What is your year and area of study?

4th Year – BCom Major in Operations & Logistics and Law & Society Minor

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Yes – Visible Minority communities

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

Here at UBC I advocated for three years and still do for better refugee students support on campus in term of housing, personal allowances, books, mentorship opportunities and job opportunities as well as conducive environment to feel at home on campus. I did this because I lived in a refugee camp for almost half of the decade I spent in Kenya. I understood the challenges face by not only refugees but people who left their home for one reason or another and call a new place home – in my case Canada. WUSC student refugee program brought me to UBC and gives me the opportunity to call myself Canadian. I decided to give back to WUSC program and make it better and through support of UBC students and groups like Resource groups it was a successful advocacy. UBC did listen to UBC students’ voices through the 2016 referendum and accepted to work toward improving WUSC refugee students’ situations on campus. UBC now provides full housing support for two years and subsidizing housing for the last two years of university for WUSC refugee students. As AMS President, I will always be committed to the principle of leaving a place better than I found it, and I am confidence I will do this successfully using my 4-years of advocacy at UBC to advance students’ causes as president of the AMS. I will continue to inspire students and communities involvement in issues that matter and work hard to challenge the status quo in order to make lives of human beings better and equatable.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

I am inspire by both previous and current UBC students. A single student decided to convinced peers and ran a referendum to sponsor one refugee student in 1978 which failed due to AMS Election Committee miscounted the votes. The same student filed an appeal and votes were recounted and only after that WUSC UBC student refugee program funding was born and each UBC student pays about $0.50 to the program and they sponsored the first student in 1981. This initiative later resulted to me joining UBC when the program was sponsoring maximum of 4 students. I learned about these actions and I work with WUSC members and AMS to initiate 2016 wusc referendum and increase wusc scholars from 4 to 8. I have received great deal of support from UBC and AMS members, and I am always inspire to continue to multiple this support to benefit many more students like myself as AMS president. As VP Finance, I learned a lot this from various students through the decision by the executives in the summer to end SASC support services, requiring society and university groups to submit quarterly reports as well during the consultation to increase SASC Fee. I will work with students group

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

As a chair of both Finance and Health and Dental Committees, I developed good relationship with GSS members and we shall continue advocating as team to ensure that UBC take over the cost of EmpowerMe such making it access to additional 16,000 and increase psychology coverage through Student Care and PBC(insurance) giving students more opportunity to professional Councillors and psychiatrists.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

It’s an actionable approach by ordinary human beings and organizations to try to eliminate socioeconomic situations that normally affect under privileges folks. I have been calling out oppressive practices whenever I see oppression and I will continue as president to condemn oppressors and build collaboration with groups and individuals to support the folks affected by oppression.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

I will use my experience to build my executive team and inspire them all in way that prioritize consultation. I work with all the student groups and individuals to develop consultation guide that must be follow by all the executives to ensure that students accept whatever is being propose.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

Based on my experience as both an advocate for refugee students at UBC and AMS executives, I must say it’s not nice for students like Indigenous Students to be advocating for their rights to their own students society. As society built on a goal to advocate on behalf of students. As AMS President I work hard to ensure that no student or student groups should be advocating to the AMS. Instead AMS will work with the side by side and help them advocate for their rights. I must confess, I don’t know what it means to be Indigenous at UBC. I am simply not an expert. However, I do know there is need for both the university and the AMS to priorities the interest of Indigenous students. As the next AMS President, I will use every opportunity and if need be create some to ensure that AMS support Indigenous students to achieve the desire campus community completely conducive for all to live and acquire the best experience global institutions like UBC can really offer.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

I will work with student leaders and groups on campus, GSS, BOG and Student Senators and ensuring that we work as united team and advocate strongly for affordability. I also think that AMS should prioritize affordability by finding ways to increase students experiences with AMS through cutting executives compensations by about 10-15% and re-allocate the cuts funding on some other important AMS services for all students. Expand and invest in the AMS events by developing Independence ticketing and finalize secure online money transfers currently under testing to make tickets cheaper and affordable for most students.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I was deeply involved the development of SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the and campus culture referendums. I support these referendums. As a voting member of the council, I voted against the Omnibus bill. But as a board we passed the the Omnibus bill referendum question. I had three reasons for voting against this question; first, there was no consultation on groups that may be affected by the policy for example folks advocating on important issues such as sustainability and so on. Second, the policy proposed to protect the economic and financial interest of the society is not even written, it should be written first. Finally, it seemed to me to be similar to the 2018 fee referendum were students given the both bad options which one feel like voting Yes increase SASC but potentially defunding all the other important programs such WUSC UBC student refugee program. One vote No you denied SASC fee increase. The Omnibus bill is exactly the same and we shouldn’t do that. We would have separate the questions at least instead of conditioning students and make the feel guilty for voting either way. Anyway, the Omnibus bill is on the ballot we like it or not and can potentially pass and if that happen, I would suggest the students figure out and vote in way that would address the potential issues that may be cause by the amendment. Also, I really believe that AMS members will support the SASC fee increase. But In a small chance that the SASC referendum doesn’t passed, I think I am the best candidate to provide some hope and ensure that SASC continues to fully support the victims of sexual assault effectively and efficiently until next referendum for I have both the financial experience and as a member of the executives.

Website: https://kuolforamspresident.wixsite.com/kuolforamspresident?fbclid=IwAR1M9Eq4preEtuYEvNU87R2XH1KuYAeK-JFj3fn_h5TZZXnoWmju8GbheBE

What is your year and area of study?

4th – Science

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

Member of: – UBC Surf club – UBC Ski & Board club – Integrated Science Student Association – Sigma Chi Fraternity

Student employee: – UBC’s Health Promotion & Education Unit (Wellness Centre)

Panelist: – 2019 UBC Social Enterprise Conference (Access to Education) Presenter: – UBC First Year Educators’ Symposium – UBC Learning Technology Innovation Summit

Executive Director: – Kite Vancouver (2018-19)

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

Kite Tutoring: – Weekly tutor at Windermere Secondary’s homework club, helping students from low-income families to excel in their studies through free tutoring services. – Helped raise $1711 last November for the expansion of this project to more than the current two schools.

Bumpin Bakery: – Frequent contributor to Sunday morning food and coffee handouts at Main and Hastings. Challenging the territorial stigmatization and building community through engagement with the homeless residents. – Working on the back-end of scaling up these efforts through the ongoing development of and fundraising for Kite’s poverty alleviation project.

Although I’ve never found an individual voice within me call for advocacy on social justice issues, I stand by equality seeking movements in solidarity. My volunteer experience is mostly focused on mitigating unjust outcomes of hunger and poverty, particularly in the realm of education. I’m motivated to be involved in these ways by the proliferation of a civil society where equality of opportunity is guided towards equality of outcome. Back in 2017, I tried to realize this on my own with a disorganized evening bread delivery service where I walked along East Hastings with 10 kilo bags of terrabreads baked goods, sometimes with friends. However, since then, I’ve learned that working in committed teams is a far better method of realizing change, that’s the biggest motivator for my work with Kite Vancouver.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

In running for president of the AMS I am inspired by the sheer magnitude of what the AMS can accomplish. I see tremendous opportunities in the near future for the SASC in partnering with local Vancouver organizations, for the other services in becoming better integrated with UBC’s branch of SD&S (https://facultystaff.students.ubc.ca/student-development-services) and Equity & Inclusion Office (https://equity.ubc.ca/), and for the AMS, with a new campaign, to help students uphold their self-worth and grow more resilient and resourceful through their University experience – all of which I believe would be advancements for social justice in our community. I also hold a deep belief that the AMS must do it’s part in maintaining equitable leadership by not just consulting, but listening to and appropriately including the input of its members and constituent groups in decision making. That’s why I’m motivated to open up more direct lines of communication with the executive committee as president: to be held accountable by the voices of all members.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

To restructure the Alma Mater Society’s leadership and operations around student life and equity. This will require adjustments that I hope continue beyond my term and what I can outline in 200 words. Essentially, I’m calling for the VP Admin to become VP Student Life & Equity by 2020. The VP Admin portfolio currently holds authority over AMS sustainability efforts. More autonomy needs to be granted to the sustainability portfolio, in which an incredibly qualified AVP is hired only to be restricted by administrative priorities. To grant autonomy to the sustainability portfolio, I will eliminate the responsibility of the AVP to report upwards (necessitating a new position title), having them report directly to council and establishing their seat on the executive committee. Furthermore, student life is integrally connected to how AMS-affiliated groups and students relate to space. The VP Admin decides how clubs, Nest catering & conferences, external organizations, and students can use space at the Nest. I will work with the future VP towards less profit-driven usage which entails Great Hall study nights, student-selected movie months, and designation of space for napping. I foresee equity being enhanced by a direct line of feedback to the executive committee through the VPSLE.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression makes me think of what was described on the first day of my GEOG 442 seminar this term: applying a social justice lens. This way of perspective-making starts by assuming a pro-feminist, queer-inclusive, anti-hegemonic and critically engaged disposition at the foundation of one’s arguments and entails using non-gendered language to hold space in discussion for all voices. I realize that committing to a social justice lens as a candidate for AMS president requires constant adaptation over time as language evolves and the society’s leadership continues to be scrutinized, but I feel quite ready to endure what it takes to maintain such a disposition. To my awareness, I’ve done well to maintain anti-oppressive values my whole life. Working against oppression as the head of the AMS means seeing to it that the SAIF is properly advertised and only supporting the efforts of talented changemakers, that employees are treated equitably, and not as subordinates to carry out unwanted tasks; furthermore, it is to make the forces of inclusion behind each initiative and event stronger than the factors that hinder participation. A great focus of my platform is to enhance student life and all contributions will be welcome.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

#1 – An open line of communication through all media, public forums and through the transitioning VP Admin.

#2 – The Key Performance Indicators on my full platform (www.stuartclarke.ca/platform).

#3 – Better advertisement and turnout at the 2019 Annual General Meeting, and all council meetings (will have to have a word with the VP Admin about adding more seats in the Michael Kingsmill Forum).

#4 – Forums and term evaluations for the AMS Services where students can come to understand the progress and challenges, as well as budgets and usage statistics, of their services. The evaluations being a great feedback mechanism that I think each service sorely lacks.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

I think it’s ridiculous that an Indigenous Committee has been formed without a councilor – or, in addition, an Elder – assigned to better represent their interests at council meetings. Of course, there is a consultation process that comes first with whether the committee would like to have a councillor, but isn’t that the start to participation beyond tokenism? The change I’m focusing on if elected president is two-fold. (1) Work with the indigenous committee to create a by-election for a permanent councillor position. (2) Change the agenda for each council meeting to encourage a dialogue after each land-acknowledgement with a statement from the newly added seat to council and/or Indigenous visitors. I’d hope such an opportunity would add tremendously to the experience councillors – and all attendees for that matter – share in the beginning of each meeting. I am also keen on inviting multiple elders from the Musqueam nation to attend the Annual General Meeting of the AMS. Not only was this meeting advertised in the past, but it wasn’t even a consideration to include the original custodians of this land. That must change.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

As president, I will zero in on improvements to the AMS Foodbank portfolio and Tutoring services while maintaining an advisory role. These services don’t primarily operate to remove the financial pressures on many students while the cost of living in Vancouver rises and the tuition is raised, but I think both offer vital services to students in financial jeopardy. My first focus will be to make going to the food bank – when in need – an honorable decision through events I propose (i.e. by-donation BBQ’s over the summer & community eats inspired luncheons year-round). Tutoring, on the other hand, must be extended to third year level courses to support another year level who may have to work to stay in school, and need that extra help to make the most of their grades with limited study time. Tutoring can also become by-donation instead of free to help accommodate for growth. The cost of living in Vancouver is well over what students can manage, and although I don’t plan to advocate for fair rent prices, I will be making sure that the “know y[our] worth” campaign advertises all scholarship opportunities and bring students to resources they need.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I support the student fee increase from $3.63 to $9.30 for the SASC. Although, hopefully there is no need to increase the fee in later years with support from newly formed community partnerships, more frequent student-run fundraisers and funding from UBC. If anything I will work to lower this fee without slowing growth of the service in the year ahead. The creation of $0.95 Indigenous Student Fund fee is a great idea that I can’t wait see put to action. Events for incoming indigenous students would be a great plan for the usage of these funds, but I’m going off trust with what else the committee has in mind for how to use it. The revised bylaws I cannot support, however. There is no reason to abolish student court or limit documents available to members. Furthermore, there is a clause about the AMS only acting in favor of transparency when it is economic or financially admissable, which is automatic no-go for me. I will also be voting in favor of a $0.95 per student deposit to include a permanent thrift store in the Nest, assuming the proposed referendum is added. The U-Pass referendum is also something I will be voting in favor of to save trouble down the road when the society’s contract expires.

Website:www.stuartclarke.ca

What is your year and area of study?

I am a third year student that is majoring in political science, with a specialization in humanitarianism and conflict studies.

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I am a racial minority as my background is of Arabian/Palestinian and Far Eastern/Taiwanese descent, and I have experienced institutional and personal discrimination back in my hometown, which is why I am outspoken advocate against discrimination and have pushed for anti-discrimination training in the AMS. I have also been diagnosed with depression which is why I am a supporter of mental health resources and was able to get an increase to $500 in the psychology coverage of the AMS/GSS Heath and Dental Plan to AMS Council.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• AMS Vice-President Administration
• Chair of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful Environment Policy Working Group
• Chair of the AMS Operations Committee
• Vice-Chair of the AMS Sustainability Subcommittee
• 2017/18 Arts Representative on AMS Council
• 2017/18 AMS Governance Committee Chair
• 2017/18 AMS Student Life Committee Vice-Chair
• 2016/17 AUS Member of Social Committee
• 2016/17 Faculty of Arts First Year Representative

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

For multiple years, I have previously worked on multiple refugee camps back in the Middle East, supporting refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Palestine. Humanitarianism is a key personality piece of my character because I believe in providing the supports necessary to communities and individuals that have been neglected and marginalized. That is the same approach that I take to the AMS and my work in it. I believe that the AMS needs to be providing the supports necessary to students, because there are many communities within this student body that have been neglected both by the AMS and UBC.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

In my current role as the AMS Vice-President Administration and Chair of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful Environment Policy Working Group, a frequent thing that happens is survivors from AMS Clubs coming to my office and disclosing, seeking support and next steps. I recognise that I am not a survivor and that I may not understand the experiences that survivors have. Nevertheless, I am outspoken advocate for survivors and want to push for the right support structures as the next AMS President. Supporting sexual violence survivors is a critical part of my social justice, which is why in my current role at the AMS, I have pushed for the creation of the AMS’s standalone Sexual Violence Policy, and listening to the SASC, survivors, and the student body on how to best provide trauma-informed and survivor-centric supports. I will take this mindset of listening to survivors and the SASC as the next AMS President in order to ensure that the AMS is always believing and supporting survivors.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

UBC’s Sexual Assault and Other Sexual Misconduct Policy (Policy 131) is going to be reviewed in September 2019, and this policy has been regarded as having many gaps and a slow implementation that has put survivors at risk. I believe that this is a critical issue that I as the next AMS President want to push on because Policy131 still has gaps. For example, Policy 131 allows for third-party anonymous allegations, allowing UBC to initiative an investigation without the survivor’s consent. I will push UBC to take a survivor-centric and trauma-informed approach to their review of Policy 131 in order to protect survivors . The AMS will likely be approving the standalone Sexual Violence Policy that I, SASC, and others have been creating and listening to students on. It is critical that as the AMS, we address the gaps that UBC has left in Policy 131 and ensure that we are not failing survivors. It is also critical that during the implementation of this policy that we ensure that we are working with survivors and students to know that this policy is properly supporting them, as well as addressing any gaps or mistakes during the implementation as soon as possible.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression to me is recognizing that our own institutions are still results of colonization and we need to work towards decolonization, and becoming a more equitable society. I want to work with the Indigenous Committee and properly support them on their initiatives and projects in order to give them more of a stance in the AMS. The AMS should also recognize that its advocacy still excludes Indigenous voices and I want to engage and listen to the Indigenous Committee when it comes to the AMS’s advocacy to UBC and the government. In addition, we need to take clear stances against discrimination and expand anti-discrimination education in the AMS, similar to how I have been opening anti-discrimination education to all AMS Clubs. Furthermore, the AMS needs to create more opportunities for marginalized communities by really pushing for the Equity Caucus, which I have been supportive of since its proposal a couple years ago.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

This year, I have been able to work on the review of the AMS’s policy on executive goals (Policy I-9) in order to properly hold executives accountable to their campaign promises and students, and I believe this is an area where student accountability can be a focus. Listening to students is the most important thing I want to do and I am in favour of creating mechanisms that would require the AMS to consult with students, because I am the only candidate that has led meaningful and transparent consultation. When creating the Sustainability Subcommittee, I reached out to multiple sustainability groups. When developing the AMS’s Sexual Violence Policy, I reached out to undergraduate societies, resources groups, Greek Life, and even held a public townhall. As your next AMS President, I intend to continue listening to students on their issues and making the AMS have to consult with students, especially on issues concerning specific student groups.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

In my current role as the Vice-President Administration, I was part of the executives that formally apologized to the Indigenous community on the AMS never reconciling and not making steps towards reconciliation. I immediately halted the Thunderbird Sculpture project and made it a requirement that it would need approval from the Musqueam Indian Band, which land and territory we are seated on, before moving forward. In addition, I have supported the Indigenous Committee in the creation of their space by providing them with design/architectural assistance and billing all the expenses to my budget. As your next AMS President, I will support the projects and initiatives the Indigenous Committee proposes, especially if it means giving them a seat on AMS Council, because reconciliation does not stop at apologizing, but continues through support and help. I will continuously listen to the Indigenous Committee when it comes to changes to the AMS and the advocacy to UBC in order to decolonize the AMS’s structure and its advocacy.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

This year, there has been a historical moment on the Board of Governors where 8/21 Governors opposed increasing tuition. I think it is critical for the AMS to lobby the provincial appointees to lower tuition, since some of the current BC Liberals Governors’ terms will be up this year and the NDP Government will be appointing new members. By advocating more favorable NDP appointees to oppose tuition increases, the push for rejecting tuition increases will become more achievable. The AMS should lobby the provincial government for more government funding to UBC. By pushing for more government funding, the AMS will be able to advocate to UBC for lower tuition, because UBC will have enough funding to make up for the losses from not increasing tuition. In addition, by matching a lower tuition and increased government funding, students will not lose scholarships, bursaries, and financial aid as a result of UBC not having enough funds like the University of Alberta did. Finally, I believe the AMS should be looking inwards and analyzing its fees/funds to see what is being underutilized. This way, by working with and listening to students, the AMS can look to making its fees cheaper and more affordable.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I am very supportive of the SASC fee because I believe that voting for it is a vote for survivors. It is critical that the AMS and students provide the right supports for SASC, a safe space and centre where survivors can go to receive that. I also believe that by supporting the SASC fee, it opens up the possibility for the SASC to expand its support services by including future ideas such as an Elder for Indigenous survivors seeking them, or a legal advocate who can help survivors navigate the legal process involved with reporting an incident of sexual violence. I am also very supportive of the Indigenous Committee fee because I think it is necessary that the AMS and students provide the Indigenous community with the funding to be able to support it in its projects and initiatives. I am in favour of the Omnibus bill, despite the legitimate issues of transparency, specifically because it restricts access to investigation items. I believe that this is necessary because in my experience dealing with investigations and disclosure of sexual violence, protecting the confidentiality and consent of a survivor’s disclosure or report is crucial. I am also in favour of the Campus Culture referendum cause I believe that the recipients of the fee should be making choices for themselves.

