Last night, VP finance candidate Gagan Parmar answered questions regarding his qualifications, delays in club reimbursements, student fee increases and more. Parmar is running uncontested in both the general election and by-election.
Starting off the debate, Parmar was asked about his transition plan, since by-election candidates are expected to begin their term immediately. He said that his prior experience as the AMS’s financial coordinator and his familiarity with AMS financial systems will set him up to succeed even given the quick turnaround time.
“It certainly adds a time sensitive nature, [it] adds a lot of work all at once,” he said. “I don't expect it to be exactly perfect. I’m sure there's learning opportunities, but I think my experience will allow that to be a little bit more smooth and seamless.”
On club reimbursements, Parmar vowed to work alongside the AMS’s accounting team, optimize resource allocation and streamline office operations. According to Parmar, current reimbursements are processed through various online and in-person services. He plans to create one integrated system.
“I think we could go through with creating one system, instead of five different systems,” he said. “That will ensure that accounting has all of the tools that they need to make reimbursement[s] … as soon as possible.”
In an interview with The Ubyssey, Parmar said that he intends to publish the financial reports of constituencies and fee-receiving groups more frequently.
When asked at the debate how he plans to deal with the increased workload that would accompany a more frequent publishing schedule, Parmar said that he was interested in “at the very minimum, adding another position” to the finance office to help with workload delegation. He added that his office would also provide report templates to “make things on our side easier, [and] make [the constituencies’] life easier.”
This year, the AMS has introduced a referendum item calling for a $4.95 per student increase in student fees. According to current AMS President Christian ‘CK’ Kyle, if this referendum item does not pass, AMS services and operations could be significantly impacted. When asked about how he would proceed if the referendum fails, Parmar said that he would diversify AMS revenue streams by exploring additional sponsorship partnerships and woring with AMS businesses, notably AMS Conferences and Catering.
“Regardless of where the money comes from, student services [must be] maintained at the same level … [students] need,” he said.
On the AMS’s projected surplus in the 2024/25 budget, Parmar said that a surplus of “this scale and size” will be unsustainable in the coming year, adding that this year’s surplus was largely due to staff savings. Parmar’s statement echoes what Kyle said about staff on maternity leaves during the February 27 meeting of AMS Council.
Instead, Parmar hopes to implement the AMS’s three year financial plan. The three year plan involves eliminating AMS operational deficit, increasing revenue sources and building a financial reserve. Parmar said that he also wants to explore “business development in terms of more clients [and] more tenants.”
“A lot of my goals will put the AMS on a strong financial budget,” he said.
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.
See all stories on "vp finance race 2025" and be notified with RSS
Share this article
First online
