Veeru Vaidesh Seethanaboyina is running for Senate on a platform of expanding student academic support, equity and experiential learning opportunities.
The now second-year science UBCV student said his previous position as the science representative for UBCO’s Student Union has provided him with the knowledge and skills to succeed on Senate.
Seethanaboyina plans to improve academic support by pushing back course withdrawal dates, advocating to make textbooks more affordable and by increasing hybrid education options for students. All three objectives are already outlined in Senate 2026, the Student Senate Caucus’s three-year document on policy goals.
Senate 2026 also advocates for extending library access to 24/7 during exam periods, a priority which Seethanaboyina said had “flaws.”
“We should take the electricity charges, the amount of security we are putting up on it, the management resources and all into consideration,” he said.
On equity, Seethanaboyina said he would focus on “the inclusion of all the relations and communities in the UBC,” but he did not explain how he would go about doing so.
Regarding experiential learning, Seethanaboyina plans to increase opportunities such as graduate supervision and undergraduate research opportunities, but he again did not provide specifications on how he would do so.
When asked how he would work with senior members in the Senate to advocate for student needs, Seethanaboyina replied “it’s all about how you ask,” and said he will research other perspectives to convey student needs in an agreeable manner by cooperating with other members.
Seethanaboyina also said he wanted to focus on including more Indigenized curricula into UBC’s current Indigenous Strategic Plan. This goal of curriculum expansion also aligns with the Student Senate Caucus’s three-year policy goals.
When asked about perceived challenges for the position, Seethanaboyina said he felt there was a lack of accountability among previous Senate members. To address this, he said he would focus on improving Senate transparency, particularly by publishing Senate’s meeting minutes faster to better update students on the work and actions of the Senate.
“I would say the main challenge would be people acting in their own ways, rather than acting in a team,” he said.
On improving mental health services, Seethanaboyina pointed out how many students are unaware of the resources available on campus. According to the AMS’s 2024 Academic Experience Survey, 49 per cent of students are unaware of mental health resources on campus.
To address this, he said he would advocate for UBC’s Senate to approve professors displaying and explaining the mental health resources UBC offers at the beginning of each term.
For all aspects of his platform, Seethanaboyina said he felt it “key” to engage with students and ensure the inclusion of all communities across UBC, and he told The Ubyssey he would dedicate personal slots of time to reaching out to students, using social media platforms where “any student can text me, or tell their concerns.”
Seethanaboyina is running alongside several other first-time candidates as well as against incumbents Jasper Lorien and Drédyn Fontana.
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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