Our student union at UBC—the Alma Mater Society (AMS)—is pitting students against workers. In May 2023, through an abrupt decision made by the AMS council without a student referendum, staff were cut off from accessing the food bank. The AMS defended this decision by citing increasing budget and operational concerns. When Sulong heard about this through testimonies from custodial staff at a workers’ appreciation lunch, the “Food is for Everyone” campaign began as a way to unite workers, investigate how this decision has impacted them, and to effectively reinstate staff access.
This year, in accordance with AMS’ own by-laws, Sulong UBC went on to collect and submit 600+ student signatories to call on a Special General Meeting for the student body to vote on the motion for restoring access for staff. Yet, along the way, the AMS has continuously shown their indifference to the issue through their delayed response times, inadequate and inappropriate communications, and the violation of their own rules in conducting the meeting itself. On June 4th, the Special General Meeting took place fully online, a means of delivery that was communicated a mere 4 days before the event. In a duration of 30 minutes, the Zoom call garnered 450 out of 623 attendees needed to conduct the meeting itself (1% of registered students according to the AMS) and was effectively shut down by AMS president Christian Kyle, the sole host. This was not only a loss for the workers, but for students who were unable to exercise their democratic right to voice their concerns and advocate for better living conditions in their community.
The AMS claims that their decision to cut off staff access centers students, that students have less opportunity than staff to access food security initiatives, and that reinstating staff access will only increase hardship on students. These claims make workers the scapegoat for the economic crisis impacting students and workers alike, rather than finding genuine, dignified solutions for the whole UBC community. How can the AMS claim to prioritize and represent students when students were never consulted in the decision to cut staff access? How can they deny pitting students against workers while creating a false sense of resource scarcity that forces us to choose between the interests of students and workers?
The AMS has continuously proven that they do not represent the interests of the students they purport to. They continue to uphold the status quo that corrupt UBC executives set. Instead of pushing for the cutting of academic ties to the settler-colonial state of Israel or advocating for the divestment from genocidal arms-manufacturers that make up 5.2% of UBC’s Endowment Fund, the AMS has shut down any motion from the student body that would threaten their positions of power. Earlier this year, three referendums were put forth at an AMS council meeting, including staff access to the food bank, divestment and condemnation of the genocide in Palestine, and gender affirming care. All three campaigns were snubbed by the AMS, all in the very same week as the Flour Massacre in Gaza that killed at least 112 people who were suffering under state-sponsored food deprivation.
What is this but a direct reflection of our supposed “democratic” government? Like politicians, the AMS does not represent the people, the student body, but the economic and exploitative interests of our ruling elite that they serve under.
Considering the popularity of the motion to reinstate staff food bank access, Sulong UBC is calling for a People’s Special General Meeting to unite students and workers in solidarity under the same struggles of cost of living and forced migration in so-called Canada. The meeting will be held on Tuesday June 11th as a hybrid event online and in-person at the AMS Nest Lower Atrium from 3-7 PM with a coalition of various progressive organizations within and outside of UBC to call on the AMS to reinstate workers’ food bank access, introduce the motion at the next AMS council meeting and/or redo the special general meeting with adequate time for registration and notification. The People’s SGM aims to show students that through true democracy and our collective efforts, we can shape our student union, university, and society to reflect the interests of those who are most affected by them.
We as students will not sit silently as our fellow workers, the foundation of our university, are rendered invisible and undermined by a student union that is meant to reflect us. As Sulong UBC reflected in the Ubyssey last year, student unions have been fixtures of protest and activism across the globe to unite, collectivize, and fight against institutions that do not serve the interests of the people. But through capitalist interests, student unions have lost their revolutionary ideals. We as students, at the threshold of becoming workers ourselves, should reclaim that history and strike up at our enemies. The university wants to divide us but we can prove that we are united, that our struggles as students and workers are the same, and that food is truly for everyone.
Join us today, Tuesday, June 11th, 3pm-7pm at the AMS Nest Lower Atrium or register on Zoom. Get involved in the Food is for Everyone campaign at Sulong.ca.
Authors
Did you like this article? Help us produce more like it by donating $1, $2, or $5. Donate