In the midst of the 2026 AMS Elections, no one is running for the VP student life (VPSL) position; AMS President Riley Huntley said the absence of candidates is due to the newness of the role and lack of targeted marketing.
“My take on it is that it's still a position fully being built out,” he said.
The Ubyssey originally requested to speak with current VPSL Kevin Heieis, but the request was redirected to the AMS president. The rationale for this redirection was that the president acts as the official spokesperson for the AMS.
Huntley said Elections Administrator Keiko Prasadja did not extend the nomination, despite him bringing forward the option on Feb. 14, seeing the lack of candidates.
“The Elections Committee is currently evaluating the necessary procedures and polling requirements and will announce them in due course,” said Prasadja in a statement to The Ubyssey.
Prasadja said this same situation happened in 2020, when no one ran for VP academic and university affairs (AUA). A few days after the 2020 general election results, nominations for VP AUA candidates opened and the special election was held by March 31 — all in less than a month. While Huntley said a special election could happen before the end of the school year, he explained that time limitations might prevent this from happening. It would be “quite challenging,” he said. Huntley believes engagement would also be higher if the election were held in September.
An AMS executive — who spoke to The Ubyssey on the background because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter — claimed the office was set up for failure from a lack of funding. They added that finances would be used as an excuse to eliminate the position.
Huntley said there is no plan to eliminate the position; dissolving the office would only be possible via a successful referendum, or the matter being brought and approved at the 2026 AMS annual general meeting (AGM).
If a special election is not carried out before the end of April, an interim VP would be hired, and the election would be postponed for up to 31 days after the beginning of the 2026-27 school year, as established by AMS bylaws.
While the future of the position is uncertain, student leaders outside the AMS have been willing to lend their support to the concept of a VPSL office.
Thunderbird Athlete Council President Lucy Borowski said Heieis has played a key role in promoting student events and improving engagement with varsity athletics this year. The portfolio, she said, is one of the “only executive roles explicitly focused on addressing” a lack of cohesive campus community, which she argues is a common concern of students.
Residence Hall Association President Jason Basnyat said the role is especially important in connecting different student groups with others and with the AMS for campus events, as did Kinesiology Undergraduate Society President Isabella Pohang.
CiTR Station Manager Jasper Sloan Yip said he was "disappointed to hear that the future of the VP Student Life position is in question.” He said Heieis has had a “tremendously positive impact,” contributing both as a member and as part of the board of directors. “It's the first time in my memory that we've had a member of [AMS] Council contribute on both levels in such a meaningful way.”
