Vpuniverse

I've tried registering for VPUniverse with two email addresses and can't get a confirmation email for either. I can't change my password (obviously) and I can't contact the admins because, if I try registering for the Discord, it tries to link my Discord account to the existing VPUniverse account I can't access.
Can anyone please help? I'm trying to get hold of the creator of the colorisation files for a Pin2DMD on a real Attack from Mars pinball machine (https://vpuniverse.com/forums/topic/3370-attack-from-mars-colorization/)

Does anyone know what the options are for the gbnv.txt file?
For example:
I know setting Language : 0 will change it to English.
I can't figure out these two:
Profanity : 1
Scare : 1
There is no explanation of the the toggles unfortunately.
Another issue I am having is with the GB1080p.zip from VPUniverse. It contains the spagb_100 & spagb_100b2s folders. I copy both to the PUPVideos folder. I don't have a b2s file for the table in the "Tables" folder. No backglass shows up at all. The Color DMD shows up and is awesome.
If I add back the b2s file in the Tables folder the Animated Original b2s Backglass shows up. I am able to right click on the backglass and see that the "Activate plugins" is selected. The "plugin settings" button is greyed out, but I have checked and the "plugins" folder is in the "Tables" folder. Within that folder is the "PinUPPlayerB2SDriver" folder with these 2 files: "B2SServerPluginInterface.dll" & "PinUpPlayerB2SDriver.dll" I have tried with VPX directly with Stranger Things-Limited Edition and its puppack files load on the Backglass no issue. This game is the only one whose puppack isn't working and I can't figure it out which is upsetting.
If anyone has any insight, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Can anyone steer me towards an easy how to on getting my DMDs colorized?
I see the downloads at VPUniverse but I guess I’m confused as to how to run them or where to put the files.
I’m running VPX on an AtGames Legends unit, everything installed through the baller installer, other than VPX being updated to 10.7.

The guides for setting up visual pinball are too long and overly confusing to just get you playing.
Here's what you need to do if you're already tech savy and understand emulation:

1. Download a virtual pinball (vpx) release from their official github page and install it
2. Go to the install directory and find the vpinmame directory. Run setup (NOT 64 bit version) to install the COM and pay attention to the rom folder.
3. If you're going to be using a non admin user then you need to go to the visual pinball install directory and give that user full control from the properties and security tab. Else you'll be told to run visual pinball in administrator mode which is not required and extra annoying for arcade cabinets (entering a password each time sucks). If coins and highscores are not saving, or if roms aren't found even thiugh they're there then this is why
4. Go find tables (single file per table) from vpuniverse or that archive site and play them with virtual pinball x executable. Congrats, you did it.
5. If you need the rom (most definitely for the popular tables due to more accurate emulation) then go find them and put them in the vpinmame roms folder. View the tables script in the editor and ctrl + f for "GameName" or do step 6 to know what rom archive you need. "Controller" error is a clear sign you don't have the right rom or files in the rom zip
6. Run the vpinmame setup again and test the rom archive for the table you want to play. If you're missing a file in the zip, go look at different mame archives for the right files and add them to the zip. For example, the Addams family sound file was only in a merged mame archive zip of taf_5.zip. it wasn't in any taf_7.zips so I needed to add it to it.
7. Change your video and controller settings under preferences in vpx. It understands xinput but it's not clear which buttons are which so you'll have to guess at first.

That's really it. Forums online are full of non tech savvy pinball enthusiasts who made this sound much harder than necessary.
When people are talking about setting up a table they're talking about pushing a key to change things like brightness. It's not a big deal.
Hope this helps.

The Beatles Stern table is now over 3 years old. Does anyone know if a VPX table is available? I've seen videos but can't find it at VPuniverse, vpforums pinball nirvana, virtual pinball spreadsheet, obitalpin.com . Love the music tables and have another year before its the 3 year mark for the Led Zeppelin Stern table. If anyone can point me in the right direction or email me separately at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) would love that Beetles 2018 stern version table to my collection.

I recently downloaded Star Wars Bounty Hunter by Tartzani on VPUniverse. It comes with a folder that has some jpgs and wmv files in it. When I play the table, no DMD shows. Where does this folder go? I have a three screen setup - if that makes a difference. Thanks for any guidance. This is not the first table to have these and I didn't know what to do with those either.
Edited for clarity. I mean, I have it in the tables folder where the directions say to put it, but when I play the game no DMD shows up so there is nothing with any scores on it.

Tried my wifes email and mine, we never get the activation email. Checked spam folders, nothing.

I am signed up on VPUniverse. I tried to become a paying member last night, but wanted to change my email before I did that. When I changed my address it said it would send a confirmation email - I never got that. I tried to sign up with a different email just to become a paying member - never got that confirmation email. I tried to recover my password from my original account and not update my email - never got a change password email. Am I doing something wrong. I now can't get back in at all with any account and I am bummed out.

Hi all,
This current registration period might have been the worst ever for students with not being able to get into classes. It is getting ridiculous at this point. It has already been ridiculous and it is honestly horrible that nothing has meaningfully improved yet.
I want to try to do something about it. Please reach out with your experiences, either in comments here, via email, or by responding to the poll, so I have some preliminary working data to appeal to the administration on this.
Some questions would be: Have you experienced issues with registration? If yes, how long has this issue been happening for you? Has it impacted your ability to graduate on time?
We are here to complete our degrees, ultimately. If we can't get into our classes, what is the university actually doing, and what are we doing in university?
My role allows me to work with the University administration and lobby them / collaborate with them on strategies, so that is the approach I will be taking towards this.
My email is [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). If you want to be more involved or can offer any of your assistance, labour wise or with ideas, reach out to me via email and we can discuss.
Thanks all. Hope to make some sort of change here. I'm hopefully we can get the ball rolling towards some sort of improvement.
Also - to address the elephant in the room - the SFSS has some intense drama going on which a lot of students have been privy to. This obviously isn't fun and negatively affects everyone's ability to do work that is in the interest of students. All I want to do at this point is just try to do something good for students while I'm in this role. I've unfortunately experienced being prevented from doing my job during the summer semester and I was told that I had to wait for approval before going forward with these types of projects (i.e. increasing SFU HCS availability of counselling appointments) and I never got this approval or any responses for this matter (lots to unpack here, but this is all I can say). There's a lot more that goes into this, but yeah - that's all for now. All that needs to be known is that I will just go forward with student consultation in the best way possible with the resources I have available, and my main focus is and will be to work together with university administrators on strategies, and I will be crossing my fingers that this will be fruitful. I've had great experiences with the vast majority of administrators so far, and they seem to really care about students, so hopefully a dialogue-centric approach will work here. If not, I will update you all and we can talk next steps.
Also, if anyone has any suggestions on what would be the best way to approach this, let's chat. I know there is a current complaints process that could be a possible avenue as well.
Kind regards,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice-President University and Academic Affairs
Simon Fraser Student Society
View Poll

Hi all,
I wanted to make a quick post to generate discussion on the SFSS generally and gather student perception and perspective.
On a personal level, I've been exhausted and disappointed by how a few things have went - particularly with how individual student leaders have been treated and how they have treated others -and especially recently. The events at the AGM on Thursday definitely do demonstrate how heated things can get, and the experience that I, myself, am continuing to go through as a representative of the Society.
That being said, it is unethical and not practical to stifle dialogue, and even though things were heated and said in a way that can be hurtful, it is better that things were said rather than not, even if inflammatory. This is why I've always made a strong effort to reach across the aisle to talk to people from different political standpoints and ideologies, that I may or may not agree with personally, to learn from them and build connection and camaraderie. I will continue to make an effort do this, even if difficult or not always fruitful. And for this overall reason, I will always push for and highly encourage further dialogue, even if I am not necessarily being supported or encouraged in doing so. There is more to this story that I can tell another day.
There's a lot of things going on as you have probably seen, with the AGM, most recent Council meetings, and VPES by-elections going on currently.
With the VPES by-elections, I am hopeful that we will elect someone who shares and represents the values of the student body, and that's why it is important to vote on November 1-3.
As the VP University and Academic Affairs, my jurisdiction lies mainly in being able to work together with the administration of Simon Fraser University, as the official liaison and student representative between the SFSS and SFU. I want to know more about what you would like me to focus on and prioritize.
Questions for Students:
How do you all feel generally? What do you want to actually see from the SFSS going forward? What are your major priorities that you would like to see advocacy on? (i.e. hiring more Counsellors in SFU Health and Counselling Services to decrease wait times and improve accessibility to mental health counselling). Are there any suggestions on what you would like me to do, going forward? What can I do to help? Are my update posts helpful and should I continue?
Feel free to ask me questions as well, and I will try my best to answer them as fully as I can and am currently allowed to do so without getting myself in any kind of further headache. So this is kind of an AMAA: ask me almost anything.
I hope this helps, and I hope to have more of these kinds of discussions. Let's make this as fruitful as possible to show that discussion is beneficial and works, to pave a pathway forward for a better student government.
If you would like to email me, reach out to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
I have open office hours as well, generally Tuesdays/Thursdays, and would be happy to informally meet with students in-person.
I'll also be starting a Twitter with the intention to post updates more regularly for students, and to allow me to do so somewhat more informally. Here's the Twitter page I just made for these purposes: https://twitter.com/NikkiKiriginSFU
Let's work together to brainstorm some solutions and a general directionality for us to strive for. Without support from students, there is not much I can achieve on my own.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Kind regards,
Nicole (Nikki) Kirigin
Vice-President University & Academic Affairs, 2022/2023
Simon Fraser Student Society

Hi everyone,
There is an important SFSS Council Meeting today that is open to all students (this Wednesday September 28th 2022, starting at 4:30pm).
It is still going as of currently and is estimated to continue beyond 8:30pm.
At this moment, there is a presentation on the financial audits of the Society. Again, this is open to all students so I encourage you to come out!
One major thing to note is that the SFSS has received almost $17 million dollars in revenue for the 2021 year. Most of this comes directly from student fees.
The Zoom Link should be public information. It is generally posted on the SFSS website, but I can direct you to where it's posted publicly if it's not there currently.
The agenda can be found on the SFSS website through this link.
I intend to share updates whenever possible and will do so via my Reddit account and social media.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). We can also set up a time to chat virtually or in-person, and I would be more than happy to do so!
Hope to see you there!
Kind regards,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice-President, University and Academic Affairs
-------
(Personal) Council Meeting Updates:
\*Please Note:* All the updates provided are from my personal and individual perspective, and are not on the behalf of Council, the Society, or the Executives. I am limited to sharing public and ex-camera information. I support the authority of Council and everything I'm sharing is from my personal perspective and recollection of events occurring during the meeting. I am a human and although I will always try my best to ensure that any information I share is accurate and clear, I still might make mistakes. I am unable to cover everything that has occurred in this meeting and am using my best judgement to share important highlights based on my own personal discretion and capacity. Please defer to all official announcements or communications from the Society in lieu of anything I may share here, including the meeting minutes on the SFSS website. The updates shared below are intended for informational purposes to promote transparency and enable students to have the opportunity for involvement wherever possible and an understanding of public current events within Council and the SFSS. I am doing so solely from my own initiative to assist students and promote the ease of accessibility of information related to their student society that was created to serve the undergraduate student body at Simon Fraser University.**
\Timestamps are approximate**
Update ~4:40pm - The start of the meeting (call to order) & territorial acknowledgement.
Update 4:58pm - Addition of amendments to the agenda (additional items).

