cool”, like Anon suggested in the post below. I guess what they mean by “cool” is hip and sexy and something like MuchMusic that someone frequently would watch (had they cable) to keep up with what’s tu jour in popular music culture.
I think the diversity that our campus has is reflected in the 200+ clubs we have on campus. What is “cool” for each student differs, and we embrace and foster that. Or at least, try to.
There’s the classic argument to be made in rebuttal, which is that the number of clubs is reflective of the community which we are failing to provide as the AMS, and thus the outgrowth of this is students seeking to create their own. I find that argument to be presumptuous of a homogeneity which I myself haven’t observed on this campus, and I’m grateful for that. I love the different “niches” each club fills. I’ve been part of at least 5 clubs and two resource groups at my stay at UBC. A central beer garden could never replace them for me. I don’t like beer.
I think what we mean by student engagement is to pique student interest and consult them on issues which will shape the discourse at the platform level of governance talk. This isn’t met without an awareness on how the university is run. That in turn isn’t met without an emotional affinity towards the student union. And for this, one could argue, a sense of unity does need to exist.
I don’t think the number of clubs are an impediment to this. But there is a real segregation in terms of how the campus is laid out. Everyone is in their program, within their department, within their faculty, within their year rank.
I probably differ from Tim on the extent to which we think the students should have a “unified school spirit”. I support a student society in which plurality is fostered, but this doesn’t mean that the current fragmentation and compartmentalization of “units” within campus should persist.
I’m rambling.
gina, tim. i think you guys are struggling with “cool” but the effort is endearing.
i hate to even write this, but here goes.
cool=captivating
somebody shoot me
please don’t turn this into a debate
we’ll become less cool!
gina, tim. i think you guys are struggling with “cool” but the effort is endearing.
i hate to even write this, but here goes.
cool=captivating
somebody shoot me
please don’t turn this into a debate
we’ll become less cool!
i once bought a membership in the origami club
i once bought a membership in the origami club
issues between the ams and clubs? expand.
why don’t the clubs have reps on the ams council. why not build a bigger chamber?
and for tim
how big would a club have to be to earn representation at an ams grand assembly?
would involving religious clubs violate any secular foundation of the ams? i’m bullshitting here, but is the ams a secular organization, or an organization with a division between church and state. messy wording here, sorry
i’m done
issues between the ams and clubs? expand.
why don’t the clubs have reps on the ams council. why not build a bigger chamber?
and for tim
how big would a club have to be to earn representation at an ams grand assembly?
would involving religious clubs violate any secular foundation of the ams? i’m bullshitting here, but is the ams a secular organization, or an organization with a division between church and state. messy wording here, sorry
i’m done
i wish i lived in goodtime central
i wish i lived in goodtime central
Where do people get the idea that we’re worried about “cool”? This is a blog devoted to student politics. I update it a few times a day. The “cool” ship sailed looooooooooong ago.
I don’t know where the question about religious clubs comes from, or where the “assembly” comes from… that having been said, if there were to be some group involving clubs, there’s no reason to exclude religious clubs. The AMS isn’t explicitly secular; even if it were, I don’t think involving religious clubs would violate that principle.
Where do people get the idea that we’re worried about “cool”? This is a blog devoted to student politics. I update it a few times a day. The “cool” ship sailed looooooooooong ago.
I don’t know where the question about religious clubs comes from, or where the “assembly” comes from… that having been said, if there were to be some group involving clubs, there’s no reason to exclude religious clubs. The AMS isn’t explicitly secular; even if it were, I don’t think involving religious clubs would violate that principle.
so clubs aren’t represented in the AMS?
so clubs aren’t represented in the AMS?
Anon (7:03)-
There’s really no “representation” of clubs in the AMS. AMS Council is only composed of constituency representatives, while the clubs arm is run by the Student Administrative Commission, which is a combination of hired/elected student officials.
Anon (7:03)-
There’s really no “representation” of clubs in the AMS. AMS Council is only composed of constituency representatives, while the clubs arm is run by the Student Administrative Commission, which is a combination of hired/elected student officials.
Oh man, I’m in it now…(Tim you cut-and-pasting bastard, how dare you quote me and my counterculture angst? hahahaha just kiddin’. Bring it on, baby.)
Gina, what the f are you talking about? Seriously. Again, a reflection of why people don’t subscribe to the AMS…because most people don’t like debate/corporate newspeak. Next post, take out the ‘one could argues’ and the ‘tu jours’ (do you mean ‘du jour’?…french was obviously not your major) and the ‘arguments to be presumptuous of a homogeneity’ and talk like a regular person. If you know you’re rambling, then go back and make what you wrote make sense.
