Schools Building Schools referendum withdrawal
Representatives from the non-profit volunteer organization Schools Building Schools (SBS) took issue with the manner in which the board approved the referendum question to discontinue their levy.
Stacey Bryant of SBS explained that since their report to council last semester, the group had not had any correspondence with the SFSS until March 3 — the day before referendum questions were due — leaving them little time to make their case in favour of the levy.
One of her concerns was with the wording of the question being “misrepresentative of what Schools Building Schools does as an organization.”
The board ultimately moved to revoke the question from the referenda. President Chardaye Bueckert commented, “I don’t think it’s appropriate or kind of us as a student society to make them scramble,” and suggested that the issue be put to referendum at a later date.
Health and dental plan review
The undergraduate health and dental insurance provider, I Have a Plan, presented a report of student usage for the past year.
The report showed that 73 per cent of students were enrolled in the enhanced plan, while two per cent chose the basic plan and 25 per cent opted out of the coverage completely.
I Have a Plan’s representative shared some of the contrasts in usage of the plan from previous years. There were more dependents and spouses enrolled in addition to an increase in claims related to mental health care in comparison to past data.
The board was assured that people were taking full advantage of the plan’s offered coverages, and that costs would not go up for the next year.
CEO Stipend Increase
Chief electoral officer (CEO) in the upcoming SFSS election Oscar Sanchez put in a request to increase his number of billable hours, as he had already billed 143 of the 150 hours available to him.
With the voting period just under two weeks away, Sanchez made the point that he would need to work over seven more hours to “actually finish this election.”
The board unanimously agreed to increase his hours by 50 so he can continue to work in his capacity as CEO.