Website: www.votechris.ca

What is your year and area of study?

2nd year Biochemistry

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I do identify myself as being a feminist as this is one equity seeking communities which I whole heartedly interest in the history of feminism and what they stand for.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I was involved in the protest in front of the Trump tower when Donald Trump was elected to show my disgust that an insensitive human being with no moral compass or respect could have become president. I also volunteer and advocate to support the LGBTQ+ for the past three years during the pride week parade.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

What motivated me to run for this position was the AMS removing funding for the Sexual Assault Support Center and other bad decisions which they have made in the past. I believe I could implement my ideas which have come from my past experiences such as going to rallies and participating in pride week.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My top priority is student wellbeing by implement new policies and also changes in current policies which would push education on sexual and mental health awareness through the Sexual Assault Support Center (SASC), Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO), and the UBC Mental Awareness Club. To address this priority, I would bring this up during council and the senate to create and change policies (for example modify policy 131) and would not rest until this is achieved.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Oppression to me means exertion of power of any sort to silence, disempower and deprive others of their ideas and livelihood and so anti-oppression would mean I am working to eliminate this external power holding these people back. I would again bring this up during council and senate as I may remind you has not been pushed hard enough in the past by the AMS and host events which would educate others on the existence of oppression and how to fight it.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

I would hold the other students in the AMS to be mechanisms for each other for accountability while also contacting and receiving criticism and suggestions from groups under the AMS or outside the University.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

I would like to reach out to the indigenous community through an indigenous student and have a permanent seat on the council for them. They would know much better about their own community and would effectively relay the ideas which the Indigenous communities have for us to try and implement while also forming new bonds with the community.Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?I would effectively propose a plan of action which the AMS would present to the heads of UBC showing how paying for all this is almost impossible by students

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture

What is your year and area of study?

4th year history

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

No, but I am half Polynesian/Pacific Islander. I just do not think there are enough of us to constitute a community.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Radio show host of the Spencer Latu show on CiTR and a part of the Sports Collective.
• Former football varsity athlete and Thunderbird Athletic Council member.

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

As a member of the UBC Thunderbirds football team I mentored and coached at-risk youth with the Vancouver Police through the Gang Tackle program and mentored elementary school children from Vancouver through the I’m Going to UBC program. I recently got involved with activism attending my first protest with the UBCC350 Break Up With Big Oil campaign. I was motivated to attend as I have delved deep in my studies of history, politics, economics from a critical perspective and wanted to get involved in real world action to confront issues such as the existential threat of climate disaster to organized human existence.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

When I read the IPCC report that said that humanity has 10 years, probably less, to prevent climate catastrophe I was confronted with the reality that action must be taken immediately. I thought about what position of power I could use to organize the most amount of people to create a mass movement to force the federal government to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius so that organized human life can continue. While climate catastrophe is the largest macro-level threat to students, on our own campus is faced with rampant injustices not just from the administration but also the AMS. Last summer, the AMS moved to cut the SASC, lied about fossil fuel investments, and did not advertise the AGM. These decisions from our own elected representatives are harmful to students which made me want to be involved with restructuring the AMS so that they are accountable to the student body and can not do horrible things like these. As well, the UBC administration continues to run the university like a business and the students need to stand unified through their AMS to oppose these austerity measures that have culminated in nearly 1,000 AMS food bank visits.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My campaign’s top priority is bringing democracy back to UBC. Last election 20% of the students participated in the elections signalling a very unhealthy democracy and lack of student involvement in decisions made in the AMS and the University writ large. Specifically, I want to use the resources of the AMS to make this institution accessible to the student body, hosting town hall meetings monthly to discuss the problems facing students and how to organize to solve them. As well, I want the AMS to take an active role in resource groups, clubs, and student-led initiatives so that there is not merely top-down structures, but also the grassroots bottom-up structures so that the students have a way to influence the AMS decision making directly. I will do this by creating a committee that takes what students have to say at meetings, and translates that into action that can be taken by the AMS. By having a functioning democracy, students will be able to deal with the large and systemic problems on and off campus such as getting sexual violence and mental health resources, building a student community and preventing climate catastrophe.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression means the material needs of the people that need to be met in order to achieve universal emancipation and liberation from illegitimate power structures. As AMS President, I would have a massive platform and resources to put towards liberation efforts. Furthermore, I would be working with the student body to create a democratic society in which their will is expressed through their student government. By engaging the student population at large, the students themselves will be able to work together and create alternative structures to the current capitalist system at the grassroots in a bottom-up way. That will begin the dismantling of white supremacy, patriarchy, and settler-colonialism from our lives and our campus all the while as the AMS tirelessly advocates and fights for the interests of students from the top-down and on the provincial and federal governmental level.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

While ideally I would be able to be recalled immediately if I do not act upon the will of the students, I want to begin creating assemblies, town halls, and committees that allow students access to their own student government from the bottom-up. I will continue the democratic experiment until there is a system that allows for students the ability to make their student representatives do as they are told by the student body.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

If elected AMS president, I will work with the new AMS Indigenous Committee to support their projects and implement their suggestions for increasing Indigenous representation in the AMS. The AMS needs to understand the centuries of oppression and genocide to this very day that the Indigenous peoples of Canada have faced and in order to begin to stop this injustice this requires taking on issues that Indigenous peoples are facing such as resisting big oil as they force building energy projects that Indigenous communities oppose. For Indigenous students on campus, they need have a larger say in the AMS and seats on council should be created for Indigenous voices to be heard. Furthermore, the AMS needs to advocate and lobby for more resources to be allocated to Indigenous students so that they can have space on campus as UBC has an extremely low amount of Indigenous students on campus.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

I plan on addressing affordability by organizing students into a movement for ending unaffordability on campus. As well, the AMS will organize with SFU Tuition Freeze to create solidarity among campuses as the rising cost of tuition is an issue rooted in a larger system of austerity imposed on students that goes beyond UBC’s campus and effects all students. For housing, means-tested bursaries should be offered from the University and worst case the Excellence fund to lift students out of abject poverty and be able to afford food as the cost of housing in Vancouver is one of the most expensive in North America. On a related note, the AMS needs to step up its campaign for open-sourcing textbooks to free students from the hundreds of dollars they spend every year on the predatory textbook industry as to diminish the economic hardships of being a student.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I support increasing the SASC fee as more resources need to be afforded to survivors of sexual assault as it is a rampant problem on our campus as well as many others. I support the Indigenous Committee fee because this committee is a step in the right direction, however I would have preferred if the Indigenous committee had power in AMS council to go along with this fee. I do not support the Omnibus bill because the current AMS council has a resolution that pertains to the withholding of documents from the student body to protect AMS and third party business interests based on the “financial and economic interests of the society.” This flies directly in the face of transparency and I oppose it completely. I could not find information on the campus culture referendum item so I can not comment.

Website: spencerlatu.com

What is your year and area of study?

2nd Year, International Relations and Political Science

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

No, I acknowledge that as a white cisgender male, I do not have to struggle with many of the issues that equity seeking and disadvantaged communities have to face every single day.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Chair of the AMS Human Resources Committee
• Hold Seats on the AMS Operations, Advocacy, Steering, and SHAPE committees.
• Councillor on AMS Council representing the Arts Undergraduate Society
• Chair of the AUS Governance Committee
• Hold a Seat on the Arts Student Centre Planning and Execution CommitteePlease outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice.

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

This year, I have had the pleasure of sitting on the AMS Advocacy Committee, where I worked with the VP External and VP Academic and University Affairs on a number of initiatives. The two largest accomplishments of the Committee this year that come to mind are the establishment of the AMS Indigenous Committee, which gives Indigenous students a greater voice in AMS affairs than before (however there is still lots of work to be done), as well as the reforming of the Equity Caucus to have a better effect on flighting for equity initiatives within the AMS and at UBC. While much of my university experience has been occupied by work on the student government side of things, social justice has always been important to me. Without the continued fight for social justice initiatives of all persons, our world will continue to be plagued with many of the issues that hold us back as a society, as well as have a negative impact on the lives of so many disadvantaged individuals.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

I believe that I have the passion and the drive to really help make a difference and improve the every day lives of students at UBC. I think that this motivation ties in great with social justice, because fighting for social justice initiatives and in turn scoring victories for equality has a hugely positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged students at UBC. I also have a passion for helping people, which is another key component of the incredible work that our resource groups do here every day at UBC.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My top priority if elected, is to enhance the student experience for all students at UBC. Whether its club or constituency executives, or students who need support, my full campaign platform has something that addresses how to make the every day lives of students better. The first step in achieving this is making sure that students know what’s available to them from their student society, as well as creating initiatives that have an impact that students notice. Here are some selected points from my platform on how I’d plan to do this:

• Fostering a greater sense of community on campus through new and exciting AMS initiatives and programs.
• Push for a complete overhaul of the AMS’ marketing strategy amongst fellow executives.
• Through various outreach strategies, increase positive AMS presence on campus and with students. This outreach would focus on how the AMS can positively impact the every day lives of students.
• Create ways to encourage the participation of more students in AMS affairs.
• In collaboration with AMS Services, creating more initiatives centred around mental health and student wellbeing.
• Introducing the Mental Health Initiatives Fund, an up to $1,000/per student grant for clubs hosting events related to mental health.
• Advertise unbooked rooms daily as available study spaces for students. I am also the only candidate in my race to feature Resource Groups in my platform, including this point that relates to the every day student experience.
• In collaboration with Resource Groups, working to create ways on implementing initiatives to expand student knowledge of Resource Group activities and services through grassroots methods.
• In turn, hopefully this increased awareness will help students who could really use the assistance of Resource Groups have a place to turn to. I have an extensive platform, so feel free to head on over to cole4vp.com for more juicy ideas!

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

To me, anti-oppression means being against the features of society and institutions that treat certain groups unjustly. Anti-oppression should also mean finding ways to support and empower these groups to overcome and eliminate any and all oppression that they are experiencing. If elected, I promise to ensure that all activities of my portfolio seek to empower oppressed individuals and groups. Additionally, I would consistently consult with social justice leaders on campus on how to improve certain areas of the AMS, or what concerns they may have on items that I could have an impact on. This consultation part is incredibly important because I don’t have all the answers, and I never will. Since I’m already in an advantaged position in society, its incredibly important to seek out consultation with others who are more informed than I might be, and can provide meaningful advice and insight into what can be improved. Additionally, I hope that these consultations will help further expose me to the issues that many students face on campus, and will in turn better educate me as to what the AMS can solve them.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

I very proud to say that I am the only candidate in my race to have a specific area of my platform dedicated to accountability. Here are the elements from the accountability section of my platform:

• Creating timelines for goals and KPI’s to ensure accountability for progress throughout the year.
• Ensuring that goal updates are constantly pitted against initial timelines during AMS Council updates.
• A clear and honest administration that does not use vague responses on requests for information from students, clubs, media, and other groups.

Additionally, I plan to have numerous ways for clubs to keep my administration accountable. This includes the creation of Club Engagement Sessions (name pending of course), where clubs can come in and talk about what we can do better to support their important operations. I also want to introduce a Club Experience Survey multiple times throughout the year to be able to obtain statistical and anonymous data on how clubs are feeling about AMS operations. These programs also have the potential to be extended to other elements of the AMS, such as Constituencies, Resource Groups, and AMS Services.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

I’d like to start off by saying that while I have many ideas on how to support Indigenous students, I would not take any action without first thoroughly engaging in consultation with the UBC Indigenous community. Without this crucial step, I would just be perpetrating the white colonialist tendencies that have had such a negative effect on Indigenous communities across Canada. With my platform encompassing goal of improving student experiences and engagement, I would work in collaboration with Indigenous students to determine in what ways the AMS can help Indigenous students feel like they are included in the activities of the Society. When I attended the Indigenous Discussion Circle last semester, one of the largest points that were voiced by Indigenous students was the feeling of a lack of inclusion in the AMS. While the event was poorly organized, and similar events in the future must be better executed, the event provided great feedback like that point as to what matters to Indigenous students. Additionally, as VP Administration, I would seek to find dedicated space for the newly formed Indigenous Committee, making them feel more at home within the AMS.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

I’d start off by ensuring that students are aware of what resources the AMS provides to assist them during times of financial hardship. Services at the AMS are not known very well by many students, and ensuring that students are aware of resources like the AMS Foodbank and how they can access them are important steps to make sure immediate support exists. In my platform, I also want to take a look at whether prices can be reduced at food outlets in the AMS Nest. There’s no reason the AMS should be profiting on your morning cup of coffee (or tea!). Every reduction in food price that is made in the Nest can have a substantial impact on those who are watching every dollar they spend. Further collaboration with the student Board of Governors representatives will help the AMS make an impact at the university level. More “no” votes than ever were cast this year against raising both domestic and international tuition. If we continue to lobby the necessary personnel through the BoG, there’s no reason why we can’t get to a majority. Furthermore, I’d work collaboratively with my fellow executives to develop AMS wide strategies and advocacy initiatives to make UBC a more affordable place to study. This may include advocacy initiatives towards the university, as well as provincial and federal lobbying efforts.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

DO YOU SUPPORT AND APPROVE AMENDING THE AMS BYLAWS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CHANGES PRESENTED IN THE DOCUMENT ENTITLED “PROPOSED CHANGES TO AMS BYLAWS”? Yes. This year’s AMS Governance Committee has done a fantastic job of reviewing our bylaws, and has produced a list of tweaks that will make the AMS run better. I support all of the outlined changes in this referendum question.

DO YOU SUPPORT AN INCREASE IN YOUR AMS FEES BY $5.67, TO INCREASE THE FEE FOR THE SEXUAL ASSAULT SUPPORT SERVICES FUND FROM $3.63 TO $9.30 A YEAR, AS OF SEPTEMBER 2019? Yes. The Sexual Assault Support Centre, or SASC, provides such an important service to students. I am so glad the AMS changed course last year and decided to keep survivor support services open at the SASC, and these fee changes will ensure the SASC can continue to deliver these vital services for years to come.

DO YOU SUPPORT THE AMS ESTABLISHING A FEE OF $0.95 A YEAR TO CONTRIBUTE TO AN INDIGENOUS STUDENT FUND, AS OF SEPTEMBER 2019? Yes. This past year, the AMS established the Indigenous Committee to provide a greater voice for Indigenous students in AMS affairs. For this Committee to make an even more meaningful impact, funding would be super helpful. This fee will support these initiatives and help the AMS provide greater support to Indigenous students at UBC, as well as help these students create programs catered to their on campus community.

DO YOU APPROVE OF THE CONTINUATION OF THE U-PASS BC PROGRAM WITH AN INCREASE TO THE U-PASS FEE FROM $41.00 PER MONTH TO $42.50 PER MONTH COMMENCING MAY 1, 2020, AND, FURTHERMORE, APPROVE ANNUAL INCREASES TO THE U-PASS FEE OF UP TO 2% (ROUNDED UP TO THE NEAREST NICKEL)? Yes. The U-Pass BC Program is so valuable to students at UBC, and this fee structure agreement will continue to provide affordable transit access to all students until 2025. Not only does this agreement provide a sense of cost security for students for the remainder of their degrees, but it also eliminates the need to have multiple U-Pass referendums over the next 5 years, which is not only tedious, but puts the program at risk with each subsequent referendum.

DO YOU SUPPORT A DECREASE IN THE GRADUATING CLASS FEE FROM THE CURRENT $7.00 TO $3.00 UPON GRADUATION, TO BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER 2019? Yes. The AMS Finance team, along with the AMS Student Life Committee has done an excellent job of determining that the current Graduating Class Fee can be lowered by over 50%. While the reduction will decrease funding for future Graduating Class gifts and initiatives, the remaining funding will still provide enough money for substantial projects.

Do you support changing the terms of reference for the Campus Culture and Perfromance Fee to allow additional clubs to receive funding from the fee according to the following forumula? No, kind of. I disagree with clause “D” in the proposed changes which states: d) No more than one additional club shall be approved to receive funding in any one year. I believe that this clause creates a risk of an annual battle for access to new funding amongst clubs, and then resulting complications when the clubs who already receive funding have to select a “winner”. I am not opposed to the principle of this referendum question, but cannot vote yes if I don’t agree with all clauses. I would suggest a cause that is more equitable to all clubs, and serves less like a contest. As VP Administration, I would have the potential to really take a look at this. And since so many students are in support of the question, I’d love to consult further with clubs to hash out a plan that works best for everyone.

Website: cole4vp.com

What is your year and area of study?