Okay, going back to my last angry post, I’m not saying the AMS should try to compete with mainstream publicised city events. I’m just saying they should understand the reality of the situation and keep it in mind when figuring out what attracts students’ attention. If no amount of postering in the world will get them to pack the depressing-as-fuck karaoke night in at the Gallery, you probably shouldn’t be all that surprised…
Especially when you can get shitfaced at the kickass Fantacity on Alberni St. and get a real private karaoke room with hilarious springbreak eighties softcore on a bigscreen tv along with the lyrics of the songs and have the biggest selection of tunes ever…see what I’m saying? UBC’s a commuter campus, and the AMS is swimming upstream when it comes to entertainment, if they’re going to keep it there. The large proportion of people who attend AMS events are rez kids who haven’t figured out there’s a bigger better world a bus ride away. The AMS caters to them by default. Which is fine, I suppose (but not good enough for my snobby ass, muahahaha)
As soon as the kiddies get old/cool enough to figure out where the good stuff is (including their own sense of independence…I have huge beefs with the sterile, pseudo-daycare housing options at UBC but that’s a whole other thing,) they join the ranks of offcampus people, are lost from the flock and the AMS is left to keep catering to nerdy rez kids. The cycle continues.
Simple as that.
Oh man, I’m in it now…(Tim you cut-and-pasting bastard, how dare you quote me and my counterculture angst? hahahaha just kiddin’. Bring it on, baby.)
Gina, what the f are you talking about? Seriously. Again, a reflection of why people don’t subscribe to the AMS…because most people don’t like debate/corporate newspeak. Next post, take out the ‘one could argues’ and the ‘tu jours’ (do you mean ‘du jour’?…french was obviously not your major) and the ‘arguments to be presumptuous of a homogeneity’ and talk like a regular person. If you know you’re rambling, then go back and make what you wrote make sense.
Okay, going back to my last angry post, I’m not saying the AMS should try to compete with mainstream publicised city events. I’m just saying they should understand the reality of the situation and keep it in mind when figuring out what attracts students’ attention. If no amount of postering in the world will get them to pack the depressing-as-fuck karaoke night in at the Gallery, you probably shouldn’t be all that surprised…
Especially when you can get shitfaced at the kickass Fantacity on Alberni St. and get a real private karaoke room with hilarious springbreak eighties softcore on a bigscreen tv along with the lyrics of the songs and have the biggest selection of tunes ever…see what I’m saying? UBC’s a commuter campus, and the AMS is swimming upstream when it comes to entertainment, if they’re going to keep it there. The large proportion of people who attend AMS events are rez kids who haven’t figured out there’s a bigger better world a bus ride away. The AMS caters to them by default. Which is fine, I suppose (but not good enough for my snobby ass, muahahaha)
As soon as the kiddies get old/cool enough to figure out where the good stuff is (including their own sense of independence…I have huge beefs with the sterile, pseudo-daycare housing options at UBC but that’s a whole other thing,) they join the ranks of offcampus people, are lost from the flock and the AMS is left to keep catering to nerdy rez kids. The cycle continues.
Simple as that.
Momo….
If the Gallery is packed on a Tuesday, which it almost invariably is, then what implications does that have for your argument?
Momo….
If the Gallery is packed on a Tuesday, which it almost invariably is, then what implications does that have for your argument?
Okay, last one: That I hates the Gallery, I guess…I wondered at how packed it does get. If the Gallery gets packed on Tuesdays, then more power to the AMS. ‘…the depressing-as-fuck [insert dusty-ass beer garden here],’ then. I do wonder how many people who attend karaoke are affiliated with the AMS or other SUB shit, though…
What I’m trying to get at is this. Here’s my big, huge, been-stewing-inside-for-years, never-expressed-it thing about campus life at UBC:
UBC is a big campus, with tons of people. Some people come and, to their surprise, find UBC campus a pretty brutal place to live because, relative to living in a big city (which most big universities are right smack in the middle of) UBC makes huge constraints on your ability to create or subscribe to your own sense of community. Case in point, there are few, if any, affordable independent student housing options at UBC (aka just pay rent to your landlord, real student neighborhoods.)
This is a pipe dream, but imagine what it would have been like on campus if there were real, honest-to-god, human neighborhoods where people could smoke inside if their landlord didn’t care and could have parties without having to tell their residential babysitter about it first and could decorate their places without having to make sure they do it with poster-stickers so they don’t scratch the walls. Aside from the frat houses that got torn down, UBC never bothered to make that an option for students, and it sucks. So people leave and join the big city, where they’re free, and then engaging in UBC is no longer a priority. 50+% of their life is elsewhere. This is a BoG issue, I think.
For many people—I was one of them; my friends who dropped out of school because they hated rez life and the SUB were part of them too—the concerted efforts to make students make friends with each other with pancake breakfasts and dances and Imagine and stuff (whether in rez or in the SUB) are totally demeaning. Many of us are capable of making our own friends and we don’t need hypnotists and pancakes and formals to do it. But some people need/like these things. And I think our student society caters to these people. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up the AMS.
What I am trying to stress to all the power structures students are privy to (like the AMS), is yes, keep working on changing the internal structure of UBC so that there are more avenues by which students can cultivate their own community and express themselves, not just subscribe to the one the AMS feels pressured to create for us.
