Platforms, fact checked: Breaking down 2025 AMS Elections candidates' claims

Candidates make a lot of claims, and it can be hard to independently verify the validity of them, but that's why The Ubyssey has a team dedicated to fact-checking all the big claims candidates make.

Here we're covering major platform points from candidates in every race — president, VP academic and university affairs, VP administration, VP external, VP finance, Senate and the Board of Governors.

We didn't cover everything, but hopefully this gives you a clearer idea on what candidates’ platforms are saying — and how much of it is true.

Quotes have been edited for brevity and clarity.

/u/sasamats, Riley Huntley, Barry "Bee" Buzzword and Drédyn Fontana are running for president.

/u/sasamats

/u/sasamats: Bring back the mask mandate. Y’all are legitimately nasty.

Noted. In August 2022, then-UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa Ono announced UBC would only recommend masks for the fall term, falling short of a mandate.

/u/sasamats: Justin Trudeau appointed as VP Student Life.

False. To occupy an AMS executive position or run for AMS office, individuals must be active members of the society per AMS bylaws, meaning they must pay the AMS fee, be enrolled in a degree or diploma program or be registered in a course for credit. Trudeau seems to not currently be an active member of the AMS.

/u/sasamats: AMS meetings more accessible: livestream on Twitch.

False. AMS Council meetings are currently accessible via Zoom and are open to the public.

/u/sasamats: Move old Fire Hall back to where it was.

Mostly false, and noted. The fire hall was relocated to a temporary space to make room for the Sauder expansion after the approval from the Board of Governors during its September 25 meeting. It will be moved back to its original place.

Riley Huntley

Huntley: Increase CfA advisors by 10% to align with the Centre for Accessibility’s approx. 10% annual growth. Currently, each advisor oversees 380-400 students, leading to long wait times and inconsistent support. Increasing staffing by at least 5 more advisors will reduce caseloads to a manageable amount, ensuring students receive timely and effective accommodations.

True. According to the AMS’s Student Priorities for the 2024/25 UBC Operating Budget, the CfA has experienced a 10 per cent annual growth and that 13 advisors oversee between 380–400 cases.

Huntley: I will strengthen AMS Executive Contracts and the AMS Records Policy SR2 with clear accountability measures to improve transparency and student oversight, such as the mandatory release of all reports leading to reprimand or removal of an AMS Executive.

Noted, but likely unlawful. BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) defines employee personal information as information “collected, used or disclosed solely for the purposes reasonably required to establish, manage or terminate an employment relationship between the organization and that individual, but does not include personal information that is not about an individual's employment.” Disclosing information such as reasons for removal or reprimand without the consent of the employee, or having HR paperwork include consent clauses regarding the release of employee personal information, ostensibly violates PIPA as this consent is not provided in accordance with the act.

Huntley: Hiring a permanent equity professional to spearhead equity training and embed equity within the AMS.

True, and noted. The AMS previously had a permanent equity staff member, but that position is not currently filled.

Huntley: I will ensure the implementation of Action #16, to ensure all academic programs include substantive course content in at least one course to discuss and educate on Indigenous histories and their intersection with each field of study without increasing course load or credit requirements for students. I will also advocate for the fulfilment of Action #21, dedicating spaces for Indigenous students, faculty and staff to practice and celebrate their cultures.

True, and noted. UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan’s action 16 and 21 are as Huntley described. Though academic advocacy, regarding action 16, can fall under the purview of the AMS president, it also falls under the VP academic and university affairs (AUA) portfolio and the UBC Vancouver Senate.

Huntley: Increase the PhD minimum funding package from $24,000 to $26,000. Advocate for extending the funding from 4 years to 5 years to align more closely with the average length of PhD programs.

True, and noted. Student leaders have continuously advocated for increasing UBC’s minimum funding package for PhD students. Former AMS VP AUA Kamil Kanji advocated to increase the funding package from $22,000 to $24,000, and advocacy to further increase the funding package has been an ongoing goal for student advocates. The minimum funding package is only available for four years, despite many PhD program lengths at UBC average over five years.

