At Saturday’s special Feds students’ council meeting, council motioned to approve four new committees proposed by President David Collins: sustainability, campus space, school spirit, and campus food options.
The committees, which are comprised of council and at-large members and are facilitated by Collins, are Feds’ latest attempt to promote discussion on hot topic student issues between students’ council and students. Collins said that consultation with student societies determined that all societies were “very in favour” of these issues.
“The goal is to engage new students … to teach them the ropes,” Collins explained to council when pitching the committee proposals.
The ad-hoc committee on campus space allocation intends to “prepare a vision document … detailing how students can acquire more space in forthcoming on campus buildings,” alongside “prepar[ing] an advocacy strategy that details methods of increasing social and study space availability on campus,” according to the terms of reference distributed to the committee.
Currently, councillors Febrian Sidharta (math), Douglas Turner (arts), Stephane Hamade (math), and VP Education Adam Garcia are sitting on the campus space committee.
The ad-hoc campus food committee aims to introduce more “diet-sensitive options” such as vegan, halal, and gluten-free options, as well as improving food prices and “local/sustainable food systems practices.” Councillors Elizabeth McFaul (Math), Chanakya Ramdev (Engineering), Douglas Turner (Arts), and VP Operations and Finance Natasha Pozega have been elected to sit on the committee.
The ad-hoc school spirit committee — comprised of councillors Luke McIntosh (arts), Chanakya Ramdev (engineering), and Brandon Gaffoor (environment) — is to “reevaluate existing brands on campus related to school spirit” in addition to a vision document and an advocacy strategy for increasing school spirit.
Unlike the space, campus food, and school spirit committees, the ad-hoc sustainability committee will be under the president’s portfolio.
All committees are charged with researching, holding bi-weekly meetings, and preparing a vision document to be presented at April’s students’ council meeting where members will vote on passing the policies suggested.
Applications for student at-large members will be available on the Feds website.