3rd year chemical engineering student

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I was part of the Community Building Committee of Women in Engineering and YNotForTots

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Women in Engineering
• YNotForTots
• Rezlife
• Latin Dance Club
• Party Well
• UBC Hope for Happiness

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

My slogan is: Andrea: Advocacy and Action. I have always strived to be a vehicle for Advocacy and Action. Throughout varied positions, I have done outreach, fundraising, and volunteering for different organizations. I am a strong believer that helping others, especially the marginalized, and upholding their dignity and human rights is a social responsibility. For example, in my first year as the president of the UBC Latin Dance Club, I changed its mission to include donating at least 50% of each Pit Party organized to different organizations. Through this I advocated support and obtained donations for the following causes: Mexican Red Cross during the earthquake; Development and Peace’s “May Peace be with Her” Campaign; UBC Hope for Happiness; Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre; BC and Yukon Ronald McDonald’s House, and BC Lion’s Society for Children with Disability. Moreover, I have been part of Women in Engineering (WiE), as a member of the Community Building Committee. This organization promotes gender diversity, equity and inclusion in the STEM fields. For my work with WiE, I was presented with the Most Driven member award. Furthermore, I have volunteered with YNotForTots during their fundraising activities; in the Downtown East Side Women’s Centre; as well as, in a centre back in Nicaragua called Pajarito Azul, working with children and youth with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. I have worked with these organizations, and many more, because their values and objectives have aligned with mine: everybody deserves respect, and to have an equitable opportunity in life.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

After the leadership positions I’ve held in different organizations throughout my life, I decided I have the skills necessary to be a part of the AMS and do an amazing job at improving its impact on the student body. I chose to run for VP Admin because I enjoy the aspects the portfolio covers. They’re the areas in which I have had the most experience. As VP Admin, I want to ensure all clubs and societies are treated equitably. For this, I will give all AMS organizations the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process for amendments to policies, sustainability initiatives, and other situations that I will encounter in the position throughout the year. I also want to open the Hatch Art Gallery to “artivism” exhibitions, in the hope that through these showcases, students at UBC can learn about situations happening around the world and be motivated to create change. Furthermore, I also want to actively work on creating better-equipped student leaders. For this, I will organize at least one compulsory support training workshop for elected club and societies leaders (and any AMS member interested), including “Active Bystander Training”, “Responding to Disclosures” and “Preventing Bullying and Harassment”.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My top priority is to improve communication between the student body and the VP Admin portfolio to actively work on creating better-equipped student leaders. For this, I will hold bi-weekly “open floors” during which clubs and societies leaders and members can come to discuss issues being faced by their communities. I consider that students aren’t heard nor represented enough by the AMS executives, especially those that identify as part of marginalized and minority groups on campus. This can be seen through the lack of indigenous representation in the board of governors well as serve to ensure that my portfolio priorities align with the priorities of the AMS members.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

I think being anti-oppression is defending human rights actively, regardless of whether you identify with the oppressed group. It’s the understanding that part of what makes a community great is its diversity, as it should help people be aware of the different frames of references. As I am anti-oppression, I am someone that always stands up when an oppressive situation is happening. This is a trait I bring to every position I partake, including VP Admin. Specifically as VP Admin, I will encounter numerous situations in which people might be feeling marginalized or straight up harassed. All these cases will be met with a victim-centered approach, empathy and a willingness to help in changing the situation and support in whichever way the victim sees fit. Furthermore, from my position, I will endorse and advocate for policies and referendums that provide support marginalized and oppressed groups and are anti-discriminatory of people and their decisions.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

With the increase in two-way communication I am aiming to obtain through my position, transparency and accountability for my goals and actions follows along. People would be able to, and should, hold me accountable for the decisions I make that will impact the student body. Similar to years prior, my goals will be posted on the AMS website, with the actions that I am going to take to achieve them, as well as performance indicators.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

I will be focusing on supporting Indigenous students through the acknowledgement of the violent history of our campus and how our Indigenous peoples continue to be marginalized by our institution. Furthermore, I will be a voice and passionate advocate for indigenous rights and the duty UBC has with them. This means pushing for UBC to include indigenous people in the conversation and consultations, as well as openly holding UBC accountable to the promises they make.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

Since these situations are generally out of the jurisdiction of the VP Admin, the way I will address unaffordability is through advocating and lobbying for financial support for our students. Education is a human right and any situation in which it might be threatened, such as by unaffordability, has to be dealt with in a proactive manner. As VP Admin, and one of the faces of the AMS, I would actively advocate for the different ways of mitigating unaffordability such as, maintaining the 2% tuition cap. I will also promote student engagement in these decisions, and hold the President, VP External, Senate and Board of Governors accountable to drafting up policies that prioritize the wellbeing of the student body.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I support the increase in the SASC student fee, as I hold to great esteem the amazing work this organization does in providing support and advocacy for survivors and their peers at UBC. I support the Indigenous Committee fee, as I believe it to be fair that there will be an Indigenous-focused committee to support Indigenous initiatives and further to reach and relationship with this group that has systematically been oppressed for centuries. I am not aware of an Omnibus bill referendum occurring this year, however, I do not believe that bylaws decisions should follow an all-or-nothing approach. The people affected by AMS bylaws, i.e. the student body, should be able to properly decide for each policy amendment whether they support it. I support the Campus Culture referendum. It’s a small, opt-outable fee that can bring lots of relief to UBC students! I believe having an outlet through which people can participate in activities they’re passionate about really helps in building the sense of community and belonging the AMS wants to promote.

Website: andrea4vp.com/

What is your year and area of study?

5th year Arts-Anthropology major

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

As a plus-sized woman, I’m extremely passionate about intersectional feminism and body positivity.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Common Energy
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Vancouver
• City of Vancouver volunteer (Homeless Count, Emergency Weather Response)

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I have volunteered at a shelter program run out of the First Baptist Church for over a decade. We serve folks from all walks of life, prioritizing dignity and respect. It is my priority in that setting to hold space for folks, to know their names, and to honour the stories that they share. I volunteer my time as a youth advisor at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver. They provide a safe space for youth to explore their spirituality, gender identity, sexual orientation, and all of life’s big questions. I attend protests and marches such as the March for MMIW, Women’s March, and events in support of Black Lives Matter, divestment from the fossil fuel industry, and Indigenous folks. My privilege, particularly my white privilege, puts me in a position of power in all situations. For this reason, I must continue to unpack my blind spots and hold other people accountable for their own. I have completed Rachel Rickett’s Spiritual Activism 101 workshop. It focuses on unpacking complicity in white supremacy and taking action on anti racism. I plan to continue on to Rachel’s 102 workshop and to purchase other education tools from Indigenous womxn and WoC.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

I’m running because I hesitated. I questioned whether I knew enough, or had enough experience for this role. Upon reflection, I’m extremely qualified for the job’s portfolio and I’m keen to take it on. We need to do more than be open and inviting to students who are marginalized, we need to actively include them by being ambassadors of the AMS in every situation. Through the VP Admin portfolio I will take serious action on climate change, which affects marginalized people more than other populations.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

Building community. To support each other, to challenge each other, and to have fun together! The VP Admin team is substantially larger than other exec teams. Having so much people power in the admin portfolio brings exciting potential for immense action and change across clubs, sustainability, and the operations of the Nest. As VP Admin, I’ll ensure that we are building not only a high-performing VP Admin team, but also a stellar community of AMS clubs. Just as my role is to support my AVPs, our team’s role is to support you and your campus organizations. Being an AMS club shouldn’t add hassle to your club’s administration. Booking an event space in the Nest, or applying for club space should be the least of your concerns. Instead of weighing down your club with AMS bureaucracy, we want to lift up your organization with optional programs for club leadership, a better booking process, and implementing a continuous feedback loop.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Taking the stance of anti oppression is VITAL for the AMS. It is not enough for us to be against it, we need to ask ourselves every day if the decisions that we make are in line with this. I will work against oppression by continuing my own personal education from anti-racism and anti-oppression resources, and I will hold the rest of the AMS accountable.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

The Ubyssey does a great job at checking in on the election promises that were made, and that can be bolstered by the council holding each other accountable, as well as the student body! I will also hold myself and the exec team accountable by setting check in dates on our goals throughout the year.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

I would like to have a discussion with the Indigenous Committee about having a role on council for them. If that’s something that folks are interested in I will advocate for that, I believe there need to be more seats at the metaphorical AMS table.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

I will use my position to advocate for and amplify the positions of people who are experiencing food insecurity, precarious housing situations, and increasing tuition and textbook costs. ALL students need to be supported. In the role of VP Admin I will explore options for a system to centralize food waste and make that food available to students at no cost.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I am a giant YES for the SASC referendum, the increase in the fee is long overdue. The work that the SASC does, particularly for marginalized folks, is imperative. We must ensure that they can continue to offer support and resources those who needs them. I fully support the Indigenous Committee referendum. We are guests on this land and we owe reparations to Indigenous peoples. While I think that the Governance Committee has done amazing work, I have some issues with the Proposed Changes to the AMS Bylaw. Particularly, the additions to Bylaw 18 will enable the council to withhold information from the student body.

What is your year and area of study?

4th year First Nations and Indigenous studies major

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I identify as a (cis) woman, a survivor of sexual violence and an individual living with mental illness.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Current Campaigns and Outreach Commissioner for the VPAUA office of the AMS
• Current Programme Assistant at the Humanities 101 Community Programme
• Former Senior News Writer at the Ubyssey
• Former Program Assistant at the UBC Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health
• Former Co Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Studies Undergraduate Journal
• Former Marketing and Communications Assistant at the UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology
• Member of UBC Sororities

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I am strongly committed to social justice and have been actively engaged in initiatives pertaining to educational equity and decolonization. I helped to develop the pilot Indigenous Public Health Training masters certificate program this past summer with UBC CEIH and have been motivated to increase low-barrier opportunities to the university. Currently, I spend my Tuesdays and Thursdays with the Humanities 101 Community Programme, which offers low-barrier, non-credit university courses out of UBC for the DTES and Downtown South communities. I attend marches and rallies pertaining to Indigenous issues when my schedule permits (two jobs and a full-time course load can make that tough). In my work this past year at the AMS, I was the project lead on the AMS apology to Indigenous students and the discussion circle. Since then, I’ve become the liaison between the AMS and the Indigenous Committee and have tried to shoulder as much of the colonial bureaucracy as possible to help support its growth.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

The VPAUA and Senate portfolios are responsible for issues that are very personal to me. As a survivor and as an individual with mental illness, I’ve had to navigate a lot of red tape at this university in order to advocate for myself and stay afloat. I am committed to institutional reform so that no other student should have to endure what I did. Furthermore, there’s a lot of room for the university to become a more equitable and accessible space. In recognizing my own privileges that have permitted me to navigate institutional spaces, I hope to continue to use this access to create radical change from within.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

With the upcoming review of UBC’s Policy 131 on Sexual Assault and Other Sexual Misconduct, I am deeply committed to ensuring that SASC remains at the forefront of the conversation and consultations. UBC must recognize SASC and SVPRO as equal partners in the fight against campus rape culture – and that SASC has been on this campus doing that work for over a decade. The AMS is given a seat at the table in these conversations, but I would ensure that the AMS is leveraging this influence to make space for SASC as experts working with the limitations of this policy daily. This will also include rebuilding and strengthening the relationship between the AMS and the SASC that fractured this past year.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppressive practices recognize our diverse and intersecting identities while attempting to unsettle the systems of power that reinforce their subordination. These values are at the core of my work as a scholar and within my communities. I would seek to uplift and empower the voices of marginalized folks through the advocacy that the AMS does. We must use the platform that the AMS is given with the university administration to give space and voice to perspectives that academic institutions have systematically silenced.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

Accountability and transparency are absolutely critical to a functioning student society – but also empower students to be informed and engaged with their campus. The lack of bureaucratic and institutional knowledge on this campus is a huge issue and I hope to bridge this gap through revamped consultations and communications. Unless you’re involved with the AMS, chances are you probably don’t know anything that it does, aside from Block Party. I will be bringing back the AMS Advocacy Newsletter to keep students up to date on the actual policy work that the AMS has been working on. I will also hold regular AMA’s on r/ubc, the UBC subreddit, to offer a low barrier forum for students to ask questions and stay informed.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

In my capacity as Campaigns and Outreach Commissioner this year, about half of the work I’ve been doing has been in relation to the development of the AMS Indigenous Committee. I’m excited to see its growth and support its successes. As a settler, I’m most comfortable in being able to do administrative and bureaucratic work from behind the scenes in order to allow Indigenous perspectives and leadership to take charge to redefine their experiences with the AMS and UBC. In understanding the colonial nature and limitations under the BC Societies Act, of which the AMS operates, I seek to shoulder the bureaucratic burdens and push the limits of our governance in order to create the most anti-oppressive space possible and work towards the decolonization of our university.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

Financial barriers to education are a huge issue for students. I am currently working full time, while also being a full time student, and understand the strain of the rising costs of post-secondary education. The costs of mental health support resources (i.e. registered counsellors, psychologists etc.) is an issue I have made a priority within my campaign. Our current AMS + GSS Health and Dental Plan only offers $300 of coverage for psychological services, which covers about 2 standard therapy sessions in British Columbia. This is wildly insufficient, especially considering how many students are not having their needs met by UBC’s Counselling Services. It is my priority to renegotiate this plan with Studentcare and ensure that seeking support does not come with a financial barrier.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I am very proud to support the SASC and Indigenous Students fee referendums. The funding to these two causes are so critical to creating an anti-oppressive future for the student society. I also support the Omnibus bill, as means to tidy up the AMS bylaws and make our administrative practices a little less frustrating. I will be reaching out to representatives leading the Campus Culture fund, as I unfortunately have not encountered any dialogue about this petition and would like to make an informed stance.

Website: www.votejulia.ca

What is your year and area of study?

4th year at UBC, Doctor of Pharmacy Program in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Person of colour and a member of the 2SLGBTQIAP community

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Current Student Senator
• Current Co-chair of Student Senate Caucus
• Current executive of the Pharmacy Undergraduate Society
• Current member of the AMS Steering Committee
• Past AVP Administration of the Science Undergraduate Society

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I volunteer at the Fraser Health Crisis Line, a free and 24/7 service for members of the community with thoughts of suicide, crises, or just general mental health support. I’ve worked there for over two years and I have seen first hand how valuable peer-led mental health initiatives are in building communities that stick together and are resilient as a group. As a healthcare student, I also work very closely with community pharmacies within my community and hospitals to promote preventative physical health as well as mental health. At UBC, I am a Residence Advisor and part of the Totem Park Pride Collective. It is so important for students entering UBC to feel safe and welcome amongst their peers and people just like them. Building inclusive communities is also something I do for prospective UBC students as part of the UBC Student Ambassador team, making sure that our language is respectful, inclusive, and that we acknowledge and reflect on the effects of colonialism on the land that we are so lucky to be learning on with and share that with students that will become future UBC leaders.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

While my own background has come with its own set of barriers, I have worked to become increasingly aware of the privileges that I have. I strive to be careful not to attenuate the voices that have worked to so hard to gain a platform. I aim to tie my own experiences with adversity to the privileges that have allowed me to run for this position, and to use this position to help marginalized voices reach further. My platform focuses on the ABCs of student priorities: Affordable and Accessible Academics; Better Mental Health and Sexual Violence Support; and Collaborative Advocacy and Communication. Reducing the cost of education makes UBC more affordable. Increasing the construction of new, modern classrooms make classrooms more accessible to students with visible and invisible disabilities. Supporting students who are struggling with mental wellbeing starts with building safe, resilient communities. These safe spaces need to also be supportive to survivors of sexual violence and the VPAUA office should continue to fight to hold UBC accountable to supporting survivors and responding to sexual violence. Lastly, through active engagement, a genuine desire to learn and collaborate, and my connections with groups around campus, I will push for social justice, concrete change, and continue to strive for equality for all at UBC.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

I will be focusing on preventative mental health approaches. I want to continue building on a culture of positive mental health on campus that emphasizes de-stigmatization, and celebrates reaching out. I intend to rally together leaders on campus— students, faculty, and staff— to lead by example through initiatives that bring this part of our lives out of the shadows. I will continue developing community initiatives that creates a central point of access for those seeking help. I will strive to make that access easier by working to integrate mental health training into different groups on campus, so that help is always within reach. Having peer leaders that support their communities in the best ways possible fosters resilience and trust within the community. This benefits not only students mental wellbeing but their academics as well, the effects of which are backed up by significant research. Taking care of all students’ mental health and investing in our communities allows everyone to excel in their personal and academic life.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Too often do well-meaning groups begin initiatives that aim to help communities, but fail because they did not actively involve those communities. To me, anti-oppression means not only addressing apparent cases of structural violence, but also empowering groups and individuals to make the changes they want and need to see; not the changes we think they want to see. My job is to provide students with the resources they need, but empowering them to lead. Working against oppression begins with introspection and reflection. Recognizing the ways that my community and I have been oppressed gives me the empathy, drive, and passion to incorporate voices of all students to fight against systematic oppression. United voices stand strong. Bringing change means having one collective voice to fight the oppressive bodies and institutions that are currently set up around the world. Recognizing that each individual’s fight towards anti-oppression is part of a much larger goal truly empowers the entirety of UBC students to fight against oppression through the AMS.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

I will be focusing on accessibility and transparency. Students need to be informed of the major issues facing our community, and as the AMS, we cannot expect them to come to us; we need to come to the students. I also think we can do a better job of making advocacy more accessible. I intend to keep my doors open to anyone who wants to come in, and address a concern, or to meet student groups where they are. Furthermore, as collaboration is a key platform goal for myself, I hope to see my fellow stakeholders in advocacy to keep me in check and ensure that my actions are for the benefit of all students and that I am choosing to listen to the needs of my community. By collaborating with diverse student groups around campus, they will become more informed about the work that the AMS and the VPAUA office does and understand ways to become critical to hold the AMS to a high degree of professionalism, transparency, and accountability to the academic well being of students.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

My advocacy will be based on the notion that the AMS cannot wait for the student body to come to us; we need to come to them. We need to create stronger ties to the First Nations Longhouse. We need to continue to actively search for the voices that have been silenced, and bring the sort of movement that those voices aspire to and recognize the importance of Indigeneity at UBC. Indigenous students also need to be supported beyond their time as an undergraduate students. Empowering indigenous students to further their education in graduate programs and professional programs begets more future Indigenous leaders in our community. Professional and graduate Indigenous students will continue their research and careers to not only lead at and outside of UBC, but to promote a cycle of success that will benefit Indigenous students of the future. This is an area that hasn’t been fully addressed and needs to be a priority to empower more Indigenous academic leaders.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

The trends we are seeing in the usage of the food bank underscores the food insecurity as well as growing financial hardships students face, and the importance of the services that we provide. We need to address the underlying issue: as we continue to expand and grow as a university, we need to be mindful of affordability, and the fact that we risk making education, a basic human right, unaffordable. And when unaffordability strikes, it strikes marginalized communities hardest. I will continue to advocate for housing models that prioritize student financial interests, as well as tuition caps. I will grow initiatives that aim to alleviate other costs of education such has textbooks, and online resources that continue to add to the financial burden faced by marginalized students. I will continue to collaborate with groups on campus to grow more immediate solutions for students who find themselves in severe financial constraints. Combined with my role as a senator, I will push for more financial support and awards dedicated to supporting those that find themselves in disadvantaged positions.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

The SASC fee increase is crucial in ensuring that a grassroots, community-based centre that supports survivors continues its operations and is able to offer survivors more resources and freedom. SASC is a critical service of the AMS and continued discussions with the community and survivors will bring to light how the AMS will be able to continue making SASC a choice that benefits survivors. The AMS Indigenous Committee should continue engaging with Indigenous students in a way that is respectful and fruitful. It is crucial that Indigenous voices guide the advocacy and lobbying efforts of the Indigenous Committee. The Omnibus bill lacked the transparency and consultation required and expected from the AMS to wholeheartedly support it in the interest of students. Campus culture allows students to engage in arts and culture through student clubs, valuable to the UBC as a whole but also brings together friends and communities to foster strong ties and a resilient student body.