Barry "Bee" Buzzword

Buzzword: Cast yourself back and think on all the previous candidates you've voted for (or if you're in the 75-80% of students who don't vote, the candidates you didn't give a shit about).

Mostly true. Just over 21 per cent of eligible students voted in last year’s AMS Election, meaning around 79 per cent of students didn’t vote. A 2018 Ubyssey article said students are apathetic to voting while other Ubyssey coverage said joke candidates or referendum items can increase turnout.

Buzzword: Furthermore, the executives are paid an eyewatering $40,000 (as long as you don't think about the hours).

True. In 2022, then-AMS President Cole Evans said AMS executives make an annual salary of approximately $42,000 plus benefits for a 37.5 hour work week. Past AMS executives have said the workload often exceeds 37.5 hours.

Buzzword: Did you know that nearly 50% of AMS executives left office partway through their term?

True. Since 2022, 46 per cent of all elected AMS executives have left the society in some capacity — whether by resignation, removal or extended leaves of absence during their term.

Buzzword: The AMS urged UBC to divest from companies complicit in Palestinian human rights violations, yet the AMS itself has not yet done such a manner of divestment — and even went so far as to amend our investments policy to remove a fossil fuel free requirement.

True. In 2022, the AMS passed a motion to call on the UBC Board of Governors to divest UBC from companies it says are complicit in human rights violations in Palestine. UBC denied this request, and the AMS has not since publicly commented on divestment related to Palestine or divested itself. In 2018, the AMS’s Investments Policy said all investments must be fossil fuel free, but the current policy, which was updated in 2024, does not explicitly require this.

Nobody

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Nobody did not have a public platform by press time.

Drédyn Fontana

Fontana: Supporting student workers and their right to unionize.

Noted. The AMS has not publicly endorsed or supported student unionization efforts on campus in the past year. In 2021/22, the AMS supported UBC residence advisors who were unionizing.

Fontana: Exploring the reestablishment of Student Court.

True, and noted. At a 2020 AMS Annual General Meeting, a motion to eliminate the AMS’s Student Court was proposed — and passed — after multiple failed referendum items.

Fontana: Exploring a return to a flat executive structure.

True, and noted. From 2005–2015, AMS code explicitly mentioned the VPs reported to the president. Prior to 2023, the duties of each VP were not explicitly stated, though the AMS bylaws and code outline the duties of each executive. A 2023 referendum bylaw change modified the wording of the AMS president’s role from being to “assist and advise” the VPs to “assist, advise, and manage” the VPs.

Fontana: Establishing a regular session of the Executive Performance and Accountability Committee where VPs are present without the President.

Noted. The AMS Executive Performance and Accountability Committee, which is responsible for seeking and presenting feedback on AMS executives, was formed in 2023. On March 12, current committee vice-chair and presidential candidate Riley Huntley told The Ubyssey regular committee sessions without the president, but with the VPs present do not currently occur.

Ananya Gupta and Zarifa Nawar are running for VP academic and university affairs (AUA).

Ananya Gupta

Gupta: Prioritize student-specific housing on the University Endowment Land, nearly 40% of which is new housing but not much for students.

Mostly true. According to UBC Campus + Community Planning, up to 40 per cent of new campus neighbourhood development will be rental units and of that only 15 per cent is specifically for people who work and study on campus.

Zarifa Nawar

Nawar: Ensure that at minimum the $800,000 multi-year commitment for Food Security Initiatives is renewed and maintained, including supports for the AMS Food Bank and Undergraduate Society Initiatives.

True. In March 2024, UBC’s Board of Governors committed to allocate $800,000 in funding to food insecurity for the next three years.

Nawar: Continue to advocate for the expansion of need-based aid for international students by working with Enrollment Services to create a mechanism for assessing financial need in foreign countries and reviewing Policy LR10 (Financial Aid).

True. UBC’s Financial Aid Policy, LR10, said “no Eligible Student (as defined by the Financial Aid Policy) will be prevented from commencing or continuing his or her studies at the University for financial reasons alone.” International students are not covered in the scope of the policy.