Hope that’s clear. I’ll tone down the chip on my shoulder, but this is the first time I’ve ever got to speak on this after 2 years of miserable rez/campus life and of being an outsider looking in on student politics being run like a giant inside joke for a bunch of kids who are pretty ‘homogeneous’ in terms of how they socialise and what they happen to think is fun/important.
And in actual fact I hope this blog and these VFM activities continue to encourage the silent kids to speak out about how they’d like their society to attend their needs…which is what it’s all about.
Okay, last one: That I hates the Gallery, I guess…I wondered at how packed it does get. If the Gallery gets packed on Tuesdays, then more power to the AMS. ‘…the depressing-as-fuck [insert dusty-ass beer garden here],’ then. I do wonder how many people who attend karaoke are affiliated with the AMS or other SUB shit, though…
What I’m trying to get at is this. Here’s my big, huge, been-stewing-inside-for-years, never-expressed-it thing about campus life at UBC:
UBC is a big campus, with tons of people. Some people come and, to their surprise, find UBC campus a pretty brutal place to live because, relative to living in a big city (which most big universities are right smack in the middle of) UBC makes huge constraints on your ability to create or subscribe to your own sense of community. Case in point, there are few, if any, affordable independent student housing options at UBC (aka just pay rent to your landlord, real student neighborhoods.)
This is a pipe dream, but imagine what it would have been like on campus if there were real, honest-to-god, human neighborhoods where people could smoke inside if their landlord didn’t care and could have parties without having to tell their residential babysitter about it first and could decorate their places without having to make sure they do it with poster-stickers so they don’t scratch the walls. Aside from the frat houses that got torn down, UBC never bothered to make that an option for students, and it sucks. So people leave and join the big city, where they’re free, and then engaging in UBC is no longer a priority. 50+% of their life is elsewhere. This is a BoG issue, I think.
For many people—I was one of them; my friends who dropped out of school because they hated rez life and the SUB were part of them too—the concerted efforts to make students make friends with each other with pancake breakfasts and dances and Imagine and stuff (whether in rez or in the SUB) are totally demeaning. Many of us are capable of making our own friends and we don’t need hypnotists and pancakes and formals to do it. But some people need/like these things. And I think our student society caters to these people. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up the AMS.
What I am trying to stress to all the power structures students are privy to (like the AMS), is yes, keep working on changing the internal structure of UBC so that there are more avenues by which students can cultivate their own community and express themselves, not just subscribe to the one the AMS feels pressured to create for us.
Hope that’s clear. I’ll tone down the chip on my shoulder, but this is the first time I’ve ever got to speak on this after 2 years of miserable rez/campus life and of being an outsider looking in on student politics being run like a giant inside joke for a bunch of kids who are pretty ‘homogeneous’ in terms of how they socialise and what they happen to think is fun/important.
And in actual fact I hope this blog and these VFM activities continue to encourage the silent kids to speak out about how they’d like their society to attend their needs…which is what it’s all about.
And I apologise to Gina for snapping.
I’m new at this.
M
And I apologise to Gina for snapping.
I’m new at this.
M
Momo,
Thanks for the last comment. It makes a lot of sense. I’ll only quarrel with one tiny bit, which is that student politics types aren’t quite as homogenous as you’d think. Are they as broadly diverse as the campus? No. But they’re not just one social group. I’d propose that the only reason that they, say, beer garden or hang out at the Gallery is because their friends are there.
I think the much more important point, though, is that of the last paragraph, where students have a chance to bitch, to vent, to really participate in the process. If there’s one thing I love, it’s when the “silent kids” speak up. That wasn’t our goal when this thing started. But it’s since become clear that that’s really needed, and we’re doing what we can.
Momo,
Thanks for the last comment. It makes a lot of sense. I’ll only quarrel with one tiny bit, which is that student politics types aren’t quite as homogenous as you’d think. Are they as broadly diverse as the campus? No. But they’re not just one social group. I’d propose that the only reason that they, say, beer garden or hang out at the Gallery is because their friends are there.
I think the much more important point, though, is that of the last paragraph, where students have a chance to bitch, to vent, to really participate in the process. If there’s one thing I love, it’s when the “silent kids” speak up. That wasn’t our goal when this thing started. But it’s since become clear that that’s really needed, and we’re doing what we can.
It would be really nice if someone actually fixed the AMS forums. Those have been inoperable for new users for over a year, at least as far as I know.
Its tragic that no one has taken the 10 minutes required to fix them. Even the link to them off the main AMS site seems to have gone away, as it sometimes does.
What a great way for students to vent to the AMS wasted. For shame.
It would be really nice if someone actually fixed the AMS forums. Those have been inoperable for new users for over a year, at least as far as I know.
Its tragic that no one has taken the 10 minutes required to fix them. Even the link to them off the main AMS site seems to have gone away, as it sometimes does.
What a great way for students to vent to the AMS wasted. For shame.