• AGM Outreach and Clarity discussion item moved to be added by Computer Science Councillor Shariq Ahsan.

Update 5:04pm - Presentation from Auditors (SFSS draft financial statements)

• Estimated to last about 30 minutes.
• Presented a sheet that outlines the SFSS’s assets, liabilities, and fund balances.
• According to the auditor, Gary Wonzy, the major liabilities of the SFSS is (1) bank loan, (2) accounts payable and accruals, (3) stadium contribution payable, and (4) deferred revenue.
• Gary says that the student society is still at a very good financial position.
• The SFSS has received a total of $13,767.705 directly from students from activity fees for the 2021 year (more than thirteen million!)
• There are other forms of revenue for the SFSS as well, such as general office, rental revenue, Graduate Student Society service sharing revenue, investment income, government subsidy, and surrender of leased space.
• The SFSS received a total of $16,895,409 in revenue for the 2021 year (almost $17 million dollars!)
• According to the auditor, Gary, the SFSS is at a financial loss this year because of the stadium contribution. In verbatim, he said this likely wouldn't become a long term problem.
• The auditor outlined that the SFSS has many lower risk capital investments.

Update 5:44pm - Ben moved to suspend the rules to move the section Reports from Committees after New Business and Discussion Items but before the 30 Minute Q&A due to needing to get through New Business motions.

• New Business will come next.
• Carried by unanimous consent.

Update 5:46pm - Election for the Oversight Committee on Executive Officers.

• There are three vacant seats on the Oversight Committee on Executive Officers.
• Ashley Flett, Rastko Koprivica, Emilio Da Silva, and Ayooluwa Adigun have nominated themselves.
• Ashley thinks that Oversight is important to make sure things are running smoothly and thinks that executive reports are important to make sure executives are doing what they’ve been elected to do.
• Rastko believes that he has the experience to hold the Executive Committee accountable to the Society and members at large.
• Emilio says that, in a time where an honest politician seems like an oxymoron, he wants to ensure that Executives are being honest and working within the interests of the student body. With his 5 years of advanced experience on other Councils, his experience is invaluable to the SFSS Council and likes to hold people accountable and make sure things are running smoothly.
• Ayooluwa says that he thinks it’s important to hold Executives accountable and that students have someone that these Executives are accountable to. He also says that he believes that there is an importance to improve communication between Executives and Non-Executives.

Update 5:53pm - Council is now voting for the three they would like to see on Oversight.

Council Votes for the Oversight Committee on Executive Officers:
\These are copied and pasted from the Chat function on Zoom**
From Cllr. Ben Tischler (MSU) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley, Ayo, and Rastko
From Cllr. Arthur Lee (Acting VP Equity & Sustainability) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley, Ayo, Rastko
From Cllr. Daniel Alder (PSA) (any/all) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley, Emilio, Ayo
From Me to Everyone 05:52 PM
Emilio, Ayo, Rastko
From Cllr. Natasha Kearns (GSU) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley, Ayo
From Cllr. Ethan Dungey (he/him) (FSU) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley Ayo Emilio
From Cllr. Ryley McWilliams (MSESS, He/Him) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ayo, Raskto, Ashley
From Cllr. Eshana Baran (VP External, she/her) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley
From Cllr. Aarthi Srinivasan (BNSS) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashely, Rastko, Ayo
From Cllr. Ayooluwa Adigun (SUS) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley, Rastko, Ayo
From Cllr. Rastko Koprivica (FCATSU) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley, Ayo, myself
From Cllr. Ashley Flett (PSU) (they/she/ve) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ayo, ashley, Rastko
From Cllr. Judit Nagy (VPIOD) - she/her to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ashley, Rastko, Emilio
From Cllr. Shariq Ahsan (CSSS) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Ayo, Ashley, Rastko
From Cllr. Emilio Da Silva (GASSU) to Everyone 05:52 PM
Emilio, Ayo, Rastko
From Cllr. Alev Maleki (LING) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Ashley, Rastko, Ayo
From Cllr. Ava Wood (CSA) She/Her to Everyone 05:53 PM
Ashley, Ayo, Rastko
From Cllr. Vadym (DSSS) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Rastko, Emilio, Ashley
From Seniha (they/she) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Emilio, Rastko, Ashley
From Cllr. Jung-yeon (JY) Lee (IATSU) to Everyone 05:53 PM
ayo, ashley, rastko
From Cllr. Tiana Andjelic (BESU) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Ayo, Emilio, Rastko
From Cllr. Sim Basra (GSWSSU) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Ashley
From ESSU Cllr. Eden to Everyone 05:53 PM
Rastko
From Cllr. Grayson Barke (EVSCU) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Ashley, Ayo, Emilio
From Vaibhav Arora (VPESA) (he/him/his) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Ayo, Rastko, Ashley
From Cllr. Hilary Tsui - (SASS) (and raccoon) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Ashley, rastko, ayo
From Cllr. Priyanka Dhesa (HSUSU) to Everyone 05:53 PM
Ayo, ashley, rastko
From Mark Giles to Everyone 05:53 PM
Rastko, Ayo, Ashley
From Cllr. Emmanuel(RHA) to Everyone 05:54 PM
Ayo, Ashley, Rastko
From Cllr. Rafid (ESS) to Everyone 05:54 PM
ashley ayo raskto
From Cllr. Abhishek Parmar (he/him)(VP Finance) to Everyone 05:54 PM
ashley ayo raskto

Update 6:00pm - Results from tallying the votes.

• Vote counts: 28 Ashley, 26 Ayo, 26 Rastko, 9 Emilio

Update 6:03pm - 10.2 Minor By-Law Corrections for the AGM
Update 6:09pm - Now on 10.3
\Note* I was unable to take notes between 6:10-6:45pm.*
Update 6:45pm - We are now on New Business Item 10.7 for the Fall 2022 Health and Dental Referenda Question for the AGM

• Question on whether to adjust the fee for the Health and Dental Plan.
• Proposed increase $31.92 per student and up to 5% increase per year.
• Students will be able to vote on this at the AGM.

From Cllr. Judit Nagy (VPIOD) - she/her to Everyone 06:47 PM
Knowing that you can opt-out completely with alternative coverage or reduce your coverage for a lower cost, do you consent to raise the SFSS Health & Dental Plan Fees by $31.92 for the policy year starting September 1, 2023 and authorize SFSS Council to adjust the Plan Fee by up to 5% annually (only when needed) starting September 2024, to account for inflationary impacts on Health & Dental services?
Note: if passed, the Health & Dental plan fees for Sept 1, 2023 would change as follows:
Enhanced Plan: From $267.08 to $299 per year
Basic Plan: From $207.40 to $239.32 per year

• Judit Nagy (VP Internal) has clarified that this increase does not add many additional benefits to the plan but is primarily to prevent the SFSS from going into a deficit over this plan.

Update 6:55pm - Council is now on New Business item 10.8 to appoint a Councillor to the Accessibility Committee.

• Aiden Cumming-Teicher (DNA Councillor) has voiced that they want to delay the election so that the next elected DNA Councillor can take the seat.
• Aiden wants to allow for the seat to be reserved for the next DNA Councilor.
• New Councilor Seniha from the Archeology Student Society has shared their opinion (note, after Council has moved on from this motion).
• From Cllr. Seniha (A.S.S) (they/she) to Everyone 07:14 PM
• "side note - why did anyone even list to agree with aiden, only to not raise their hand to postpone? what a waste of time. not fair that DNA did not get a fair shot”
• Councillors Ashley (PSU), Ava (CSA), and Shariq (CSSS) have expressed that they are against postponement, there is no guarantee the next DNA Councillor would become elected, and that it is irresponsible to postpone because the Accessibility Committee has work to be done.
• I agreed with the point Ashley, Ava, and Shariq have made.
• Those in favor of postponing the motion to the next Council meeting are Seniha (ASS) and Aiden (DNA).
• The vast majority of Councillors are against postponement.

Update 7:13pm - By unanimous consent of Council, Emilio Da Silva has been elected to the Accessibility Committee.
Update 7:15pm - Appointment of Councillors to the External and Community Affairs Committee.

• Meetings every other Tuesday from 9:00am-12:00pm, often shorter than the allotted time.
• Myself (Nicole “Nikki” Kirigin, VP UAA) and Councillor Grayson Burke have been elected to the External and Community Affairs Committee by unanimous consent of Council.

Update 7:20pm - Council is now on New Business 10.10.

• Eshana Baran (VP External) is asking for $1700 to fund a trip to the ABCS Lobby Days.
• Motion carried by unanimous consent from Council.

Update 7:25pm - Council is now on item 10.11.

• Eshana Baran (VP External) is asking for the SFSS to sign onto a petition in favour of eliminating the international student fee.
• Motion carried by unanimous consent from Council.