Website: votenickpang.com

What is your year and area of study?

Year 4 in Interdisciplinary Studies (Gender, Race, and Social Justice, and Political Science)

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I am a woman, however, I recognize that as a white settler I am very privileged. I understand that my identity affords me many advantages and protections and there is a lot of work that must be done on my part to be an ally.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Current AMS Vice President External Affairs

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

I am running for re-election because I have experienced the power of collective student advocacy and understand the important opportunity we have to make places of learning accessible, affordable, and supportive spaces. This not only has an impact on students’ lives now but has the real possibility of changing our society to be more equitable and just long-term. When I ran for this position last year, I had worked at the AMS for a year as a student staff member supporting university advocacy. This experience was important for me because I had the opportunity to better understand how AMS and UBC operate and explore their gaps, challenges, and opportunities. I ran because I wanted to change how governments and the AMS supported students. I have spent the last year fighting for students to make sure their voices are heard and along the way I have learned a lot and made mistakes but took every opportunity to reflect and work to improve myself, the AMS, and its advocacy. I want to use what I learned this year to make sure that similar mistakes aren’t repeated and collaboratively advocate with students to improve post-secondary education.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My top priority is to fight for an affordable, accessible, and supportive education by collaboratively advocating with students. I want to continue to strengthen relationships I’ve built this year with other student organizations to make students voices louder and advocate with collective voices on issues that affect students across post-secondary institutions – like sexual violence, mental health, and burdening costs. I also want to work in closer partnership with UBC students on the advocacy that affects them. A specific goal of mine is to create advocacy directed to all levels of government in partnership with Indigenous students on issues that affect them, led by them. Indigenous students face many barriers to accessing post-secondary and I want to work with them on actionable ways to lower those barriers.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression at the university means recognizing that places of higher learning are often privileged spaces. This starts with the fact that our campus sits on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. There are many societal, systemic barriers to including and empowering underrepresented and marginalized groups and many are found within universities. I believe that education is the most important path to equity and equity is what makes institutions excellent – that means our institutions must be affordable, accessible, and supportive spaces. As VP External, I will continue fight for student issues with this lens in mind. This means advocating for affordability to provide lower-income students with the financial means to access university without the burden of excessive debt. It means supporting pathways to citizenship for international students who contribute so much to Canadian society. It also means recognizing that sexual violence and mental health issues face students at a heightened rate and the government must enforce policies and fund supports, services, and education to properly support students. Moreover, during a federal election year, it is extremely important to utilize civic engagement as tool to mobilize on these issues.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

On a personal level, I am committed to working hard to regularly meet with student groups to discuss the advocacy I’m doing. On a structural level, the AMS has begun to make some movement towards creating more equity within our structures through increased town halls and the creation of an Indigenous Committee but there is a lot more to do to institutionalize this equity. I want to continue work on reforming the Equity Caucus to implement thoughtful and accountable processes and structures that better represent marginalized students’ voices. Throughout my year as VP External, I’ve learned that AMS has a lot to do to deconstruct exclusionary barriers that have been built up over the 100 years it’s been around. I want to work with students to evaluate where the AMS is lacking to support underrepresented student groups’ voices and collaboratively implement better structures that will stand beyond one Executive team.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

An important part of my platform is to engage directly with the Indigenous Committee and other Indigenous students on campus to collaboratively create advocacy that will make post-secondary education more accessible and supportive of Indigenous students. Indigenous youth are one of the fastest growing populations but they face some of the highest barriers to access post-secondary institutions. While I supported some advocacy for Indigenous student funding and asks for better consultation this year, it isn’t enough and it needs to be done with Indigenous student voices at the lead. As a white settler, I recognize that I should not dictate what this advocacy should be and I am committed to working in partnership with Indigenous students to build advocacy for all levels of government with their voices at the forefront.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

I will take a robust approach to addressing the student affordability crisis. I will continue fighting for the creation of an up-front, needs-based provincial grants program and the extension of the federal program to graduate students. In order to create better access to education, funding needs to come to students when they need it the most (up-front, when rent/tuition is due) and not relying on burdening low-to-middle income students with loan debt. I have begun important advocacy on this with student associations across BC and I hope to continue this work. Additionally, I will advocate to lower interest on federal student loans so that low-to-middle income students don’t have to pay more for their education than their wealthier peers who pay up-front. I will also advocate for a better provincial student financial aid system and address skyrocketing textbook costs through funding of open educational resources and provincial policy that directly attacks the high cost of online homework codes that are often bundled with new editions of textbooks. Lastly, I recognize the burden of rising tuition costs on students. I want to begin collective conversations with student associations across BC to coordinate our long-term goals for post-secondary education funding.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

All students should vote in favour of the SASC fee increase and the creation of a fee for Indigenous student initiatives. The SASC is a service that provides students with more choices for support on campus and is a crucial service for many survivors and those who support them at UBC. This fee will ensure that SASC is able to securely fund its budget so it can continue to support survivors, education the UBC community, and it allow it to expand its services to support students even better in the future. The Indigenous student initiatives fee is something that should have been in place long ago. This fee will help the newly formed Indigenous committee to create a welcoming space for Indigenous students in the Nest and fund important initiatives to support Indigenous students at UBC.

Website: votecristina.ca

What is your year and area of study?

4th year, political science and international relations

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I identify as African-American.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Member, Black Student Union.

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

N/A, most of my experience is geared toward charitable causes, not social justice initiatives.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

After working as AVP External for a year, I was inspired by the work I saw being done on campus and within the AMS. However, I think that the AMS needs to be more ambitious in our advocacy while still playing within the boundaries that we lie in currently. Our campus is pushing us to do more and I think we are missing out on an opportunity to be more proactive and set the standard for social justice in student governance. I realized that as a minority and first generation student, there aren’t many supports for those groups. We need to advocate ambitiously so that we can move the conversation toward supporting all students in an equitable manner. Also, I believe that the more visible minorities that run for positions in the AMS, the more we encourage them to feel more comfortable sharing their perspectives and eventually take up these positions for themselves.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My campaign’s top priority is to address accessibility of education. We have too many current and potential students who are feeling the burden of student loan debt, costly textbooks and lack proper, affordable housing. Education has numerous costs that aren’t just tuition and I want to advocate to alleviate those costs for everyone at UBC.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression means supporting and working with all voices when they come to the table to discuss topics. It means that it’s recognizing that some groups have historically benefitted from advantages that others haven’t had, and we need to support these groups as they come forward to discuss topics relevant to them. Equity is required to uplift marginalized voices so that they feel safe when coming to their student society and participating in their activities.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

I plan for the Advocacy Committee to be used as a means of holding me accountable to what I’m working on in the office. This office, while it does focus on relationships outside of UBC and the AMS, requires oversight to make sure that we’re consulting properly on topics and representing all voices. Therefore, the advocacy committee needs to include all students across the faculties in order to hold me accountable to my goals and make sure I represent students properly.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

One of my platform points is to hold the current federal government accountable to their campaign promise of providing more funding for the Post Secondary Student Support Program, which gives grants to Indigenous students so that they can go to post secondary. This program hasn’t nearly attained the $200 million that was promised in the 2015 campaign and doesn’t include a consultation aspect with Indigenous students on how the funding can be used. Holding them accountable through meetings and campaigns is required both for the government to keep their promises and for the AMS to support Indigenous students.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

I plan to address this by addressing the various factors that affect cost to post secondary (textbook costs, interest rates, cost of housing). My platform includes advocating for more funding to BC Campus for the creation of open educational resources, lobbying to reduce interest on federal student loans and pushing the provincial government for more oversight and funding into student housing. Affordability is more than just tuition, it’s a combination of various factors that I want to address.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I endorse the SASC fee referendum because the SASC is invaluable on campus to making sure that survivors are supported on campus. Its outreach services as well are necessary on campus to allow for the culture shift that creates a safer environment for students. I endorse the Indigenous Committee referendum because I believe that it’s a meaningful step toward reconciliation on campus and supporting voices that have been neglected for decades. I endorse the U-Pass referendum for this year because by having the deal with Translink, we are able to address one of the growing costs for students that affect their daily lives.

Website: will4vpx.ca

What is your year and area of study?

4th year and I am studying Integrated Sciences and History

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

No

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Member of the AMS Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful Environmental
• Policy working group (SVPREP)
• AMS councillor for Science
• Member of AMS Advocacy Committee
• Member of SUS Ad Hoc committee on Improving Science Student Outreach and Engagement
• Member of SUS Academic Standing Committee
• Project Assistant for the UBC Department of Medicine
• Former member of SUS Mental Health Advocacy Committee
• Former Department of Psychology Research Assistant

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

One relevant involvement pertained to the topic of Mental Health. Due to a variety of social, monetary, or psychological factors, not everyone is in a position to talk about their mental health openly or seek proper assistance. I joined SUS’s Mental Health and Advocacy committee to help destigmatize mental health, foster mental health and connect students with relevant on campus resources. Our initiatives focused on demonstrating these individuals were not alone and that all can take steps towards better Mental Health. We did this by hosting a Mental Health guest speaker night where numerous speakers of different backgrounds talked about their own mental health struggles and showed how this topic takes on many different forms and approaches. This forum also provided students with a safe place to talk and ask their questions about their own Mental Health issues, helping to break the stigma one step at a time. This trend of destigmatization continued through my work with SVPRPEP and the development of a better survivor-focused AMS Sexual assault and Respectful environment policy.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

My general life philosophy has been to help as many people as possible and always keep an open mind. This outlook led me to become a mental health advocate and the position I am in now, an AMS Councillor holding the AMS Executive accountable and ensuring proper governance. From there, I developed a natural interest in the VP External role as it enables someone to make a lasting impact beyond campus tackling issues ranging from affordability to mental health and social justice. Specifically, I want to tackle social justice at UBC by keeping the AMS accountable and reintroducing the Equity Caucus, a consultant group consisting of impartial representatives from each minority group on campus. I would also like to add in code that this group must be consulted everytime the AMS would impact any group in the caucus. In terms of external issues, social justice ties to the Social Economic Status of students and I want to make university more affordable by lobbying the government for lower student interest rates and breaking up the domestic tuition tax credit into upfront means tested grants for middle and lower income students. Enabling all to have the education that they choose.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My campaign’s top priority is financial security, one of the largest limiting factors in an individual’s life. There are many ways to address this and the primary focus will be to lobby both the provincial and federal governments for better distributions of financial aid. One such example is to lobby Ottawa to break up the domestic tuition tax credit in favour of means tested upfront grants for middle and lower incomes students. Another instance is to lower federal student interest. The previous will make education more affordable and not require one to take out student loans, while the latter will have a similar impact and also lead to more financial stability in the long term. If elected I would immediately reach out to other students unions and the U15 to form a united front so we can all tackle these issues together and have better chances at succeeding. I would also like to invite leaders from the major federal parties here to UBC for a panel discussion so we can note these concerns directly right before the upcoming election.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

For me, anti-oppression means acknowledgement. Knowing the inadequacies and injustices exist in our society and taking action, whether big or small, to actively combat these injustices. To deal with this more directly, I wanted to reintroduce the Equity Caucus, a consultant groups consisting of impartial representatives from each minority group on campus, to the AMS. I would consult with the AMS governance committee to add in code that this group must be consulted everytime the AMS would impact any group in the caucus. If done in this manner, we will ensure better accountability, consultancy and take active steps to resolve the injustices we notice in our society.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

Aside from reintroducing the Equity Caucus and codifying the need for their consultancy before any actions are taken, I want to explore the viability of removing executive voting privileges in AMS Council. In essence, AMS Council is meant to ensure proper governance by supporting and holding accountable the AMS executive when necessary. As a current councillor I can attest to the fact that this is often difficult when the people you are suppose to hold accountable can vote in favour of their own actions, not necessarily what is proper. Hence, I would like to limit that power and ensure proper governance is in the hands the AMS Reps. In addition, I want to increase communication with the student body, via social media, working with AMS council/constituencies and openly engaging with the student populace beyond the NEST to keep them informed of my actions and empower them to hold me accountable.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

To address this topic I want to actively consult with the AMS indigenous committee before lobbying trips and taking any action that would impact Indigenous students directly. It is important to have them properly weigh in on issues and ensure I am representing their needs, such as through the Equity Caucus. One example of an item I would like to consult with them is possible adjustments to the Post-Secondary Student Support Program in order to make financial aid more accessible and sufficient to Indigenous Students. I will also bring an indigenous student representative, likely from the committee, to relevant lobbying trips so that they can help me effectively lobby their needs and again ensure accountability.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

As mentioned previously, I would like to lobby for lowering students loans and redistributing the tax credit as a means tested upfront grant for middle and lower income students. In addition, I would also like to lobby for inclusion of students into the BC rental assistance program. This would provide them with more rental financial aid. I intend to use this upcoming election to make our voices known regarding the National housing strategy. To tackle rising tuition, I want to work with the Board of Governor student representatives and the AMS VP Academic and University Affairs to actively mobilize the student populace and protest increasing tuition. Lastly, I would lobby Victoria for free post-Secondary Education tuition for students below certain thresholds and means-tested upfront grants for students from lower and middle class BC households.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

In regards to SASC, as a member of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful environmental Policy working group, I can attest to the vital work they provide for students and support the fee increase to $9.30. In regards to the $0.95 fee for the usage in an indigenous student fund, I fully support the referendum and am confident that the Indigenous committee will put the money to good use and help the AMS better tackle Indigenous rights and ensure proper consultation. I am in favour of supporting most of the Omnibus bill. However, I am concerned with the current administration’s tendency to go on camera and withhold information from the student populace. This sets a dangerous precedence, and improving communication and AMS transparency is one of my goals, even if it hurts. Regarding campus culture, yes I support the referendum as many of our clubs are in need of additional funding to better help and provide opportunities to the student populace.

Website: voterileyty.com

What is your year and area of study?

3rd year International Relations

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

International Relations Students Association

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I am the current treasurer of the aforementioned club where we hold events every week about international issues that are often missed my the media. For example, we have “Let’s Talk About…” series that included topics on Syria, Venezuela, Palestine, Honduras, and the Rwandan Genocide. The speakers at these events are UBC students that are directly affected by the politics in their home country, and the goal is to support them through informing the public on these issues, offering peer-to-peer mental support, and starting fundraisers to help alleviate some of these challenges. Based on the feedback, the speakers found it helpful at least mentally to be able to express their feelings and personal situations to an audience that is willing to listen and make a change.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

I am deeply inspired by my current position as VPF of a club to continue my work, but on a larger scale. It is an incredible feeling to be able to inform and help so many students with free events where they can engage in active discussion about political issues either in Canada or abroad. With more resources and an even wider audience, I can advocate for social justice initiatives for all UBC students. What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?My campaign’s top priority is to pay attention to what the students, who are the foundation of the AMS, expect and wish from their governing student body. It is absurd that so many students, all of whom are required to pay hundreds of dollars to the AMS, do not understand its purpose or are familiar with its resources. To combat this, I will firstly update the website to be more functional and to very clearly outline how this establishment can be of aid to every single student. This will be followed by an anonymous online and/or in-person forum for discussion where any student can voice their opinion on what they find is the biggest issue with the AMS, how it can be improved, and what kinds of initiatives should be taken up.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression to me means to value the voice of all individuals equally, regardless of their position in society. I believe the most difficult part in fighting against oppression is identifying it. Students may feel uncomfortable speaking up about their unfair treatment or may not even identify it themselves. If oppression is a common issue for UBC students, I would firstly further educate myself on anti-oppression in order to have a better understanding on how to prevent it, and then I would hold free workshops that would be mandatory for all AMS employees and that would be accessible to students. If the issue persists, I would initiate a campaign to educate the UBC community on oppression in addition to promoting anonymous mental health services for the students that continue to feel uncomfortable speaking about it.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

In previous years, the compensation for AMS executives included money that the executives would only receive if they had completed their platform goals. I believe this should be brought back as a way to establish the role of the executives as serving the students, as opposed to it being just a job. Previously, about $5,000 would be given back at the end of their term. It was called the Performance Accountability Incentive, and it was shut down because often the awarded funds were not reported. As opposed to completely closing this incentive, the AMS should just be more transparent about awarding these funds.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

The Indigenous community should be given more attention. I have a personal connection to the issues Indigenous students face on UBC campus as my best friend is Indigenous and often vocalizes these challenges to me. I have discussed with her and with other Indigenous affiliations to, if elected, hold frequent active meetings where we can share ideas on how to make campus more welcoming for these students. I will also support their initiatives and refrain from making decisions that will affect them without their free, prior, and informed consent and approval.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

I will speak to the Board of Governors and the Senate about possible solutions to these issues. The increase in tuition is, in my honest opinion, cannot be changed and is a result of inflation. However, I can allocate more funds to the AMS food bank that can be taken from a decrease of executive compensation of 10%. Furthermore, I can work towards freezing the food prices of AMS businesses. Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.I fully support the 2019 AMS referendums. Even though these initiatives will most likely not benefit me personally, I completely understand how they can be very important and crucial to thousands of students on campus. Therefore, the small fee that will increase my tuition will be well worth it. It is for the greater good of the UBC community.

