VP Administration candidate Ben (Han Qiao) Du relied on his familiarity with the portfolio but fell short when getting into specifics on policy in a solo debate on Tuesday night.
Du, the only uncontested candidate in this year’s AMS elections, spoke about supporting the Hatch Art Gallery, increasing student access to the new Interactive Sustainability Centre (ISC) and increasing seating space in the Nest.
In his opening statement, Du emphasized his experience as associate VP administration and his time as the Operations Committee’s vice-chair.
“The insights acquired over the past two years have equipped me with the operational understanding to know what needs to change and how to change it,” said Du.
On issues with communication and hiring for the Hatch Art Gallery last year, Du said he would start with an “accelerated” hiring process over the summer. He added that the Gallery would be promoted through advertisements on the Nest’s television screens, the AMS’s social media channels and through posters.
The newly-opened Interactive Sustainability Centre (ISC) faced criticism in the past for its high price tag. The ISC cost the AMS roughly $24,300 with $6,500 of the budget spent on ChopValue, a UBC alumnus’ business, which makes furniture out of recycled chopsticks.
Du emphasized that it’s up to the VP Admin portfolio to make sure there are no “operational barriers” to accessing this room.
Du didn’t comment on how he would justify the cost of the ISC but said he would prioritize outreach as the ISC’s location in the Life Building is “not the most optimum.”
“Our focus will be directed towards targeted advertisements and promotional content to get people to go to the space,” said Du. As of now, clubs have to book to use the space, but Du indicated that he might be willing to open it more broadly.
Du’s lack of policy knowledge showed in a question on Policy I-17, the student society’s Sexual Violence Policy. As VP Administration, Du would chair the Operations Committee, the body responsible for adjudicating cases under the policy when it relates to AMS members, barring situations where the respondent holds a student governance position.
Du first gave a general answer on how to conduct policy reviews, but then said the review shouldn’t be “rushed” and should include all stakeholders like the Sexual Assault Support Centre and UBC’s Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Office (SVPRO). The earlier version of the policy didn’t include the SVPRO in its consultation.
When asked how he would increase the number of study spaces in the Nest, Du said he was aware of the problem and had already started talking about this issue with Michael Kingsmill, the AMS’s project manager. He added that he would launch a six-month trial to convert lounge spaces in the Nest to study spaces.
An audience member asked Du why he thought the VP administration race was the only uncontested executive race this year and how he would encourage students to run in the next elections cycle.
“In a way, and you can interpret it how it is … it means we didn't frustrate clubs enough for them to think about themselves coming into the AMS to make [a] change,” Du said, but acknowledged that contested races are better than uncontested ones.
“It starts with making sure that people know about the administration role and the integral responsibility that it plays in terms of student life at UBC and sustainability efforts on campus,” he said.
Follow us at @UbysseyNews on Twitter and follow our election coverage starting February 28. This article is part of our 2022 AMS elections coverage.