Kuol Akuechbeny, a third-year business student and AMS University Affairs Commissioner, is running for the position of VP Finance on a platform of supporting clubs, student entrepreneurs and businesses through ambitious financial reforms.
One of Akuechbeny’s key promises is to expand the recently introduced credit card system, phasing out slower cheque-based reimbursement in the process. As the former AMS Clubs and Constituencies Financial Administrator and current president of World University Service of Canada UBC, Akuechbeny said he understands clubs’ need for financial flexibility.
“As financial administrator, I was the point of contact for all the treasurers. ... I understand what clubs are going through and what we need to implement.”
In his role as a non-voting member on the AMS Finance Commission, Akuechbeny helped get credit cards on the finance office’s agenda, but said the current figure of 30 credit cards is too low. Accordingly, he proposes a complete shift from paper to plastic, promising to end cheque-based reimbursement for club expenses within three months.
“It was supposed to be done during Louis [Retief’s, former VP Finance] time,” he said, “and now Alim’s time is coming to an end and it still has not been done.”
Akuechbeny also plans to expand and utilize existing AMS services, emphasizing that many services aren’t used because club members and students simply aren’t aware of them.
“I want to go the extra mile making sure people know the information,” said Akuechbeny. “They should be using it or else it’s not benefiting students, and then we would see how we can correct that.”
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One of the platforms he would expand is the Student Initiative Fund, an AMS fund for student philanthropic and academic work currently valued at around $37,000. Akuechbeny said he would increase that by 50 per cent.
To finance this, Akuechbeny wants to increase business revenue through a close assessment of the AMS’s budgetary needs and tighter financial planning. He stressed that, as a student society, the AMS and its businesses should put affordability first.
“We want to make revenue, in a good way,” said Akuechbeny, who proposed increasing returns through tightened internal accountability and management. “But we also want to make things affordable to our students on this campus.”
Akuechbeny’s platform is ambitious — and he acknowledged that it will be tough to execute, but maintains that the AMS shouldn’t back down from a challenge.
“There will be risks, but that shouldn’t stop us from using a sustainable system — we just need to be careful,” he said. “We are a major student society in a big university. We can handle this.”
Ultimately, Akuechbeny sees the position as a chance to create change as well as balanced budgets.
“This is an executive position and a political position for the AMS,” said Akuechbeny. “It shouldn’t just focus on the AMS’s money, but go beyond that — and that’s [what] I intend to do.”