Transparency and preparation dominated last night’s discussion as the candidates to be the next AMS VP finance sat down for their first debate Wednesday night.
Current Associate VP finance Rita Jin, current Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) President Noah Jassmann and AMS newcomer Angad Singh Gill faced a variety of questions concerning everything from budget communication and Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) funding to potential conflicts of interest.
When asked how they would improve the communication of AMS budget information to students, the three candidates largely gave similar answers focused around transparency.
Jin supported making the budget website more transparent and accessible.
“I'm hoping that we can publish newsletters to signal to the student population so that they know important deadlines are coming up, who to contact and if they have any questions to always come to open office hours to ask for help,” she said.
Jin also proposed holding regular office hours to answer any questions that students might have.
Jassmann meanwhile, focused his approach on informing people via social media. He proposed weekly ask-me-anything sessions on Facebook and Instagram to communicate such information. He also suggested frequent video tutorials, signage and email updates.
“I think that one of the common roots of every problem at UBC is the fact that students aren't aware of the resources that are available to them,” said Jassmann. “So I think we have to make students well aware of every resource that is available to them, especially financial ones.”
Gill offered a number of ideas to increase student awareness..
He proposed a participatory budgeting system for the AMS in which students would have direct input into where AMS money goes — he did not provide details on how he would do such a project. He also suggested organizing a series of workshops for students to learn about budgeting and using social media.
“Under outreach, I will send surveys and we can even use social media such as Instagram to have a simple 'yes' and 'no,'” he added.
On other questions, the candidates demonstrated a lack of knowledge on existing policies.When asked which aspects of UBC’s Indigenous Finance Guidelines they would implement in the AMS, some seemed unaware of these guidelines' existence.
“I have not seen it and not heard about it,” said Gill. “That’s what I want to build on to make things more transparent and accessible for the students.”
Jin, meanwhile, cited a need to respect Indigenous cultures and beliefs in how the AMS conducts its finances. She recommended that the report be integrated into the AMS’s current procedures, providing an example of payments for services coming immediately after a ceremony, should custom dictate. Jin did not elaborate on how such policies would be officially integrated.
Jassmann suggested including culturally-appropriate counselors in mental health coverage to ensure that the practice is culturally appropriate.
Jassmann also fielded many audience questions directed towards his candidacy specifically.
He was asked to clarify his platform promise to reallocate funds to UBC’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO), despite SVPRO being a UBC-run initiative, not an AMS one.
Jassmann clarified that he intended to refer to SASC, and that his reference to SVPRO was an error.
“So I think raising funds in terms of [SASC] is a good way of going about this in terms of all sexual assault organizations,” he said.
In an earlier question, all three candidates confirmed that they would ensure that funds reach SASC, even if the referendum item on increasing the organization’s student fee didn’t pass this year.
Jassmann also was asked whether, if elected, there would be a conflict of interest between his current position as IFC president and the VP finance role.
He insisted that he would be leaving the IFC once his term ends on April 30 and that he would handle AMS finances impartially.
Jin, Jassmann and Gill will meet again during the Great Debate Thursday evening in the Great Hall.
Follow us at @UbysseyNews on Twitter and follow our election coverage starting February 28. This article is part of our 2022 AMS elections coverage.