Hiya. I’m not sure how many people actually read this (so far, it seems to be mostly AMS members, AMS candidates, and people from other UBC media outlets), but I figured I’d put my two cents in about entertainment on-campus. People seem to be upset with what the AMS is offering right now, and for some reason they think that the AMS should get me to run some events. Frankly, I’d be a lot happier doing that than running for President, but since I think I’m the candidate best equipped to deal with the issues our student government is facing (although let’s face it, being the best candidate in the AMS elections is kind of like being the fastest tortoise in the 100-meter dash at the Tortoise Olympics) I guess I have a race to win.
Anyways, I live on campus and for better or for worse, most of my social life takes place here too. Dealing with the bus, especially when it’s freezing cold and pouring rain, is kind of a pain in the butt. That’s why I’d like to see campus life improved.
Here’s my idea. I think regular students need to be more involved with the AMS. One of the best ways to do that is to let them have a bigger say in on-campus life. Why not start letting students apply for small amounts of money to implement their ideas for parties? Some of my friends pooled their money, started calling themselves After 8 Events, and threw parties this year. Granted, they didn’t have a lot of cash or influence, but their parties (the recent No Pants 2.0 in the SUB, for example) were a lot more fun than most of the events the AMS throws with more experience and far more money.
Let’s make it easier for more kids to spend small amounts of AMS money on parties everyone will enjoy. Obviously we’ll have to have control over it (approving individual purchases, etc), since we can’t just hand over briefcases full of $20 bills to anyone who asks, but I think this would be a cheap way to both get people more involved with the AMS and improve the events we have on-campus.
As for the “dusty” beer gardens we often have in the SUB, here’s an idea. Why don’t we take one of the rooms we usually use for those beer gardens and make it a permanent social space? It doesn’t have to be expensive–we can get some ratty old couches, cover the walls in rock n roll posters, put some X-mas lights and fabric on the ceiling, and get a used sound system to pump music. I could buy all that stuff for less than the price of the laptop I’m typing on right now, and it would be a lot better than the sterile, empty meeting rooms we have parties in at the SUB now.
Having someplace like that would be great. People could study there in the daytime, and at night, we could have live local bands and DJs. Sure, the SUB is probably never going to be as fancy as Granville Street, but it doesn’t have to be.
These are, obviously, just some rough ideas, but I think that making it easier for the average student to put on a party with the help of the AMS will greatly improve the amount and quality of the social events we have on our campus.
Hiya. I’m not sure how many people actually read this (so far, it seems to be mostly AMS members, AMS candidates, and people from other UBC media outlets), but I figured I’d put my two cents in about entertainment on-campus. People seem to be upset with what the AMS is offering right now, and for some reason they think that the AMS should get me to run some events. Frankly, I’d be a lot happier doing that than running for President, but since I think I’m the candidate best equipped to deal with the issues our student government is facing (although let’s face it, being the best candidate in the AMS elections is kind of like being the fastest tortoise in the 100-meter dash at the Tortoise Olympics) I guess I have a race to win.
Anyways, I live on campus and for better or for worse, most of my social life takes place here too. Dealing with the bus, especially when it’s freezing cold and pouring rain, is kind of a pain in the butt. That’s why I’d like to see campus life improved.
Here’s my idea. I think regular students need to be more involved with the AMS. One of the best ways to do that is to let them have a bigger say in on-campus life. Why not start letting students apply for small amounts of money to implement their ideas for parties? Some of my friends pooled their money, started calling themselves After 8 Events, and threw parties this year. Granted, they didn’t have a lot of cash or influence, but their parties (the recent No Pants 2.0 in the SUB, for example) were a lot more fun than most of the events the AMS throws with more experience and far more money.
Let’s make it easier for more kids to spend small amounts of AMS money on parties everyone will enjoy. Obviously we’ll have to have control over it (approving individual purchases, etc), since we can’t just hand over briefcases full of $20 bills to anyone who asks, but I think this would be a cheap way to both get people more involved with the AMS and improve the events we have on-campus.
As for the “dusty” beer gardens we often have in the SUB, here’s an idea. Why don’t we take one of the rooms we usually use for those beer gardens and make it a permanent social space? It doesn’t have to be expensive–we can get some ratty old couches, cover the walls in rock n roll posters, put some X-mas lights and fabric on the ceiling, and get a used sound system to pump music. I could buy all that stuff for less than the price of the laptop I’m typing on right now, and it would be a lot better than the sterile, empty meeting rooms we have parties in at the SUB now.
Having someplace like that would be great. People could study there in the daytime, and at night, we could have live local bands and DJs. Sure, the SUB is probably never going to be as fancy as Granville Street, but it doesn’t have to be.
These are, obviously, just some rough ideas, but I think that making it easier for the average student to put on a party with the help of the AMS will greatly improve the amount and quality of the social events we have on our campus.
Maxwell Maxwell says:
Here’s my idea. I think regular students need to be more involved with the AMS. One of the best ways to do that is to let them have a bigger say in on-campus life.
