The Martlet

HEMPOLOGY 101 REFERENDUM QUESTION TO BE VOTED ON BY STUDENTS

The UVic Students’ Society has passed a motion of approval for the following referendum question to be put to students during next month’s election:

Do you support a directive to the UVSS Board of Directors, to ask the University of Victoria to create an exception to the smoking ban that would allow the Hempology 101 Club to hold their weekly meeting at the UVic Central quad?

Director of Student Affairs Jenn Bowie, who proposed the motion, said it was the responsibility of the Board of Directors to support UVSS Clubs initiatives as long as they weren’t breaking society policy.

The UVSS has already taken a stance opposing the university’s new smoking policy, which was implemented last fall.

Hempology 101 president Ted Smith was in attendance to voice opinions on behalf of the club, saying their weekly meetings, which have been held in the UVic quad for over a decade without major incident, deserve an exemption from the university smoking policy. Currently, the administration has mandated that the club hold its meetings outside of Ring Road.

Directors David Foster and Gabrielle Sutherland were the only opposition to the motion.

“I don’t think we should support UVSS clubs that break the law,” said Foster, who argued that it would be inappropriate for the UVSS support or promote illegal activity, regardless of student directive.

Director of External Relations Jaraad Marani noted that the referendum’s wording does not contain any indication of the UVSS advocating for the use of illegal substances and should therefore not be treated as an affront to either federal law or university policy.

Sutherland worried that allowing Hempology 101 to be exempt from smoking polices might create a divisive environment on campus between cigarette and marijuana smokers.

Bowie believes that the referendum will give Hempology 101 the opportunity to quantify its support on campus, arguing that the smoking plan was not implemented properly and has inconvenienced both categories of smokers.

“This is a good way for us to exercise our responsibility to represent our student groups,” she says. “Really at the end of the day there’s no harm in asking a question.”

UVSS TAKES STANCE ON HOUSING ISSUES FOR DISABLED STUDENTS

The UVSS will be sending a letter to the UVic President, VP Student Affairs and VP Academic outlining their stance on housing-related issues that have arisen between the university and disabled students seeking accommodation.

The letter will be written by Director-at-Large David Foster and Miles Motture, a law student representing the Society for Students With Disabilities (SSD).

Motture believes that the university has shown an attitude of “callous indifference” toward SSD and their attempt to address housing complaints coming through their office; specifically, issues brought forward by Kimberly Graham-Knight — a disabled student who was denied priority access to campus housing last fall.

Knight appeared before the board to tell her story, having to pause and choke back tears at times. She asked that the UVSS express its “support [for] the inclusion of disabled people in the university community, in whatever measures that they can provide.”

A rally in support of SSD Housing issues was held last Friday, and was attended by Green Party MP Elizabeth May.

The motion to create the letter was carried unanimously.