Ian Caguiat ran on a platform of sustainability, community engagement and inclusion. Six months into his term, his ambitious and broad on-the-ground approach has led to him delivering results, though many of his initial action items remain in progress.
A successful clubs day and expansion of student services in the Nest have been highlights of his administration so far. His goals were adjusted at the beginning of his terms after criticism over their finaincial feasability, but most are now on track within their proposed budged
Here’s where Caguiat stands in relation to his campaign goals.
Nest improvements
Caguiat's goals are wide, building off of existing initiatives to increase services and engagement in the Nest. He has been a huge proponent of working with existing initiatives and building off them to achieve a broader reach.
According to Caguiat, the first half of the year was focused on developing “student health oriented” Nest services.
In August, the Cooling Down initiative provided students living on and off campus alike with an air conditioned space during heat waves.
“We have that temporary space for people who might be [needing] heat accommodations during the summer given that we don't have our own air cooling system currently widely used in the Nest,” Caguiat said.
The expansion of the Nurse on Campus program was also a central goal met.
“The UBC Nurse on Campus program [is] now ongoing…so that they host their own booth in the Nest for students to access.”
Some backlog in Nest improvements has been due to project finalizations being postponed, including talks on the construction of a wheelchair accessible entrance for the resource group space.
“Some of the consultation progress for that [has been] put on hold,” Caguiat said. “That's something that we are going to be hopping back on this month.”
Caguiat also said the administration has received positive feedback from the public with regards to the Commons space.
Expanding sustainability and outreach
In the summer, Caguiat’s administration team released the AMS’s annual sustainability report which outlined the AMS’ top priorities to help campus reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2025.
The report emphasized a model for a circular economy within the Nest, and sustainability practices across campus. A top priority was ensuring the approach addressed food security. This was partially accomplished through the plant-based September initiative.
“Plant-based September was a very successful campaign [from] our perspective,” Caguiat said. “[It] was the very first time that it was hosted by the AMS and it was [meant] to encourage climate-friendly dietary habits but also plant-based eating choices for students.”
Caguiat’s team is also working with the Climate-friendly Food Systems (CFFS) action team throughout the year. The partnership is currently finalizing the CFFS toolkit, as well as the climate-friendly food label project.
“We hope to install [the climate-friendly food label project] in one of our food outlets here in the Nest before the end of the school year on a trial period,” said Caguiat.
Next term will also see the AMS Sustainability week and the Bike to Campus campaign. Caguiat said he hopes the campaign can use sponsorship and collaborate with existing services such as Shaw Go.
Increasing opportunity for club engagement
“Clubs Fair 2023 was successful,” Caguiat said. “[We] were able to provide booths for all the clubs that applied … 275 clubs split altogether [across] all three days.”
Clubs Day is meant to give students’ accessible exposure to initiatives on campus. In previous years, clubs were only permitted to register for a booth space for a maximum of two out of the three days.
This year, Caguiat advocated for club executives to have the option of holding a booth for all three days to promote flexibility, and club accessibility and spirit.
Caguiat also said CultureFest, set to take place in term two, will be another opportunity for students to become acquainted with some clubs.
Within the Nest, the Hatch art gallery has now become a crossroads for club collaboration and exploration into various social issues.
“I'm very, very happy with what we have been seeing with the Hatch art gallery,” Caguiat said. “It's very easy to see that this year it has been very much active and also has, I think, [made] its mark when it comes to spaces in the Nest, but also space for students. It's not just for students anymore.”
The gallery’s main event earlier this year in collaboration with UBC Exposure and other campus clubs was ARTIVISM, which highlighted works that student activism through art. According to Caguiat, the exhibition welcomed over 120 people for its opening reception, the highest ever recorded turnout for any event at the Hatch.
“We've also been doing a lot of event collaborations outside of the Hatch space itself to make sure that the Hatch art gallery is a name that people and students know about,” Caguiat said.
Along with ongoing temporary exhibitions, the Hatch also maintains permanent collections of Canadian art that will continue to be on display in the new year.
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