NO VOTE NO VOICE – president

Yes, I am one of those people that will go on forever about the benefits of voting. For me it’s not so much a choice but an obligation. I mean, how will I ever again have the face to complain about anything relating to students if I don’t vote? How will you?

So, I have been doing a little bit of personal research on some of the candidates. My research consisted of three steps:

1. look them up in the UBC website, if they don’t appear in the first page of results, move on to the next candidate.

2. google them. Look at no more than 3 pages.

3. facebook them. Hope that their privacy settings aren’t that great.

The Results?

Bijan Ahmadian

1. Bijan Ahmadian is a graduate of the Conflict Resolution program at the Justice Institute of BC. He came to UBC in 1998 as an international student, graduated from the Engineering Physics and currently studying Law. Bijan has been very active in the UBC community. He was leader with Imagine UBC Orientation from 1999-202. During 2002/03 he ran the AMS Ombuds Office, which helps students resolve conflict with the administration on campus…. From 2004 to 2007, Bijan served as the elected Student Representative of the Faculty of Applied Science to the Senate, which deals with academic issues at UBC. In his spare time, Bijan dances with the Vancouver Pars National Ballet, which is an Iranian Folklore Dance company. (From the UBC Board of Governors)

2. I’ll let you see the videos by yourself here

3. How cool will it be to have a president that can do this:

Pak Ho Leung

1. No results.

2. All I could find in Google was that he started his campaign before the starting date. And a link to his facebook group…

3. “I am Pak Ho Leung, a 2nd year commuter student in Sauder. I hail from Richmond. I am running for AMS president. I will:
-Make bus rides not be as terrible  -Make school lunches tastier  -Make the AMS friendly, very friendly” (from PA HO LEUNG FOR AMS PRESIDENT, facebook).

Will he teach us to play golf?

Natalie Swift

1. Natalie Swift is a fourth year Forestry student involved in a myriad of initiatives on campus. Notably, Natalie is a transfer student to UBC however this has not impeded her ability to seek out ways to improve student life on campus. Natalie has been involved in student governance since her arrival at UBC by being actively involved in the AMS as a Forestry representative and is currently the Forestry Undergraduate Society’s Vice President External. Natalie’s passion for environmental issues is evident as she is also active with a number of environmental groups and organizations both within UBC and in the greater community. These include the Friends of the UBC Farm, Vancouver Field Naturalists, and Bridge to a Cool Planet to name a few. (From SLC 2010)

2. Read on her facebook groups that she has a page. www.natswift.com. I couldn’t find it.

3. “Leadership is not about pursuing one’s personal agenda but following the will of the membership – YOU. In the case of AMS President, it’s about having vision and fostering an effective team to pursue initiatives of benefit to and prioritized by the student body. I truly believe in the fundamental importance of students coming together in an organized manner to take ownership of their educational experience. With my previous experience both on and off campus, I am confident that I possess the necessary leadership characteristics and qualifications to lead your AMS.” (VOTE NATALIE SWIFT FOR AMS PRESIDENT, facebook)

— great privacy settings Natalie! – no picture for you!

Sean Kim

1. No results.

2. No results.

3. “• Student well-being – healthy and inexpensive food options • Lower education expenses • New technology for enhanced learning • Interactive Student Community • Future Security” (Sean Kim for AMS President, facebook)

Do you want to go for a ride?