Nawar: Advocate for revisions of the tuition allocation model so that 8% of international student tuition goes towards financial aid instead of 7.5%, which allows for more money to be available for needs-based and merit-based aid for continuing international students.

True. According to the AMS’s Student Priorities for the 2024/25 UBC Operating Budget, 7.5 per cent of international student tuition goes into financial aid per UBC’s tuition allocation model. The AMS has previously advocated for the allocation to increase from 7.5 per cent to 8 per cent.

Nawar: Advocate to increase PhD Students’ Minimum Funding Packages from $24,000 to $26,000 and for it to be available beyond 4 years.

Dylan Evans is running for VP admin.

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Evans did not have a public platform by press time.

Solomon Yi-Kieran is running for VP external as an uncontested candidate.

Yi-Kieran: The BC Residential Tenancy Act doesn’t apply to on-campus student housing. For the 14,000 students living in UBCV residence, this means they can be subject to sudden and unwarranted evictions and price increases.

True. UBC Housing, including residence housing, is not subject to the Residential Tenancy Act and therefore is not subject to provincial rent increase caps or renter protections. According to a provincial webpage, rent increases for 2025 are capped at 3 per cent and the three-month notice according to the Residential Tenancy Act remains the same.

Yi-Kieran: In the 2023/2024 year, the [AMS] Food Bank received $45,000 in funding.

False. The AMS Food Bank received $450,000 in funding for the 2023/24 year.

Gagan Parmar is running for VP finance in an uncontested race.

Parmar: Expand the quarterly financial reports to include detailed funds usage statistics, ensuring students understand how their money benefits them.

True, and noted. The most recent quarterly financial report, which was for the second quarter of the 2024/25 year, did not break down what services are doing with their funding.

Parmar: Work with constituencies and fee-receiving groups to ensure their budgets and spending data are publicly accessible and regularly published.

True, and noted. While some constituencies have budgets publicly available on their websites, this information has to be requested from others.

Daniel Aminbakhsh, Keanu Chan, Drédyn Fontana, Dianya Gao, Shorya Goyal, Ananya Gupta, Kareem Hassib, Jasper Lorien, Mohkam Singh Malik (ਮੋਹਕਮ), Bardia Mohammadizadeh, Zarifa Nawar, Veeru Vaidesh Seethanaboyina, Mankanwar Singh and Solomon Yi-Kieran are running for five Senate positions.

Daniel Aminbakhsh

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Aminbakhsh did not have a public platform by press time.

Keanu Chan

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Chan did not have a public platform by press time.

Drédyn Fontana

Fontana is also running for AMS president and his platform did not include specific goals for Senate distinct of his platform for president.

Dianya Gao

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Gao did not have a public platform by press time.

Shorya Goyal

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Goyal did not have a public platform by press time.

Ananya Gupta

Gupta: Advocate for Lecture Capture Technology in all classrooms, along with the infrastructure and knowledge for all professors implement it.

Mostly true. According to Gupta’s candidate bio on an AMS webpage, Gupta aims to advocate for Lecture Capture Technology and ensure professors have the infrastructure & funds to create accessible learning environments. However, Gupta’s campaign does not specify she will provide the knowledge for professors to implement these frameworks.

Kareem Hassib

Hassib: [I am] current vice-chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee with experience on seven different Senate Committees.

True. Hassib currently serves on four (library, nominating, student appeals of discipline and teaching and learning) committees and has previously served on …. (admissions, academic policy, agenda, appeals on academic standing and tributes).

Hassib: Have the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Diversity and Inclusion (SACADI) become a permanent committee.

True. Currently, there is no standing committee for Academic Diversity and Inclusion.

Hassib: Revise Policy LR7 to include temporary disabilities & remove diagnosis requirement.

True. LR7 does not currently apply to students experiencing temporary health issues (defined as impairments unrelated to a disability and likely to be resolved in less than one term) and the Centre for Accessibility requires a diagnosis in order to register.