What is your year and area of study?

Fourth Year BComm (Finance)

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I do not

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

The Compounding for a Cure Foundation (Founder, Chairperson)

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I chose to run for this position because I saw it as an opportunity for a candidate for VP Finance to run on and execute a platform that will push the AMS forward both operationally and socially. The VP Finance portfolio has the potential to be more than a support role for other executives; it can lead on issues important to our membership. I know that I will be able to execute this platform while running the VP Finance office because I’ve spent the past year working in this portfolio and will be able to hit the ground running to accomplish my priorities. This motivation is tied to social justice because, if successful, I will prove that the AMS VP Finance office has the power to lead on the issues that we care about as a Society. Divestment, climate justice, and mental health don’t just have to be issues advocated on by the rest of the Executive; the Finance portfolio can advocate for them as well.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

The majority of the work the VP Finance does is in support of the other Executives, AMS Council, Clubs, and Constituencies. My main priority in office will be to ensure that I am doing everything within my power to help those groups and individuals to accomplish their goals. The top priority I’d like to bring to the VP Finance office is my changes to the investment policy. This involves assigning $300,000-$700,000 of our invested assets towards bonds which fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas output. This will involve consultation with climate focused groups and individuals, working with our investment managers at RBC PH&N, and working with council to ensure that the AMS is held to this mandate in the future.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

I see anti-oppression as pushing back against the use of privilege to silence and disempower others. As someone from a traditionally privileged background, I understand the need for me to be conscious of my privilege and to seek input from individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences when making decisions. Within the context of the AMS VP Finance portfolio, this means consultation on all major decisions with all groups affected. This should not just be one of our values or something we talk about; we need to have real policy about how we consult on our major decisions.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

Finance Committee is required to submit goals reports in the summer and to inform council of their progress in achieving these goals throughout their term. I plan to adhere to these requirements for my entire department, and to set goals in line with my platform along with detailed timelines for their accomplishment. I also plan to create additional financial reports which are more accessible for individuals without the time or the financial knowledge or background to decipher the quarterly and annual reports that the VP Finance department currently puts out. These would be shorter summaries in plain english that described where AMS funding comes from and what it is used for.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

As we are on occupied Musqueam territory, indigenous perspectives are extremely important in everything we do, and one of the areas within the VP Finance portfolio where those perspectives need to be amplified is on the Sustainability Projects Fund Committee. This committee approves funding for initiatives on campus that improve sustainability, and we need to have indigenous perspectives represented when making these decisions in the form of a dedicated seat. I would also like to see the student at large seat on AMS Finance Committee be another voice for indigenous perspectives, and will strive to have a member of the indigenous community at UBC in that seat. All of these actions would not be undertaken without significant consultation with the Indigenous Committee, and with other indigenous students on campus.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

Many times when I hear people talking about affordability within the context of the AMS, they’re talking about how our AMS outlets should be focusing on reducing prices and avoiding profits. This is misguided. Our business contributions, along with investment returns, are the most progressive way we can fund the Society. We should focus on maximizing them while still having affordable options, so we can have room to reduce student fees, which are the most regressive way we fund our Society. Could you imagine if Canadian taxes were a flat dollar amount? Here’s my plan to reduce fees for those in need. This year, the AMS Finance Department made some small improvements in AMS fee refunds for students with financial need: increasing total subsidies by almost $6,000. But we can and should be doing more to provide fee relief for students, and one of the ways I plan to do this is by promoting awareness of these programs. I also promise to engage in a comprehensive fee review, and to suggest as much fee reduction as is possible. This is the way we can create a society that is as progressively funded and affordable as possible.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

Having seen the immense ability for the SASC to support and educate a broad array of survivors and allies, as well as the huge potential the service has for expansion, I was proud to have been one of the voices in Finance Committee pushing for a referendum that would not only fund the service, but allow it room to expand. I am proud to support the referendum question. I also support the Indigenous Committee referendum, as it is the best way to provide a secure funding source for a committee that is long overdue on this campus. I support the Omnibus Bylaw Reform question as it will improve the function of the Society overall. I am seeking out more perspectives on the Campus Culture and Performance question from the CCP groups and others before I form my opinion on this question.

Website: JT4VP.com

What is your year and area of study?

I am a second-year law student. I previously completed a four-year degree in engineering physics, making this my sixth year of post-secondary education.

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

While I have Arab and Jewish heritage, I recognize that I am not visibly a minority and as such I have significant privilege compared to others of the same ancestry. As such, I do not consider myself to personally be a part of an equity-seeking community.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Vice President External, Allard Law Students’ Society
• Law Councillor, AMS Council
• Chair, AMS Governance Committee
• Member, AMS Operations Committee
• Student Represent, Peter A. Allard School of Law Faculty Council
• External Relations Manager, UBC Law Review Society
• Member, UBC A Cappella
• Student Clinician, Law Students’ Legal Advice Program

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I am a clinician with the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program (LSLAP), providing legal advice and representation to clients who otherwise would be unable to afford legal assistance. Cases that have worked on include seeking unpaid wages from an employer who takes advantage of recent immigrants, a human rights claim related to sexual orientation, and assisting with an application for permanent residency on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Facing a legal issue can be extremely daunting and negatively affect all aspects of one’s life. I was motivated to work with LSLAP because I believe that the law should be accessible to everyone not just those with deep pockets. Prior to attending law school, I volunteered with the Cultch in East Vancouver as a member of their Youth Panel. In this role, I helped produce visual, written and performance art by local youth artists. These pieces including a one-act play about the experiences of queer youth and an immersive theatre piece about reconciliation and life as an urban Indigenous youth in Canada. I got involved because I was looking for an opportunity to contribute to the creation of new and interesting art that enables young people to have a voice.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

I am running for the Board of Governors because I believe that I have the skills and experience to be a strong advocate for students, including those who for various reasons cannot speak for themselves. In my first year at UBC, a friend of mine experienced sexual violence. I watched as my friend navigated the system provided for in Policy 131 and heard over the course of a semester just how frustrating their experience was. There were things they were told by various groups at UBC that were truly depressing to here and even though disciplinary action was eventually taken the entire process felt unjust from start to finish. Many times throughout this ordeal I encouraged my friend to speak out, to write to the Ubyssey, to fight the broken system. But the process was so emotionally draining that there was no energy left to fight for change; all of their energy was being spent on surviving. I advocate for students because I know that sometimes, no matter how strong they are, they cannot do it on their own. My friend is one of the strongest people I know and they push me to be the best person I can be. Seeing them feel so helpless was so difficult and I want to do everything I can to make sure that experiences like theirs stop being commonplace.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My top priority is addressing unaffordability, especially in terms of tuition and housing. I plan to continue the policy set out by the current student representatives to vote against any proposed tuition increase without being first presented by an assessment for a zero-increase scenario. I would also advocate for better consultation for tuition increases by amending the policy on tuition and mandatory fee consultation by allowed executives of the AMS and GSS to come to Board meetings to make presentations to the Board on the impact of tuition increases on students. I would push the university to include below market-rate student housing in all new developments on the Endowment Lands. The university already provides such housing to faculty and staff. New developments should be built with student housing in mind so that the units are geared towards students (e.g. studio suites, apartments with large communal area and a large number of bedrooms) so that they are more affordable and cannot be later converted to market-rate housing. The university should also be buying units in existing developments for below market-rate student housing in order to address the housing crisis.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

To me, anti-oppression involves recognizing power relations and systemic forces of oppression and working to dismantle the structural societal barriers that keep marginalized groups marginalized. As a person of privilege, this first means seeking out perspectives of those who face oppression, listening to their experiences, asking them what they need, and helping support them achieve what they need however I can. In hearing these experiences and critically examining societal institutions that enact oppression, I believe we can identify the various avenues in which oppression is inflicted, and strategies for how we might work to deconstruct these hierarchies and mechanisms for oppression. If elected to the Board, I would incorporate the knowledge and needs of those I consult with, along with a critical perspective of oppressive forces in making my decisions. In practice, this would take the form of voting in favour of initiatives that would further the dismantlement of oppressive institutions and promote the interests of marginalized peoples, inviting and encouraging those who have been oppressed and silenced to present if they wish to, requesting that other Board members and the university do more consultation with those who are not heard, and pursuing any further solutions that those I consult with propose if it is within my power.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

It is important that the work that the Board of Governors does is communicated widely and openly to UBC students. To keep students aware of the activities of the Board, I will continue the practice of writing summaries of upcoming Board and Committee meetings in the Ubyssey and I would be open to publishing them in other campus media outlets if requested. As Chair of the AMS Governance Committee this year, I submitted written reports and was the usually the only committee chair to submit written reports despite written reports being required by AMS Code. While Board of Governors representatives are not required to submit written reports, I would provide written Board reports so that students would be able to access the contents of the reports before meetings via the AMS website and be able to ask meaningful at AMS Council, as well as be able to know the contents of the report before minutes are approved. I would also advocate for Board agendas to include a list of topics being discussed in closed session to be distributed. While I understand the need for confidentiality, students have a right to know what topics are being discussed in closed session.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

Given that UBC is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceeded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Sylix Peoples, and that the Board of Governors is responsible for approval development on these territories, more needs to be done to be consulting with the Indigenous community. I will lobby the provincial government to create seats on the Board of Governors elected by the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm and Sylix First Nations, after consulting with these groups to ensure this is something they want. I believe that this is a vital change so that Indigenous voices are always present at the Board, while also recognizing that one person cannot represent an entire Nation and so meaningful consultation must always be done nation with Nations as whole. While Indigenous representation at the Board of Governors is important, it is equally important at a faculty or department level and within student organizations. I will advocate creating more opportunities for Indigenous student voices to be heard at UBC. UBC and the AMS should be actively supporting Indigenous-led initiatives to improve representation, and faculties, schools, and departments should be required to have meaningful procedures for consultation with Indigenous students.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

If elected to the Board of Governors, I plan to address unaffordability arising from cost of tuition and the lack of affordable on-campus housing options for students. Tuition increases should never be considered automatic or inevitable. I would not support any tuition increase unless the UBC administration properly makes a case why increasing tuition would be a net benefit to students by providing information on a zero-increase scenario. There is a severe lack on housing options available to students on campus, with a student housing waitlist of over 6000 students. This is the case despite their being the large number of recent residential developments on the Endowment Lands. I will push for UBC to require all new housing developments on the Endowment Lands to meet a minimum number of below market-rate units available exclusively to students. I will also push for the university to buy units in existing developments and make them available to students at below market rates. This will increase the supply of housing available to UBC students and push down prices overall as students are given more choice in housing.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

SASC Fee: The work that the SASC does is essential and fills gaps left by UBC, Residence Life, Vancouver Coastal Health, and the criminal justice system. While the proposed fee increase is significant, so is the importance of addressing sexual violence at UBC. As such, I am strongly in favour of giving the SASC the funding it needs to properly do its work.

Indigenous Committee: I wholeheartedly support this referendum. Indigenous students at UBC need more opportunities to represent themselves in their own way and on their own terms. By creating a fee for the Indigenous Committee, the Committee will be able to implement meaningful programs of their own accord, rather than having to request budget allocation from the AMS. When Indigenous student groups are given a budget and free reign to do what matters to them, they are able to do amazing things. I have seen this firsthand at Allard through the amazing programs run by the Indigenous Law Students’ Association.

Bylaw Changes: I chaired the committee that reviewed the AMS Bylaws and recommended these changes be made, and support the “yes” campaign. Most of these changes clean up minor issues with the bylaws. The most substantive are the removal of student court, the new referendum requirements, and adding the ability for AMS Council to create a policy on confidential documents. Student Court has not met for several years, was appointed by AMS Council, and its rulings were overturnable by AMS Council. As a result, it was never able to properly serve as the oversight body that it purported to be. The new referendum requirements are beneficial because they prohibit misleading questions and protect existing resources by ensuring that the “no” side represents the status quo. The document disclosure rules address a major legal risk that the AMS currently has. It still places restrictions on the reasons that documents can be restricted and if Council were to propose an overly restrictive policy a believe that the student press would rightly call Council out and create political pressure to reverse its decision.

Campus Culture Fund: I support this referendum. If the recipients of the Campus Culture fund wish to share the fund with other groups that fulfill the mandate of the fund, especially groups that did not exist when the fund was established, then they should be free to do so.

Website: braamforbog.com

What is your year and area of study?

Third Year, Arts Student

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Gay Community, Survivors of Sexual Violence

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Former AMS Elections Administrator (4 Months)
• Former AMS Associate VP Academic and University Affairs (4 Months)
• Current AMS VP Academic and University Affairs (about 2 years)
• Current Student Senator (about 2 years)
• Current Co-Chair of Student Senate Caucus (about 1 year)
• Current Member of the Senate Nominating, Agenda, Teaching and Learning, and Academic Policy Committees
• Current Chair of the Senate Academic Concessions Policy Working Group (6 Months)
• Current Chair of the Senate Undergraduate Research Working Group (1 Year)
• Current Member of the Board of Governors Housing Action Plan Working Group (4 months)

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

For the past two years, I have served passionately as both your AMS Vice-President Academic and University Affairs and Student Senator. I am running because I valued the opportunity to be an advocate for students over the past two years and I hope to continue to do so. I believe that my combination of experience and drive will provide the most positive impact on the UBC Board of Governors and Senate, and the most benefit for students. I am also hoping to be a student advocate again because I want to be a voice for students on important issues like Indigenous Engagement, Support for Survivors, Affordability, Divestment, and Accountability from UBC. As a survivor and person who has tried to commit suicide student advocacy is personal for me. I have proven my track record as not only a student advocate who will fight vocally for students but also as an advocate who can get things done.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

The top priority I hope to address is changing the governance of both the Senate and the Board of Governors to be more accountable to students and the community. University Governance must be accountable to the community above anything else. In the past year, the Board has become less transparent in the timely releasing of dockets before meetings. This has been to the direct detriment of student advocacy. I will fight to ensure that the new Board Secretary addresses the recent lack of transparency from the Board and University Executives. I will personally lobby that the President and the Board publish the President’s yearly performance evaluation because the President is accountable to the community not just the Board of Governors. The UBC Vancouver Senate can review its governance structure every three years at the end of a senate triennium. Next year will be the end of the current senate triennium, and I hope to sit on both the Nominating and Agenda Committees of Senate to push for changes that will make the Senate structure more inclusive and efficient to empower students.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression means fighting to create not only a more inclusive and equitable UBC Community but reflecting on student advocacy and what I can do to create a more inclusive system. As a member of the AMS Executive and UBC Senate for two years, I have too often seen student politicians choose to ignore the broader topic of inclusion when it applies to looking at ourselves. In my two years, I have seen that both visible minorities and women are often dismissed or talked over within our governance structure. The loudest voices on many of the University’s and the AMS’s governance structures are more often than not white privileged men. This is a result of our system not encouraging women and visible minorities to seek leadership positions and not to support or to welcome them once they acquire them. I recognize that I am myself an outspoken white privileged male. I hope to use my position to engage with more student communities to encourage and ask students to run who have different life experiences than myself. Also, I hope to work with equity and inclusion structures within both UBC and the AMS to promote student leadership opportunities to equity seeking communities.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

I am running for two positions that primarily focus on University governance. Over the past two years, I have strived to hold myself accountable by consulting with over 10,000 students on the many issues I have worked on. I would continue to work with the AMS to ensure that meaningful consultation and inclusion of students is their top priority. I understand that my advocacy is not my own. I would only serve within University governance systems to be an advocate for students. I will publish a monthly blog as a student board of governor, and I will try to schedule meetings with student interest groups on campus to hear directly from students. Additionally, as a non-voting member of AMS Council, I would ensure that the Executives are more transparent and inclusive. As a member of the AMS Executive for two years, I know what it looks like when Executives not being fully transparent, and I will ensure that I voice my concerns if they are ever shirking their responsibility to the student body.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

As a settler and a privileged white man, I recognize that I do not have the lived experience to set the terms of engagement between UBC and Indigenous communities, including Indigenous students. UBC has committed itself to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and we must prioritize building a relationship with Indigenous Nations whose land both our campuses occupy. Next year, I hope to be a part of building a more meaningful relationship between UBC and the Musqueam and Okanagon/Sylix nations. To help create this better relationship with Indigenous communities I will seek a seat on the Indigenous Engagement Committee of the Board. I will also continue my advocacy to secure scholarships for Indigenous Students through the UBC Blue and Gold Campaign for Students. Over the past year, I successfully advocated for UBC to match $2.5 Million of scholarships. I will push for UBC to ensure that this matching funding only goes to scholarships for Indigenous Students and equity-seeking communities.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

Over the past two years, I have fought tooth and nail for the issue of affordability. I secured the first ever annual price cap on student housing rent increases by publicly fighting with the UBC VP Students at the Board of Governors. I also advocated for the creation of a $1 million UBC Open Educational Resources Development Fund to address the issue of rising textbook costs. I publicly fought against the tuition increases this year and lobbied the Board of Governors to defeat them. I successfully advocated for $2.5 million of matching funds for student scholarships to help make our University more accessible. I plan on addressing affordability by continuing to advocate for more student housing on campus. Also, I will fight for a student housing rental price freeze if the Government Bussiness Enterprise is implemented. Finally, I will oppose any unjustified tuition increases that will only make UBC less affordable and accessible for students.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I support all of the AMS referendums. However, I believe the bylaw (omnibus) referendum was not adequately consulted on by the Chair of the Governance Committee. If we are ever running a referendum that would affect the transparency of our organization that referendum ought to be consulted on with students before being proposed. Referendums are not proper consultation since a decision is being sought and feedback cannot be used to affect that decision. I only support the referendum because I support the confidentiality of investigations and the current bylaws conflict with that. I support the SASC referendum because I recognize the importance of providing survivors with multiple choices for support. I support the Indigenous Fee referendum because as a privileged white settler I believe that part of reconciliation is respecting Indigenous governance structures especially when they are seeking resources like this fee. I support lowering the Graduating Class Fee because it is currently underutilized and I want to respect student affordability concerns when we have two fee increase referendums this year. Finally, I support the U-PASS referendum because I believe we need to support making our campus accessible to all students in the most affordable way.

