NOSTRUM EST!
This year’s AMS election results were revealed last night at the Gallery pub in the Student Union Building at around 10pm.
The greatest surprise for most of the hacks was the election for VP Administration. Nobody believed that Tristan would not be winning, but that was the case as Crystal Hon, standing for the ‘silent majority’, swooped the position completely unexpectedly.
We hope that Tristan is able to make an exemplar transition that will prevent the AMS from losing the grip in its negotiations for the SUB Renewal on behalf of the students. There are a lot of accusations for smear campaigning going on, but so far nobody has paid a close attention at the implications of the Ubyssey article entitled “Hardball” that cast Tristan in a bad light during the week of the elections.
It could be easily argued as well that some of our own articles regarding the elections, such as those on the Presidential race, our endorsement of Blake Frederick and poignant critique of Monegro’s platform, may have influenced the outcome of the elections. I guess that’s why people issue endorsements. As to the results:
Board of Governors: Mike Duncan + Bijan Ahmadian
-Nothing very hard to predict. As some of the coverage has remarked, the size of facebook group and friendship lists do result in votes. Mike and Bijan have pretty much a compatible number of facebook friends, and have been around for many years. The differences between both elected BoG reps are very strong though. Mike takes sides and champions student issues and feels he represents student interests, while Bijan tries to work within the system to please the administration, the Board, the community at large, shown by his devotion to the undergrouund bus loop and for pressuring the AMS to give in to the demands of the administration regarding this expensive and unecessary project (if you are not a developer).
AMS President: Blake Frederick
-Our top choice by far, and justice has been done. The platforms for the other options were not impressive at best, completely disconnected from the daily struggles of the average student. Blake’s personal history and passion for social justice are more than clear through his work as AVP External and his engagement at both the UBC Senate and the AMS Council. The 46 vote margin makes things sweeter. And the high turnout was a victory for students, while it can still get better in the future, if the AMS becomes proactive about supporting and promoting the elections.
VP Academic: Johannes Rebane
-We did not know Johannes before he came out of the Commerce Undergraduate Society and decided to sweep this position. He was indeed the only candidate with executive-type experience in a student society, along with Sonia Purewal (thanks anon for the revision). Johannes spoke strongly against irresponsible development on campus and remarked that this is a ‘higher learning institution and not a shopping mall’. We agree completely, and, compared to the rhetoric and actions that came out of this position last year, we think that Johannes will have no trouble doing a much better job.
VP External: Tim Chu
-Again, the logical choice. His opponent for this race came out too strongly as a nagger, complaining about the AMS with little basis, looking like an iPod product, and that blew off his chances with the hacks. Chu has been standing for issues of minority representation and equity and embodies the proactive spirit that will compel him to ask the hard questions and to take the right stances at the right time.
VP Administration: Crystal Hon
-Coming, it seemed, from out of nowhere, Crystal caused the most major upset of this year’s elections, beating Tristan almost inexplicably. Crystal’s debate performances did not consist of much preparation, and she was short, direct, and sometimes critically ironic. Knowing Tristan, and how much he was probably campaigning, we thought that she would not stand a chance, but she did it! Crystal’s achievement is major. A woman, standing for the ‘silent majority’, she stood her ground and took the bounty. All the students running for elections are very talented (like all UBC students), and we know that Crystal must have campaigned very hard to win this position, so we hope that she and Tristan can have the merriest and most detailed transition possible and prepare a negotiating strategy for the SUB Renewal that does not relinquish control of the project to the administration and the developers who live from their pockets.
VP Finance: Tom Dvorak
-Tom was always firm in his debates, and seemed to know what he was up against. The same can be said of his opponent. It’s probably great to have the added aesthetic element of sharing a last name with a famous classical composer. This is the most operational position in the AMS, and the one that is less public and more technical. One of the positive things we noticed about Tom is his firmness and apparent confidence in his skills. He was a little bit too agressive and dismissive, however, but there’s no indication that he is not approachable. he will be working with a very strong team this year, and with Blake in the lead, and Tom’s devotion to initiative that work, we should hope to see positive changes in the availability of AMS funds for student initiatives.
UBC Student Media 