Update 7:30pm - Council is now on item 10.12 - Annual Donation to Indian Residential School Survivors

• Eshana Baran (VP External) is asking for the SFSS Council to approve an annual $10,000 donation from the SFSS to an external group, the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSS).
• Ayooluwa Adigun (Science Undergraduate Society) said that he wouldn’t agree that we have a responsibility to the Indigenous community as a whole, but more so to SFU students directly.
• Ayooluwa agrees that the bursary idea is a good idea, and would support directing this funding directly to SFU students in the form of a bursary.
• He said he believes we need to work from the inside before we work outside, especially when we have students who are struggling. He has a concern that if we have this kind of funding to prioritize our students first before moving towards providing this funding externally.
• Councillor Emilio Da Silva (Global Asia Studies) says he agrees with Ayooluwa, saying that we have a fiduciary duty to the student body, and he wouldn’t feel that it is within our responsibility to provide this funding externally, especially with what Emilio feels are vague answers provided from the VP External.
• Councillor Emilio (Global Asia Studies) asked Eshana Baran (VP External) to clarify exactly what the benefit was of the $6000 provided last year, who Eshana met with, and if Eshana is willing to convert this proposal to a bursary for SFU students.
• After this question was directed towards Eshana (VP External), she retracted her direct response and did not answer the questions posed by Emilio, and Council went back to the speaker's list.
• Councillor Hilary Tsui (Society of Arts and Social Sciences) asked Eshana why she chose this organization because there are many other organizations that would benefit from an annual $10,000 donation.
• Councillor Ashley Flett (PSU) listed to speak in favour of this motion brought forward by Eshana Baran, to approve an annual donation of $10,000 externally to help Indigenous people at large in the community.
• Councillor Shariq Ashan (SUS) added that he is not enthusiastic about motions that are ambiguous with where the money is coming from. He said the motion is asking the VP Finance to find a line item to fund this donation.
• Shariq Ahsan (SUS) said he has a lot of hesitation to do an annual donation, and would like to entertain the idea of having a scholarship or bursary. He said he is in favour with the first two clauses being its own motion, then the last two clauses a second motion.
• At this point, Helen Sofia Pahou (President) asked for assistance from the Vice-Chair, Ben Tischler, to divide the motion.

Update 7:52pm - Helen called for a recess of Council.

• Helen asked Council to reconvene at 7:57pm.

Update 8:00pm - Council is continuing the discussion on Item 10.12

• Abhi (VP Finance) said that this annual external $10,000 donation would be coming from the SFSS’ deficit.

Update 8:14pm - Council is now voting on whether to divide the question.

• Successfully dividing the question requires a majority vote.
• The Vice-Chair of Council (Ben) indicated that with 17 in favour, 4 against, and 8 abstaining, dividing the question has carried.
• Ben and Judit have checked Robert’s Rules to double-check procedures to ensure that they are procedurally correct.
• Judit said she believes that Council would then proceed to vote on each divided motion separately.

Update 8:21pm - Helen has moved to extend the meeting until 10:00pm.

• The motion to extend the meeting has passed.

Update 8:22pm - Council is revisiting the now divided motions.

• Judit Nagy (VP Internal) has shared that “Those motions will be considered separately and we will vote on the separately, as the question was divided”

Title: Motion #1 on SFSS Truth & Reconciliation
"Be it resolved that Council continue to support and amplify Calls to Action from
Indigenous communities in all capacities, including letters of supports, sharing
resources, donations, and taking individual action to educate ourselves on
ongoing colonial violence.
Be it further resolved that the SFSS continues to advocate and push back on acts
of genocide and colonialism that has impacted Indigenous People(s) since contact,
this includes but not limited to: the condemnation of the so-called Canadian
government denying acts of genocide against Indigenous People(s) of Turtle
Island; calling on the so-called Canadian governments to stop fighting cases that
are brought against the government by Indian Residential School survivors;
amplifying Indigenous students and organizers calls in our lobbying and advocacy
efforts and other such actions."

• This motion has passed via unanimous consent of Council.

Update 8:25pm - Council is now on the second part of the divided motion.

• Mark Giles (Psychology) has shared that he has a comment on this motion. He shared that he initially was going to ask for clarification on the non-profit’s finances. However, now on further investigation, he found that they do not have any active reports, and they have not for the past 5 years. He says that this is not common practice at all and is not seen in any reputable non-profits, and he has very big concerns on this because we don’t know how the money would be used.
• Mark said that he shared the external organization’s link in the Zoom chat.
• https://www.irsss.ca/about-us/annual-reports
• https://web.archive.org/web/20170606091618/http://irsss.ca/about-us/annual-reports/
• Mark believes that the lack of transparency from this non-profit is a very big cause for concern and is not acceptable, since they do not have any reports of their financial activities accessible on their website to the public.
• Emilio shared his perspective and asked if there is any appetite for Eshana Baran (VP External) to provide Council with more information in order to do her due diligence. Emilio has moved to postpone this motion to the next Council meeting in two weeks time.
• Eshana is against postponement because the day for truth and reconciliation is coming soon.
• Councillor Ashley Flett (PSU) said that she is divided on whether to postpone the motion because of concerns of the lack of transparency and reputable practice from this external organization, but also to keep in mind that the day for Truth and Reconciliation is coming soon.
• Judit Nagy (VP Internal) expressed her concern about making this an annual donation of $10,000 because there is a lack of clear procedures to later remove this donation, and it would require legal consultation and further expenditures from the SFSS.
• Eshana Baran (VP External) has asked Council to please focus on the main point of this motion to support the Indigenous community and that this is a call-of-action from the Indigenous community.

Update 8:34pm - Council is now voting on whether to postpone this motion.

• 7 Councillors voted in favour of postponing this motion for two weeks, to the next Council meeting, to provide more time for due process of Council.
• 13 Councillors voted against postponing this motion.
• 2 Councillors have abstained.

Update 8:38pm - Council is now on the original motion on whether to provide an annual $10,000 donation to an external organization.

Motion #2 on SFSS Truth & Reconciliation
Be it resolved that the SFSS Council donates $10,000.00 as an annual
donation in the month of September, and prior to National Day of Truth &
Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) to the Indian Residential School Survivors
Society (IRSS) from the appropriate line item to be determined from VP Finance
and Services to reflect the SFSS’s commit to reconciliation efforts.

• Mark Giles (Psychology) has shared that he has a comment on this motion. He shared that he initially was going to ask for clarification on the non-profit’s finances. However, now on further investigation, he found that they do not have any active reports, and they have not for the past 5 years. He says that this is not common practice at all and is not seen in any reputable non-profits, and he has very big concerns on this because we don’t know how the money would be used.
• Raghava Payment (WLLSU) added to the discussion to highlight that he does not believe anyone here is against supporting survivors of residential schools and truth and reconciliation. He wanted to emphasize what Mark has said about the organization’s lack of transparency in how their money is being used. He wants us to ensure that this money would be going to an organization that does work to support survivors of residential schools. He said he doesn’t feel personally comfortable annually donating this large amount of money to an organization that we do not have access to how their money is being used.
• Emilio said that the lack of transparency from this organization is concerning, and we need to do our due diligence on how student funding is used, and that Council has legitimate concerns that should be sorted out before we approve this type of expenditure.
• Patrick Peake, a student, says he is concerned that this annual donation would be taken from the Society’s deficit and away from students in the future, in light of the concerns about this organization’s practices.
• Eshana Baran (VP External) said that if Indigenous folks are providing their support for this organization, we should listen to Indigenous folks, and we should not be policing their practices.
• Eshana is emphasizing that Indigenous folks need to be listened to, and if they are saying to annually donate $10,000 to this organization then we should just do it.
• Helen asked to speak to Council directly. She said that she sees that the majority of Councillors do not know about this organization and have concerns. She has suggested that Council instead consider approving a one-time donation of $6000, which is in-line with what Council has approved last year.
• Helen has called for Council in the future to thoroughly research non-profit organizations that we will be donating student funds externally towards.
• This link has been shared in the chat: https://www.charityintelligence.ca/research-and-news/ci-views/43-charity-news/689-what-lies-underneath-a-deeper-look-into-irfan-canada-revocation-file

Update 8:48pm - Helen has suggested an amendment to Council.

Motion #2 on SFSS Truth & Reconciliation
Be it resolved that the SFSS Council donates $6000.00 in the month of September, and prior to National Day of Truth & Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSS) from the appropriate line item to be determined from VP Finance and Services to reflect the SFSS’s commit to reconciliation efforts.

• Emilio says that he doesn’t feel comfortable with passing this kind of motion because Council’s concerns on the opaqueness of the organization have still not been addressed.
• Eshana said we “have to do what is asked of us” because we are accountable to marginalized folks.
• Ashley said that we have set a precedent to donate to this charity because Council approved a $6000 donation last year and need to commit to that precedent because last year’s Council has voted on this.
• Shariq has shared his concerns regarding the wording of the motion to ensure that it is not an annual donation, because the motion’s wording as it currently stands implies that the donation would occur every September, not just in September 2022.
• Ayooluwa said that the intention of making this donation is honorable. However, his issue is that we do not have the source of information on who recommended this organization itself, and that we have Indigenous students at our school that require assistance and they have no guarantee that they would have access to this funding.
• He said that he does not support approving this motion because we would not know that our intention of where this money will go will actually be met, and our allegiance is with the students of Simon Fraser University, first and foremost.
• Ayooluwa asked if we can make this an anonymous vote. Helen said we shouldn't.

Update 9:00pm - Council is now voting on this motion.

Motion #2 on SFSS Truth & Reconciliation
Be it resolved that the SFSS Council donates $6000.00 in the month of September, and prior to National Day of Truth & Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSS) from the appropriate line item to be determined from VP Finance and Services to reflect the SFSS’s commit to reconciliation efforts.

• With 13 in favour, 6 against, and 5 abstentions, the motion has passed.

