School of Economics to form own student society

By Jovana Vranic, The Ubyssey

The Economics Student Association (ESA) hopes to form its own student society by the end of this school year.

The Iona Building will become the home of the Vancouver School of Economics in September of 2015. Photo Carter Brundage/The Ubyssey

Up until now, the ESA has been run as an AMS club and as a contingent of the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), from which it gets its funds. The Department of Economics earned standing as an independent school in late 2012, and now the ESA plans to separate from the AUS.

“Next year will be a trial run with a lot of frameworks and things being established. We have a strong team in place, and really good student support,” said ESA president Viet Vu. “My ultimate hope is that by the time we move into the new Iona Building, we will have a good, solid structure in place.”

The ESA is currently holding a referendum to reallocate a student fee that was being paid to the AUS and Arts Student Centre to a new fee for their own society, which would represent students in the Vancouver School of Economics (VSE).

The recently established bachelor of international economics program will be represented by the new society. “It’s a new program and there’s nothing in place to support it,” said Vu. The ESA plans to fund events for this bachelor program, including its own frosh event, through the new fee.

As discussed at the VSE’s annual general meeting, the fee restructure will also open up the opportunity to establish a grant program and a fund to sponsor student events and projects.

At an AMS Council meeting on March 12, Vu presented the VSE’s plan for forming its student society. However, there was a miscommunication around how the VSE’s new student society will be represented on Council.

At the meeting, parties were informed by the ESA that the AUS would be losing a seat in council, while the VSE’s student society would be gaining one. Sebastian Silley, president of the AUS, said he was not informed of this change.

One seat on Council represents 1,500 students at most, according to AMS president Tanner Bokor.

Read the full article by Jovana Vranic from The Ubyssey.