Website: voteholmes.ca

What is your year and area of study?

MASc Student, Biomedical Engineering

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Women (women in engineering/STEM particularly)

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• UBC Board of Governors Member (2017-2019)
• UBC Vancouver Senate Member (2018-2019)
• AMS Councillor (2016-2019 – nonvoting 2017-2019)
• GSS Council External Member/Invited Guest (2017-2019)
• Engineering Undergraduate Society Executive (2014-2017)
• Women in Engineering Advocacy Chair (2017-18)
• Teaching Assistant – various positions (2016-2019)
• Geering Up UBC Engineering & Science for Kids (staff member 2013-2015, Board of Advisors 2016-2018)

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I would classify most of my work as focused on inclusivity (and diversity/equity) issues within STEM fields. These are communities I call home, but there are many barriers that prevent others from being able to feel the same. I was involved in various capacities in Geering Up – an outreach program which seeks to engage youth with science & engineering with targeted programs for those traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. We developed specialized programs for Indigenous youth, girls, and low-income areas. I worked a number of positions from instructor to director over the course of three years, which meant engaging kids face to face as well as handling the sponsorship, financials, and logistics of delivering such programs. After my employment, I remained on the Board of Advisors to provide support and direction. I am pleased to say Geering Up now reaches over 17,000 youth each summer, including 2,000 Indigenous youth, 49% girls, and delivered programming in 44 communities across BC. I have also been involved in Geering Up’s parent organization Actua, where I spent a summer delivering programs as an outreach instructor across Nunavut (largely working with Inuit youth). This had similar aims: we tried to engage kids in science camps or workshops. I believe that science and engineering should be accessible for all – unconscious bias and impostor syndrome start in early. I was fortunate enough to be raised by two engineers, and encouraged to develop problem solving skills from a young age. It is heartbreaking to see how universally 6 year olds love “doing science” and then to see how differently 8 or 9 year olds interact – I’ve had so many young girls tell me they’re “just bad at math” and that they “just can’t do it”. Kids opt out early, and without role models and encouragement, it’s easy to see why. Within UBC engineering, I have also been involved in a number of initiatives that seek to drive cultural change. Engineering is a particularly male-dominated field, and when I first came to UBC in 2012 the drinking culture and “old boys club” atmosphere were apparent. This was a deterrent to many students engaging with the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS). During my time on the EUS executive, we deliberately re-examined and evolved the services and events we provided to break down this feeling. Events like the Iron Pin ceremony were implemented to introduce first year students to the values (and ethics) that are critical to our community. This has been slow progress, but I do believe there has been progress nonetheless. I was fortunate to chair Women in Engineering’s advocacy committee last year. This was a new committee, and we focused largely on research and developing a number of fact sheets for the program. From this, I met Alex Gonzales (materials engineering student, Engineers Without Borders (EWB) global chair), who expressed interest in having a forum for broader discussion of issues of inclusivity at UBC Engineering. There is a lot of energy spent focusing on gender equity (this phrase almost always means specifically women), but rarely do discussions within UBC Engineering (or engineering as a discipline) expand to include other marginalized groups. Alongside Dr. Sheryl Staub-French (holder of the Goldcorp Professorship for Women in Engineering), Alex and I developed a terms of reference for a equity, diversity & inclusion (EDI) committee for the Faculty of Applied Science. This EDI committee is just kicking off – but it contains students from groups like Women in Engineering, Gears & Queers, EWB, and the Canadian Indigenous Science and Engineering Society ( .caISES) as well as faculty members, department heads, and more. I am hopeful that this group will be able to discuss and break down some of the barriers that continue to exist within UBC Engineering.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

I am running for re-election on the UBC Board of Governors for a few reasons: on the surface, there are a number of projects I have not finished that I would like to see through, and I feel I am the best suited to bring student voices to the Board. I have been fortunate to sit on the Board for two years, and I have learned a lot during that time. One of the things I learned this year was it was considerably easier to navigate the Board having one year under my belt. I am the first student to chair a Board committee in anyone’s memory – which has definitely been a learning curve! – but also means I am able to bring student voices to the table in a way that previously wasn’t possible. At a deeper level, when I think of the reasons I ran for the Board in the first place, I think it boils down to the fact that I love UBC. I have grown so much during my time here, and I am so grateful for all of the people at UBC who have helped me along the way. I want this institution to be the best that it can be for everyone – and that means recognizing pieces where our institutions are failing us and trying to piece together better ways to do things.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

I don’t have one singular top priority, but a few themes that I think are interwoven into everything and a to-do list of specific tasks. The themes that I think are critical are maintaining equity as a core principle, access & affordability, and communicating what I’m doing to students. These are pieces that have been threaded throughout my work on the Board (and in other bodies) to date. My to-do list is much more specific: items like the Policy 131 (Sexual Assault and Other Sexual Misconduct) review, leveraging the momentum we had on the tuition conversation this fall, and more. You can see my platform at jeaniemalone.com/platform. I would be happy to answer any questions, or chat about any issues you are concerned about that are not captured there – elections are a great time for feedback!

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

This is interesting – it’s not a word I commonly use, but my understanding is that anti-oppression refers to barrier-breaking work and seeks to rectify power imbalances throughout society. I think I would normally use “equity” to describe this, but there are slightly different connotations. I would like to recognize that I have many privileges which have certainly aided me in reaching this place. I am a white woman from an economically stable background, I speak English as my first language, I have only ever been supported by family and friends. I may be familiar with being the only woman in the room, but overall I have been extremely lucky. However, the access I have been granted by all of these things has come at the detriment of those who do not have these attributes. I believe that the work done at the Board of Governors is institutional, although not necessarily cultural. This is the place in which we can set policies that harm – or help – those who have experienced oppression. I hope to be able to bring an understanding of these impacts to the table, and to raise the voices of oppressed groups whenever needed.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

Firstly, I try never to promise things that I personally don’t have the capacity to deliver, which is why you won’t see any “accomplish x by x date” on my platform. I’m sorry, but there are so many factors that are play when you are one voice at a table of 21 – so the best I can promise you is what I will fight for, and what I can do with my own two hands. I think it is critical to have a feedback loop with goals and reporting. I have a number of ways in which I try to keep folks aware of what I am working on. I write op-eds in the Ubyssey (archived at https://medium.com/@jeaniemalone) for each Board cycle of important student-related topics, and I give updates at both AMS and GSS council. I have also done AMAs on the UBC reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/UBC/comments/9wlh2q/ubc_board_of_governors_student_members_ama/). Suggestions for other ways to reach out are welcome! In the past, I have had close working relationships with the AMS VP Academic & University Affairs and VP External offices to keep tabs on student advocacy issues. I try to base my positions off of data whenever available – the AMS Academic Experience Survey, or the UBC Undergraduate Experience Survey, or other research as needed. I also make myself available online and in person (jeaniemalone.com/contact) to individual students. I can’t bring student voices to the table without hearing from students! And thank you to all the folks who have reached out to me over the years – your insights, requests, and stories are invaluable. I am always happy to listen and to action out what can be done about a particular concern, or to point folks in the right direction if it isn’t within my capacity to tackle.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

I would like to connect more with the Indigenous Committee of the AMS. In particular, I sit on the Board Indigenous Engagement Committee – and I think it would be useful either to facilitate some of the members to meet that Board committee, or to bring their concerns forward to the table. Both of these groups have just kicked off this past year, and at the Board side we are largely just getting our feet under ourselves with environmental scans and new hires settling in, but I foresee room for collaboration int he future. This year, I have made some early steps by connecting to the AMS staff member who was supporting the committee and by sharing the creation/terms of reference with Celeste Haldane (BoG Indigenous Committee chair), but I need to make more effort on this front.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

Affordability is a topic that is interwoven throughout discussions at the Board of Governors. It is something I have raised throughout my time on Board, and will continue to raise. I am glad to report that many other governors are equally concerned with questions of access and affordability to the university. Food insecurity is an issue I will strive to have the Board discuss this year. We have already heard brief comments from the Board Chair and Chancellor on this; I have talked to our incoming VP Students’ about his work to tackle food insecurity at his previous institution. I am hopeful that this will result in Tuition increases are potentially in a good place – we had a historic 7/21 governors vote against increases this year. I think it is clear that we need to be having deeper conversations about how and why we increase tuition. I am hopeful that we will have these conversations earlier this year to avoid the December crunch. Housing is trickier. There is always the option of increasing student housing (or market rentals) available on campus, which has some benefits and some costs. Kevin Doering (my fellow student governor 2017-18) and I made some attempts at advocating for greater diversification of the costs of student housing units (ie. raising the rent more on the newest fanciest studios than the older quad units) to provide more options for students, but when the waitlist is so long it is hard to tell what impact this actually has. There has been an uptake in the use of the housing bursary program since it became automatically implemented, which is good. The Housing Action Plan is currently being reviewed by its working group, but I would expect the main focus of that review to be on faculty and staff housing supports (another big area of concern!). Another topic that interconnects all of these issues is Student Financial Aid. Our SFA programs will undergo some changes in the next year to adjust to the changes to the BC Student Loans program, and it will be important to see how those changes roll out.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I am in favour of all of the following referenda:

1. SASC I wholeheartedly support having options for survivors. I am pleased that UBC has stepped up to the plate with their own support units, but as we heard from the dialogue this summer there are many issues of trust with the institution. I am absolutely willing for the AMS to levy more fees to support SASC at the higher service level it has been operating at if that is what is needed.

2. Indigenous Student Fund I am in favour of this referenda – it exciting to see the Indigenous Committee grow, and I believe it is worth funding specific support initiatives in this manner.

3. Omnibus Bill As a member of the AMS Governance Committee, I would highlight how important this bill is – omnibus doesn’t sound super fun, but it does a lot to clean up AMS by-laws and to align them with how the AMS currently operates.

4. U-PASS I love the U-PASS. This is one that has been on the ballot for years – but it is exciting to have a potential 5 year agreement on the table! There might be more on the ballot – but these are all the ones discussed at AMS Council on Feb 6th.

I can’t seem to track down the wording of the Campus Culture referenda, but if it is what I remember, it is in reference to adding another club (the music initiative?) to those who share the fund upon mutual request of the current designates of the fund? However, I’m not sure this is what you are referring to and so I can’t comment at this time.

Website: jeaniemalone.com

What is your year and area of study?

4th year First Nations and Indigenous studies major

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I identify as a (cis) woman, a survivor of sexual violence and an individual living with mental illness.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Current Campaigns and Outreach Commissioner for the VPAUA office of the AMS
• Current Programme Assistant at the Humanities 101 Community Programme
• Former Senior News Writer at the Ubyssey
• Former Program Assistant at the UBC Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health
• Former Co Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Studies Undergraduate Journal
• Former Marketing and Communications Assistant at the UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology
• Member of UBC Sororities

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I am strongly committed to social justice and have been actively engaged in initiatives pertaining to educational equity and decolonization. I helped to develop the pilot Indigenous Public Health Training masters certificate program this past summer with UBC CEIH and have been motivated to increase low-barrier opportunities to the university. Currently, I spend my Tuesdays and Thursdays with the Humanities 101 Community Programme, which offers low-barrier, non-credit university courses out of UBC for the DTES and Downtown South communities. I attend marches and rallies pertaining to Indigenous issues when my schedule permits (two jobs and a full-time course load can make that tough). In my work this past year at the AMS, I was the project lead on the AMS apology to Indigenous students and the discussion circle. Since then, I’ve become the liaison between the AMS and the Indigenous Committee and have tried to shoulder as much of the colonial bureaucracy as possible to help support its growth.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

The VPAUA and Senate portfolios are responsible for issues that are very personal to me. As a survivor and as an individual with mental illness, I’ve had to navigate a lot of red tape at this university in order to advocate for myself and stay afloat. I am committed to institutional reform so that no other student should have to endure what I did. Furthermore, there’s a lot of room for the university to become a more equitable and accessible space. In recognizing my own privileges that have permitted me to navigate institutional spaces, I hope to continue to use this access to create radical change from within.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

With the upcoming review of UBC’s Policy 131 on Sexual Assault and Other Sexual Misconduct, I am deeply committed to ensuring that SASC remains at the forefront of the conversation and consultations. UBC must recognize SASC and SVPRO as equal partners in the fight against campus rape culture – and that SASC has been on this campus doing that work for over a decade. The AMS is given a seat at the table in these conversations, but I would ensure that the AMS is leveraging this influence to make space for SASC as experts working with the limitations of this policy daily. This will also include rebuilding and strengthening the relationship between the AMS and the SASC that fractured this past year.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppressive practices recognize our diverse and intersecting identities while attempting to unsettle the systems of power that reinforce their subordination. These values are at the core of my work as a scholar and within my communities. I would seek to uplift and empower the voices of marginalized folks through the advocacy that the AMS does. We must use the platform that the AMS is given with the university administration to give space and voice to perspectives that academic institutions have systematically silenced.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

Accountability and transparency are absolutely critical to a functioning student society – but also empower students to be informed and engaged with their campus. The lack of bureaucratic and institutional knowledge on this campus is a huge issue and I hope to bridge this gap through revamped consultations and communications. Unless you’re involved with the AMS, chances are you probably don’t know anything that it does, aside from Block Party. I will be bringing back the AMS Advocacy Newsletter to keep students up to date on the actual policy work that the AMS has been working on. I will also hold regular AMA’s on r/ubc, the UBC subreddit, to offer a low barrier forum for students to ask questions and stay informed.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

In my capacity as Campaigns and Outreach Commissioner this year, about half of the work I’ve been doing has been in relation to the development of the AMS Indigenous Committee. I’m excited to see its growth and support its successes. As a settler, I’m most comfortable in being able to do administrative and bureaucratic work from behind the scenes in order to allow Indigenous perspectives and leadership to take charge to redefine their experiences with the AMS and UBC. In understanding the colonial nature and limitations under the BC Societies Act, of which the AMS operates, I seek to shoulder the bureaucratic burdens and push the limits of our governance in order to create the most anti-oppressive space possible and work towards the decolonization of our university.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

Financial barriers to education are a huge issue for students. I am currently working full time, while also being a full time student, and understand the strain of the rising costs of post-secondary education. The costs of mental health support resources (i.e. registered counsellors, psychologists etc.) is an issue I have made a priority within my campaign. Our current AMS + GSS Health and Dental Plan only offers $300 of coverage for psychological services, which covers about 2 standard therapy sessions in British Columbia. This is wildly insufficient, especially considering how many students are not having their needs met by UBC’s Counselling Services. It is my priority to renegotiate this plan with Studentcare and ensure that seeking support does not come with a financial barrier.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I am very proud to support the SASC and Indigenous Students fee referendums. The funding to these two causes are so critical to creating an anti-oppressive future for the student society. I also support the Omnibus bill, as means to tidy up the AMS bylaws and make our administrative practices a little less frustrating. I will be reaching out to representatives leading the Campus Culture fund, as I unfortunately have not encountered any dialogue about this petition and would like to make an informed stance.

Website:www.votejulia.ca

What is your year and area of study?

4th – Science

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

Member of: – UBC Surf club – UBC Ski & Board club – Integrated Science Student Association – Sigma Chi Fraternity

Student employee: – UBC’s Health Promotion & Education Unit (Wellness Centre)

Panelist: – 2019 UBC Social Enterprise Conference (Access to Education) Presenter: – UBC First Year Educators’ Symposium – UBC Learning Technology Innovation Summit

Executive Director: – Kite Vancouver (2018-19)

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

Kite Tutoring: – Weekly tutor at Windermere Secondary’s homework club, helping students from low-income families to excel in their studies through free tutoring services. – Helped raise $1711 last November for the expansion of this project to more than the current two schools.

Bumpin Bakery: – Frequent contributor to Sunday morning food and coffee handouts at Main and Hastings. Challenging the territorial stigmatization and building community through engagement with the homeless residents. – Working on the back-end of scaling up these efforts through the ongoing development of and fundraising for Kite’s poverty alleviation project.

Although I’ve never found an individual voice within me call for advocacy on social justice issues, I stand by equality seeking movements in solidarity. My volunteer experience is mostly focused on mitigating unjust outcomes of hunger and poverty, particularly in the realm of education. I’m motivated to be involved in these ways by the proliferation of a civil society where equality of opportunity is guided towards equality of outcome. Back in 2017, I tried to realize this on my own with a disorganized evening bread delivery service where I walked along East Hastings with 10 kilo bags of terrabreads baked goods, sometimes with friends. However, since then, I’ve learned that working in committed teams is a far better method of realizing change, that’s the biggest motivator for my work with Kite Vancouver.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

In running for president of the AMS I am inspired by the sheer magnitude of what the AMS can accomplish. I see tremendous opportunities in the near future for the SASC in partnering with local Vancouver organizations, for the other services in becoming better integrated with UBC’s branch of SD&S (https://facultystaff.students.ubc.ca/student-development-services) and Equity & Inclusion Office (https://equity.ubc.ca/), and for the AMS, with a new campaign, to help students uphold their self-worth and grow more resilient and resourceful through their University experience – all of which I believe would be advancements for social justice in our community. I also hold a deep belief that the AMS must do it’s part in maintaining equitable leadership by not just consulting, but listening to and appropriately including the input of its members and constituent groups in decision making. That’s why I’m motivated to open up more direct lines of communication with the executive committee as president: to be held accountable by the voices of all members.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

To restructure the Alma Mater Society’s leadership and operations around student life and equity. This will require adjustments that I hope continue beyond my term and what I can outline in 200 words. Essentially, I’m calling for the VP Admin to become VP Student Life & Equity by 2020. The VP Admin portfolio currently holds authority over AMS sustainability efforts. More autonomy needs to be granted to the sustainability portfolio, in which an incredibly qualified AVP is hired only to be restricted by administrative priorities. To grant autonomy to the sustainability portfolio, I will eliminate the responsibility of the AVP to report upwards (necessitating a new position title), having them report directly to council and establishing their seat on the executive committee. Furthermore, student life is integrally connected to how AMS-affiliated groups and students relate to space. The VP Admin decides how clubs, Nest catering & conferences, external organizations, and students can use space at the Nest. I will work with the future VP towards less profit-driven usage which entails Great Hall study nights, student-selected movie months, and designation of space for napping. I foresee equity being enhanced by a direct line of feedback to the executive committee through the VPSLE.What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?Anti-oppression makes me think of what was described on the first day of my GEOG 442 seminar this term: applying a social justice lens. This way of perspective-making starts by assuming a pro-feminist, queer-inclusive, anti-hegemonic and critically engaged disposition at the foundation of one’s arguments and entails using non-gendered language to hold space in discussion for all voices. I realize that committing to a social justice lens as a candidate for AMS president requires constant adaptation over time as language evolves and the society’s leadership continues to be scrutinized, but I feel quite ready to endure what it takes to maintain such a disposition. To my awareness, I’ve done well to maintain anti-oppressive values my whole life. Working against oppression as the head of the AMS means seeing to it that the SAIF is properly advertised and only supporting the efforts of talented changemakers, that employees are treated equitably, and not as subordinates to carry out unwanted tasks; furthermore, it is to make the forces of inclusion behind each initiative and event stronger than the factors that hinder participation. A great focus of my platform is to enhance student life and all contributions will be welcome.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

#1 – An open line of communication through all media, public forums and through the transitioning VP Admin.