Update 9:05pm - Council has now moved to the motion for funding the Municipal Debates.
Update 9:09pm - There is a question on whether Council still has quorum.
Update 9:10pm - I will need to leave because the meeting has exceeded its scheduled end time of 8:30pm and I need to rest. I hope my live updates have helped students stay informed! I really care about transparency and I want this information to be easily accessible. Thanks all.
---
Here is a Google Drive link to the Zoom Chat and Zoom Transcript for this meeting. The chat actually has more context and details of what has happened, so I recommend taking a look. It is publicly accessible for anyone who attends the meeting but isn't uploaded when the YouTube videos are posted.
Zoom Chat and Transcript https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FG-OcOWSorvEm5OC50zJFoAvYh8TvL95?usp=sharing
​

Hi everyone,
I wanted to make a quick Reddit post to inform students that there is an SFSS Council Meeting that is happening now and is scheduled until 8:30pm, but will possibly last longer.
This meeting may not be as eventful as the past recent meetings, so it isn't necessary to attend, but I find it important that students are aware that they are entitled to attend. If you're interested in the current events within the SFSS, attending SFSS Council Meetings is a great way to keep up-to-date - but are in no way expected or obligated (I recommend joining as a Councillor in your Departmental Student Union if you're really interested so you can actually get paid for attending).
The aspect of this Council Meeting that may be of interest to students is that the Acting (temporary) VP Equity and Sustainability will be elected at this meeting. As you may recall, the former Progressive VP Equity and Sustainability (Rea Chatterjee) was recently investigated for sharing confidential information and has resigned, so the position is currently vacant.
I often will try my best to provide live updates on a voluntary basis (because not everyone has the time or energy to attend and listen for 4+ hours), and I will always do so whenever capable. Just be aware that this is quite labour intensive and sometimes I won't be able to provide them.
The agenda can be found on the SFSS website through this link.
The Zoom Link should be able to be found on the website, but message me if you can't find it and would like to join.
If you have any questions or would like to meet with me (especially for any university or academic related concern, or general SFSS questions) please feel free to email me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
Hope to see you there!
Kind regards,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice-President, University and Academic Affairs
----
Mentioned Motion:
10.4 Appointment of Acting VP Equity and Sustainability – MOTION COUNCIL 2022-09-14:17
SUBMITTED BY: President "Helen Sofia Pahou" Whereas the VP Equity and Sustainability “Rea Chatterjee” has resigned and had her resignation accepted at the August 31st Meeting of Council;
Whereas SFSS By-Law 14(2)(a) states that, in the event of a vacancy on the Executive Committee, “Council may appoint a temporary replacement to the vacant office from amongst the members of Council, other than members of the Executive Committee, to undertake the duties befalling the vacant office, until the office is filled by way of a by-election”;
Be it resolved that Council appoint X as the Acting Vice-president Equity and Sustainability, starting immediately and until such time the by-election is concluded and a new VP Equity and Sustainability is elected.
----
Live Updates:
(Personal) Council Meeting Updates:
\Please Note:* All the updates provided are from my personal and individual perspective, and are not on the behalf of Council, the Society, or the Executives. I am limited to sharing public and ex-camera information. I support the authority of Council and everything I'm sharing is from my personal perspective and recollection of events occurring during the meeting. I am a human and although I will always try my best to ensure that any information I share is accurate and clear, I still might make mistakes. I am unable to cover everything that has occurred in this meeting and am using my best judgement to share important highlights based on my own personal discretion and capacity. Please defer to all official announcements or communications from the Society in lieu of anything I may share here, including the meeting minutes on the SFSS website. The updates shared below are intended for informational purposes to promote transparency and enable students to have the opportunity for involvement wherever possible and an understanding of public current events within Council and the SFSS. I am doing so solely from my own initiative to assist students and promote the ease of accessibility of information related to their student society that was created to serve the undergraduate student body at Simon Fraser University.*
\Timestamps are approximate**
Update ~4:40pm - The start of the meeting (call to order) & territorial acknowledgement.
Update ~5:00pm - Presentation from Sophia at Studentcare regarding proposed plan increases.

• Prospective plan from Studentcare to bring forward a referendum at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on October 27th 2022 to increase the cost of the extended healthcare plan to increase mental health resources - however, these resources are limited to solely increasing online Counselling access and not in-person resources.
• I added to the discussion and noted that one of my main priorities in my role and primary reason I decided to take on the role as Vice-President University and Academic Affairs was to increase access and offerings of mental health supports for students at Simon Fraser University. I noted that there are many different ways of improving mental health supports at the university,

Update 5:24pm - “SFU What’s Next?” Presentation from Kristin Linklater (SFU Vice-President of Communications) from SFU regarding an update and discussion on SFU’s strategic plan.

• They are currently in phase 3 of the project where they are collecting information on priorities that are emerging.
• Kristin said that they haven’t been doing a great job at asking students how they are feeling about the future of SFU.
• They have spoken with staff and faculty.
• Their engagement with students has not started until last week.
• Asking students on bigger picture questions on what students feel the university’s priorities should be and
• The plan is to provide a draft of the strategic plan to the community.
• They are using an “appreciative inquiry-based approach to find out what is working, next opportunities, who we are at our best,” “survey, thought exchange online dialogue, round table conversations.”
• Only 9% of thought exchange respondents were undergraduate students.
• For student engagement, the Centre for Dialogue student engagement team is circulating with a student-only survey.
• They had 200 survey responses yesterday at the Clubs Day event. Their goal is 1000 responses from students, and they are currently around 650 responses.
• Survey Link:
• Plan for small group discussions (50 maximum).
• In person: October 5th 4:30-8:00pm (free food).
• Virtual: October 6th 4:30-7:30pm.
• Round table discussions to test emerging framework.
• Town hall sessions with President and Provost to share and shape the plan.
• Dates: November 7th - 10:30-12:00pm, November 8th (1:30-3:00pm), November 15th (3:00-4:30pm).
• Leadership discussions to finalize the plan: Senate, Executive, Deans, SLT.
• Endorsement of the plan by the Board of Governors.
• I added to the discussion and thanked Kristin for presenting and that I will be reaching out to her via email to meet with her and share my thoughts as Vice-President University and Academic Affairs.

Update 5:33pm - Executive Committee Updates Presentation

• Presentations from Judit, Abhi, myself, Eshana, and Vaibhav

Update 5:45pm - Quick Update from the Council Committee on Breaches of Confidentiality (CCBC)
Update 5:46pm - Council is now on item 10.1 of New Business. Formal appointment of the SFSS Independent Electoral Committee (IEC).

• Carried via unanimous consent

Update 5:47pm - Item 10.2 Call for a By-Election for the VP Equity and Sustainability Role.

• Carried via unanimous consent.

Mentioned Motion
10.2 Calling a By-Election for the role of VP Equity and Sustainability - MOTION COUNCIL 2022-09-14:15
SUBMITTED BY: VP Internal and Organizational Development "Judit Nagy"
Whereas the VP Equity and Sustainability “Rea Chatterjee” has resigned and had her resignation accepted at the August 31st Meeting of Council;
Whereas this vacancy has occurred at least two weeks before the start of the nomination period of the Fall By-Election;
Whereas SFSS By-Law 14(4) states that “a by-election must be called to fill a vacant office if the vacancy occurs (2) weeks before the start of the nomination period of the Summer or Fall by elections”;
Whereas this means that, even though Council can appoint an Acting VP Equity and Sustainability in the interim, a By-Election must be held to replace the VP Equity and Sustainability;
Whereas Council has now formally appointed an IEC to oversee the conduct and operation of the By Election;
Whereas consultations have taken place between relevant members of Staff and Executive Committee to determine an optimal timeline for the By-Election;
Be it resolved that Council call for a By-Election for the role of SFSS VP Equity and Sustainability with the following timeline:
Notice of Election Period: September 26, 2022 to October 3, 2022.
Nomination Period: October 3, 2022 to October 17, 2022.
Campaigning Period: October 18, 2022 to November 1, 2022.
Voting Period: November 1, 2022 to November 3, 2022.

Update 5:49pm - Item 10.3 Call for Referenda

• Carried via unanimous consent.

Update 5:50pm - The Chair (Acting President - Judit Nagy) has proposed a break until 5:57pm. Council is currently on break.
Update 5:57pm - Ben Tischler (Math Councillor and Vice-Chair) is now chairing the meeting and we are now on New Business.
Update 6:05pm - Questions for Candidates

• Eshana Baran (VP External) asked the two candidates how they will ensure that Constituency Groups feel comfortable in Council and the work of the previous VP Equity and Sustainability is continued.
• Arthur says that he has had conversations with staff, taking initiative on the consultation process. He said he is also looking forward to the opportunity to speak with the past VP Equity and Sustainability and is happy to include
• Ashley says that there is a lot of great work done by those in the past position of VP Equity and Sustainability and wants to continue with it. Ashley really wants to see constituency groups become more involved in Council and all the positions filled and them able to voice their opinions. Ashley believes that they have a space to speak and when they speak we do listen.
• Eshana Baran (VP External) asked a follow up question asking the candidates “why is it important to centre black and racialized voices.”
• Ashley said it would be absolutely absurd to put words in the voices of BIPOC individuals, and that they are often excluded from conversations.
• Arthur said that as a person in a minority group and with a disability, it is of great importance to include people in conversations and policy discussions.

Update 6:10pm - Roll Call Vote from Council
Update 5:58pm - Nominations for Acting VP Equity

• Ayooluwa Adigun (Science Undergraduate Society Councillor) has nominated Arthur Lee (Sociology and Anthropology Councillor)
• Aaron Fung (Cognitive Science Councillor) has nominated Ashley Flett (Philosophy Councillor)

Update 6:01pm - Motivations from Candidates

• Arthur is nominating himself because he believes that it is important for the VP Equity and Sustainability portfolio to move forward because it has been in a state of pause for the past few months. Arthur emphasized the importance of connection within the role.
• Ashley says that she believes that equity and sustainability work is important and believes in moving forward the work of the SFSS.

Update 6:05pm - Questions for Candidates

• Eshana Baran (VP External) asked the two candidates how they will ensure that Constituency Groups feel comfortable in Council and the work of the previous VP Equity and Sustainability is continued.
• Arthur says that he has had conversations with Beaty and others, starting the consultation process. He said he is also looking forward to the opportunity to speak with the past VP Equity and Sustainability and is happy to include
• Ashley says that there is a lot of great work done by those in the past position of VP Equity and Sustainability and wants to continue with it. Ashley really wants to see constituency groups become more involved in Council and all the positions filled and them able to voice their opinions. Ashley believes that they have a space to speak and when they speak we do listen.
• Eshana Baran (VP External) asked a follow up question asking the candidates “why is it important to centre Black and racialized voices.”
• Ashley said it would be absolutely absurd to put words in the voices of BIPOC individuals, and that they are often excluded from conversations.
• Arthur said that as a person in a minority group and with a disability, it is of great importance to include people in conversations and policy discussions.

