Comms – Page 2 – Graduate Student Society

Tayo Olarewaju: GSS Financial & Executive Oversight Officer Re-Appointed

Posted on July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 by Comms

The GSS is excited to announce the re-appointment of Tayo Olarewaju as your Financial and Executive Oversight Officer (FEOO).

Tayo Olarewaju is a Ph.D. candidate at Peter A. Allard School of Law who possesses law and business degrees. He was appointed to the position of FEOO last year, and this experience has enabled him to engage in improving the financial reporting structure and executive oversight at the GSS.

In the 2021-2022 term, Tayo intends to complete various ongoing projects, such as discussions on executives’ work hours and honoraria, ways to prudently maximize returns from GSS funds, and finalizing necessary accounting policy documentation. He is also interested in assisting in filling gaps that he has become aware of in the past year (e.g. inadequate executive transition procedure).

Tayo’s term as FEOO will continue until August 2022. Please join us in congratulating Tayo on his re-appointment to the GSS Executive Team.

Thank you to the other candidates for their interest in serving the UBC graduate student community. We wish you all the best.

How GSS Has Served Grad Students: Annual Review 2019-2020

Posted on July 15, 2021July 15, 2021 by Comms

Have you ever wondered how your Graduate Student Society (GSS) have been representing and advocating on behalf of you and all graduate students at UBC Vancouver?

In 2019-2020, we focused our efforts in three key areas:

Equity & Diversity: Re-affirmed our commitment to represent and champion students from diverse and marginalized backgrounds with active, equitable actions and policies
Wellness: Engaged with multiple partners across and beyond campus to tackle the spectrum of problems that impact graduate student mental health
Funding & Finance: Voiced the ongoing financial crises graduate students face, on multiple platforms and actively providing data-backed solutions to University administration and government officials.

Check out our GSS Annual Review 2019-2020 for all the highlights!

GSS Council Summary – June 2021

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Comms

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Welcome to the summary of GSS Council on June 20, 2021.

Congratulations to our new Councillor: Desiree Fiaccabrino (Chemistry) and new Affiliated Organizations: Graduate Consulting and Business Network and Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Student Society.

Council this month saw several major matters that carried it far into the evening:

The meeting began with an expedient matter: a presentation from the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights group at UBC calling for the GSS to support and act on this urgent global matter; the Council pledged its support and the Academic & External Affairs Committee together with the VP External will continue the relationship
Following the resignation of the newly-elected VP University and Academic Affairs, Council decided to appoint an interim VPUAA while a by-election is being prepared; 3 interested candidates participated in the election and Council voted in Yundi Wang as our newest VPUAA! We hope our students will join us in welcome Yundi to this vital role as advocate in many important campus spaces
Council had an engaged discussion about the current state of Human Resources at the society, eventually voting in favour of the President hiring a contract HR position to address staff needs since the HR Committee chair position remains vacant and there is potential for greater changes to HR personnel structure at the Society
Discussion on the proposed 2022-2026 Strategic Plan themes continued after being postponed last month, and Council voted in favour of the themes “Graduate Student Experience”, “Resilience”, and “Our Society”

Finally, Council heard presentations from GSS staff about the GSS Archives project being started this summer; an update on the renovation of the Thea Koerner House and creation of the Graduate Life Centre; and the monthly financial overview.

As always, minutes will be available once approved on the GSS website for more details. The next meeting will be on Thursday, June 17, 2021. All graduate students are welcome to attend, and to join Council as departmental representatives! Contact president@gss.ubc.ca and aa@gss.ubc.ca for details.

Written by Victoria Gomez[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

GSS VP University & Academic Affairs Appointment: Yundi Wang

Posted on June 21, 2021June 21, 2021 by Comms

The GSS is excited to announce the appointment of Yundi Wang as the new VP University and Academic Affairs.

Yundi is a third-year Neuroscience PhD candidate and an active volunteer in the UBC community. Some of her goals for her term include:

Continuing the advocacy work on equitable tuition consultation and increased funding and scholarship/bursaries opportunities
Opening up discussions surrounding an equitable and safe transition to campus reopening and onwards
Exploring equitable and accessible models of higher education for current and future graduate students

Yundi’s term as VPUAA will start immediately. Please join us in welcoming Yundi to the GSS Executive Team.

Thank you to the other candidates for their interest in serving the UBC graduate student community. We wish you all the best.

GSS Letter on the Mass Grave of 215 Children at Kamloops Residential School and UBC Honorary Degree to John O’Grady

Posted on June 11, 2021June 10, 2021 by Comms

Dear Members of the UBC GSS community,

On May 27^th, 215 Indigenous children were found buried at the site of the former Kamloops Residential School in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation territory. This school was one of the largest institutions in Canada’s residential school systems and was opened under Roman Catholic administration in 1890. In 1969, the federal government overtook the operation from the church to operate as a day school until it closed in 1978. This discovery continues to be devastating for Indigenous peoples and for non-Indigenous people of Turtle Island. It is believed that these children’s deaths were undocumented and are part of the other missing and murdered Indigenous women and children across the nation.

