Mohkam Singh Malik (ਮੋਹਕਮ), a first-year arts student, is running to be the next VP finance on a platform of accountability, affordability and community.
Malik believes his experience with political organizing, sitting on the youth board of the BC United party, and running summer camps provide him with a holistic understanding of how to work effectively with large budgets and external stakeholders.
As a first-year student, Malik believes his “newness” to the AMS and the university sets him apart from his competition and allows for actual accountability to take place.
A top priority for Malik is to decrease the AMS’s financial deficit by reducing the salaries of executives by 10 per cent and spending in their offices.
“The executives are making $42,000 a year to have a department filled with all their friends and supporters who are also making money,” said Malik.
He wants to put the funds to address food insecurity and other student crises. AMS executives earn around $42,000 and work full-time hours every week.
“While [students are] struggling to make ends meet … the AMS executives are having drinks and laughing about it at [their] expense. I [think] that's completely unacceptable,” said Malik, highlighting that the AMS allows executives to expense drinks under the Executive Expenditures Policy, FN3.
Malik added that if other executives are unwilling to cut their salaries, he still intends to donate 10 per cent of his salary to combat food insecurity.
In addition to executive salary cuts, Malik plans to reduce the number of paid staff in the AMS executive offices by 20 to 30 per cent and instead opt for more volunteer positions or funding through grant applications.
The preliminary AMS budget set aside around $631,000 for the AMS executive offices, with approximately $323,000 for staff pay and $210,000 for executive pay.
“I'll be watching to make sure we don't go over budget because my entire campaign is centered around reducing our overall spending,” said Malik.
Malik also wants to launch a comprehensive review of Nest businesses to ensure they have "long-term plans to make money." The first quarterly report by the VP finance showed most businesses were losing money, however the AMS recently reported an increase in revenue.
On student engagement, Malik said he will be communicating financial information and the office’s projects through short-form videos. He also hopes to improve the connection between clubs and the AMS through prioritizing club reimbursements, improving account management and making club treasurer transitions smoother.
During the 2022/23 school year, the AMS/GSS Health & Dental Plan saw an increase of $52.50 to ensure the plan’s financial stability.
Malik said he is ready to work with the university "to try to claw back a little bit more money" to ensure coverage remains the same. However, if changes are necessary, he would talk to student groups to find 'what do we find is really important and what can we live without?'"
Malik is running against Gavin Fung-Quon.
This article is part of our 2024 AMS Elections coverage. Follow us at @UbysseyNews on X (formerly Twitter) and follow our election coverage starting February 27.
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