Update 6:10pm - Roll Call Vote from Council

• Arthur Lee (Sociology and Anthropology Councillor) - 16 votes in favour
• Ashley Flett (Philosophy Councillor) - 11 votes in favour
• 4 abstentions
• By majority vote, Arthur Lee has been appointed as the Acting VP Equity and Sustainability.

Update 6:17pm - Council has now moved to New Business Item 10.5

Mentioned Motion
10.5 Digital Campaigning during Voting Period - MOTION COUNCIL 2022-09- 14:18
SUBMITTED BY: VP Internal and Organizational Development “Judit Nagy”
Whereas past practice for online campaigning during Executive Committee elections had been unclear;
Whereas online campaigning is a key asset for electoral success;
Whereas there are clear policies about physical campaigning literature, but less so for online campaigning material;
Whereas the policy gaps pertaining to digital campaigning materials allow room for unfair campaigning;
Be it resolved to add an additional section 15 to CP-4, “Approval of Campaigning Materials”, to read as the following:
CP-4 (15) Campaigning literature and campaigning material shall be removed by voting period. Regarding digital campaign materials, removal may entail:
a. a permanent deletion from social media platforms used for campaigning,
b. a temporary archival or deactivation, un-listing, or privatization, of platforms,
c. a temporary unpublishing of websites that are tied to the campaign until the announcement of the elections results

• Eshana asked a clarifying question about the role of social media.
• The intention of this policy amendment is to ensure that SFSS candidates remove all social media campaigning content after the election period has ended in order to.
• Eshana asked a clarifying question about the role of social media.
• Some contention has been raised regarding this proposed policy amendment.
• During roll call vote of Council for the amendment to the main motion, the majority of Councillors have abstained or voted against.
• 1 in favour, 10 against, and 17 abstentions - amendment to the main motion fails.
• When going back to the discussion on the main motion, Judit and I had a discussion and agreed that from our experiences campaigning, it seemed unfair that some candidates kept up their online posts during the voting period while others did not.
• Hilary Tsui asked about how we can get students to actually read platforms and make informed decisions.
• Aiden Cumming-Teicher (DNA Councillor) has asked about whether we should allow people to keep and share screenshots of what other candidates have said to hold them accountable and provide a public record of what candidates have said.
• I verbally responded and shared that from my experience during the election period, there has been concern about the negative impact of campaigning on the mental health of candidates because of overall negativity and smear campaigns against candidates during the last electoral period.
• I shared in the chat that if we are allowed or encouraged to share screenshots of what candidates have said during the campaigning period, I fear that candidates may focus their energy “towards smear campaigns against other candidates to compensate for them not being able to say positive things about themselves by campaigning.” I also mentioned that it’s essentially “reverse campaigning” where candidates would focus on saying “don’t vote for this person because they said these horrible things” instead of focusing on motivating students with positive reasons for why they should be elected.
• Judit Nagy (Acting President) has mentioned in the chat that she believes that “there is an issue with amplifying problematic content there. Also, Idk who would be in charge of screenshots, and how we can keep in mind that the IEC are also students with certain amount of hours they usually clock in.”
• 15 in favour, 2 against, 10 abstentions.
• Motion carried by majority vote.

Update 6:54pm - Council has now moved to Discussion Items, 12.1.

• Eshana has suggested for Council to allocate $5000-6000 to donate money for residential school survivors and their kin.

Update 7:00pm - All agenda items have been completed and the meeting has been adjourned.

• Yay, probably the shortest meeting ever!

----
TL:DR - Important Takeaways and Updates

• The difference between appointing an Acting VP Equity and Sustainability and electing through a By-Election is that the Acting VP Equity is appointed via Council vote and will be temporarily taking on the role until the elected candidate is appointed via By-Election. The By-Election will be decided by students.
• By majority vote, Arthur Lee (Sociology and Anthropology Councillor) has been appointed as the Acting VP Equity and Sustainability.

Hi all,
I wanted to reach out to learn more about experiences with academic writing in courses.
What has been your experience with writing essays at SFU? Do you find that your experience writing essays is more difficult than it should be (i.e. compared to your friends)? Have you used any tutoring services or have visited the Student Learning Commons at the SFU Library?
I have some experience teaching academic writing and I personally struggled with the transition in expectations between secondary and first-year courses.
I'm currently working on a provisional project to create a student-led mentorship program for helping others with academic writing. I will tailor the project depending on what students express as their needs.
Feel free to email me - [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Thanks everyone! Hope to hear from you.
Warm regards,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice-President University & Academic Affairs
Simon Fraser Student Society

PuP from Hawkeyez, and table update from PaladinArcade!
https://vpuniverse.com/files/file/11215-shrek-stern-2008mod-10/

Hi everyone,
There is an important SFSS Council Meeting today that is open to all students (this Wednesday August 17 2022, starting at 4:30pm).
It is still going as of currently and will unlikely end anytime soon.
The Zoom Link should be public information. It is generally posted on the SFSS website, but I can direct you to where it's posted publicly if it's not there currently.
The agenda can be found on the SFSS website through this link.
The Progressive VP Equity and Sustainability (Rea Chatterjee) is facing motions of censure (formal reprimand - to my best understanding) and request for resignation. This is based on public motions submitted for this meeting.
These motions were further delayed from last week's emergency Council meeting.
I intend to share updates whenever possible and will do so via my Reddit account and social media.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). We can also set up a time to chat virtually or in-person, and I would be more than happy to do so!
Hope to see you there!
Kind regards,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice-President, University and Academic Affairs
-------
(Personal) Council Meeting Updates:
**Please Note:* All the updates provided are from my personal and individual perspective, and are not on the behalf of Council, the Society, or the Executives. I am limited to sharing public and ex-camera information. I support the authority of Council and everything I'm sharing is from my personal perspective and recollection of events occurring during the meeting. I am a human and although I will always try my best to ensure that any information I share is accurate and clear, I might make still mistakes. I am unable to cover everything that has occurred in this meeting and am using my best judgement to share important highlights based on my own personal discretion and capacity. Please defer to all official announcements or communications from the Society in lieu of anything I may share here, including the meeting minutes on the SFSS website. The updates shared below are intended for informational purposes to promote transparency and enable students to have the opportunity for involvement wherever possible and an understanding of public current events within Council and the SFSS. I am doing so solely from my own initiative to assist students and promote the ease of accessibility of information related to their student society that was created to serve the undergraduate student body at Simon Fraser University.*1
\Timestamps are approximate**
I will be starting with the rough sequence of events, and then put in time-stamps later as I wasn't able to keep up with the note-taking until later in the meeting.
Sequence of Events:
- The start of the meeting.
- Roll call of attendance for Council.
- Adoption of the agenda, ratification of regrets, and addition of agenda items by Councillors.
- Council voted to move in-camera to discuss the addition of Aiden's motion the agenda on the basis of needing to first review legal advice. In-camera means a confidential discussion between Councillors alone, and the necessity of moving in-camera is determined by Council based on guidance from the SFSS Policies & By-Laws. This discussion was moved in-camera based on the need to protect client-solicitor privilege for the discussion of legal advice (mentioned ex-camera).
- Council moved to go ex-camera (public).
- Council continued their discussion of the adoption of Aiden's agenda item.
- Council conducted a roll call vote on whether Aiden's agenda item should be adopted.
- Council moved onto the ratification of regrets, ratification of resignation of the Film Councillor.
- Council moved onto presentations.
- The first presentation was from the Science Undergraduate Society on their Frosh Event planning.
- The second presentation was from the Vice-President University and Academic Affairs (myself) on major updates and projects from the UAA portfolio and the University and Academic Affairs Committee that are of interest to the public and Council.
- Council moved onto the SFSS 2021-2026 Strategic Plan 2021-2026 Presentation, presented by the Board Organizer.
\Approximate Live Updates Start Here**
Update 7:17pm - Overview and discussion of the SFSS 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, with the intention of Council to adopt the strategic plan as a living document that is subject to change based on the input of the working group.
Update 8:00pm - Shariq moved to put old business above new business, and new business above reports from committees.
Update 8:03pm - Helen moved to extend the meeting to 10:00pm. Council is to take a break until 8:15pm.
Update 8:15pm - Council is back in-session and now on Old Business.
Update 8:18pm - The motion regarding the potential censure of the VP Equity is now being discussed. Helen listed and moved to postpone the motion.

7.1 Censure of the VP Equity and Sustainability -MOTION COUNCIL 2022-08- 17:05Mover / SeconderWhereas Council has been shown evidence in-camera that pertains to a violation of R-5.2(m) by the VP Equity and Sustainability;
Whereas these breaches harm and endanger the sanctity of the in-camera sessions of Council;Be it resolved to censure the VP Equity and Sustainability “Rea Chatterjee” in relation to violations of R-5.2(m).

Update 8:40pm - Roll call vote on whether to postpone the censure motion for Rea Chatterjee.
Update 8:48pm - The vote to postpone the censure motion has failed with 9 in favour, 17 against, and 5 abstentions.
Update 8:50pm - Aiden requested to read out Rea's testimony.
Update 8:51pm - Helen moved to go in-camera due to the potential of sensitive personal information being read out for Rea's testimony. Passed via unanimous consent.
Update 8:52pm - Council is now in-camera.
Update 9:19pm - Council has moved ex-camera.
Update 9:21pm - Council is moving to postpone the censure motion indefinitely due to the consideration of Council's wellbeing and the energy and time spent on this motion.

• Ayooluwa shared that he believes that this vote is redundant at this point since Rea already has expressed that she will step-down.
• Balqees (former SFSS Executive) started listing her perspectives on in-camera and the prospective postponement of this motion.

Update 9:34pm - Call to question to vote on the postponement of Rea's censure motion indefinitely. Ben is the current Chair and everyone has voted in favour via unanimous consent, except Aiden (DNA Councillor) who has voted against.

• Several Councillors have expressed their frustration on these disciplinary motions taking a significant amount of Society time and resources, and have expressed that they are tired and hope for the Society to move on via indefinite postponement so that Council can focus on getting their work done.
• Councillors have expressed that they hold this opinion because Rea has already stated that she will resign, so there isn't a need to spend time going over this issue when there's other urgent matters to address.
• For context, Council has spent the majority of time during Council meetings in the past three meetings on this particular issue and other important matters haven't been able to be addressed.

