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Articles by Jackson Dagger
Between the Motions: Council approves $695k for Blue Chip, Pie R Squared renovation
Last night, AMS councillors met for the last time in 2022 for two back-to-back Council meetings. AMS code requires Council to meet twice a month, but an informal poll of councillors found that not enough would be able to attend a potential meeting next week. At the two meetings, councillors discussed food outlet renovations in the Nest and executive goals. Here’s what you might have missed.
Between the Motions: Councillors hear presentation on Campus Vision 2050
During another short AMS Council meeting last night, councillors were updated on plans for the future of the UBC Vancouver campus and asked to help engage students. Here’s what you might’ve missed. Councillors discuss Campus Vision 2050 Council heard a presentation on Campus Vision 2050, an effort to plan campus land use in the coming decades, by Joanne Proft and Aviva Savelson from UBC Campus and Community Planning.
AMS VP finance by-election candidate profile: Lawrence Liu
AMS Associate VP Finance Funds Lawrence Liu is running to become the next VP finance on a platform to raise mental health coverage, open a new food outlet in the Nest and expand financial support for students. The fourth-year interdisciplinary studies major has previously been an arts AMS councillor, the associate VP university affairs in 2021/22 and a candidate for AMS VP admin in 2021.
The Dingbat: A look at some people to replace Santa Ono
With UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa Ono leaving for the University of Michigan in October, the search is on for his successor. The Ubyssey broke down some potential candidates for the position. Santa Claus Ono spent much of his time as UBC president asking for gifts, whether that’s from donors or recent grads, so perhaps it’s time to replace him with someone who gives gifts.
Elections analysis: Students abstained the most on vice-president races, bylaw changes
April 5, 2022 This year, 17.4 per cent of eligible UBC students showed up to vote for their student government. Alongside the races for the five AMS executive positions, there were four referenda and the elections for student representatives on the UBC Vancouver Senate and Board of Governors (BoG). Of the four referenda on the ballot this year, only the fee increase for the Bike Kitchen failed to pass. While it achieved a slim majority, it did not receive the necessary votes to make quorum.
AMS Elections 2022
April 5, 2022 Of the four referenda on the ballot this year, only the fee increase for the Bike Kitchen failed to pass. While it achieved a slim majority, it did not receive the necessary votes to make quorum. March 28, 2022 Remy the Rat ran as a joke candidate to increase voter turnout and shed light on social justice issues on campus, said Esme Decker, the main student behind the Rat. March 11, 2022 Three of the four referendum questions on this year’s ballot passed.
The Ubyssey's breakdown of this year's AMS elections results
March 25, 2022 This year, 10,329 students voted in AMS elections — the highest turnout in three years. All four vice-president races were won by current AMS employees while outgoing VP Academic and University Affairs Eshana Bhangu (VPAUA) won the presidency. We’ve broken down the results. Winners in contested AMS elections are determined by the Condorcet method in which voters rank the candidates in each race.
Dana Turdy is the next VP academic and university affairs
Dana Turdy is your next AMS VP academic and university affairs (VPAUA). Turdy, the current AMS policy and governance lead, beat out AMS councillor Kamil Kanji, land and food systems faculty student senator Anisha Sandhu and student government newcomer Anushreya Arora in a hotly contested race to replace incumbent Eshana Bhangu. Turdy ran on a platform of student consultation, affordability and equity. “I’d like to take the time to thank all my amazing friends and supporters.
Candidate profile: Anushreya Arora, VP academic & university affairs
March 7, 2022 Anushreya Arora is a first-year Sauder student running to become the next VP academic and university affairs (VPAUA) on a platform of transparency and inclusivity. One priority of Arora’s would be to make sure she’s available to students. Arora commended incumbent VPAUA Eshana Bhangu on how she was available to answer questions for her when she called the number on the AMS website. However, Arora was unable to name any policies from Bhangu’s office she agreed with.
VPAUA candidates talk safety, tuition consultation at Great Debate
March 5, 2022 The four candidates vying to become VP academic and university affairs (VPAUA) met last night to debate issues such as student safety, tuition consultation and the AMS’s role in publicly challenging UBC.