Jeff Friedrich: True.
Max: Why not start letting students apply for small amounts of money to implement their ideas for parties?
Jeff Friedrich: They already can. But the terms could be more flexible on funds like the student initiative fund, the clubs benefit fund, or the Innovative Projects Fund.
Max:Some of my friends pooled their money, started calling themselves After 8 Events, and threw parties this year. Granted, they didn’t have a lot of cash or influence, but their parties (the recent No Pants 2.0 in the SUB, for example) were a lot more fun than most of the events the AMS throws with more experience and far more money.
Jeff Friedrich: That’s the whole idea. The AMS would do better to let others host parties than to throw parties themselves. But that’s what happened in your example too. Your party was in the SUB- so at some point the AMS approved your party and you didn’t pay to rent the room (you either booked through an AMS club or were one yourself). We also paid the people who cleaned the room. And hired and paid the people who do your security. We have an AMS Events office which will sell you wristbands (for cheap), help you set up, and halp make your event successful, and provide sound equipment. Sorry Maxwell- we can do this better, I agree, but to an extent, your idea is already happening- whether you choose to thank the AMS for the service or not.
Max: Let’s make it easier for more kids to spend small amounts of AMS money on parties everyone will enjoy.
Jeff Friedrich: sure, we can do that and if you read my platform you’d see pratcial ways of doing it.
Maxwell Maxwell says:
Here’s my idea. I think regular students need to be more involved with the AMS. One of the best ways to do that is to let them have a bigger say in on-campus life.
Jeff Friedrich: True.
Max: Why not start letting students apply for small amounts of money to implement their ideas for parties?
Jeff Friedrich: They already can. But the terms could be more flexible on funds like the student initiative fund, the clubs benefit fund, or the Innovative Projects Fund.
Max:Some of my friends pooled their money, started calling themselves After 8 Events, and threw parties this year. Granted, they didn’t have a lot of cash or influence, but their parties (the recent No Pants 2.0 in the SUB, for example) were a lot more fun than most of the events the AMS throws with more experience and far more money.
Jeff Friedrich: That’s the whole idea. The AMS would do better to let others host parties than to throw parties themselves. But that’s what happened in your example too. Your party was in the SUB- so at some point the AMS approved your party and you didn’t pay to rent the room (you either booked through an AMS club or were one yourself). We also paid the people who cleaned the room. And hired and paid the people who do your security. We have an AMS Events office which will sell you wristbands (for cheap), help you set up, and halp make your event successful, and provide sound equipment. Sorry Maxwell- we can do this better, I agree, but to an extent, your idea is already happening- whether you choose to thank the AMS for the service or not.
Max: Let’s make it easier for more kids to spend small amounts of AMS money on parties everyone will enjoy.
Jeff Friedrich: sure, we can do that and if you read my platform you’d see pratcial ways of doing it.
Here’s another idea I just came up with (and I officially retract criticism about blogging, cause what the fuck. I’m hooked):
Right now the outdoor space in front of the SUB is being used for pretty much nothing aside from groups lobbying irritatingly by the doors for either membership or donations, and smoke generation by that damn barbeque that makes hanging out there comfortably almost impossible.
During the spring and summer months, when the weather’s good, why not have art/dance/fashion/whatever competitions for a cash prize on a regular basis? Get real talent from off campus as well as people on campus to compete and maybe have a talented headliner to MC/judge the things. Things that I’m thinking of:
1. Breakdancing competitions (you can find peeps to do that noooo problem. Battles happen downtown all the time.)
2. Capoeira craziness
3. Graffitti competitions (that would be completely amazing to watch)
4. Music competitions (ie: drum circles, acoustic shit, hip hop, spoken word, whatever.)
5. Sculpture, performance art, stunts, comedy, whatever.
You know the clubs on campus, you know what would work. I think that’s a way better way to showcase different things you can get involved with on campus than having annoying clusterfuck clubs dayz where people just waste tons of paper and clog the SUB. Plus it would make something cool to watch while eating lunch. The people who compete can have mailing list signup nearby by people who are intrigued.
There. One suggestion made. hopefully someone who gets elected reads it. For all those who are going for AMS positions, my advice: Don’t follow the convention route of lobbying for new people to get involved. F that. SHOW them what they can do! Give them space and incentive to do it!
I’m a fan of VFM already.
M
Here’s another idea I just came up with (and I officially retract criticism about blogging, cause what the fuck. I’m hooked):
Right now the outdoor space in front of the SUB is being used for pretty much nothing aside from groups lobbying irritatingly by the doors for either membership or donations, and smoke generation by that damn barbeque that makes hanging out there comfortably almost impossible.