The GSS is run by and for the graduate students at UBC Vancouver, which includes members of all backgrounds and identities. Our fellow Indigenous students are valued community members and it is our responsibility to provide and protect safe and inclusive environments on campus and in virtual spaces. While the University has stated that there is an “aware[ness] of the community concerns relating to the honorary degree,” and that the “issues raised are deeply upsetting,” this response does not feel appropriate for this level of devastation. It is the responsibility of all UBC staff, faculty, associates, students and community members to ensure that we are using the language that emphasizes the gravity of the situation. At the GSS, we refuse to accept delayed responses to this matter and we will push for reconciliation in accordance with the consultation of Indigenous UBC community members.

Therefore, in the spirit of true reconciliation with our Indigenous community, the UBC GSS would like to call upon the Vancouver Senate Tributes Committee to revoke the 1986 honorary degree conferred to John O’Grady, who was principal at the Kamloops Residential School from 1939 to 1952, and for the University to consult with Indigenous UBC community members to address their needs, concerns and desires. We at the GSS offer our sincerest apologies and stand with Indigenous families and communities across the nation. Furthermore, we would like to also call for further investigations into all honorary degrees conferred by UBCV and UBCO to current and past recipients in order for the University to commit to the accountability and responsibility needed for creating and sustaining safe, inclusive, and equitable communities.

It is difficult to begin to understand how our students have been adversely affected by the recent news. However, the GSS believes that the patriarchal and colonial systems that underlie the university institution must be approached through decolonization, beginning with consultation of Indigenous communities across Canada. The GSS is committed to decolonization and reconciliation through our work, support, and service to the UBC community and broader society.

Sincerely,
Graduate Student Society of UBC Vancouver

_{Photo credit: Global News}

GSS Council Summary – May 2021

Posted on May 25, 2021May 31, 2021 by Comms

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Welcome to the summary of GSS Council on May 20, 2021.

Congratulations to our new Councillor(s): Louise Harding and Sandeep Gill (School of Population and Public Health), Aaron Loewen (reseated, Cell & Developmental Biology), Teesha Luehr (reseated, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology).

Council this month was short and light, despite some big, historical motions:

Notably, we heard a special presentation from the AMS VP External Affairs, Saad Shoaib and previous GSS VP External Relations, Alireza Kamyabi regarding the AMS/GSS Memorandum of Understanding on External Advocacy: this was a unanimously carried motion to sign a MOU that puts into writing the intention of the AMS and GSS to continue their fruitful relationship specifically for external advocacy efforts. We hope this signals a long, symbiotic relationship between the two societies to advocate for graduate student interests at a provincial and federal level!
There were two policy revisions: one meta-revision to the Policy Revision Form itself (whoa), and an amendment to the GSS Events Fund Policy that expands the scope of the fund to include non-event projects – we hope our Affiliated Organizations enjoy and take advantage.
The 2021-22 budget was approved unanimously with almost no discussion – a first for the GSS in some years as this is normally a hotly debated topic.

Finally, the President, Kimani Karangu introduced the key advocacy areas of the 2021-22 Executive team, including affordability, anti-racism, mental health and wellbeing, combatting sexualized violence, and continuing work on the awaited Graduate Life Centre. Council also regained some energy to have a discussion on the presentation by the Strategic Planning ad-hoc Committee about proposed changes to their themes structure for the upcoming 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. This motion to make the changes will be brought back in June Council for a more in-depth presentation on the proposed structure as more information was requested.

As always, minutes will be available once approved on the GSS website for more details. The next meeting will be on Thursday, June 17, 2021. All graduate students are welcome to attend!

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GSS Council Summary – April 2021

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Comms

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Welcome to the summary of GSS Council on April 15, 2021.

Congratulations to our new Councillor(s): Anurag Krishna (Civil Engineering), Mohamed Kamel (Civil Engineering), Saumadritaa Kar (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine), and Sofie McComb (Forest and Conservation Sciences).

We also welcome two new Affiliated Organizations: UBC Black Graduate Student Network and Children’s Literature Student Association at UBC.

This Council was light on decisions and heavy on presentations. We heard from two special guests:

A year-in-review from the Alliance of BC Students (ABCS) President, Anne-Elaine Rempel about their advocacy efforts and work with the GSS and AMS
A presentation on TA rights and responsibilities from CUPE 2278 President, Gillian Glass briefing councillors on important information for TA’s at this time of year

Notably, Council saw a traditional motion to confer honorary membership to some Councillors who had contributed significantly to the GSS for more than 18 months, granting them lifetime access to Council (no votes or fees, though!). New honorary members include: Alireza Kamyabi, Arash Shadkam, Christina Weismann, Kate Sedivy-Haley, Lily Takeuchi, Natalie Marshall, Nicolas Romualdi, Pouya Rezaeinia, Sarah Park, and Victoria Gomez.