VPAUA candidates present differing plans on diversity, affordability, harm reduction in first debate
The four candidates for VP academic and university affairs (VPAUA) discussed many issues including affordability, support for Black students and the toxic drug crisis during the first debate last night.
AMS exec apologizes after lobbying independent MP previously charged with sexual assault
Feb. 20, 2022 AMS VP External Saad Shoaib has apologized for meeting with an independent MP who was previously charged with sexual assault. On January 25, while lobbying the federal government on behalf of the AMS, Shoaib and the Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities (UCRU) met with Kevin Vuong, an independent MP from Spadina-Fort Work who was ousted from the Liberal Party last year following the party's investigation into his allegation.
Things you can do if Neo won’t take no for an answer
Feb. 17, 2022 With school back in-person, the representatives of Neo Financial are back bothering students and I’m not the only one noticing. Here are some strategies to use when they don’t understand that averting eye contact and keeping your headphones in/on means you don’t want to talk. Tell them your favourite conspiracy theory How long will they listen to your rant about 5G vaccine mind-control? The only way to find out is to try.
Between the Motions: Councillors talk past and future elections at February 2 AMS Council meeting
Feb. 5, 2022 AMS Council met over Zoom on Wednesday night to discuss potential referendum questions for its upcoming elections and the results of its unsuccessful campaign to elect students to the University Neighbourhood Association’s (UNA) board in November. Here’s what you might have missed. Councillors weigh in on potential referenda for upcoming election President Cole Evans asked for councillor feedback on a draft set of referendum questions.
Between the Motions: Councillors discuss club issues with storage space, CampusBase at first meeting of 2022
On Wednesday evening, AMS Council met for the first time in 2022, returning to a virtual format amid the spread of the Omicron variant. Items on the agenda included a presentation on a recent survey of AMS clubs, a discussion on elections planning and confirmation that the Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) will be able to distribute naloxone.
The Dingbat: UBC maintains that fires don’t spread in an educational environment
From the Blog Jan. 3, 2022 "Nothing to see here," said the firefighters, as they drove through a crowd of firespreaders. File Cherihan Hassun Editor’s note: Directly after this article’s composition, the fire response committee was pressured into making students wait in Vancouver for a week or two until the fire got slightly smaller, after which we’ll be back to business as usual.
Midterm review: Cole Evans, president
In the uncontested campaign for his second term as AMS President, Cole Evans prioritized COVID-19 advocacy, streamlining and improving AMS governance and developing an Equity Action Plan. Midway through his term, Evans has seen successes in areas such as COVID-19 advocacy and the AMS strategic plan — while a great deal of work remains to be finished. When asked about his biggest success so far, Evans cited the AMS’s advocacy on COVID-19.
'They are always available': Sprouts starts offering free meals, produce through funding from UBC
Nov. 22, 2021 Sprouts Cafe is partnering with UBC’s Food Security Initiative (FSI) to combat food insecurity on campus by offering free meals and produce. The FSI has been allocated $45,000 from UBC’s incremental tuition revenue to support Sprouts and Agora Cafe, another student run cafe on campus, in food security projects.
SUS computer science representative resigns after criticism for not being in computer science
The recently-elected Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) representative for the department of computer science has resigned after controversy. Ramy Hydayatullah was elected as the computer science representative in the SUS fall elections after running unopposed and receiving 67 votes for and 23 against.
$4,000 in prizes not enough to lure quorum of students out to AMS AGM
Despite offering $4,000 in prizes, the AMS fell short of a quorum for its annual general meeting. The 2021 AMS Annual General Meeting (AGM) — held Thursday night over Zoom — was the second consecutive AGM to be held over online amid the pandemic, as well as the second to offer a prize draw. Unlike last year, in which a series of bylaw changes were passed, many of the motions scheduled for Thursday’s meeting were unable to be voted upon due to the insufficient attendance.
Cool it down: The making of a climate-ready campus
After a record-setting heat wave in June left many at UBC sweating it out, experts warn that the climate crisis will only make things worse During the heat wave, campus temperatures peaked at 36.6ºC while the national record was broken in Lytton, BC at 49.6ºC.