#2 – The Key Performance Indicators on my full platform (www.stuartclarke.ca/platform).

#3 – Better advertisement and turnout at the 2019 Annual General Meeting, and all council meetings (will have to have a word with the VP Admin about adding more seats in the Michael Kingsmill Forum).

#4 – Forums and term evaluations for the AMS Services where students can come to understand the progress and challenges, as well as budgets and usage statistics, of their services. The evaluations being a great feedback mechanism that I think each service sorely lacks.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

I think it’s ridiculous that an Indigenous Committee has been formed without a councilor – or, in addition, an Elder – assigned to better represent their interests at council meetings. Of course, there is a consultation process that comes first with whether the committee would like to have a councillor, but isn’t that the start to participation beyond tokenism? The change I’m focusing on if elected president is two-fold. (1) Work with the indigenous committee to create a by-election for a permanent councillor position. (2) Change the agenda for each council meeting to encourage a dialogue after each land-acknowledgement with a statement from the newly added seat to council and/or Indigenous visitors. I’d hope such an opportunity would add tremendously to the experience councillors – and all attendees for that matter – share in the beginning of each meeting. I am also keen on inviting multiple elders from the Musqueam nation to attend the Annual General Meeting of the AMS. Not only was this meeting advertised in the past, but it wasn’t even a consideration to include the original custodians of this land. That must change.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

As president, I will zero in on improvements to the AMS Foodbank portfolio and Tutoring services while maintaining an advisory role. These services don’t primarily operate to remove the financial pressures on many students while the cost of living in Vancouver rises and the tuition is raised, but I think both offer vital services to students in financial jeopardy. My first focus will be to make going to the food bank – when in need – an honorable decision through events I propose (i.e. by-donation BBQ’s over the summer & community eats inspired luncheons year-round). Tutoring, on the other hand, must be extended to third year level courses to support another year level who may have to work to stay in school, and need that extra help to make the most of their grades with limited study time. Tutoring can also become by-donation instead of free to help accommodate for growth. The cost of living in Vancouver is well over what students can manage, and although I don’t plan to advocate for fair rent prices, I will be making sure that the “know y[our] worth” campaign advertises all scholarship opportunities and bring students to resources they need.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I support the student fee increase from $3.63 to $9.30 for the SASC. Although, hopefully there is no need to increase the fee in later years with support from newly formed community partnerships, more frequent student-run fundraisers and funding from UBC. If anything I will work to lower this fee without slowing growth of the service in the year ahead. The creation of $0.95 Indigenous Student Fund fee is a great idea that I can’t wait see put to action. Events for incoming indigenous students would be a great plan for the usage of these funds, but I’m going off trust with what else the committee has in mind for how to use it. The revised bylaws I cannot support, however. There is no reason to abolish student court or limit documents available to members. Furthermore, there is a clause about the AMS only acting in favor of transparency when it is economic or financially admissable, which is automatic no-go for me. I will also be voting in favor of a $0.95 per student deposit to include a permanent thrift store in the Nest, assuming the proposed referendum is added. The U-Pass referendum is also something I will be voting in favor of to save trouble down the road when the society’s contract expires.

Website: www.stuartclarke.ca

What is your year and area of study?

I am a third year student that is majoring in political science, with a specialization in humanitarianism and conflict studies.

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

I am a racial minority as my background is of Arabian/Palestinian and Far Eastern/Taiwanese descent, and I have experienced institutional and personal discrimination back in my hometown, which is why I am outspoken advocate against discrimination and have pushed for anti-discrimination training in the AMS. I have also been diagnosed with depression which is why I am a supporter of mental health resources and was able to get an increase to $500 in the psychology coverage of the AMS/GSS Heath and Dental Plan to AMS Council.

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• AMS Vice-President Administration
• Chair of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful Environment Policy Working Group
• Chair of the AMS Operations Committee
• Vice-Chair of the AMS Sustainability Subcommittee
• 2017/18 Arts Representative on AMS Council
• 2017/18 AMS Governance Committee Chair
• 2017/18 AMS Student Life Committee Vice-Chair
• 2016/17 AUS Member of Social Committee
• 2016/17 Faculty of Arts First Year Representative

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

For multiple years, I have previously worked on multiple refugee camps back in the Middle East, supporting refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Palestine. Humanitarianism is a key personality piece of my character because I believe in providing the supports necessary to communities and individuals that have been neglected and marginalized. That is the same approach that I take to the AMS and my work in it. I believe that the AMS needs to be providing the supports necessary to students, because there are many communities within this student body that have been neglected both by the AMS and UBC.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

In my current role as the AMS Vice-President Administration and Chair of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful Environment Policy Working Group, a frequent thing that happens is survivors from AMS Clubs coming to my office and disclosing, seeking support and next steps. I recognise that I am not a survivor and that I may not understand the experiences that survivors have. Nevertheless, I am outspoken advocate for survivors and want to push for the right support structures as the next AMS President. Supporting sexual violence survivors is a critical part of my social justice, which is why in my current role at the AMS, I have pushed for the creation of the AMS’s standalone Sexual Violence Policy, and listening to the SASC, survivors, and the student body on how to best provide trauma-informed and survivor-centric supports. I will take this mindset of listening to survivors and the SASC as the next AMS President in order to ensure that the AMS is always believing and supporting survivors.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

UBC’s Sexual Assault and Other Sexual Misconduct Policy (Policy 131) is going to be reviewed in September 2019, and this policy has been regarded as having many gaps and a slow implementation that has put survivors at risk. I believe that this is a critical issue that I as the next AMS President want to push on because Policy131 still has gaps. For example, Policy 131 allows for third-party anonymous allegations, allowing UBC to initiative an investigation without the survivor’s consent. I will push UBC to take a survivor-centric and trauma-informed approach to their review of Policy 131 in order to protect survivors . The AMS will likely be approving the standalone Sexual Violence Policy that I, SASC, and others have been creating and listening to students on. It is critical that as the AMS, we address the gaps that UBC has left in Policy 131 and ensure that we are not failing survivors. It is also critical that during the implementation of this policy that we ensure that we are working with survivors and students to know that this policy is properly supporting them, as well as addressing any gaps or mistakes during the implementation as soon as possible.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression to me is recognizing that our own institutions are still results of colonization and we need to work towards decolonization, and becoming a more equitable society. I want to work with the Indigenous Committee and properly support them on their initiatives and projects in order to give them more of a stance in the AMS. The AMS should also recognize that its advocacy still excludes Indigenous voices and I want to engage and listen to the Indigenous Committee when it comes to the AMS’s advocacy to UBC and the government. In addition, we need to take clear stances against discrimination and expand anti-discrimination education in the AMS, similar to how I have been opening anti-discrimination education to all AMS Clubs. Furthermore, the AMS needs to create more opportunities for marginalized communities by really pushing for the Equity Caucus, which I have been supportive of since its proposal a couple years ago.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

This year, I have been able to work on the review of the AMS’s policy on executive goals (Policy I-9) in order to properly hold executives accountable to their campaign promises and students, and I believe this is an area where student accountability can be a focus. Listening to students is the most important thing I want to do and I am in favour of creating mechanisms that would require the AMS to consult with students, because I am the only candidate that has led meaningful and transparent consultation. When creating the Sustainability Subcommittee, I reached out to multiple sustainability groups. When developing the AMS’s Sexual Violence Policy, I reached out to undergraduate societies, resources groups, Greek Life, and even held a public townhall. As your next AMS President, I intend to continue listening to students on their issues and making the AMS have to consult with students, especially on issues concerning specific student groups.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

In my current role as the Vice-President Administration, I was part of the executives that formally apologized to the Indigenous community on the AMS never reconciling and not making steps towards reconciliation. I immediately halted the Thunderbird Sculpture project and made it a requirement that it would need approval from the Musqueam Indian Band, which land and territory we are seated on, before moving forward. In addition, I have supported the Indigenous Committee in the creation of their space by providing them with design/architectural assistance and billing all the expenses to my budget. As your next AMS President, I will support the projects and initiatives the Indigenous Committee proposes, especially if it means giving them a seat on AMS Council, because reconciliation does not stop at apologizing, but continues through support and help. I will continuously listen to the Indigenous Committee when it comes to changes to the AMS and the advocacy to UBC in order to decolonize the AMS’s structure and its advocacy.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

This year, there has been a historical moment on the Board of Governors where 8/21 Governors opposed increasing tuition. I think it is critical for the AMS to lobby the provincial appointees to lower tuition, since some of the current BC Liberals Governors’ terms will be up this year and the NDP Government will be appointing new members. By advocating more favorable NDP appointees to oppose tuition increases, the push for rejecting tuition increases will become more achievable. The AMS should lobby the provincial government for more government funding to UBC. By pushing for more government funding, the AMS will be able to advocate to UBC for lower tuition, because UBC will have enough funding to make up for the losses from not increasing tuition. In addition, by matching a lower tuition and increased government funding, students will not lose scholarships, bursaries, and financial aid as a result of UBC not having enough funds like the University of Alberta did. Finally, I believe the AMS should be looking inwards and analyzing its fees/funds to see what is being underutilized. This way, by working with and listening to students, the AMS can look to making its fees cheaper and more affordable.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I am very supportive of the SASC fee because I believe that voting for it is a vote for survivors. It is critical that the AMS and students provide the right supports for SASC, a safe space and centre where survivors can go to receive that. I also believe that by supporting the SASC fee, it opens up the possibility for the SASC to expand its support services by including future ideas such as an Elder for Indigenous survivors seeking them, or a legal advocate who can help survivors navigate the legal process involved with reporting an incident of sexual violence. I am also very supportive of the Indigenous Committee fee because I think it is necessary that the AMS and students provide the Indigenous community with the funding to be able to support it in its projects and initiatives. I am in favour of the Omnibus bill, despite the legitimate issues of transparency, specifically because it restricts access to investigation items. I believe that this is necessary because in my experience dealing with investigations and disclosure of sexual violence, protecting the confidentiality and consent of a survivor’s disclosure or report is crucial. I am also in favour of the Campus Culture referendum cause I believe that the recipients of the fee should be making choices for themselves.

Website: www.votechris.ca

What is your year and area of study?

3rd year, Arts (Sociology)

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Residence Hall Association
• Arts Undergraduate Society Faculty of Arts Council
• Reading Week Program Student Leader (Centre for Community Engaged Learning)
• Model United Nations Students Association

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

My main motivations for my previous community involvement, activism, and/or volunteering have changed, especially based on the different communities I have grown up in, namely Hong Kong and here in Vancouver, respectively. However, they fall under my main motivation of recognizing that I am also trying to learn and improve in terms of understanding how to better understand the communities that I work for, and how to use this information to better advocate for these communities. In UBC, with a change in the political situation of the place I am living in, some of my motivations have been altered, but I am still involved in the community here and in social justice, and have been motivated by the need to understand the community I’m living in and to raise awareness and foster engagement in others to do the same. Since my first year in UBC, I have been involved with the UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning, in both the peer programs of the Trek and Reading Week Programs in UBC. I was a volunteer in first year with the Beauty Night Society Vancouver through the Trek program on helping vulnerable women and families. In the Reading Week Programme in second and third year, I worked with project leaders as a Student Leader in the programme to create and facilitate workshops in elementary schools in Vancouver, to increase knowledge on Indigenous culture and issues for both elementary school students and volunteers in the the Reading Week Programme. As a student week leader, I have taken steps to ensure that both the source material that is used for the Programme is something approved by the Indigenous community, and that the Indigenous community is also involved in providing their voices, especially in my Reading Week Student Leader placement this year. Through working in Totem Park Residence Association as a House President, I’ve also tried using my opportunity to organize residence activities to foster awareness on Indigenous issues through a film screening of All Our Father’s Relations, and mental health and drug issues through the organization of a speaker’s event, with a limited degree of success. In addition to that, I have also been involved in the Model United Nations in the Pacific Northwest, and working on issues such as climate change, to provide a platform for people to further understand these global issues. I have also been involved in volunteering for federal and provincial partisan related activities in the community in Vancouver. Through provincial partisan related activities, I have also volunteered for a MLA office in a pride parade in Vancouver in 2017. However, I believe any further information in regards to my involvement in partisan politics would be out of scope in regards to my responses for this survey, and for the position I am running for in the AMS elections.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

My experience in the Faculty of Arts Council, and seeing how decisions and findings from Faculty Council affect Senate proceedings, along with my other prior experience representing students in places like the Residence Hall Association, and my personal experience regarding mental health access has motivated to run for my position. I believe this motivation is tied to social justice in that, in the general sense of things, students deserve a greater voice, to see things transparently, and to see changes that they can be positively impacted by, and social justice in this sense ties to my motivation to do so.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My campaign’s top priority is to increase accessibility and transparency to the Student Evaluation and Teaching Policy, and the student course evaluation process at large. This is something that is going through senate in December, based on the concerns of gender bias from faculty from the Faculty of Arts, and the general need for course evaluation by the student population at large. This issue would still need to be addressed by April, and this is something that I would like to work on, in order to create a process that can let students know what course evaluation entails, and working on creating evaluation that does not have to be left at the end of term, where fewer students in general, and only dissatisfied students are more likely to respond to evaluations. I also hope to see improved questions to reduce the bias that has left faculty concerned at present.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression means giving a voice to the people who are oppressed given differences in circumstance, acknowledging that one is privileged to be in a position of student leadership and should work towards letting these voices known in the process. To work against oppression, I hope to ensure proposed changes in curriculum do try to address issues of oppression when possible. My main priority in my campaign, pertaining to the improvement of student evaluation on teaching, addresses some of the issues related to anti-oppression, from the concerns made by faculty concerning gender inequality, to making sure that anti-oppression is improved in the teaching process, so that students can have an opportunity to better let their concerns be known before the end of semester when they feel that their feedback would be of less value to them and it would be too late to address any issues of oppression or other negative experiences relating to their identity in the course of the semester.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

In order to better hold on to my election promises, I would have to join the relevant Senate committees to see that the changes I propose would be done. In addition, I believe communication with students to let students know about what progress has been like and to better reflect the opinions and ideas of students would also be a way of keeping me accountable. I admit, as a process of learning, I cannot guarantee that I won’t make mistakes and blunders, but can hope I can reach the promises and goals as much as possible. I hope to work with other senators in senate to learn from this process and hopefully be able to keep one another accountable. Although senate and AMS are two different organizations, and it would be hard to keep the AMS accountable to the student body in my position, (if that is what is meant by student union), I would communicate with AMS representatives as much as possible, to keep the actions of the AMS accountable to the student body. For Senate, although the student caucus is small in relation to faculty in senate, by working together, any sign of joint opposition to something in senate would bring a big message to senate, should the agenda item being passed goes against the interests of the students of UBC.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

I admit that I am still in the process of better understanding Indigenous issues, and the process of tackling these issues, but I hope to work with more experienced members of the student caucus, and other people in the Board of Governors and AMS to better tackle Indigenous Issues. One thing I do know, and am concerned about is finding ways to increase Indigenous admission into UBC, across the different faculties.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

Given the powers of senate within the University Act, I find it difficult to directly address unaffordability through my role. Within my role, aside from putting unaffordability into consideration and trying addressing these in meetings whenever issues arise, I hope to address unaffordability by exploring ways where more bursaries and awards and recognition can be recommended to the Board of Governors and made that can encourage students to remain in studies and be involved in university life despite financial hardships.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

In regards to the AMS referendums, I support the increase of funds to SASC, and to support SASC as a key campus resource, aside from SVPRO, to victims of sexual assault, harassment, and as a key campus resource to discuss the issues of consent and healthier masculinities. Having recognized the place we are in, with UBC being on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people, and the oppression of Indigenous peoples in history and today, and given the admission rates of Indigenous peoples in the university as of now, I feel more resources can still be going to helping Indigenous students, and I support the AMS establishing the fee for the Indigenous Student Fund. As of now, I need to further look into the Omnibus Bill and on Campus Culture before I can answer on those two referendums.

What is your year and area of study?

