On May 26, the new AUSU council was hard at work at the first regular meeting since the recent elections. Much of the meeting dealt with financial matters.

In one motion, an additional $4,900 was approved for the last audit. The increased expense came down to a legislative change: new government regulations mean that auditors must perform more in-depth audits than before, and are now required to examine policies as well as finances, and the extra hours involved were reflected in higher-than-anticipated fees.

Another motion for an increase in expenditures, this one for $4,000 in postage and courier fees, was tabled. Council agreed that this marked an unusually high increase and needed closer examination.

Still on the financial front, councillors also approved an amendment to the existing payables policy: with several new councillors on board, the amendment set out clear guidelines to ensure that payables are approved in a timely manner.

In other news, the Awards Committee has awarded two computers to students, and there are several new awards under discussion.

The Executive Director’s report offered a glimpse at several other initiatives: there’s been a lot of interest from potential advertisers in the 2009 planner, and the new AUSU employment site is almost ready to roll. As well, AU has a new ombudsperson, and AUSU continues to develop a positive rapport as part of their advocacy on behalf of AU students.

See you at the next regular meeting on July 14!