Between the Motions: AMS Council funds development of strategic plan
Last night, AMS Council met to discuss the society’s strategic plan and the development of a sensory room in the Life Building for neurodiverse students. Here are the highlights. Sensory room to be built in the Life Building Stephanie Quon, a current student, presented a plan for an AMS-run sensory room in the Life Building. Sensory rooms are places where neurodiverse and disabled people can go to self-regulate. These rooms often include comfortable seating, stim toys and weighted blankets.
Letter: Response to Dr. Steven Pelech's open letter on mask and vaccine mandates
As a student, it is incredibly disappointing to see a professor from the UBC faculty of medicine and member of UBC’s Vancouver Senate spreading misinformation about COVID-19. Dr. Steven Pelech made several misleading and false claims in his recent open letter to Dr. Alan Richardson, head of UBC’s faculty association. While Pelech is free to speak his mind, there is a degree of trust placed in professors, especially those involved in high-level university governance.
The AMS created a committee on election engagement in April. It still hasn't met yet.
Sept. 8, 2021 Four months after AMS Council created an ad hoc committee on student election engagement, the committee still hasn’t met. The committee was formed in April after turnout in March’s student government elections fell to 6.9 per cent of eligible voters and a record four out of five AMS executive races were uncontested. When the committee was formed, the intention was for it to present its results to Council in September of this year.
Three Asian students were victims of racist remarks from man claiming to be a student
This article contains references to anti-Asian racism. Two undergraduate students said they experienced a racist encounter on campus last month with a man who claimed to be a master’s student at UBC, following a string of anti-Asian hate incidents at UBC and in the province at large. Llana Areza, an incoming fifth-year biology student, detailed her experience in an email to The Ubyssey, the AMS, the UBC President’s Office and the Equity and Inclusion Office (EIO).
Students sweat out the heat wave while UBC builds new residences with air conditioning
June 30, 2021 UBC students in residence have been enduring the record-breaking heat wave across much of the Pacific Northwest without central air conditioning. On Monday, the temperature at UBC hit 36.6°C and yesterday, a new Canadian temperature record was set in Lytton, BC — for the third day in a row. UBC posted a list of air-conditioned places on campus on Monday afternoon.
Amid misogyny accusations, ThePlug Vancouver deletes video about sorority women due to ‘harassment’
ThePlug Vancouver has come under fire for a video about UBC Sororities that many sorority members are calling misogynistic. Published on Friday, June 11, the video, “Sorority Girls Share Their Juiciest Greek Life Secrets | Unplugged,” has since been removed from both Instagram and YouTube, with ThePlug citing “multiple instances of harassment, bullying and certain false accusations being directed towards the participants, crew and production team” as the reasons for taking it down.
After six months of an understaffed SASC, AMS maintains survivor services were not impacted
June 22, 2021 Despite the AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) being understaffed for at least six months this past year, the AMS maintains that SASC’s services to survivors were not affected in that period. The positions of manager, assistant manager and some other staff positions were unfilled at the AMS Sexual Assault Support Center for much of the winter.
Committee finds VP External had no real conflict of interest but did violate society’s code
The AMS Ethics and Accountability Committee concluded that AMS VP External Kalith Nanayakkara did not have a real conflict of interest stemming from his position as founder and president of ThePlug Vancouver. However, the report, released four months after the committee took up the case, did state that Nanayakkara was in an apparent conflict of interest and erred in judgement.
TransLink is cutting under-used stops on the 25
April 5, 2021 · 2 min read TransLink has announced that it is removing some stops on the 25 UBC/Brentwood route to speed up service. The bus stop balancing program, which aims to remove underused, close-together stops, has already been rolled out on the 2 bus and will be introduced on the 17 and the 25 on April 12. According to TransLink, 97 per cent of riders do not use the affected stops.
As the end of AMS exec terms near, VP external’s conflict of interest review enters fourth month
The investigation into outgoing AMS VP External Kalith Nanayakkara’s potential conflict of interest has entered its fourth month with no conclusion. Nanayakkara’s case is the first investigation of the newly formed AMS ethics and accountability committee. He was referred to it on November 25, 2020, for using his AMS email account to send emails to the AMS Events manager on behalf of Nanayakkara’s event company, ThePlug Vancouver. Nanayakkara is ThePlug’s founder and president.