Update 9:36pm - Roll call vote of Council on whether to indefinitely postpone Rea's censure motion.
Update 9:39pm - With 23 in favour, 3 against, and 1 abstention, the motion to indefinitely postpone the motion to censure Rea has been carried.
Update 9:40pm - Council has moved onto the motion to request the resignation of Rea.
Update 9:41pm - Council has been presented with the motion to postpone this motion.
Update 9:42pm - Council is now voting via roll call on the motion to indefinitely postpone the motion to request the resignation of Rea.
Update 9:45pm - With 21 in favour, 3 against, and 1 abstention, the motion to indefinitely postpone the motion to request the resignation of Rea has been carried.
Update 9:48pm - Council has suspended the rules to put new business 11.3 first, then 11.2 second. Carried.
Update 9:49pm - Rastko called to question on the memory express motion.
Update 9:50pm - Unanimous consent was gathered for memory express and was carried.
Update 9:52pm - Discussion on the Accessibility Advocacy Motion.

• Rea Chatterjee (VP Equity) has not called any meetings for the Accessibility Committee since starting her term on May 1st 2022, which has been almost 4 months.
• The Accessibility Committee is in-place and has a responsibility to address the needs of disabled students at SFU.
• There is a need for the Accessibility Committee to meet urgently because several students have come forward with issues relating to their access needs not being met and they need this to be addressed before the start of the Fall 2022 semester.
• It was emphasized that it is urgent for the Accessibility Committee to meet as it is a forum to address the needs of disabled students at SFU, and there have been multiple disclosures (public and private) of significant and urgent needs for assistance.
• Balqees Jama, Aiden, and some vocal members of the DNA who are associated with the Progressive Caucus have been in favour of stopping the Accessibility Committee from meeting on the grounds that they want the Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance to be significantly involved in all decision making processes within the AC.
• The discussion became contentious and inflammatory at this point, with the aforementioned members sharing multiple accusations not directly related to the motion and urgent issue at hand, resulting in the further delay of the Accessibility Committee being able to meet and address the needs of disabled students.

Update ~10:30pm - Council has since moved to the Q&A.
Update 11:00pm - Meeting adjourned.
---
TL;DR (my opinion after the meeting) - This meeting was exhausting. I have felt that things have been exhausting this term as an overall theme. From my personal perspective, I'm not happy with how things are going because many times, discussions are handled without mutual respect when it involves "political opponents." I'm not sure what can be done.
Whenever possible, I've brought to the attention of the Chair to discourage inflammatory behaviour and bad faith discussions. Unfortunately, this continues to occur and is perpetuated by so called "political opponents," the conduct of which many students are aware of.
I wish that, no matter how contentious a discussion is, that discussions are being handled with mutual respect towards each other, no matter whatever differences either parties may have.
No matter what are the ideological differences, it is never okay to suspend mutual care and regard for the wellbeing of others. We are all human beings at the end of the day.
I'm not sure what can be done at this point. Students lose at the end of the day if discussions within Council cannot be respectful, compassionate, and we need to seek to understand one another rather than looking for differences and being stuck on those differences.
I ask for us to consider the bigger picture and the purpose of why we are all involved in student politics. The bigger picture is based on providing resources and supports to the student body, which the SFSS has been created to serve. Anything else is counterproductive to the bigger picture reason of why we are ultimately here.
The overall purpose of the SFSS is to serve the membership - the students - and we need to do whatever we can to ensure this goal is met on a continuous basis.
Students have the ability and power to help with this. Whenever possible, please be the voice of reason and step-in to discourage counterproductive inflammatory behaviour, and instead promote a culture of mutual respect and care for one another. Attend meetings and speak out against behaviour that prevents the interests of the student body from being met.
​

Hi everyone,
There is an important SFSS Council Meeting today that is open to all students (this Wednesday August 3rd 2022, starting at 4:30pm).
The Progressive VP Equity and Sustainability (Rea Chatterjee) is facing motions of censure (formal reprimand - to my best understanding) and request for resignation. This is based on public motions submitted for this meeting.
These motions were delayed from last week's emergency Council meeting.
If you would like to attend or have your voice heard, these meetings are public and open to all students at SFU.
Here is the Zoom link for the meeting.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we may be having a 30 minute Q&A period if students ask for one. This is a great way to have your voice heard and ask clarifying questions whenever this period is possible.
The agenda is generally posted on the SFSS website prior to the meeting.
Edit: The agenda is posted! It is 2022-08-03 in on the SFSS website.
I intend to share updates whenever possible and will do so via my Reddit account and social media.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). We can also set up a time to chat virtually or in-person, and I would be more than happy to do so!
Hope to see you there!
Kind regards,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice-President, University and Academic Affairs
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The Motions Mentioned (Directly from the Agenda):

1. OLD BUSINESS

8.1 Censure of the VP Equity and Sustainability -MOTION COUNCIL 2022-08- 03:13 Mover / Seconder

"Whereas Council has been shown evidence in-camera that pertains to a violation of R-5.2(m) by the VP Equity and Sustainability;
Whereas these breaches harm and endanger the sanctity of the in-camera sessions of Council;
Be it resolved to censure the VP Equity and Sustainability “Rea Chatterjee” in relation to violations of R-5.2(m)."

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8.2 Request for Resignation of the VP Equity and Sustainability -MOTION COUNCIL 2022-08-03:14 Mover / Seconder Online Via Zoom Council Simon Fraser Student Society Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 10

"Whereas Council has been shown evidence in-camera that pertains to a violation of R-5.2(m) by the VP Equity and Sustainability;
Whereas these breaches cause direct harm to the Society and its operations;
Be it resolved that Council request the resignation of the VP Equity and Sustainability “Rea Chatterjee” in relation to violations of R-5.2(m)."

---------
The Motion Submitted by VP External Eshana Baran (From the Public Council Chat):

Title of motion: Provision of Access to Society Directors to Legal Advice
"Whereas after passing the motion on July 27, 2022, the VP Equity and Sustainability is seeking legal advice and not getting the help that is required that of a director of a society seeking legal advice to ensure fiduciary duties are being met, while being a duly elected director who retains the right to such advice;
Whereas the response time for the VP Equity and Sustainability being able to adequately respond to the alleged breaches is not reasonable as currently stated;Be it resolved that the society provides the VP Equity and Sustainability, and any other director alleged to have breached a society policy and face a disciplinary proceeding regardless of its nature with independent legal counsel in line with their rights as a director to make an informed decision as it relates to society affairs if it is stated by the society legal counsel that they feel they would be in a conflict of interest on a matter;Be it further resolved that the VP Equity and Sustainability be provided with additional time until such a time that this independent legal counsel is provided in order to allow for a fair process in regards to the alleged breach of policies;Be it resolved that all directors be made aware of all the legal advice that is routinely provided to the President and all associated correspondence on any matter if that matter comes to the Council table so that directors may be fully aware and informed in line with their fiduciary duty as directors of the Society;Be it further resolved that the Executive Officers have access and be sent the legal advice on all matters where legal advice is sought on society matters in line with their rights as Officers of the Society."

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(Personal) Council Meeting Updates:
**Please Note:* All the updates provided are from my personal and individual perspective, and are not on the behalf of Council, the Society, or the Executives. I am limited to sharing public and ex-camera information. I support the authority of Council and everything I'm sharing is from my personal perspective and recollection of events occurring during the meeting. I am a human and although I will always try my best to ensure that any information I share is accurate and clear, I might make still mistakes. I am unable to cover everything that has occurred in this meeting and am using my best judgement to share important highlights based on my own personal discretion and capacity. Please defer to all official announcements or communications from the Society in lieu of anything I may share here, including the meeting minutes on the SFSS website. The updates shared below are intended for informational purposes to promote transparency and enable students to have the opportunity for involvement wherever possible and an understanding of public current events within Council and the SFSS. I am doing so solely from my own initiative to assist students and promote the ease of accessibility of information related to their student society that was created to serve the undergraduate student body at Simon Fraser University.*¹
\Timestamps are approximate**
Update 4:40pm - The start of the meeting (call to order) & territorial acknowledgement.
Update ~4:50pm - Roll call of attendance for Council.
Update ~4:55pm - Adoption of the agenda, ratification of regrets, and addition of agenda items by Councillors.
Update ~5:10pm - Eshana moved to add a motion to the agenda.
Update 5:13pm - Council voted to move in-camera to discuss the addition of the motion to the agenda. The discussion is in-camera due to matters of client-solicitor privilege with the Society's legal counsel (mentioned ex-camera).²
Update 5:15pm - In-camera discussion begins (limited to Executive and Non-Executive Councillors).
Update 5:50pm - We are still in-camera. If you have joined, don't worry, the plan based on the agenda is to be going ex-camera after this discussion has been completed. Only Councillors are allowed in-camera.
Update 6:10pm - Still in-camera.
Update 7:05pm - We are now ex-camera and voting via roll call on whether to add Eshana's proposed motion to the agenda (shared above).
Update 7:11pm - We are conducting the roll call vote on the motion.
Update ~7:13pm - The vote to include Eshana Baran's proposed agenda item (motion) failed by majority vote of Council (28 against, 2 in favour, 3 abstentions - I believe).
Update 7:27pm - Council roll call vote on adopting the other amendments to the agenda, submitted by the President Helen.

Helen S. Pahou (President) to Everyone (7:16 PM)
Motion #1:
WHEREAS all Directors of the SFSS owe a fiduciary duty of utmost loyalty to the society, and must act in the society’s best interests;
WHEREAS Directors are considered to be in a conflict of interest where they stand to benefit personally from a decision taken by a society about “any matter”, either directly or indirectly, or where they would otherwise have their loyalty to the society divided;
WHEREAS the SFSS has commenced censure proceedings against Rea Chatterjee in relation to an alleged disclosure of confidential information;
WHEREAS Rea Chatterjee’s personal interest in the outcome and subject matter of the censure proceedings is in conflict with the duty of loyalty she owes to the society;
BE IT RESOLVED that Rea Chatterjee is in a conflict of interest with respect to the motion of censure, the subject matter of the motion of censure and all matters related to the motion of censure.

