The Martlet

The UVic Students’ Society (UVSS) is hiring. Or, at least, they will be soon.

At the Aug. 9 UVSS board of directors meeting, the board announced that they have “mutually agreed to part ways” with General Manager Marne Jensen.

“It is with regret that I announce that Marne Jensen, General Manager of the UVSS, and the UVSS have mutually agreed to end employment,” UVSS Chairperson James Coccola said at the meeting. Jensen has worked as the UVSS’ General Manager for the past nine years.

“There was no particular issue that brought this on,” said Coccola in an interview. “This isn’t in any way related to access or job performance or any other issues.”

The general manager of the UVSS is responsible overall for all aspects of Student Union Building (SUB) operations. They “provide leadership, business management and planning; ensure proper financial controls, processes and reporting; and protect the security and integrity of facilities and other assets,” according to the UVSS’ Personnel Admin Policy. Their other duties include assisting the board of directors with campaigns and events, and liasing between the board of directors and UVSS staff. The board will be updating the exact job description of the general manager.

Jensen was hired in 2001, after then-General Manager Doug Ausman was dismissed following then-SUB Business Manager Vivek Sharma’s embezzlement of thousands of dollars from the UVSS.

Following the announcement of Jensen’s parting during the Aug. 9 meeting, a motion was passed appointing current UVSS Business Manager Dale Roberston to take interim general manager signing authority and committee memberships.

The motion also suspended the Excluded Staff Hiring Practice and directed the UVSS Personnel Committee to come up with a motion to create a new search committee to hire a replacement general manager.

“We want to look into a different system,” said Coccola. “Our legal counsel advised us that it seemed like a very odd policy, because there are less board members than there are other members.”

The current practice involves a committee comprised of one excluded manager, one member selected by the union, one union member selected by the board, and two board members.

The Personnel Committee was also authorized to hire an interim general manager for up to two months. Coccola says that, during this period, UVSS staff and board members will be stepping in where they can.

“We’re fairly confident that we can handle all of the roles between the people that are around the SUB right now,” said Coccola. He added that students won’t notice a change in UVSS services come September. “All the events that we have scheduled have been scheduled for months and they’re still going to happen regardless.”

Though students won’t notice a change in services, Coccola says that the move will issue in a new era for the UVSS.

“This means we’re going to start moving into a new direction,” said Coccola. “We’re going to focus on students and the services we’re providing for them.”

Jensen will be receiving an undisclosed severance package.