Fifth-year economics and finance student Gagan Parmar is running to be the next VP finance on a platform of seamless operations, increasing transparency and supporting clubs and constituencies.
Parmar previously held the position of VP finance for the Commerce Undergraduate Society and is the current financial coordinator of the AMS. He said his experience on both the user and constituent-provider ends of the AMS’s financial services has provided him with “a unique perspective … to really change and strengthen the things that we currently use within the AMS.”
On his motivation for running, Parmar said the AMS has the power to enhance students’ experiences while at UBC.
“Throughout my undergraduate journey, a lot of my personal [and] professional development … has been [made] possible … through my experiences within clubs and constituencies,” he said.
“Making sure the experience that I went through is possible for [others] … really motivated me.”
A top priority for Parmar is creating a more efficient document submission system for club treasurers. Parmar said the current system relies on a variety of processes including online submission portals, emails and in-person services. Parmar wants to implement a “one-stop shop” to send all submissions through one portal.
“I think that will make, not only clubs and treasurers their lives a lot easier, but also accounting staff on the AMS side,” said Parmar.
Alongside centralization, Parmar wants to develop a sponsorship and reimbursement guide for clubs.
“There's four hundred clubs [and] four hundred different ways of doing things, but I like to offer somewhat of a general template that they can use for process flows … that they can customize based on their own needs,” said Parmar.
Parmar also intends to release semi-annual fund reports and “provide more spending insight” into the AMS’s quarterly budget reports. The AMS currently publishes fund reports on an annual basis, and Parmar wants to ensure that the budgets and financial reports of constituencies and fee-receiving groups are published more frequently.
“A big emphasis will be on displaying to the students exactly how their funds are benefiting them, how their student fees are being put to use,” said Parmar. “Students [should] not only have insights and access to the AMS spending, but also their respective constituencies.”
When asked about student group opt-outs, Parmar said he understands the concerns of students and resource groups. In 2023, then-VP Finance Abhi Mishra’s office promoted opt-outs via social media, citing student affordability. Parmar plans to employ a more “collaborative approach.”
“Before any of the marketing material … increasing awareness of opt-outs is sent out … I'd like to work with the affected resource groups [and] take those different viewpoints into consideration,” said Parmar.
“We want to increase student awareness [on opt-outs], but also let students know that these fees go towards very specific groups that provide a lot of benefits to students.”
Having worked in the previous VP finance office, Parmar plans to focus on stabilizing and strengthening the newly adopted systems and operations.
“I think we've been able to set up a lot of things for success for the upcoming years,” said Parmar. “What I’d like to do differently is more so just expanding upon what has already been done.”
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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