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'Tis the Season of Voting!

I am running to represent you beautiful people of UBC at the Senate at-Large and Board of Governors in this year's AMS elections from March 6-10 :D 

Acknowledgment: I am grateful to live and learn on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Watuth), Stó:lō, and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations of the Coast Salish peoples.

Plugging in  

If you ask my peers or let's say my dad about one thing that defines me, they often reply with one word - activism. I started an NGO Put a Period in grade nine with my three buddies to fight against the social stigma around period and reproductive health and period poverty in the city I grew up in where the largest taboo of all is the word itself- period and today we have over 60 young people volunteering with Put a Period towards the cause. No matter all the immense resistance and pushback, I always keep speaking up, and put up a fight for the causes and beliefs I believe in - it’s an emotion I can never give up. I have learned it is the systematic change and changes in policy we need to push for to actually make things work in this world we live in. And so here at UBC too, I want to continue to be a vocal and active member of the UBC student community, and I started the odyssey when I got to be elected representative at the UBC Science Undergraduate Society (SUS). I want to continue to represent our collective concerns and frustrations, voice student opinions on issues that affect us all, and resolve them the way we envision to at the Senate and Board of Governors; to name a few from the lists of hundreds of issues - freeze if not reduce tuition fees, develop effective strategies to secure funding to ensure food security for 100% of the community at UBC, get 24/7 hour access to study spaces and libraries, not cause a dent on our bank while buying course materials, how the academic pressure, exam hardships and all these unresolved impending issues putting an irreversible toll on our mental health and so on. With your support, input, and feedback, I can have a role in shaping those decisions the way you want on behalf of you.

Ready and willing, 

Sultana :')

Voting Period:

March 6-10! Mark the calendars and login with your CWL in the link to be able to see the ballots you're eligible to vote in :)

Why Senate At-Large and why me?

  • Reform V-102 on examination hardships and clashes and extend the policies to be applicable to midterms e.g accommodations for back-to-back midterms clashes  

  • Increase capacity in the courses that are in demand and hard to get in, get it delivered in more number of terms/sessions and more classes

  • Propose to not have a large number of students in classes because it affects the quality of education due to the huge difference in ratio of teachers to students 

  • Review V-200.1 and V-200.2 and increase the amount of financial aid and scholarships for both domestic and international students (international students' scholarships needs to be made widely accessible and why can't be eligible for financial aid?)

  • Reform J-136 on religious and cultural observances to have exams and other assessments mindfully scheduled around the religious and cultural observances because we want everyone to feel welcomed and included by not having them compromise their culture for the sake of academic validations

  • Propose Academic Building Needs committee to  push for 24/7 access to study spaces 

  • Enrich the Co-Op education programs to be widely accessible among the students willing to participate through Teaching and Learning committee

  • Reduce mandatory course materials spending by pushing for OER (Open Education Resources) and subsidized rates from third-party publications e.g Macmillan, Pearson

  • Work to develop policies and practices putting the communities that were disproportionately affected by climate change at the forefront of priority and support, eg- Indigenous communities, LGBTQA++, people of color and more, promote sustainable and intersectional practices in research and teaching, reduce the university's carbon footprint, and promote sustainable transportation options for students, faculty, and staff because we have a Campus Vision 2050 to make real.

  • Ask for curriculum reform and review and revise the university's academic programs and course offerings to ensure they are up-to-date, relevant, and meet the needs of students.

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Why Board of Governors and why me? 

  • ​At UBC, the decision to divest from specific companies or industries would typically be made by the Board's Finance Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the university's investments. As the student rep, my role would be to make recommendations and lobby to divest from companies that invest in fossil fuels, and run on environmentally harmful, unethical, or apartheid grounds and I promise to make our opinions heard.

  • Tuition fees at UBC have been steadily increasing over the years, making it harder for many students to afford a university education. I firmly believe it is possible to achieve a freeze in tuition while maintaining the financial stability of the university through a combination of strategies. One such - UBC Board can lobby the government for increased funding to cover the costs of education. This involves advocating for increased investment in higher education or seeking targeted funding for specific programs or initiatives. Precisely why I am running for the Board of Governors to push for an effective plan to freeze tuition.

