It's that time of the year again when we must say 'out with the old, and in with the new.' Unfortunately that won't be applying to the new SUB until September 2015, but it DOES mean that we (your hard-working executives) will be subject to one more round of good old democracy. It also means we would like to make a few changes to the constitution and inform everyone about our competitive prospects for next year.
Therefore, we will be holding a General Meeting on Thursday, March 26th in SUB 216 at 6:30PM. In order for any decisions to be made we need 50% of the current members to be present, so please come out even if you normally don't or can't fence on Thursdays - the meeting shouldn't take very long; and in addition we will be holding an armory session after the meeting is done for anyone who would like to learn how to build and fix fencing equipment. Because of the size of the room we will not be able to accommodate much (if any) fencing on this particular day.
The following executive positions are available for any UBC student who wishes to run:
President (formerly filled by Geoffrey Hohert, who is graduating this May) - the head honcho; the brains of the operation; responsible for contacting other clubs, fencing associations, and the like; schedules and runs regular executive meetings; organizes tournaments; has elite power over all decisions; makes long-term decisions affecting the club dynamics and status within the AMS. A good president would have experience in the club, be assertive and willing to take on a fair amount of responsibility. General intelligence is also a plus.
Vice President (formerly filled by June Lee, who may or may not run again) - assists the president in performing his/her duties; essentially the same job but with less responsibility, power, and pressure. A good VP would be enthusiastic, competent, and supportive.
Treasurer (formally filled by Lynn Jin, who is running again - I highly suggest you re-elect her because she has done a fantastic job for the last couple years) - Handles the financial aspects of the club. A good treasurer would (obviously) be good with numbers and have an ethical and responsible attitude towards handling large sums of other people's money.
Secretary (formally filled by Jensen Scheuer, who is graduating this May) - Deals with club memberships and equipment orders; primarily responsible for running and updating the club's e-mail and website; takes minutes at executive meetings. A good secretary would be organized, motivated, highly literate, and good-looking (traditionally preferred but not mandatory).
Armorer (formerly filled by Kris Young) - Responsible for the club's fencing equipment including fixing broken equipment, taking inventory, and assisting with club orders. A good armorer would be a gearhead who likes working with metal stuff. Organizational skills are also beneficial.
Social Coordinator (formerly filled by Noor Alyateem) - Organizes fencing socials and runs the club's Facebook page. A good social coordinator would be friendly, extroverted, and enthusiastic. Ability to organize fencing socials and run the club's Facebook page is also preferred.
You may run for any of the above positions as long as you will be a UBC student for the duration of the Winter 2015/2016 semesters; to do so simply inform one of the executives of your intention to run or send an e-mail to this address in advance of the meeting. Remember: If you have the good fortune and effective campaigning strategy to be elected, you must be prepared to fulfill your duties to the club for the duration of one year. There is a lot that we do in the space of a year and we need all six executives in order to give each person a reasonable workload.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Stephanie Chiu (for her sage-like wisdom and knowledge of all things UBC Fencing) and Eloi Mercier (for countless hours of equipment maintenance and tournament setup) in particular for their dedicated service to the club. If you become one of the new executives you will have the pleasure of learning in full how important they are to the smooth functioning of the club.
Last and definitely least I should mention that executives are compensated for their service to the club by having their membership and lesson fees waived for the year. If this is the main reason you want to run, shame on you! Find a more noble motivation.
Hope to see you all in a week and a day,
Jensen Scheuer
Club Secretary (New Vacancy, Now Hiring - Apply Today!)