Besides a couple policy amendments, the rest of Council was presentations, including on the general procedure for the 2021 GSS Elections and recommendations; a consultation on whether to merge the Services and Election Committee, which saw a lot of debate and was referred to the Governance & Accountability Committee; and finally, several presentations from the executive on year-end goal reports, as well as executive portfolio recaps. One of these was a moving presentation from Nicolas Romualdi as he finishes a 4-year dedication to the GSS. Thank you Nicolas, Alireza, and Sarah for your contribution to the GSS as execs during such an extraordinary time in 2020-2021! And welcome to their successors, Alison McClean, Ashni Gill, and Sam Kenston (respectively).

As always, minutes will be available once approved on the GSS website for more details. The next meeting will be on Thursday, May 20, 2021. All graduate students are welcome to attend!

Victoria Gomez[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

GSS Statement: re. guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin

Posted on April 22, 2021April 22, 2021 by Comms

On Monday the jury in the Derek Chauvin murder trial delivered a guilty verdict on all three counts. The guilty verdict provides a measure of justice it does not end institutional and systemic racism.

The Black Lives Matter movement has shone a powerful light on the pervasive faces of racism that exist in societies across the world.

As representatives of an incredibly diverse community, we aim to give voices to graduate students’ experiences of prejudice and to break down barriers to an inclusive and equitable society. We are currently reaching out to our entire community to provide their experience, so we can build a platform of advocacy that truly addresses the most pressing issues.

Graduate students can still complete the GSS Anti-Racism survey and have their voices heard.

We are also pleased to see UBC addressing this issue at an institutional level through initiatives like the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force which launched last month. We urge our graduate student community to engage with opportunities to shape a more equitable campus.

UBC Students Welcome $2 Billion Investment in Affordable Housing

Posted on April 17, 2021January 7, 2022 by Comms

The University of British Columbia Graduate Student Society (GSS) and Alma Mater Society (AMS) welcome BC Government’s announcement of $2 billion of investment for construction of affordable housing. The investment, administered by BC’s HousingHub in the form of low-interest loans to developers and community groups, will support construction of thousands of new homes across BC.

Since it was established in 2018, BC HousingHub has supported development of rental homes and affordable housing. This recent investment will allow HousingHub to invest in additional rental and affordable housing projects over the next decade.

Affordable housing continues to be a top priority for UBC students throughout the Lower Mainland. The announced investment brings forwards opportunities to fund the building of greater affordable rental housing options for students. The AMS and GSS look forward to working with government to identify opportunities to build affordable rental units for students across the province. We hope that this funding will allow student unions and post-secondary institutions across British Columbia to create more affordable housing for students.

UBC Alma Mater Society (AMS) and the UBC Graduate Student Society (UBC-GSS) represent over 60,000 undergraduate and graduate students at University of British Columbia Vancouver.

Quotes
“Housing affordability has been a great concern for people across the province but particularly for our student groups who have to bear the burden of paying tuition on top of skyrocketing rental costs. This investment provides an opportunity to build greater affordable rental units for students who live off-campus and we look forward to working with the BC Government to address housing affordability for students.”
Alireza Kamyabi, Vice-President External Relations, UBC Graduate Student Society

“The lack of affordable housing has been a significant stressor for students in the region, especially during the ongoing pandemic. These crucial investments made by our government is a great step towards making affordable housing more available and accessible to British Columbian students.”
Kalith Nanayakkara, Vice-President External Affairs, UBC Alma Mater Society

New Pathway to Permanent Residency, a Welcome Boost for International Graduate Students

Posted on April 16, 2021January 7, 2022 by Comms

The GSS is excited to see the Federal Governements’ announcement of a new pathway to permanent residence for international graduates.

The policy opens a new opportunity for 90,000 essential workers and recent international graduates to achieve permanent residence. 40,000 places are allocated for international students who have completed a degree at a post-secondary institution in the last 4 years.

GSS VP External, Alireza Kamyabi comments: “Graduate students from across the world choose to study in Canada. Whilst they are here, they contribute hugely to the country’s economy, generating new knowledge in a host of fields.

We are pleased that this new announcement recognises the contributions that international students make, and the value of keeping such skilled workers in Canada.”

The new programs come into effect on May 6, 2021 and will remain open until November 5, 2021, or until they have reached their limit.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be accepting applications under the following 3 streams:

20,000 applications for temporary workers in health care
30,000 applications for temporary workers in other selected essential occupations
40,000 applications for international students who graduated from a Canadian institution

Alireza Continues “ For all graduate students finding employment after graduation is a major source of worry and we hope this new pathway will help skilled graduates remain in Canada by allowing them a smooth transition to permanent resident status.”

More information about the announcement can be found here

Author: Comms