During the spring and summer months, when the weather’s good, why not have art/dance/fashion/whatever competitions for a cash prize on a regular basis? Get real talent from off campus as well as people on campus to compete and maybe have a talented headliner to MC/judge the things. Things that I’m thinking of:
1. Breakdancing competitions (you can find peeps to do that noooo problem. Battles happen downtown all the time.)
2. Capoeira craziness
3. Graffitti competitions (that would be completely amazing to watch)
4. Music competitions (ie: drum circles, acoustic shit, hip hop, spoken word, whatever.)
5. Sculpture, performance art, stunts, comedy, whatever.
You know the clubs on campus, you know what would work. I think that’s a way better way to showcase different things you can get involved with on campus than having annoying clusterfuck clubs dayz where people just waste tons of paper and clog the SUB. Plus it would make something cool to watch while eating lunch. The people who compete can have mailing list signup nearby by people who are intrigued.
There. One suggestion made. hopefully someone who gets elected reads it. For all those who are going for AMS positions, my advice: Don’t follow the convention route of lobbying for new people to get involved. F that. SHOW them what they can do! Give them space and incentive to do it!
I’m a fan of VFM already.
M
oh totally. my favourite days at UBC are when CITR plays music outside the SUB.
skateboarding. didn’t the ams do something about skateboarding some time ago?
oh totally. my favourite days at UBC are when CITR plays music outside the SUB.
skateboarding. didn’t the ams do something about skateboarding some time ago?
In response to what Momoko said: I don’t mind club days, but could you please get some of the clubs to stop being so aggressive in their recruitment of members? Not to name any clubs here, but every time I pass by x club in the SUB, and am grabbed by one of their members to be treated to a five minute long exposure to their club, I get scared as hell and stay away for days.
In response to what Momoko said: I don’t mind club days, but could you please get some of the clubs to stop being so aggressive in their recruitment of members? Not to name any clubs here, but every time I pass by x club in the SUB, and am grabbed by one of their members to be treated to a five minute long exposure to their club, I get scared as hell and stay away for days.
If you know you’re rambling, then go back and make what you wrote make sense.
Sorry Momo, I wrote this as I was out the door for a horseshow that I attended all weekend. I didn’t have time to read over it.
If you know you’re rambling, then go back and make what you wrote make sense.
Sorry Momo, I wrote this as I was out the door for a horseshow that I attended all weekend. I didn’t have time to read over it.
Jeff:
To use a favourite word of mine, I think you misunderestimated my proposal. I understand that it is possible to throw events in the SUB, and the AMS can help.
However, it’s not very easy to do, and nearly impossible to find out about. One of the reasons for this is the AMS web site. It’s extremely hard to find anything useful on there, and when you do, it’s often buried in a jumble of AMS-speak that normal people don’t have the time or inclination to translate. What I’m proposing is a simple system for making money available for Dick and Jane, who don’t know the first thing about the AMS, so they can throw a party in the Sub without spending hours messing with red tape.
If the AMS does, as you’re telling me, make it easy for individual students to get money and resources to throw parties, how come almost none of them do? Why are all the events either at the frat houses or AMS club beer gardens? But I guess I’ve been wrong all this time, and the SUB is actually a vibrant hub of activity every night. Somehow I was too busy looking at the cobwebs and empty rooms to notice all the wild parties.
In your platform (which I read all ten pages of) you say that “to a certain extent, it’s not our role to be throwing students a party.” I couldn’t disagree more. The AMS mission statement is supposed to be “to improve the quality of the educational, social, and personal lives of the students of UBC.” Yes, I think it’s great when AMS clubs have parties. However, even with them, on-campus life is still lacking. The AMS mission statement obvious implies that it’s the AMS’s responsibility to do something about it. In other words, it is, in fact, our role to be throwing students a party. When our leaders believe otherwise, it’s no wonder a Saturday night on our campus often resembles an early Sunday morning in a damp Welsh fishing village.
Anyways, let’s look at your platform again. It’s full of the kind of meaningful issue-tackling my critics accuse me of avoiding (take this section, for example, here reproduced in its entirety: “Web Vote: If you’re a constituency exec member you’ll know what this issue entails. It need resolution in a speedy way”). One of those issues you raised has to do with me, and I think it need resolution in a speedy way, too.
You say that I think the AMS is wasting my money while I’m enjoying the resources it provides. That’s not actually what’s going on. I object when you waste money, not when you use it to create and sustain a set of excellent student resources. I don’t think you guys are wasting money on the U-Pass, CiTR, AMS clubs, the health plan, or keeping the SUB open. You’re wasting it on things like that $40,000 interior decorating job on your Council meeting room, the sliding doors you bought and then got rid of and the hideous “conversation pit” most people refer to as the “airport lounge,” and all the other money sinks most people don’t end up hearing about.
And then there’s the matter of fees. During the debate (which, I admit, I sounded like an idiot for most of), you told me my fees were between 40 and 50 dollars. Five minutes later, they had magically shrunk to thirty bucks. In your platform write-up, you give a concrete number: $33.50. The funny thing is, if you go to the AMS web site and poke around for a while, there’s a list of fees which the VP Finance has kindly provided. When you add all those fees up, you get the amount my friends and I actually paid: $456.96.