Third Year, Arts Student

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Gay Community, Survivors of Sexual Violence

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Former AMS Elections Administrator (4 Months)
• Former AMS Associate VP Academic and University Affairs (4 Months)
• Current AMS VP Academic and University Affairs (about 2 years)
• Current Student Senator (about 2 years)
• Current Co-Chair of Student Senate Caucus (about 1 year)
• Current Member of the Senate Nominating, Agenda, Teaching and Learning, and Academic Policy Committees
• Current Chair of the Senate Academic Concessions Policy Working Group (6 Months)
• Current Chair of the Senate Undergraduate Research Working Group (1 Year)
• Current Member of the Board of Governors Housing Action Plan Working Group (4 months)

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

For the past two years, I have served passionately as both your AMS Vice-President Academic and University Affairs and Student Senator. I am running because I valued the opportunity to be an advocate for students over the past two years and I hope to continue to do so. I believe that my combination of experience and drive will provide the most positive impact on the UBC Board of Governors and Senate, and the most benefit for students. I am also hoping to be a student advocate again because I want to be a voice for students on important issues like Indigenous Engagement, Support for Survivors, Affordability, Divestment, and Accountability from UBC. As a survivor and person who has tried to commit suicide student advocacy is personal for me. I have proven my track record as not only a student advocate who will fight vocally for students but also as an advocate who can get things done.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

The top priority I hope to address is changing the governance of both the Senate and the Board of Governors to be more accountable to students and the community. University Governance must be accountable to the community above anything else. In the past year, the Board has become less transparent in the timely releasing of dockets before meetings. This has been to the direct detriment of student advocacy. I will fight to ensure that the new Board Secretary addresses the recent lack of transparency from the Board and University Executives. I will personally lobby that the President and the Board publish the President’s yearly performance evaluation because the President is accountable to the community not just the Board of Governors. The UBC Vancouver Senate can review its governance structure every three years at the end of a senate triennium. Next year will be the end of the current senate triennium, and I hope to sit on both the Nominating and Agenda Committees of Senate to push for changes that will make the Senate structure more inclusive and efficient to empower students.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Anti-oppression means fighting to create not only a more inclusive and equitable UBC Community but reflecting on student advocacy and what I can do to create a more inclusive system. As a member of the AMS Executive and UBC Senate for two years, I have too often seen student politicians choose to ignore the broader topic of inclusion when it applies to looking at ourselves. In my two years, I have seen that both visible minorities and women are often dismissed or talked over within our governance structure. The loudest voices on many of the University’s and the AMS’s governance structures are more often than not white privileged men. This is a result of our system not encouraging women and visible minorities to seek leadership positions and not to support or to welcome them once they acquire them. I recognize that I am myself an outspoken white privileged male. I hope to use my position to engage with more student communities to encourage and ask students to run who have different life experiences than myself. Also, I hope to work with equity and inclusion structures within both UBC and the AMS to promote student leadership opportunities to equity seeking communities.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

I am running for two positions that primarily focus on University governance. Over the past two years, I have strived to hold myself accountable by consulting with over 10,000 students on the many issues I have worked on. I would continue to work with the AMS to ensure that meaningful consultation and inclusion of students is their top priority. I understand that my advocacy is not my own. I would only serve within University governance systems to be an advocate for students. I will publish a monthly blog as a student board of governor, and I will try to schedule meetings with student interest groups on campus to hear directly from students. Additionally, as a non-voting member of AMS Council, I would ensure that the Executives are more transparent and inclusive. As a member of the AMS Executive for two years, I know what it looks like when Executives not being fully transparent, and I will ensure that I voice my concerns if they are ever shirking their responsibility to the student body.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

As a settler and a privileged white man, I recognize that I do not have the lived experience to set the terms of engagement between UBC and Indigenous communities, including Indigenous students. UBC has committed itself to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and we must prioritize building a relationship with Indigenous Nations whose land both our campuses occupy. Next year, I hope to be a part of building a more meaningful relationship between UBC and the Musqueam and Okanagon/Sylix nations. To help create this better relationship with Indigenous communities I will seek a seat on the Indigenous Engagement Committee of the Board. I will also continue my advocacy to secure scholarships for Indigenous Students through the UBC Blue and Gold Campaign for Students. Over the past year, I successfully advocated for UBC to match $2.5 Million of scholarships. I will push for UBC to ensure that this matching funding only goes to scholarships for Indigenous Students and equity-seeking communities.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

Over the past two years, I have fought tooth and nail for the issue of affordability. I secured the first ever annual price cap on student housing rent increases by publicly fighting with the UBC VP Students at the Board of Governors. I also advocated for the creation of a $1 million UBC Open Educational Resources Development Fund to address the issue of rising textbook costs. I publicly fought against the tuition increases this year and lobbied the Board of Governors to defeat them. I successfully advocated for $2.5 million of matching funds for student scholarships to help make our University more accessible. I plan on addressing affordability by continuing to advocate for more student housing on campus. Also, I will fight for a student housing rental price freeze if the Government Bussiness Enterprise is implemented. Finally, I will oppose any unjustified tuition increases that will only make UBC less affordable and accessible for students.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

I support all of the AMS referendums. However, I believe the bylaw (omnibus) referendum was not adequately consulted on by the Chair of the Governance Committee. If we are ever running a referendum that would affect the transparency of our organization that referendum ought to be consulted on with students before being proposed. Referendums are not proper consultation since a decision is being sought and feedback cannot be used to affect that decision. I only support the referendum because I support the confidentiality of investigations and the current bylaws conflict with that. I support the SASC referendum because I recognize the importance of providing survivors with multiple choices for support. I support the Indigenous Fee referendum because as a privileged white settler I believe that part of reconciliation is respecting Indigenous governance structures especially when they are seeking resources like this fee. I support lowering the Graduating Class Fee because it is currently underutilized and I want to respect student affordability concerns when we have two fee increase referendums this year. Finally, I support the U-PASS referendum because I believe we need to support making our campus accessible to all students in the most affordable way.

Website: voteholmes.ca

What is your year and area of study?

4th year at UBC, Doctor of Pharmacy Program in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

Person of colour and a member of the 2SLGBTQIAP community

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Current Student Senator
• Current Co-chair of Student Senate Caucus
• Current executive of the Pharmacy Undergraduate Society
• Current member of the AMS Steering Committee
• Past AVP Administration of the Science Undergraduate Society

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

I volunteer at the Fraser Health Crisis Line, a free and 24/7 service for members of the community with thoughts of suicide, crises, or just general mental health support. I’ve worked there for over two years and I have seen first hand how valuable peer-led mental health initiatives are in building communities that stick together and are resilient as a group. As a healthcare student, I also work very closely with community pharmacies within my community and hospitals to promote preventative physical health as well as mental health. At UBC, I am a Residence Advisor and part of the Totem Park Pride Collective. It is so important for students entering UBC to feel safe and welcome amongst their peers and people just like them. Building inclusive communities is also something I do for prospective UBC students as part of the UBC Student Ambassador team, making sure that our language is respectful, inclusive, and that we acknowledge and reflect on the effects of colonialism on the land that we are so lucky to be learning on with and share that with students that will become future UBC leaders.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

While my own background has come with its own set of barriers, I have worked to become increasingly aware of the privileges that I have. I strive to be careful not to attenuate the voices that have worked to so hard to gain a platform. I aim to tie my own experiences with adversity to the privileges that have allowed me to run for this position, and to use this position to help marginalized voices reach further. My platform focuses on the ABCs of student priorities: Affordable and Accessible Academics; Better Mental Health and Sexual Violence Support; and Collaborative Advocacy and Communication. Reducing the cost of education makes UBC more affordable. Increasing the construction of new, modern classrooms make classrooms more accessible to students with visible and invisible disabilities. Supporting students who are struggling with mental wellbeing starts with building safe, resilient communities. These safe spaces need to also be supportive to survivors of sexual violence and the VPAUA office should continue to fight to hold UBC accountable to supporting survivors and responding to sexual violence. Lastly, through active engagement, a genuine desire to learn and collaborate, and my connections with groups around campus, I will push for social justice, concrete change, and continue to strive for equality for all at UBC.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

I will be focusing on preventative mental health approaches. I want to continue building on a culture of positive mental health on campus that emphasizes de-stigmatization, and celebrates reaching out. I intend to rally together leaders on campus— students, faculty, and staff— to lead by example through initiatives that bring this part of our lives out of the shadows. I will continue developing community initiatives that creates a central point of access for those seeking help. I will strive to make that access easier by working to integrate mental health training into different groups on campus, so that help is always within reach. Having peer leaders that support their communities in the best ways possible fosters resilience and trust within the community. This benefits not only students mental wellbeing but their academics as well, the effects of which are backed up by significant research. Taking care of all students’ mental health and investing in our communities allows everyone to excel in their personal and academic life.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

Too often do well-meaning groups begin initiatives that aim to help communities, but fail because they did not actively involve those communities. To me, anti-oppression means not only addressing apparent cases of structural violence, but also empowering groups and individuals to make the changes they want and need to see; not the changes we think they want to see. My job is to provide students with the resources they need, but empowering them to lead. Working against oppression begins with introspection and reflection. Recognizing the ways that my community and I have been oppressed gives me the empathy, drive, and passion to incorporate voices of all students to fight against systematic oppression. United voices stand strong. Bringing change means having one collective voice to fight the oppressive bodies and institutions that are currently set up around the world. Recognizing that each individual’s fight towards anti-oppression is part of a much larger goal truly empowers the entirety of UBC students to fight against oppression through the AMS.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

I will be focusing on accessibility and transparency. Students need to be informed of the major issues facing our community, and as the AMS, we cannot expect them to come to us; we need to come to the students. I also think we can do a better job of making advocacy more accessible. I intend to keep my doors open to anyone who wants to come in, and address a concern, or to meet student groups where they are. Furthermore, as collaboration is a key platform goal for myself, I hope to see my fellow stakeholders in advocacy to keep me in check and ensure that my actions are for the benefit of all students and that I am choosing to listen to the needs of my community. By collaborating with diverse student groups around campus, they will become more informed about the work that the AMS and the VPAUA office does and understand ways to become critical to hold the AMS to a high degree of professionalism, transparency, and accountability to the academic well being of students.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

My advocacy will be based on the notion that the AMS cannot wait for the student body to come to us; we need to come to them. We need to create stronger ties to the First Nations Longhouse. We need to continue to actively search for the voices that have been silenced, and bring the sort of movement that those voices aspire to and recognize the importance of Indigeneity at UBC. Indigenous students also need to be supported beyond their time as an undergraduate students. Empowering indigenous students to further their education in graduate programs and professional programs begets more future Indigenous leaders in our community. Professional and graduate Indigenous students will continue their research and careers to not only lead at and outside of UBC, but to promote a cycle of success that will benefit Indigenous students of the future. This is an area that hasn’t been fully addressed and needs to be a priority to empower more Indigenous academic leaders.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

The trends we are seeing in the usage of the food bank underscores the food insecurity as well as growing financial hardships students face, and the importance of the services that we provide. We need to address the underlying issue: as we continue to expand and grow as a university, we need to be mindful of affordability, and the fact that we risk making education, a basic human right, unaffordable. And when unaffordability strikes, it strikes marginalized communities hardest. I will continue to advocate for housing models that prioritize student financial interests, as well as tuition caps. I will grow initiatives that aim to alleviate other costs of education such has textbooks, and online resources that continue to add to the financial burden faced by marginalized students. I will continue to collaborate with groups on campus to grow more immediate solutions for students who find themselves in severe financial constraints. Combined with my role as a senator, I will push for more financial support and awards dedicated to supporting those that find themselves in disadvantaged positions.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

The SASC fee increase is crucial in ensuring that a grassroots, community-based centre that supports survivors continues its operations and is able to offer survivors more resources and freedom. SASC is a critical service of the AMS and continued discussions with the community and survivors will bring to light how the AMS will be able to continue making SASC a choice that benefits survivors. The AMS Indigenous Committee should continue engaging with Indigenous students in a way that is respectful and fruitful. It is crucial that Indigenous voices guide the advocacy and lobbying efforts of the Indigenous Committee. The Omnibus bill lacked the transparency and consultation required and expected from the AMS to wholeheartedly support it in the interest of students. Campus culture allows students to engage in arts and culture through student clubs, valuable to the UBC as a whole but also brings together friends and communities to foster strong ties and a resilient student body.

Website: votenickpang.com

What is your year and area of study?

4th year and I am studying Integrated Sciences and History

Do you identify as being part of any equity seeking communities? If so, which ones?

No

Please briefly list (point form) any relevant student university or other affiliations.

• Member of the AMS Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful Environmental
• Policy working group (SVPREP)
• AMS councillor for Science
• Member of AMS Advocacy Committee
• Member of SUS Ad Hoc committee on Improving Science Student Outreach and Engagement
• Member of SUS Academic Standing Committee
• Project Assistant for the UBC Department of Medicine
• Former member of SUS Mental Health Advocacy Committee
• Former Department of Psychology Research Assistant

Please outline community involvement, activism and/or volunteering that you have been engaged in pertaining to social justice. What motivated you to get involved in these initiatives?

One relevant involvement pertained to the topic of Mental Health. Due to a variety of social, monetary, or psychological factors, not everyone is in a position to talk about their mental health openly or seek proper assistance. I joined SUS’s Mental Health and Advocacy committee to help destigmatize mental health, foster mental health and connect students with relevant on campus resources. Our initiatives focused on demonstrating these individuals were not alone and that all can take steps towards better Mental Health. We did this by hosting a Mental Health guest speaker night where numerous speakers of different backgrounds talked about their own mental health struggles and showed how this topic takes on many different forms and approaches. This forum also provided students with a safe place to talk and ask their questions about their own Mental Health issues, helping to break the stigma one step at a time. This trend of destigmatization continued through my work with SVPRPEP and the development of a better survivor-focused AMS Sexual assault and Respectful environment policy.

What motivated you to run for your position, and how is your motivation tied to social justice?

My general life philosophy has been to help as many people as possible and always keep an open mind. This outlook led me to become a mental health advocate and the position I am in now, an AMS Councillor holding the AMS Executive accountable and ensuring proper governance. From there, I developed a natural interest in the VP External role as it enables someone to make a lasting impact beyond campus tackling issues ranging from affordability to mental health and social justice. Specifically, I want to tackle social justice at UBC by keeping the AMS accountable and reintroducing the Equity Caucus, a consultant group consisting of impartial representatives from each minority group on campus. I would also like to add in code that this group must be consulted everytime the AMS would impact any group in the caucus. In terms of external issues, social justice ties to the Social Economic Status of students and I want to make university more affordable by lobbying the government for lower student interest rates and breaking up the domestic tuition tax credit into upfront means tested grants for middle and lower income students. Enabling all to have the education that they choose.

What is your campaign’s top priority? If elected, what specific actions would you take to address this priority?

My campaign’s top priority is financial security, one of the largest limiting factors in an individual’s life. There are many ways to address this and the primary focus will be to lobby both the provincial and federal governments for better distributions of financial aid. One such example is to lobby Ottawa to break up the domestic tuition tax credit in favour of means tested upfront grants for middle and lower incomes students. Another instance is to lower federal student interest. The previous will make education more affordable and not require one to take out student loans, while the latter will have a similar impact and also lead to more financial stability in the long term. If elected I would immediately reach out to other students unions and the U15 to form a united front so we can all tackle these issues together and have better chances at succeeding. I would also like to invite leaders from the major federal parties here to UBC for a panel discussion so we can note these concerns directly right before the upcoming election.

What does anti-oppression mean to you? How would you work against oppression if elected to your position?

For me, anti-oppression means acknowledgement. Knowing the inadequacies and injustices exist in our society and taking action, whether big or small, to actively combat these injustices. To deal with this more directly, I wanted to reintroduce the Equity Caucus, a consultant groups consisting of impartial representatives from each minority group on campus, to the AMS. I would consult with the AMS governance committee to add in code that this group must be consulted everytime the AMS would impact any group in the caucus. If done in this manner, we will ensure better accountability, consultancy and take active steps to resolve the injustices we notice in our society.

What mechanisms for accountability would you put in place to hold you to your election promises, and to hold the student union accountable to UBC’s student body?

Aside from reintroducing the Equity Caucus and codifying the need for their consultancy before any actions are taken, I want to explore the viability of removing executive voting privileges in AMS Council. In essence, AMS Council is meant to ensure proper governance by supporting and holding accountable the AMS executive when necessary. As a current councillor I can attest to the fact that this is often difficult when the people you are suppose to hold accountable can vote in favour of their own actions, not necessarily what is proper. Hence, I would like to limit that power and ensure proper governance is in the hands the AMS Reps. In addition, I want to increase communication with the student body, via social media, working with AMS council/constituencies and openly engaging with the student populace beyond the NEST to keep them informed of my actions and empower them to hold me accountable.

Besides the proposed referendum, in what capacity within your role do you plan on focusing on Indigeneity and supporting Indigenous students?

To address this topic I want to actively consult with the AMS indigenous committee before lobbying trips and taking any action that would impact Indigenous students directly. It is important to have them properly weigh in on issues and ensure I am representing their needs, such as through the Equity Caucus. One example of an item I would like to consult with them is possible adjustments to the Post-Secondary Student Support Program in order to make financial aid more accessible and sufficient to Indigenous Students. I will also bring an indigenous student representative, likely from the committee, to relevant lobbying trips so that they can help me effectively lobby their needs and again ensure accountability.

Given the increase in student use of the food bank (an indicator of student food insecurity), the rising price of housing and UBC’s approval of increased tuition, within your role, how do you plan on addressing unaffordability?

As mentioned previously, I would like to lobby for lowering students loans and redistributing the tax credit as a means tested upfront grant for middle and lower income students. In addition, I would also like to lobby for inclusion of students into the BC rental assistance program. This would provide them with more rental financial aid. I intend to use this upcoming election to make our voices known regarding the National housing strategy. To tackle rising tuition, I want to work with the Board of Governor student representatives and the AMS VP Academic and University Affairs to actively mobilize the student populace and protest increasing tuition. Lastly, I would lobby Victoria for free post-Secondary Education tuition for students below certain thresholds and means-tested upfront grants for students from lower and middle class BC households.

Please explain your stances on the 2019 AMS referendums, particularly those pertaining to the SASC, the Indigenous Committee, the Omnibus bill, and campus culture.

In regards to SASC, as a member of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful environmental Policy working group, I can attest to the vital work they provide for students and support the fee increase to $9.30. In regards to the $0.95 fee for the usage in an indigenous student fund, I fully support the referendum and am confident that the Indigenous committee will put the money to good use and help the AMS better tackle Indigenous rights and ensure proper consultation. I am in favour of supporting most of the Omnibus bill. However, I am concerned with the current administration’s tendency to go on camera and withhold information from the student populace. This sets a dangerous precedence, and improving communication and AMS transparency is one of my goals, even if it hurts. Regarding campus culture, yes I support the referendum as many of our clubs are in need of additional funding to better help and provide opportunities to the student populace.

Website: voterileyty.com