Linda Zheng, a fourth-year arts student, is running to be the next VP finance on a platform focused on greater financial sustainability, increased transparency and improved communication with treasurers.
Zheng is currently the AMS associate VP finance and the former Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) VP finance, and she said these experiences set her apart from the other candidate by allowing her to better implement changes that treasurers of student clubs and students want.
Zheng added that when she was the VP finance for the AUS, she implemented new grants, created a better reimbursement system and organized financial workshops for students. Seeing the change that she could bring in one year as the VP finance for the AUS and then as the AVP finance for the AMS, she said she was motivated to run for the VP finance role.
A top priority for Zheng is to ensure financial sustainability within the AMS.
“[Ensuring sustainability] can be done through diversifying our revenue streams, taking a look at AMS as a whole and seeing what budgets we can cut off and add to other parts that are more needed and more impactful to students such as the food bank,” she said.
Another priority for Zheng is to increase financial transparency with students.
“It's about having surveys to see what students really want when it comes to their health and dental plan. It's also about promoting our quarterly report, and having students actually read about it and know what is happening within the AMS financially," she said.
Zheng also wants to improve communication and the transition experience for treasurers. She plans on doing this by organizing workshops and caucuses throughout the year to help treasurers learn how to budget, use certain forms and file reimbursements along with providing them with a platform to raise their concerns.
On student engagement, Zheng said her main stream of communication would be town halls to talk to students about the AMS/GSS Health & Dental Plan. She said she would also love to talk to students one-on-one and they would be able to set up an appointment with her via email.
When asked about the $481,000 deficit that AMS projected for 2022/23, Zheng said this was due to underperforming AMS businesses and food outlets due to COVID-19. She said that the revenues this year have gone up each quarter and that she would look to diversify the revenue streams of the AMS if elected.
Although Zheng knew about the need to increase the student fee for the AMS/GSS Health & Dental Plan — one of this year’s referendum items — and the consequences if the referendum did not pass, she said she was unaware about the reasons behind the plan’s depleting funds. The Health & Dental reserve has been depleting at an unsustainable rate due to a significant increase in claims for mental health coverage in the last two years.
Zheng did not attend the Great Debate, but emphasized her experience as AVP finance this year as an asset during the first debate.
Zheng is running against Abhi Mishra in the race for VP finance.
Follow us at @UbysseyNews on Twitter and follow our election coverage starting February 27. This article is part of our 2023 AMS Elections coverage.