Fifth-year political science and master of management student Mathew Ho is vying for a seat on UBC’s Vancouver Senate with a platform of increasing hybrid and online learning opportunities, improving course outline transparency on the student service centre and reviewing experiential learning opportunities like co-op.
This is Ho’s second bid for Senate after a failed campaign in 2019. Having served in both the Arts Undergraduate Society and the AMS, Ho said this experience would prepare him for the Senate.
“I’ve had a lot of insight [into] students [who] have been trying to work for, and especially [what] the AMS has been doing to work with [the] Student Senate Caucus to bring issues up to the Senate,” he said.
Ho said specifically that the issue of course outline transparency on the student service centre (SSC) set his platform apart from those of his competitors.
“The main thing about course outline transparency on SSC being an issue is when you look at different courses, there haven’t been a lot of guidelines on what information ought to be available for students on the SSC.”
Ho brought up his experience with looking for political science courses on the SSC and only seeing brief descriptions. The political science department has detailed course descriptions on its website.
Another issue Ho said was unique to his platform was a proposed review of programs with affiliate universities, such as the Hong Kong University–Sauder dual degree program — which was approved last year amid concerns over student human rights, academic freedom and student costs.
With the pandemic, many universities have transitioned to hybrid or entirely online instruction. Ho said expanding hybrid and online learning could level out the playing field for students across socioeconomic backgrounds.
“I don’t think [online instruction] is just an accommodation for the times we’re in right now. In fact, I see the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for more hybrid learning and online learning change.”
Ho also wants to incentivize faculties to offer more experiential learning opportunities. However, he flagged experiential learning opportunities like co-op as needing review, saying some co-op programs have too few employers available to students.
Like other Senate candidates, Ho identified transparency and structural issues within the Senate as a point of improvement. He mentioned student senators having short terms compared to faculty Senate members and the unavailability of Senate meeting materials as issues.
“When I tried looking for agendas and minutes, the most recent documents are still from months ago,” Ho said.
On what motivated him to pursue a Senate seat, Ho said his experiences have shaped his perspective.
“I think it stems from the observations that I’ve made, experiences that I’ve had, and how I could use these to contribute towards change for the better — for everyone else.”
Voting is open online from March 1 until March 5. This article is part of our 2021 AMS elections coverage.