Board Meeting Recap July

This month’s Board meeting was on the 11th of July. This was a long meeting, running into the early hours of the night, but below is a quick summary of the important decisions that the Board approved in addition to other conversations that happened at the Board table. 

The decision that the Board approved at the July meeting are as follows:  

• The Board updated the WUSA committee and introduced the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee (3AC) and the Strategic Long Range Planning Committee.  

• The Board agreed to extend the current agreement with the GRT to extend the U-Pass for 2 more years to align our timeline with Conestoga and Laurier.  

• The Board approved the questions and plan put forward by the Elections and Referenda Committee for the fall referendum. More information can be found on the WUSA Responsible Partnerships and Investments Referendum Webpage. The two referendum questions are below:  

1. Should the University of Waterloo sever its partnership with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology due to its role in the research and development of technology used by the Israel Defense Forces?   
2. Should the University of Waterloo review its partnerships and investment portfolios to ensure alignment with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles and Amnesty International, to prioritize institutions that demonstrate a commitment to human rights, peace, and international law in a manner that is timely and transparent to the undergraduate student? 

• Lastly, the Board approved the 2024/2025 Annual Plan and the 2024/2025 Budget. This will set the priorities and projectsto be worked on throughout the coming year at WUSA.  

 The Board also discussed other important issues impacting students such as: 

• Vice President Razmjoo’s meeting with the Graduate Student Assocation (GSA), attendance at a food insecurity conference, and updates about our external advocacy organizations.  

• Director Nguyen provided updates about speaking at the Waterloo City Council in support of bylaw reviews and increasing student consultations. 

• Director Lan provided an update about spring co-op employment rates and potential for faculty-specific co-op advisors.  

• The grand opening of the Chaska restaurant has been moved to the start of the fall term.  

• The Student Life Endowment Fund (SLEF) changed the interim funding regulations due to delays in conversations with the University.  

And that’s all! The Board meets again in August for one final meeting before we start the fall term. Enjoy the rest of your summer!