Now, I certainly don’t think that you guys waste all $456.96 of my money. I realize that most of that money goes to valuable programs like my U-pass, the clubs, the SUB itself, and all the wonderful resource groups we’ve got. I also realize that AMS businesses pay for a big chunk of AMS costs. But still, $456.96 is a lot of money, and when I’m paying that on top of tuition, books, and room and board, I’m upset when the AMS wastes a single penny of it.
One more thing from your platform. You ask: “Is everyone going to be wearing an AMS sweatshirt by the end of next year? Probably not, and nor should they.”
Well, why shouldn’t people care about their student government? I think that with a few changes (an easy-to-navigate Web site, better events, and working e-mail correspondence, for starters), the widespread voter apathy present at UBC can be greatly reduced. The AMS is making progress towards being able to communicate electronically with its members (UBC is letting the AMS sign people up at registration to receive AMS e-mails, finally giving student government access to the amazing technology of 1994), and that should help things a lot. The problem seems to be that our current AMS is unwilling to change its strategy and unable to believe that the problems which plague it can be dealt with. Kind of self-defeating, don’t you think?
Jeff:
To use a favourite word of mine, I think you misunderestimated my proposal. I understand that it is possible to throw events in the SUB, and the AMS can help.
However, it’s not very easy to do, and nearly impossible to find out about. One of the reasons for this is the AMS web site. It’s extremely hard to find anything useful on there, and when you do, it’s often buried in a jumble of AMS-speak that normal people don’t have the time or inclination to translate. What I’m proposing is a simple system for making money available for Dick and Jane, who don’t know the first thing about the AMS, so they can throw a party in the Sub without spending hours messing with red tape.
If the AMS does, as you’re telling me, make it easy for individual students to get money and resources to throw parties, how come almost none of them do? Why are all the events either at the frat houses or AMS club beer gardens? But I guess I’ve been wrong all this time, and the SUB is actually a vibrant hub of activity every night. Somehow I was too busy looking at the cobwebs and empty rooms to notice all the wild parties.
In your platform (which I read all ten pages of) you say that “to a certain extent, it’s not our role to be throwing students a party.” I couldn’t disagree more. The AMS mission statement is supposed to be “to improve the quality of the educational, social, and personal lives of the students of UBC.” Yes, I think it’s great when AMS clubs have parties. However, even with them, on-campus life is still lacking. The AMS mission statement obvious implies that it’s the AMS’s responsibility to do something about it. In other words, it is, in fact, our role to be throwing students a party. When our leaders believe otherwise, it’s no wonder a Saturday night on our campus often resembles an early Sunday morning in a damp Welsh fishing village.
Anyways, let’s look at your platform again. It’s full of the kind of meaningful issue-tackling my critics accuse me of avoiding (take this section, for example, here reproduced in its entirety: “Web Vote: If you’re a constituency exec member you’ll know what this issue entails. It need resolution in a speedy way”). One of those issues you raised has to do with me, and I think it need resolution in a speedy way, too.
You say that I think the AMS is wasting my money while I’m enjoying the resources it provides. That’s not actually what’s going on. I object when you waste money, not when you use it to create and sustain a set of excellent student resources. I don’t think you guys are wasting money on the U-Pass, CiTR, AMS clubs, the health plan, or keeping the SUB open. You’re wasting it on things like that $40,000 interior decorating job on your Council meeting room, the sliding doors you bought and then got rid of and the hideous “conversation pit” most people refer to as the “airport lounge,” and all the other money sinks most people don’t end up hearing about.
And then there’s the matter of fees. During the debate (which, I admit, I sounded like an idiot for most of), you told me my fees were between 40 and 50 dollars. Five minutes later, they had magically shrunk to thirty bucks. In your platform write-up, you give a concrete number: $33.50. The funny thing is, if you go to the AMS web site and poke around for a while, there’s a list of fees which the VP Finance has kindly provided. When you add all those fees up, you get the amount my friends and I actually paid: $456.96.
Now, I certainly don’t think that you guys waste all $456.96 of my money. I realize that most of that money goes to valuable programs like my U-pass, the clubs, the SUB itself, and all the wonderful resource groups we’ve got. I also realize that AMS businesses pay for a big chunk of AMS costs. But still, $456.96 is a lot of money, and when I’m paying that on top of tuition, books, and room and board, I’m upset when the AMS wastes a single penny of it.
One more thing from your platform. You ask: “Is everyone going to be wearing an AMS sweatshirt by the end of next year? Probably not, and nor should they.”
Well, why shouldn’t people care about their student government? I think that with a few changes (an easy-to-navigate Web site, better events, and working e-mail correspondence, for starters), the widespread voter apathy present at UBC can be greatly reduced. The AMS is making progress towards being able to communicate electronically with its members (UBC is letting the AMS sign people up at registration to receive AMS e-mails, finally giving student government access to the amazing technology of 1994), and that should help things a lot. The problem seems to be that our current AMS is unwilling to change its strategy and unable to believe that the problems which plague it can be dealt with. Kind of self-defeating, don’t you think?