We broke down UBC’s 2020/21 admissions rates, enrolment stats and more
UBC has a lot of students — in total, there are 70,024 students spread across UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan. Every year, UBC releases an annual enrolment report detailing overall student numbers, admissions statistics, Indigenous student enrolment and more. The Ubyssey has broken it down this year’s report for you. How many students go to UBC? Of the 70,024 students that go to UBC, 58,462 are enrolled at UBC Vancouver and the remaining 11,562 are at UBC Okanagan.
Between the Motions: AMS Council certifies election results after only 6.9 per cent voter turnout
March 11, 2021 · 2 min read AMS Council met last night to discuss the official results of last week’s AMS elections, UBC’s return to in-person classes and the creation of an AMS housing service. Here’s what you might have missed. The AMS’s virtual election, wrapped up AMS Chief Electoral Officer Isabelle Ava-Pointon presented the official results of the 2021 AMS elections to council. Voter turnout was 6.9 per cent this year, a significant drop from 11.6 per cent last year.
Saad Shoaib elected next year’s VP external
Saad Shoaib has been elected AMS VP external in one of four uncontested AMS executive races. Shoaib, the current associate VP external, ran on a platform of transparency and student affordability. In his campaign, he promised to lobby to cancel interest on federal student loans. In an interview with The Ubyssey right after the results were announced, Shoaib pledged to “voice student concerns louder than ever” and start focusing on advocacy.
Candidate profile: Saad Shoaib, VP external
Saad Shoaib, a third-year arts student, is running uncontested for AMS VP external on a platform of student affordability and AMS transparency. Shoaib has served as the AMS associate VP external for the past year under current VP External Kalith Nanayakkara whose office lobbied for student affordability amid COVID-19, student interests during a provincial election and pandemic U-Pass exemptions and subsidies.
‘My fraternity comes second’: VP external candidate says Greek life won’t affect his sexual violence lobbying at debate
The sole candidate for AMS VP external, Saad Shoiab, answered questions on Hong Kong, sexual violence prevention, Indigenous students and international students at the Great Debate on Saturday. Claiming he regularly worked 80 hours a week as this year’s associate VP, Shoaib described how he’d advocate for those student groups — but faced concern that his fraternity membership could hamper his ability to advocate for sexual assault survivors and oversee Greek life negotiations.
VP external candidate looks ahead to new relationships while leaving one behind
The February 24 debate saw the sole candidate for AMS VP external, Saad Shoaib, juggle questions about how he’d work with a variety of stakeholders. From sexual assault organizations and the Graduate Student Society to the BC NDP and federal lobby groups, Shoaib emphasized his experience as current associate VP external.
AMS considers tapping into referendum-approved funds to pay off deficit
Feb. 15, 2021 · 3 min read The AMS is exploring using funds established through referenda to help pay off its $720-thousand deficit amid the pandemic. At the AMS Council meeting on January 13, AMS VP Finance Lucia Liang brought up the possibility of using the Sustainable Projects, Childcare Bursary and Clubs Benefit Funds to pay its operating expenses following a drop in revenue. “The majority of the deficit is coming is the overhead costs of the Nest,” Liang said in an interview with The Ubyssey.
Prof retracts policy where purchasing optional textbook can earn bonus marks
Jan. 25, 2021 · 3 min read A professor in the faculty of forestry has rescinded their policy of awarding bonus points to students who completed exercises on an optional, paid online resource. A tweet about the policy gained more than ten thousand likes and a thousand retweets earlier this month with users expressing concern with financial inequity in access to learning materials.
One burst sprinkler and three months later, the new SASC office opens
Jan. 19, 2021 · 2 min read The AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre has opened its new office in the Nest after a delay due to a burst sprinkler. The new office space, which was originally supposed to open in October, opened on January 6, in time for second term. According to AMS VP Administration Sylvester Mensah Jr, the new office space suffered significant damage when a fire sprinkler burst on October 2, 2020, just weeks before the projected completion of construction on October 20.