  •  The board has the capacity to push for introducing more scholarships and financial aid for students, and we should focus more on international students. 

  • Push for reducing or eliminating late payment fees and make education more affordable and accessible, with tuition freezes, increased financial aid

  • Secure funding for better rates of Heath and Dental insurance plans

  • All of us can tell how access to food and nutrition has started to become something unacheiavble as days go by.  No food security= no academic success. To address this issue, the Board can work to increase access to healthy, affordable food on campus in a lot of ways. This may involve expanding meal programs, supporting food banks and other community organizations the UBC Farm, the UBC Farm Market, and the UBC Food System Project and  student-led initiatives like the Sprouts, the Food Hub Market at CIRS or partnering with local businesses to offer discounts on healthy food options and MORE funding for the initiatives targeted to ensure food security for the community at UBC.

My map to address: AFFORDABILITY & ACCESSIBILITY 

  • Tuition fees at UBC have been steadily increasing over the years, making it harder for many students to afford a university education. I firmly believe it is possible to achieve a freeze in tuition while maintaining the financial stability of the university through a combination of strategies. One such - UBC Board can lobby the government for increased funding to cover the costs of education. This may involve advocating for increased investment in higher education or seeking targeted funding for specific programs or initiatives. Precisely why I am running for the Board of Governors to push for an effective plan to freeze tuition. 

  • Increase on-campus housing supply and put a cap on rent on an urgent basis because at the moment the rent increase is getting too far from being affordable.  

  • Reduce mandatory course materials spending by pushing for OER or subsidized prices for materials third-party publications for online assessment tools.

  •  The Board of Governors has the authority to set the wage rates for student employees above the minimum wage rate if they so choose. Push for an increase in minimum wage rates for on-campus jobs.

  • Work on and improve the mapping of SATF to identify barriers to affordability and develop strategies to support students who face financial challenges, increase the availability and accessibility of financial aid and awards, such as scholarships and bursaries, to support students in need.

Every

My map to address-DIVERSITY, STUDENT ENGAGEMENT & SUSTAINIBILITY

  • Students often feel disconnected from decision-making processes at UBC. I am committed to advocating for increased student involvement in governance and decision-making, such as expanding opportunities for student input on policy issues, or creating more transparent communication channels between students and university officials, for example - informal polls online, feedback box at Nest, boothing at the Nest to discuss the issues and students' opinions

  • UBC has a diverse student body, and we want a welcoming and inclusive campus environment. I need your support in advocating for initiatives to support underrepresented groups and promote diversity and inclusion, such as increasing funding for cultural events and diverse student groups, advocating for more resources, policies, or initiatives that align with the Indigenous Strategic Plan and implement them timely, expanding mental health resources and accessibility needs, developing programs to support international students.

  • Push for divest from harmful and unethical companies 

  • Reform J-136 on religious and cultural observances to have exams and other assessments mindfully scheduled around the religious and cultural observances because we want everyone to feel welcomed and included by not having them compromise their culture for the sake of academic validations

My map to address: FOOD SECURITY & LEARNING EXPERIENCES 

  •  Almost all of us have faced issues with getting into courses that are requirements and on demand. And we have also faced issues with accessing resources like advising without too long a wait. About time we identify areas where improvements are needed and fix them ASAP. And we need access to study spaces for 24x7 please right!

  • Work with academic departments to identify the root causes of the seat shortage in courses on demand. Encourage them to increase the availability of these courses by offering them more frequently or increasing class sizes.

  • All of us can sense how food insecurity has been a major barrier to overall well-being and academic success. To address this issue, the Board can work to increase access to healthy, affordable food on campus. This may involve expanding meal programs, supporting food banks and other community organizations, or partnering with local businesses to offer discounts on healthy food options.

  • UBC has a number of ways to promote local, sustainable food production and consumption, such as the UBC Farm, the UBC Farm Market, and the UBC Food System Project, student-led initiatives like the Sprouts, the Food hub market. As a Board member, I will vouch to support of these initiatives by advocating for funding, collaborating with student-led initiatives, and promoting their work to the broader UBC community.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk! If you wanna reach out with any feedbacks or questions or just to say hi, would really love that!

  razia3288@gmail.com

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