Ian Caguiat is a fourth-year political science student running for VP administration on a platform of increasing Nest services, creating support systems and promoting sustainability.
Caguiat said his experience as AMS associate VP academic and university affairs (AVP AUA) differentiates his platform from other candidates and has provided him with the right information and resources to carry out the role of VP admin.
“I think [being AVP AUA] has given me a lot of information, a lot of resources that many students would benefit in knowing,” he said.
Caguiat said he plans on building upon existing initiatives and services, like continuing incumbent Ben Du’s initiative on making the Nest an “interactive commuter hub” by adding more charging stations, installing photocopying machines and revitalizing the Commons lounge.
“One problem that our commuter students have … [is] that we don’t have an upper-year collegia,” Caguiat said. “Transforming [the Commons lounge] into an upper-year collegia is good and that’s already something that the current portfolio has started working on and I want to continue that next year.”
Health and wellness is a priority for Caguiat as well, and he said he plans on installing needle disposal bins in the washrooms around the Nest — these already exist — as well as making sexual assault education mandatory for club executives by using the SVPRO online course module.
In terms of student engagement, Caguiat said he wants to use the “big postcards printed out” near the AMS administration office, as they were “attractive because they had post-it notes of different colours … and a lot of space.” He also said he wants to continue doing surveys, but wants to make sure “that those surveys are not exhausting and … not too long for students to lose interest.”
He added he would hold in-person consultations with student leaders.
Caguiat also plans on emphasizing sustainability in his platform by prioritizing food security, reducing plastic waste in the Nest and ensuring that the AMS is on track to reach net zero by 2025 as outlined in the AMS Sustainable Action Plan.
“There could be more focus on sustainability, especially with making sure that you are doing more than operational work,” he said. “We’ve been doing a lot of changes in the Nest, but we also need to expand those changes into the bigger university.”
Time and budget is a challenge for Caguiat — he acknowledged he would only have a year to accomplish his goals if elected. He also noted that the AMS is operating in a deficit and wants to remain “responsible and smart” in the way he plans on allocating and utilizing the AMS budget.
In terms of the Clubs Recovery Benefit and the deficit, Caguiat said that “we probably shouldn’t be giving away money that easily” but wants to “increase awareness on … initiatives that are already existing, especially for grants fundings.”
During the debates, Caguait seemed knowledgeable on AMS policy, although suggested creating a set of equity and diversity guidelines for clubs which seem to already be outlined in the AMS Equity Plan. He also often provided more specifics than other candidates.
“I do think I have researched a lot," he said in his interview. “My platform is very specific because I want to make sure that things are attainable enough, but also things are actually reflecting what students are interested about.”
Caguiat is running in a crowded field for VP administration against Anuoluwapo Awotunde, Anvi Kumar, Chayan Lu and Jake Sawatzky.
Follow us at @UbysseyNews on Twitter and follow our election coverage starting February 27. This article is part of our 2023 AMS Elections coverage.
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