Jasper Lorien

Lorien: Currently, the libraries are going through a budgetary crisis due to a combination of loss of significant amounts of Work Learn funding (which they heavily rely on) and the drop in the value of the Canadian dollar in USD (which is the primary currency the library uses for its purchases).

True. The 2023/24 UBC Library Report states it did not receive all of their Work Learn funding and the exchange rate was higher than expected.

Lorien: Currently, every year over $4 million (the exact number fluctuates year to year but in 2022 it was upwards of $6 million) of endowed awards are unclaimed, leaving students without access to valuable financial supports.

True.

Mohkam Singh Malik (ਮੋਹਕਮ)

Malik’s platform does not distinguish between his Senate and Board of Governors campaigns, but these are claims most closely related to Senate.

Malik: UBC has already invested nearly $1 million in OER [open educational resources] grants, and this should continue.

Mostly true. UBC committed $1 million to the Vancouver campus’ OER Fund from 2019–2023, but, as of spring 2022, only $650,076 in grant funding has been used.

Malik: Commuter students make up a significant portion of UBC’s population but often lack access to flexible learning options.

True. There are only 13,883 student housing beds compared to UBC’s Vancouver population of 60,944 students, but only 8 per cent of this semester’s courses on Workday are listed as flexible learning options (online, hybrid or multi-access learning).

Bardia Mohammadizadeh

Mohammadizadeh’s platform does not distinguish between his Senate and Board of Governors campaigns, but these are claims most closely related to Senate.

Mohammadizadeh: In the past few years, the university has failed to provide a clear and forward-thinking AI policy that could truly maximize this potential.

True. UBC does not have an academic policy on AI usage, only guidelines.

Zarifa Nawar

Nawar: Continue advocating for the expansion of the Black Faculty Cohort Hiring Initiative to hire more than 23 Faculty members and expand this initiative to include Indigenous Faculty members as well.

Noted.

Nawar: Advocate for term limits for Senators.

Misleading. The University Act states that senators have to be re-elected every three years, but it does not list a maximum number of terms a senator may serve.

Veeru Vaidesh Seethanaboyina

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Seethanaboyina did not have a public platform by press time.

Mankanwar Singh

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Singh did not have a public platform by press time.

Solomon Yi-Kieran

Yi-Kieran: On average UBC students pay $1,200 a year for textbooks.

True. The 2022 Academic Experience Survey noted that on average, students pay $1,253 for textbooks. This data has not been collected since, although the 2024 AES notes the majority of respondents pay over $100.

Yi-Kieran: Many universities provide databases of past exams.

Mostly true. The University of Toronto and Queen’s University both have one. The University of Alberta and McGill University also have databases, although they are mostly outdated (prior to 2013).

Alexander Wong, Bardia Mohammadizadeh, Cade Desjarlais, Jasper Lorien, Mohkam Singh Malik (ਮੋਹਕਮ) and Yi Chen are running for two UBC Board of Governors positions.

Alexander Wong

Wong: Expand career mentorship & job pipelines so every student feels ready and confident.

False, and noted. Career mentorship and job pipelines do not fall under the Board of Governors’s purview.

Wong: Prepare students, faculty, and UBC itself for the AI-driven future that’s already here.

Noted, but somewhat irrelevant. The UBC Vancouver Senate has released guidelines for the use of AI in classrooms. AI in academic spheres falls under the responsibilities of Senate and not the Board of Governors.

Bardia Mohammadizadeh

Mohammadizadeh’s platform does not distinguish between his Senate and Board of Governors campaigns, but these are claims most closely related to the Board.

Mohammadizadeh: Stronger Science Representation – Our faculty simply deserves a louder voice in student government.

Noted, and true. Biology and health and society student Georgia Yee sat on the Board of Governors for two consecutive terms from April 2021 to April 2023. Science student representation is not a priority for many student leaders, and faculty affiliation at the Board of Governors is irrelevant for the body’s goals.

Mohammadizadeh: Smarter AI Policy – One that embraces AI as a tool, not fear it — allowing students to use AI and giving them free AI tools as part of the UBC student bundle.