——-------

Helen S. Pahou (President) to Everyone (7:17 PM)
Motion #2:
WHEREAS all Directors of the SFSS owe a fiduciary duty of utmost loyalty to the society, and must act in the society’s best interests;
WHEREAS Directors are considered to be in a conflict of interest where they stand to benefit personally from a decision taken by a society about “any matter”, either directly or indirectly, or where they would otherwise have their loyalty to the society divided;
WHEREAS the SFSS has commenced censure proceedings against Rea Chatterjee;
WHEREAS, while Eshana Baran does not face censure proceedings, she is directly involved in the subject matter of the censure proceedings;
WHEREAS Ms. Baran’s personal interest in the outcome and subject matter of the censure proceedings is in conflict with the duty of loyalty she owes to the society;
BE IT RESOLVED that Eshana Baran is in a conflict of interest with respect to the motion of censure, the subject matter of the motion of censure and all matters related to the motion of censure.

Update 7:27pm - The above amendments to the agenda submitted by Helen were carried by majority vote of Council.
Update 7:27pm - 13 minute break until 7:40pm.
Update 7:40pm - The Council meeting has resumed.
Update 7:43pm - Emmanuel Adegboyega, Griffin Wolf, Mara Rusu, and Ben Lucian started their presentation on an SFSS project for their POL 121 class this semester. They conducted research on voter turnout for the SFSS elections and this is the topic of the presentation.

• Their data suggests that about half of students say they know who the SFSS represents and what it does, and 76.3% said they were aware of the recent elections
• Their data suggests that the majority of non-voters (70.6%) reported being too busy with work or studying to vote. 47.1% said they did not know how or where to vote. 35.3% said that they didn't believe the result would change anything.
• Respondents suggested for more education on what the SFSS does, a need for more promotion surrounding candidates and their policy platforms, wanted more information on when and where to vote, favoured rwarding people who vote with incentive, and allowing FIC students to vote.
• The presenters' suggestions were to incentivize voting with giveaways or donations to charity, allowing FIC students to vote via referendum, set an Election Day in person or fixed every year, making it an interactive thing, and getting professors to remind their students about the SFSS (partner with SFU).
• The presenters shared that their intentions is to increase voter turnout to ensure that the SFSS is an accurate representation of the student body, to legitimize the SFSS' operations and decisions, building political engagement and encouraging people to get involved, and helping students develop voting habits for provincial and federal elections.
• The presenters shared that they are happy to work with members of the SFSS to implement their suggestions and help with the voting process.
• I mentioned that I am really appreciative of their research and presentation to Council, and that I've been working within the University and Academic Affairs Committee on student outreach and engagement, and that I would love to work with them on this and that they can expect to receive an email from me.

Update 7:55pm - Shariq Ahsan (Computer Science Councillor) moved to extend the meeting to 10:00pm. I (VP University) seconded this motion. Passed unanimously and the meeting has been extended to 10:00pm.
Update 7:56pm - Shariq Ahsan also moved to suspend the rules and move the new business section above the reports section to be mindful of people needing to leave at the scheduled end time of the meeting. In other words, to move the new business section to the new section 8. The motion to suspend the rules was carried by unanimous consent.
Update 7:59pm - Abhi (VP Finance) moved to suspend the rules to put the old business section above the new business section. This motion to suspend the rules was carried by unanimous consent.
Update 8:00pm - Council is now on the first item of old business - the motion to censure the VP Equity and Sustainability, Rea Chatterjee.
Update 8:01pm - The floor was opened for discussion. Abhi and Helen both listed and moved to postpone this motion to the Wednesday August 17 2022 Council Meeting.
Update 8:01pm - The motion to postpone the motion (9.1) was passed by unanimous consent to the Wednesday August 17 2022 Council Meeting.
Update 8:02pm - Council is now on the second item of old business (9.2) - the motion to request the resignation of the VP Equity and Sustainability, Rea Chatterjee.
Update 8:02pm - The floor was opened for discussion and Arthur Lee, the SASU Councillor listed and moved to postpone this motion to the Wednesday August 17 2022 Council Meeting.
Update 8:03pm - The motion to postpone the motion (9.2) to the Wednesday August 17 2022 Council Meeting was carried by unanimous consent.
Update 8:04pm - Council is now on the first item of new business.
Update 8:05pm - Council is now discussing the following motion:

WHEREAS all Directors of the SFSS owe a fiduciary duty of utmost loyalty to the society, and must act in the society’s best interests;
WHEREAS Directors are considered to be in a conflict of interest where they stand to benefit personally from a decision taken by a society about “any matter”, either directly or indirectly, or where they would otherwise have their loyalty to the society divided;
WHEREAS the SFSS has commenced censure proceedings against Rea Chatterjee in relation to an alleged disclosure of confidential information;
WHEREAS Rea Chatterjee’s personal interest in the outcome and subject matter of the censure proceedings is in conflict with the duty of loyalty she owes to the society;
BE IT RESOLVED that Rea Chatterjee is in a conflict of interest with respect to the motion of censure, the subject matter of the motion of censure and all matters related to the motion of censure.

Update 8:05pm - Shariq Ahsan called to question so Council goes straight to a vote for this above motion. Seconded by VP Finance. Eshana requested for Helen to rule the motion to call for question out of order. Shariq added that a motion to call to question is non-debatable.
Update 8:06pm - Council is now on a roll call vote on calling to question.
Update 8:13pm - The motion on calling to question required 2/3rds majority and was not passed.
Update 8:15pm - The discussion resumes regarding the above motion submitted by the President regarding conflict of interest.
Update ~8:40pm - The discussion has ended on the above motion (timestamp 8:05pm).
Update 8:42pm - Motion carried by majority vote (roll call) with 24 in favour, 1 against, and 5 abstentions.
Update 8:43pm - Council has moved onto the last item in new business. Council is now discussing the following motion:

Helen S. Pahou (President) to Everyone (8:43 PM)
WHEREAS all Directors of the SFSS owe a fiduciary duty of utmost loyalty to the society, and must act in the society’s best interests;
WHEREAS Directors are considered to be in a conflict of interest where they stand to benefit personally from a decision taken by a society about “any matter”, either directly or indirectly, or where they would otherwise have their loyalty to the society divided;
WHEREAS the SFSS has commenced censure proceedings against Rea Chatterjee;
WHEREAS, while Eshana Baran does not face censure proceedings, she is directly involved in the subject matter of the censure proceedings;
WHEREAS Ms. Baran’s personal interest in the outcome and subject matter of the censure proceedings is in conflict with the duty of loyalty she owes to the society;
BE IT RESOLVED that Eshana Baran is in a conflict of interest with respect to the motion of censure, the subject matter of the motion of censure and all matters related to the motion of censure.

Update 8:45pm - The discussion has begun. Eshana listed first. Eshana is claiming that the interpretation of conflict of interest is for alleged political gain. Eshana also posted in the chat.
Update 8:45pm - Councillor Ayooluwa (Science Undergraduate Society) directly responded to Eshana and provided an explanation of how the existing interpretation of a conflict of interest is sound.
Update 8:47pm - Councillor Matthew Reed (History Student Union) shared in the chat that he will be stepping away for the remainder of this meeting for personal reasons.
Update 8:48pm - Eshana added that her questions are directed towards the President and would like the President to respond.
Update 8:48pm - Councillor Aiden (DNA) mentions how Rea could have a conflict of interest but isn't as sure about Eshana Baran having a conflict of interest, and has suggested that some other Executives may have a conflict of interest.
Update 8:50pm - Helen responded to Eshana's questions and noted that she is unsure if her responses will be satisfactory to Eshana.
Update 8:57pm - Council is still having a discussion on this motion.
Update 8:59pm - There has been a call to question from Councillor Mohammad on this motion to end discussion and go straight to a vote.
Update 9:00pm - Roll call vote on calling to question on this motion.
Update 9:01pm - The motion to call to question has passed. Debate has ended and Council has gone straight to a vote on the above motion (timestamped 8:43pm).
Update 9:04pm - Roll call vote on the above motion (timestamped 8:43pm).
Update 9:08pm - The results of the vote is 17 in favour, 2 against, 8 abstentions. The motion has carried. New business has been concluded.
Update 9:09pm - Council is to take a break and return at 9:15pm and commence reports from committees.
Update 9:17pm - Council has returned and the meeting has resumed.
Update 9:18pm - Council will be going onto reports from committees, then discussion items.
Update 9:20pm - Monthly Update Report from the Executive Committee.
Update 9:30pm - Brief discussion item submitted by Eshana Baran (conversation moved on quickly).
Update 9:33pm - Discussion item submitted by Councillor Arthur Lee on improving accessibility within the SFSS Council and all meetings that follow Robert's Rules.

• I mentioned that I am in support of this initiative and that the University and Academic Affairs Committee has had preliminary discussions on the matter. I also mentioned that the UAAC is in consensus of the importance of prioritizing the accessibility of meetings within the SFSS because it would overall promote student engagement, which is of utmost importance to the Society.

Update 9:37pm - A former member of the Executive Committee, Balqees Jama, added to the discussion about accessibility. She asked whether the 3h time limit of Council Meetings would be enforced. She also asked about the CCBC report and the resignation of the DNA Councillor.
Update 9:39pm - Helen responded about the CCBC report and said that they are waiting on the Communications Coordinator to be back from vacation to post it on the website. In addition, in relation to the 3h time limit, she says that from her experience in council, the standard has always been to schedule the meetings for 4h and they have often gone way past 4h during her experience as a Councillor, and also from what other Councillors have told her. She has said that she understands the difficulty of having long meetings and says she is trying her best to keep them short, and is cognizant of the demands of long meetings, and will try her best to move the agenda as fast and as efficiently as possible. In terms of access needs, in relation to the DNA Councillor's resignation (brought up by Balqees), Helen has mentioned that the Board Organizer has tended to the Councillor's needs and is grateful for the Board Organizer, and that they have tried their best to provide resources to Councillors wherever possible.
Update 9:43pm - In relation to the continuation of the discussion item on accessibility, Helen has provided the discussion floor to Constantin, then Kiki.
Update 9:52pm - Discussion has ended and Council has started the Q&A period.
Update 9:52pm - Balqees Jama (former Executive) has asked a question about an alleged incitement of violence within a Council messaging space and asking what will be done to stop the alleged normalization of incitements of violence.

