By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer
The Peak attended the bi-weekly Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Council meeting via Zoom on January 31. The agenda for the meeting included discussions about a Business Administration Student Society (BASS) common room space in the Student Union Building (SUB) and the renewal of Simon Fraser University eSports Association’s (SFUEA) gamers’ lounge equipment.
BASS advocates for a permanent home in the SUB
The Council received an amendment to the agenda item, “BASS Common Room Space in the SUB.” The new amendment discussed finding a space among the standard rooms available in the SUB to host meetings for various affiliated clubs and events. BASS umbrellas over 14 undergraduate clubs, including Ascent SFU, Finance Student Association, Young Women in Business SFU, and Enactus SFU. According to BASS councillor Meha Sidhu, the association represents over 4,200+ students and 300 student leaders.
The BASS councillor presented a detailed proposal regarding how the club needs a suitable space to host events and hold meetings for the society as well as the other 14 clubs. BASS could not secure a room in 2019 when offices were being assigned because a BASS councillor needed to be on campus to make the request. The goal for a new room is “to promote accessibility and community in our spaces in a space big enough for more than two people,” said Sidhu.
Vice-president of events and student affairs Ayooluwa Adigun asked how operations for BASS had run previously with such a limited space. Sidhu responded, “We use a very small tutorial space once a week [ . . . ] I’ve personally been in it and it’s not large enough to host more than two people at a time.” During the presentation, Sidhu remarked that the space BASS currently occupies in West Mall Centre (WMC) is threatened to be taken away yearly. “We are fighting with our faculty reps to keep this space,” said Sidhu.
Moreover, an overarching goal for BASS is to reach a broader audience for events to encourage undergraduates to get involved in the Beedie program community.
Indigenous studies student union councillor Evan Accettola brought up that the Council previously turned down TEDxSFU for a similar request, and suggested the SFSS advocate for BASS to keep their original room in WMC if unable to secure a room in the SUB.
Vice-president internal Ashley Flett responded to Accesttola’s question by recognizing, “Faculty student unions who have space in the SUB are taking away from bookable spaces for students.” However, “we are prioritizing the kinds of groups we give [the room] to and faculty student unions have the priority.” Other student unions, such as the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) and the Society of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS), have offices within the SUB, and a BASS addition would be comparable, added Flett. Discussions regarding the motion were postponed and will continue at the following Council meeting, where BASS can provide more details on room statistics for a space in the SUB.
SFUEA Gamers’ Lounge Equipment Renewal Motion
The SFU eSports Association (SFUEA) also delivered a presentation to the Council regarding the equipment currently leased to SFUEA from Memory Express. The agreement for rented equipment was enacted on February 1, 2023, and will end on February 1, 2024. “Losing equipment such as the PlayStation and computers will negatively impact the student community,” the motion stated. The motion continued that after researching the costs from several vendors, the most “fiscally responsible procurement option” was an arrangement with the SFSS to procure equipment from multiple vendors. According to an SFUEA survey, respondents wished for more functional peripherals, including keyboards, mice equipment, and higher quality noise-cancelling headphones.
SFUEA recommended purchasing the computers and peripheral equipment outright. They suggested buying new PCs and equipment from an unnamed vendor, or having further discussions with the SFSS Space Oversight Committee on upgrading and improving the gaming lounge. The Council then held an in-camera meeting to discuss private details that could not be disclosed to the public due to the legality of renting equipment from external companies. Following the in-camera meeting, the Council unanimously decided the motion should be carried.