Maxell-
I don’t think I misunderstood you. I do agree that we can do things to make it easier for the average, unaffliated student to throw a party and I don’t pretend that SUB is hopping every night. I’d suggest it’s a bit more complicated than you’re making it out, because as soon as you have a pile of money available to any student with minimal red tape- demand will outstrip supply, and some lame parties will get money. No sooner will we hear: “why is the AMS wasting my money?” But I like the idea, and I don’t think we’re saying different things.
The renovations: You’ll note that I gave you your best mud sling this campaign- I was the one who told you I wish we could reconsider the council chamber reno. That said- I never said it was a waste of money- I just don’t think it’s a first priority. The whole fucking building needs renovating- so it’s hard to describe any project as a waste. There was also a good business case- that room is one of our biggest rentals for conferences, and we need the money to support what we do (the alternative is hisgher fees). Could you suggest that we don’t consult properly? That our renos are clumsy and lack consistent style? Sure, I wouldn’t argue that that’s an area for growth. I just hope you thank me next time you use the council chamber thing.
The party thing and our role: There is a long list of canidates who were going to end apathy and make the AMS “cool.” You or I won’t be the ones to end it. You might think that’s defeatist- but it’s the reality. One of the biggest “wastes” of money the AMS had for years was a big party we throw called the Welcome Back BBQ- it’s taken a lot of hard work to make that event succesful again. So I do wish for a day that the AMS throws parties and everyone comes, and I was the lead organiser of Farmade this year, so I do believe we need to do more of it. That said- I still think it’s a better use of AMS time and money to help the Maxwell Maxwell’s and student groups of the world to throw parties.
Fees- the AMS fee is $33.50 and yeah, I was a little unclear about that in the debate. I don’t know every number in the AMS. It goes up to $450 because of the U-Pass and Health and Dental plan, but those are pre-negotiated deals and we don’t do much more than manage the money (to make more money) and sign the check every fall. The portion that is eligible to waste is $33.50, and every student can opt out of about half of that. If you have problems paying the $450 there are subsidy review committees. If you took the time to look at it, I think you’d appreciate that it’s really not such a bad model. And yeah- I think we’d be that much cooler and able to do things if we convinced more people to believe in the power of their student society.
Maxell-
I don’t think I misunderstood you. I do agree that we can do things to make it easier for the average, unaffliated student to throw a party and I don’t pretend that SUB is hopping every night. I’d suggest it’s a bit more complicated than you’re making it out, because as soon as you have a pile of money available to any student with minimal red tape- demand will outstrip supply, and some lame parties will get money. No sooner will we hear: “why is the AMS wasting my money?” But I like the idea, and I don’t think we’re saying different things.
The renovations: You’ll note that I gave you your best mud sling this campaign- I was the one who told you I wish we could reconsider the council chamber reno. That said- I never said it was a waste of money- I just don’t think it’s a first priority. The whole fucking building needs renovating- so it’s hard to describe any project as a waste. There was also a good business case- that room is one of our biggest rentals for conferences, and we need the money to support what we do (the alternative is hisgher fees). Could you suggest that we don’t consult properly? That our renos are clumsy and lack consistent style? Sure, I wouldn’t argue that that’s an area for growth. I just hope you thank me next time you use the council chamber thing.
The party thing and our role: There is a long list of canidates who were going to end apathy and make the AMS “cool.” You or I won’t be the ones to end it. You might think that’s defeatist- but it’s the reality. One of the biggest “wastes” of money the AMS had for years was a big party we throw called the Welcome Back BBQ- it’s taken a lot of hard work to make that event succesful again. So I do wish for a day that the AMS throws parties and everyone comes, and I was the lead organiser of Farmade this year, so I do believe we need to do more of it. That said- I still think it’s a better use of AMS time and money to help the Maxwell Maxwell’s and student groups of the world to throw parties.
Fees- the AMS fee is $33.50 and yeah, I was a little unclear about that in the debate. I don’t know every number in the AMS. It goes up to $450 because of the U-Pass and Health and Dental plan, but those are pre-negotiated deals and we don’t do much more than manage the money (to make more money) and sign the check every fall. The portion that is eligible to waste is $33.50, and every student can opt out of about half of that. If you have problems paying the $450 there are subsidy review committees. If you took the time to look at it, I think you’d appreciate that it’s really not such a bad model. And yeah- I think we’d be that much cooler and able to do things if we convinced more people to believe in the power of their student society.
gina tell me what you think is cool
(the cool thing to do is answer)
don’t hold back!
gina tell me what you think is cool
(the cool thing to do is answer)
don’t hold back!
FEEL THE POWER OF STUDENT GOVERNMENT
versus
SAVE US FROM THE WELSH FISHING VILLAGE
FEEL THE POWER OF STUDENT GOVERNMENT
versus
SAVE US FROM THE WELSH FISHING VILLAGE
still can’t decide
still can’t decide