Between the Motions: A first taste of AMS elections, budget woes at Council
Last night, AMS Council met over Zoom to discuss modifications to student government elections and a budget deficit amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what you need to know. AMS elections, gone virtual AMS Chief Electoral Officer Isabelle Ava-Pointon presented the timeline for the 2021 AMS elections as well as changes to how the election will be run given the pandemic.
Saudi activist and UBC alumna Loujain al-Hathloul sent to terrorism court
UBC alumna Loujain al-Hathloul’s case has been referred to a terrorism court in Saudi Arabia after she protested the country’s now-repealed ban on women driving. Al-Hathloul was originally arrested for defying the driving ban in 2018. In a November 25 court appearance, Al-Hathloul was referred to Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court which generally handles the cases of suspected terrorists and human rights activists.
Between the Motions: VP external officially referred to ethics and accountability committee for conflict of interest review
AMS Council met last night over Zoom to discuss the new ethics and accountability committee, VP External Kalith Nanayakkara’s apparent conflict of interest and recent allegations of cheating in MATH 100. Here are the highlights. VP External referred to ethics and accountability committee Council voted to refer Nanayakkara to the newly formed ethics and accountability committee over his apparent conflict of interest.
AMS VP knew about Halloween pub crawl, didn’t inform executives ahead of likely conflict of interest investigation
At the November 12 AMS Council meeting, when councillors were discussing the “PR hit” sustained by hosting the Halloween pub crawl, a councillor asked AMS VP External Kalith Nanayakkara if he had known about the pub crawl before it happened — and if so, why he didn’t inform the other executives. At the time, Nanayakkara didn’t answer, citing a conflict of interest as his startup, ThePlug Vancouver, was involved with the event.
AMS president recommends conflict of interest review for exec and ThePlug President Kalith Nanayakkara
Nov. 18, 2020 · 3 min read AMS President Cole Evans has recommended that AMS Council explore disciplinary measures for VP External Kalith Nanayakkara after Evans alleged that Nanayakkara violated the society’s conflict of interest rules. In a November 18 letter to Council, Evans alleges that Nanayakkara violated the AMS’s conflict of interest policy by using his AMS email to send a invoice to the AMS Events manager, on behalf of ThePlug Vancouver.
AMS Events pub crawl amid second wave an 'error in judgement,' AMS president says
Nov. 12, 2020 · 3 min read AMS Events came under fire on social media for holding a pub crawl on Halloween weekend. The appropriateness of the event was questioned by community members on Twitter and former AMS executives given the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. AMS Events is now reviewing its COVID-19 safety plan following a cancellation of all in-person AMS and club events.
Proposed bylaw change to reflect reality of AMS ombuds role
Oct. 28, 2020 · 2 min read The AMS is trying to remove a part of its ombudsperson’s job description requiring them to represent students in university appeals — something the AMS says the ombudsperson effectively hasn’t done for years. As a result, the AMS is proposing to change the ombudsperson's bylaws to accurately portray the role. The AMS Ombuds Office is an independent AMS-funded unit to solve disputes between constituencies and clubs as well as handle student complaints about the AMS.
Here’s what you need to know about the proposed AMS bylaw changes
This Thursday, the AMS is trying to pass four groups of bylaw changes at its annual general meeting. Many of these changes have failed in past referendums due to low voter turnout. Unlike in previous years where all the changes were presented in an omnibus referendum question, these changes will be split into four parts for students to vote on at the AMS’s annual general meeting (AGM).
Province awards Broadway Subway contract as 99 remains busiest, most overcrowded route
Sept. 17, 2020 · 2 min read The province has awarded a contract to extend the SkyTrain part of the way to UBC, Premier John Horgan announced earlier this month. The Broadway Subway Project will provide rapid transit to much of the busy Broadway corridor, with construction set to begin this fall. “When completed, the Broadway Subway will transform how people get around in Vancouver,” said Horgan in a September 3 press release.
UBC to lose $77 million in international student fees this year
From travel restrictions to limited housing capacity and time zone difficulties, international students have been particularly impacted by COVID-19 changes this coming school year. This will likely lead to a drop in international student enrolment for the fall term, and revenue shortfalls from that drop could have major financial implications for UBC.
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