Editor's Note
Contrary to what AMS Elections said earlier today, Hu says he has not withdrawn from the race as of 7:26 p.m. tonight. We're reporting the story here.
For Matthew Renzitti, the role of AMS Vice-President Student Life (VPSL) is all about building community through event programming. If he wins this week's by-election, Renzitti promises to leverage his experience to do just that.
Following a general election where no candidates ran for the role and hiring delays left the position vacant for a month, Renzitti was appointed interim VPSL in May 2026. He now intends to extend his time in office by becoming a permanent executive.
In two interviews with The Ubyssey, Renzitti made it abundantly clear that he sees experience as one of his biggest assets.
Renzitti is a sixth-year political science student. And although he's technically running for elected office, he told The Ubyssey he does not see himself as a politician. His path to the AMS has been shaped by live event venues more than student government boardrooms.
“Ever since age 19, I’ve been working in the events business and anything you can think of — from philanthropy to nightlife to music. I've been involved in it all,” he said.
Renzitti's first experience in event planning was at Drop the Puck for Mental Health (DTP) — a "student-run philanthropy initiative aimed at de-stigmatizing mental health issues," according to DTP's LinkedIn page. VP Administration William Sparks was DTP's president before being elected. Sparks's and Renzitti's time at DTP did not overlap.
Renzitti also worked summers as director of events for WYA? Fridays & Frat Fridays — a now-extinct organization that planned live music events and parties. His last job before becoming interim VPSL was as an events operations consultant and lead concert coordinator for the Vancouver live entertainment company We Outside.
As an events operations consultant, he says he was required to manage communications with artists and venues, handle payroll, and oversee technical issues. As lead concert coordinator, Renzitti was focused on "day-of-[the]-show stuff."
"It allowed me to build a lot of confidence in the music scene as well, because I had a lot of history in philanthropy events and I had a lot of history in nightlife events, but I didn't have any history in music," he said.
Renzitti is of Italian and Chinese heritage; he was born and raised in Vancouver, and moving around the city as a kid fuelled his interest in working in events.
"I started my life in [the] Commercial Broadway area, Little Italy. [That area] is very full of culture ... growing up, seeing something like that, is just amazing," he said. "During my first year, I lived in Kitsilano, which was a real change of pace, just because these events are now more like 20s oriented."
In terms of inspiration, Renzitti spoke about his mother, who raised him as a single parent. He also said he's developed a rivalry with VP Finance Nathan Shack over work ethic.
“I like being the hardest worker in the room, but with Nathan, it's always a competition," Renzitti said, laughing. “It drives me to work harder.”
When it comes to campaign proposals, Renzitti framed his priorities as falling under three categories: "athletics and recreation," "events and live music," and "hospitality and nightlife." He is also focused on building a three-year plan for the role that he aims to present to Council in April, if elected.
Athletics and recreation
Renzitti expressed pride about his role in obtaining a Canada West TV deal that will allow varsity games to be broadcasted in the Nest's lower atrium and the execution of the first AMS football tailgate.
He promises see through a "retro-themed" event for the basketball game, commemorating the War Memorial Gym's 75-year anniversary, an original Renzitti idea.
"Hopefully in the future, we start marketing players as well, but that's gonna be the next step, and that's gonna be in my three-year portfolio," he added.
Originally, he planned to campaign on subsidizing costs for intramurals' free-agents, but his office obtained the concession before Renzitti left to campaign for the by-election.
Events and live music
The recent Inter-Residence Cup, Welcome Back BBQ, and upgrades to the Pit's sound system, all led by Renzitti as interim VPSL, are things he framed as successes for voters to judge him on.
He promised to work on instating live music Thursdays at the Pit, running Mental Health Week for a second year, having an AMS Pool Party at the Aquatic Centre, and making sure the AMS Block Party can be successful in spite of budget cuts.
"Block Party got hit originally really hard, but we brought it back up," he said. Last year, the AMS spent $212,155 on the event. This year's preliminary budget was $120,225, but rose to $159,725 for the final version.
Renzitti believes the best way to deal with budget cuts is to plan ahead and ensure "our production budget is actually being spent on production." He suspects the AMS has been overcharged for production costs in the past.
"I need to see where that money's going."
Hospitality and nightlife
Renzitti is vouching to focus on helping AMS businesses with their revenue through event programming. His focus is on revitalizing the Pit, which has undergone a renovation partly led by him, and continuing an ongoing effort to secure free cover for UBC students at nightclubs in downtown Vancouver.
He said the AMS has reached a deal with Mansion Nightclub and will work on one with Celebrities and Twelve West, among other venues.
"Something we're trying to build in downtown is this ability for UBC students to be able to hop around to every single club and not have to pay cover, and then also you might get a free drink if you go in, right?"
After a year at We Outside, and being constantly exposed to the AMS's hiring efforts for an interim VPSL, Renzitti said his former employers encouraged him to "take a year off to go build culture on campus." He said that to him the VPSL role is almost a "passion project" and that the job has been "nothing but fulfilling."
The Ubyssey's final interview with Renzitti ended with him saying he's hopeful about the future of the VPSL role.
"I know it's not going to be left behind in April ... there's going to be a lot of competition for it," he said.
To Renzitti, if he is able to follow through with his plans, "the days of people questioning the VPSL and why it is here" are over.
