Anuoluwapo Awotunde is a master's of pharmaceutical sciences student running for VP administration on a platform of mental health and student wellbeing.
Awotunde said she is concerned with addressing the difficulties faced by students who “need people to listen to them to come down to their level.” She said she was driven to run from her work as the president of the Pharmaceutical Students Association as an undergraduate in Nigeria.
“The optimal goal is to ensure that students have an amazing learning experience and [that] they do not have any worry alongside being a student,” she said. The VP admin portfolio is not focused on academic experience.
In her interview and throughout the two debates, Awotunde did not provide specific ideas to achieve her platform goals.
Awotunde said the AMS possesses many resources, but doesn't always use them effectively. She said there should be a measurement mechanism, such as a survey, that quantifies their impact in terms of access and usage. The AMS has an Academic Experience Survey that collects similar information.
“I had been a new student in UBC … there are a lot of resources but it can be very overwhelming,” she said. “Nobody is checking: are you able to access these resources? Are you able to use these resources? Is there a result from using these resources?”
Awotunde noted that although she might not reach out to every individual student, she plans on engaging with “leaders at all levels” — such as student clubs and constituencies — to understand what they’re already doing, build upon their current initiatives and create feedback mechanisms.
Awotunde believes sustainability is one of the “core things” the AMS should be focused on. She said she will be able to quickly pick up on this work during the transition if the previous administration keep documents up to date.
“You don’t just want to put in the structure, you want to make sure that even when you are no longer there, the structure has … people [who] are carrying it to another,” she said. “One of the ways to be able to sustain any system is to impart knowledge in the coming generation.”
Awotunde said a major challenge if elected as VP administration would be liaising with “bigger boards and bigger administration” due to busy and tight schedules — although she did not specify who she was referring to.
She acknowledged that she will not be alone in achieving her goals, and plans on communicating and engaging with other executives to achieve “optimal teamwork.”
She added that she plans on keeping herself “available to actually carry out this role” and reach out to students.
“Students should be seen as important,” she said. “Without students, there will be no UBC, without students, there will be no AMS.”
Awotunde is running against Ian Caguiat, Anvi Kumar, Chayan Lu and Jake Sawatzky in a crowded race for VP administration.
Follow us at @UbysseyNews on Twitter and follow our election coverage starting February 27. This article is part of our 2023 AMS Elections coverage.