Noted, but somewhat irrelevant. UBC currently has classroomate AI-use guidelines through the UBC Vancouver Senate, but these guidelines and other academic policies, such as AI policy, falls under the purview of the Senate which Mohammadizadeh is also a candidate for. The Board of Governors approves expenditures and financials for the university, so it could feasibly play a part in providing students with free AI tools.

Cade Desjarlais

Desjarlais: Divesting from businesses tied with human rights abuses and review our ethical investing criteria to better reflect UBC's core values.

Noted. In 2022, UBC said it won’t support the AMS’s request for the university from companies complicit in Palestinian human rights violations. Students have continued to advocate for UBC to divest from companies protesters said are complicit in human rights violations in Palestine including at a summer 2024 encampment on MacInnes Field.

Desjarlais: Divesting from any investments and partnerships tied or closely associated with Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.

Noted. UBC’s 2024 Holdings Disclosure Report shows the university is invested in Tesla Inc, which Musk owns 13 per cent of. Trump’s recent threats of annexing Canada and enforcing tariffs on the country have sparked mass buy Canadian movements and discussions about Canada’s sovereignty.

Desjarlais: Reviewing the tuition allocation model to allocate 8% of international student tuition to needs-based funding for students.

Desjarlais: Advocating that international students are permitted to access needs-based funding via LR10.

Desjarlais: Working to extend tenancy rights to UBC Housing found in the Residential Tenancy Act and institute a cap on housing price increases.

True. UBC Housing, including residence housing, is not subject to the Residential Tenancy Act, and therefore is not subject to provincial rent increase caps.

Jasper Lorien

Lorien: The $2.4 million in food security funding, funding that important services such as the AMS Food Bank rely on, is set to expire in the coming years.

True. In March 2024, UBC VP Students Ainsley Carry said UBC allocated around $2.4 million in one-time funding, given in installments of $800,000 per year, to food insecurity on campus from 2022. This funding will expire in 2025.

Lorien: This includes amending LR10 (the Financial Aid Policy) to introduce needs based aid for continuing international students.

Lorien: Under the BC Residential Tenancy Act, landlords can only increase rent if they provide tenants with at least 3 months notice and the increase is currently capped at 3%. UBC’s residences are not subject to this act.

True. UBC Housing, including residence housing, is not subject to the Residential Tenancy Act, and therefore is not subject to provincial rent increase caps. According to a provincial webpage, rent increases for 2025 are capped at 3 per cent and the three month notice according to the Residential Tenancy Act remains the same.

Lorien: In the November 2024 UBCIM Responsible Investing Update to the finance committee, the VPFO confirmed that human rights was one of their tracked ESG metrics, yet nothing has been done to divest from companies complicit in human rights violations, including arms manufacturers. In the most recent holdings report UBC reported owning investment in companies such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems.

True. The VPFO confirmed human rights was one of its tracked ESG metrics in November 2024. In its most recent holdings report, UBC reported owning investment in companies such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. In May 2024, President Bacon said the university’s endowment fund doesn’t “directly own” stocks targeted by divestment demands and that the university does not support the BDS movement.

Mohkam Singh Malik (ਮੋਹਕਮ)

Malik’s platform does not distinguish between his Senate and Board of Governors campaigns, but these are claims most closely related to the Board.

Malik: Student Discount at Save On Foods.

Noted, but hard to verify. A 2022 Board of Governors document said students receive a discount at the local Save-On-Foods grocery store, but The Ubyssey is unable to verify if this is an ongoing initiative.

Malik: End the Chaos at the AMS.

Noted, but irrelevant. The UBC Board of Governors does not govern the AMS. These are distinct entities.

Yi Chen

Beyond a candidate bio on the AMS’s website, Chen did not have a public platform by press time.

— Additional reporting by Spencer Izen

This article is part of our 2025 AMS Elections coverage. Follow us at @UbysseyNews on X (formerly Twitter) and follow our election coverage starting March 3.

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