• Helen says there has already been a discussion within management and herself. She says the behaviour has already been called-in for that Councillor, and they are now in the process of taking a comprehensive look to see what happened and how it has transpired. Helen says she intends to meet everyone's needs to the best of her ability and says it is currently being looked into, and management is assisting to ensure the issue is being assessed comprehensively, efficiently, and properly.

Update 9:56pm - Constantin asked a question about Robert's Rules. Constantin asked if a past decision has been made properly regarding the order of Councillors and students.

• Abhi (VP Finance) had a direct response. He said that calling to question automatically ends debate if the vote passes.

Update 9:58pm - Councillor Aiden is asking if there's an unwillingness to overrule calling to question, and asked if there's situations in which the Chair would overrule calling to question.

• Helen (President) responded that she decides based on her best judgement at the time, based on context, and would rule a call to question out of order if the situation calls for it.
• Judit (VP Internal) responded about calling to question and said that it is a valid motion to take. She says that the basis of ruling it out of order is if it is dilatory (where people ask it multiple times in succession). Judit also mentioned that it calling to question requires 2/3 majority, and that she knows that Helen and Judit have voted no in the past for calling to question, and that as Chair, Helen would need to ensure that Council's wishes are being met and to entertain calls to question unless they are dilatory.

Update 10:01pm - Vaibhav (VP Events) provided an update on Street Fest. He mentioned that they have over 20 performers, and 10 sponsors so far. They will be having street performers, such as magicians and jugglers. He mentions that progress has been very good so far. He invites students to ask him questions regarding progress and is more than happy to share.
Update 10:03pm - Aiden (DNA Councillor) asked, based on personal curiosity, why some individuals appeared unwilling to answer her questions. Aiden clarified that she directed the question towards the President.

• Helen mentioned that it is hard when under a lot of pressure and knowing that people are unhappy, and that her unwillingness is not because she is unwilling, but it is because she is under pressure and doesn't like to make people unhappy, and that is just the way she is according to her response, and this is the best she can respond at the time. She emphasized that it is tough on her.
• Aiden directly responded to Helen and mentioned a response saying that it is fair to be affected by personal anxieties.
• Helen said that she appreciated Aiden's response, and mentioned that anyone in the shoes of an Executive would feel the same way. She said it's tough because she doesn't like making people unhappy. She recognized that this isn't a fulfilling response, and said that she is only human, and this is the best she can say at that time.
• Aiden said that's fair and hopes there is more space for more substantive discussion in the future.

Update 10:07pm - Abhi called on the Science Undergraduate Society Councillor Ayooluwa and asked for updates on the SUS frosh.

• Ayooluwa said that frosh hasn't happened in the past few years due to the pandemic. He says, right as it stands, frosh is on track to happen in September, and the team within SUS is efficient.
• Abhi directly responded with a clarifying question about whether frosh is in-person, online, or hybrid.
• Ayooluwa responded that they are working on making frosh entirely in-person because people are missing the chance of meeting new people when they first get on campus. They are intending to prevent the separation that people felt during the pandemic, and want this frosh to embody a "goodbye" to the separation era (feelings of isolation) during the pandemic.

Update 10:11pm - Aiden (DNA Councillor) asked a question about disabled graduate students and the issues they face when going to SFU for assistance.

• Balqees Jama shared in the chat for clarification.

Balqees Jama to Everyone (10:11 PM)
i was referring to the SFSS x GSS Shared Service Agreement (last updated 2021 and has existed since sfss/gss split)
can be found on pg 144 of the 2021-06-02 Council meeting minutes

• Helen asked for clarification on whether DNA is looking to include graduate students.
• Aiden clarified that the DNA is looking to include graduate students within their constituency.
• Balqees shared that the shared service agreement mentions that graduate students can be included within the services of the DNA.
• Balqees provided the shared service agreement in the chat.
• Helen mentioned that this is a good thing to bring up and that this will be something that Executives and Council will need to look into and this will be something that we can further explore.

Update 10:17pm - Aiden brought forward additional questions regarding the shared service agreement discussion.

• I mentioned that I agree with Aiden that we should have a broader discussion about Executive involvement and my involvement with the DNA and that I would be happy for that to be initiated.

Update 10:20pm - Vaibhav mentioned that there is an upcoming movie night as a social initiative.
Update 10:22pm - The 30 minute Q&A has ended and Helen thanked everyone for their time.
Update 10:22pm - Eshana requested for a quick announcement. She mentioned that it will be quite hot next Tuesday and intends to hand out water to unhoused folks around Surrey Central. She said she will be sending out an update email about it.

• Abhi asked for clarification on what a water package is and whether we can donate.
• Eshana said that they are water bottles and that local companies have donated the bottles, and that we are also free to donate as well.

Update 10:23pm - Eshana's announcement ended. Helen announced that the VP Equity is on a leave of absence from now until August 15th. She also mentioned that there is a LOA for the Behavioural Neuroscience Councillor until the 16th.
Update 10:25pm - The meeting has adjourned. Helen mentioned that the next Council meeting is on August 17th 2022.
---------
References:
¹ SFSS Constitution (a-e), SFSS Mission Statement
² SFSS Council Policies, R-9: In-Camera Sessions, (9.1, d)
SFSS Council Policies, R-9, 9.1(d)
"9.1 Council and its committees may, by simple majority vote, move items for discussion in- camera, only where deliberations involve:
(d) a litigation process in which the Society is involved, discussions involving advice subject to solicitor-client privilege, such as legal counsel, where the Society wishes to maintain that privilege"

Hi everyone,
There is a SFSS Council Meeting this Wednesday August 3rd 2022, starting at 4:30pm.
For the sake of transparency, I wanted to make a post and let students know that they are welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings. Here is the Zoom link for the meeting.
We may be having a 30 minute Q&A period if students ask for one. This is a great way to have your voice heard and ask clarifying questions whenever this period is possible.
Attending these meetings is a good way of getting to know about current events in the SFSS, getting involved, and having the opportunity to have your voice heard during Q&A periods.
The agenda is generally posted on the SFSS website prior to the meeting.
I intend to share updates whenever possible and will do so via my Reddit account and social media.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). We can also set up a time to chat virtually or in-person, and I would be more than happy to do so!
Hope to see you there!
Kind regards,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice-President, University and Academic Affairs
Simon Fraser Student Society
---
EDIT:
[IMPORTANT UPDATE]
There is a new Zoom link! If you would like to attend, please use this Zoom link for today's meeting.
I checked in with Helen and the meeting should be starting in about 5 minutes from now (4:40pm).
Thanks all!

Hi everyone!
Looking to get involved within the SFU community? (DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS TODAY - THURSDAY JULY 28 2022, 11:59pm).
Joining the University and Academic Affairs Committee (UAAC) as an appointed member-at-large is a great way of meeting new people, getting connected with other students and the community, and gaining valuable experience, as well as providing opportunities for future reference letters and Co-Curricular Record recognition on your transcript!
The time commitment is reasonable and can be adjusted depending on your individual circumstances.
I am personally chairing this committee and I'm looking forward to the great work we can get done this year to create actual and meaningful benefits for the students.
This is a great way to get to know me and work closely with me if you share a similar vision for improving the SFSS and academic student affairs at SFU.
My intention is for this committee to be as student-centric and student-guided as possible, where students decide how our resources are spent from a bottom-up approach.
Within the committee, we are responsible for advocating for the needs of students as related to university and academic affairs. For example, tuition cost, student services (i.e. better mental health supports), and quality of education concerns.
Let me know if you have any questions and I will answer as soon as I can. Email me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) as soon as you can so I can ensure a quick turnaround time of response before the deadline.
Reminder that the deadline for applications is today, Thursday July 28 2022 at 11:59pm.
Link to Join the Committee (click on "University and Academic Affairs Committee" at the bottom).
Instagram Post
I encourage everyone who is interested to apply! Thank you so much.
Kind regards,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice-President, University and Academic Affairs
Simon Fraser Student Society

Hi all,
As you may be aware, there has been a lot of discussion regarding the most recent SFSS Council Meeting & other current events going on right now.
I made this thread to help organize all the recent threads and discussions that I've come across on this topic, and I wanted to volunteer my time and resources to offer clarity via dialogue with the student body.
I am happy to offer a debrief of the recent emergency Council meeting to the best of my ability.
The current situation is quite complex with a mountain of context, so it's really difficult to explain it over a thread (especially since I'm exhausted at the moment after a long and hard meeting that went from 4:30-10:45pm).
(These are some of the recent threads on the current events)
1) https://www.reddit.com/simonfrasecomments/w9uiwj/emergency_meeting_current_motion_to_request/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
2) https://www.reddit.com/simonfrasecomments/w9yfza/sfss_current_vote_on_condemnation_of_progressives/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
3) https://www.reddit.com/simonfrasecomments/w9kqpc/im_tired/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
I am more than happy to talk to students and have conversations about current events, provide information, discuss how to get involved if interested, and answer other questions about the SFSS within my capacity (I will defer to others if I cannot answer something).
I will be able to meet with students this upcoming Thursday July 27 2022 and Friday July 28 2022. I can also make time afterwards.
Just reach out to me to let me know what times work best for you and we can make something work!
Reach out to me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) to set up a time. Alternatively, you can DM me on my SFU focused IG account - https://instagram.com/nikkikirigin.sfu
Looking forward to being able to offer clarity to the student body! Talking to students is my favourite part of the job by far :)
Kind regards,
Nikki Kirigin, Vice-President, University & Academic Affairs
Simon Fraser Student Society

Hi all!
I'm back here! Hope you are all doing well.
I'm letting you know that there is an SFSS Council Meeting (July 20 2022) that is currently running. All students are welcome to participate and watch. Reach out to me here via DM if you'd like to join.
P.S. I'm always open to meeting with students, as well as chatting more casually about the SFSS and my role. Reach out to me via email at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/nikkikirigin.sfu. My availability is flexible. Talking with students is literally the best part of my job and is personally why I decided to take on this role, so please don't hesitate to reach out!
Thanks all,
Nikki Kirigin
Vice President, University and Academic Affairs
Simon Fraser Student Society