Over the Edge + March 2, 2011 Jordan Crosina JORDAN CROSINA CONTRIBUTOR | am _ Jordan Crosina, and | am running for Vice President of Finance. This position has the potential to be very exciting, as the role of the VP Finance has a lot of room for variation. The day-to-day management of NUGSS funds is handled by the General Manager, who is employed by the Society to do so. As such, the VP Finance has the opportunity to contribute significantly to a range of issues that face the Board of Directors as a whole, on top of ensuring that the financial plans of the Society reflect the interests of students. | look forward to working hard to generate alternative sources of funding to support our programs and events, and to doing whatever | can to ensure that the Board of Directors does the best job possible to benefit students. One of the principle duties of the VP Finance is to chair the Monetary Affairs Commission (MAC). This is the committee that dispenses the funds budgeted for supporting club activities and Student Venture Grants. NUGSS is among the best student societies in Canada for funding club activities, and over the past year the MAC has come a long way in establishing consistent and fair policies for making funding decisions. The types activities funded by the MAC budget go a long way towards improving the experiences of students at our university, and so although cash flow is currently tight, it is important that this budget be maintained. | would do everything in my power to protect club and student venture funding from cuts. It is essential that NUGSS brings in enough revenue to maintain operations, while continuing to pay down our debt. We are in the process of paying for the NUSC building, and our businesses are struggling. However, there is a lot of opportunity for NUGSS to expand its revenue from sponsorships and donations. Many businesses and individuals are happy to donate to societies like NUGSS; it is a tax break for them, and often all that they want in return is some recognition. Certain businesses may also be interested in sponsoring specific events, and this could certainly drive the costs down both for the Society and for individual students. As VP Finance, | would work to shift costs away from students F SS STS Melanie Setter ak by strengthening and expanding our corporate relations, and by pursuing donations and sponsorships. In a non-profit society like NUGSS, it is a common practice to have key documents available online, including the annual budget, the financial statements, and the minutes from the Annual General Meeting and other meetings. This practice makes it simple and easy for members to see what NUGSS is doing, how the directors are spending their money (including how much of that money is spent on the directors themselves), and how our businesses are managed. NUGSS has already invested in creating a website, but change is needed to make it more useful for students. As of this writing, it has been nearly a full year since the board meeting minutes have been published to the website (the last time was March 12, 2010), and no financial statements have ever been posted online. The last time that minutes from a General Meeting were posted was for an extra- ordinary meeting in 2008. Ironically, it was at this meeting that a motion was passed requiring that meeting minutes be posted to the website within one week of being passed. As one of the Executive Directors, | would ensure that the board meets its duty to report to the student body in the best ways possible. Over the past academic year, the Pride society has worked hard to create the Northern Pride Centre, a safe space in the NUSC building that provides a safe space and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. This organization is playing an important role in making UNBC more inclusive and accepting. However, the Northern Pride Centre Society needs the continued support of NUGSS to grow and develop. | believe that this is an essential student service for the individuals that it services. NUGSS has previously established protocol to create formal relationships with student services, as we have with the Northern Women’s Centre, which established a long-term agreement for funding. | would be very open to supporting such a relationship between NUGSS and the Northern Pride Centre Society, to ensure that they can continue to provide their services in years to come. Others ways that | would like to see NUGSS support students include: FF maintaining and expanding the range of student discounts that have © been established with local businesses, ensuring that the part-time jobs created by our own businesses are offered preferentially to UNBC students, and making sure that extra money in the budget is used directly on students. The next year could be both challenging and prosperous for NUGSS. | look forward to seeing how it Gevelops. Traced Choose SELENA DE- MENOFF for NUGGS Col- leges Rep SELENA DEMENOFF CONTRIBUTOR X >) / Hello fellow undergraduates! The heat is now — on for the 2011 NUGSS elections. As we enter My name is Melanie Setter and lam running for the Women’s Representative Position. [have been working with the Women’s Centre for almost two years and feel passionate about issues on campus. My intent is to focus on the diversity of needs as well as looking at 2 environmental issues through a gender lens. If you have any questions feel free to approach me to talk about my platform. NANG a ROMP CSM SHA voting period on March 2nd and 3rd, held in the Wintergarden, | wish to share about my experiences during this year’s election. Becoming enticed to enter my candidacy on the basis of vision, ethic, and passion, | proceeded to learn much about what you would like to see at UNBC, and how | will effectively represent you. Meeting with friends both new and old, in hallways and at my display table generated : important and engaging discussions. | enjoyed ~ listening and sharing. | hope that | had an opportunity to answer any questions people had about my platform and , advocacy. | also appreciate the demonstrated support thus far. In turn, | would like to express my gratitude. ... And remember - (CHOOSE) SELENA for NUGSS Colleges Rep March 2™ and 3rd. You will not be disappointed!