University of British Columbia
Engineering Undergraduate Society

To learn about each position and what they do for students, check out the EUS Policy Manual.

For a complete view of the rules and regulations of the EUS 2010 Elections, click the following link;

2010 Guidelines and Regulations

Candidate Statements:

President

Amanda Li

Hello!

My name is Amanda Li, I am a Mechanical Engineering student in year 3.5 and I am running to be your Engineering Undergraduate Society President.

For the past few years I have seen great development within the EUS. There has been a push for professionalism, diversity and a better ability to cater to all EUS students, all while maintaining the unique spirit and traditions of UBC Engineering. This balance is very much possible and I feel that I have the experience, knowledge and determination to continue this growth within our society.

Specifically, as your president I will work on:

• Ensuring that our structure is being used efficiently and effectively, thus reducing volunteer burnout while improving the quality of events and services
• Connecting students to EUS events and services by putting a focus on visibility and marketing
• Having fun!

My ability to lead has come from my four years of heavy involvement within the engineering community.  I have previously served as your EUS Publicity Representative and Vice President Academic, as well as numerous non-executive positions. I have also been the Administrative Captain for the UBC Thunderbots student team for the past two years.

Although these experiences have improved my leadership abilities and knowledge of our society, I understand that for the society to become more relevant to students, more students must be consulted.  I look forward to working with groups of students that I have yet to work with, as well as seeking out voices that are yet to be heard.

I have spent the past four years believing in and contributing to the vast potential of the EUS to improve our undergraduate experience, and would be honoured to spend one more as your EUS President.

You can learn more about me at my website!
www.voteamanda.com

Julian Ritchie

I am Julian Ritchie, and I want to be your next EUS President. I am doing this because I am Passionate about the EUS’s future. About really embracing the changes we made to how the society runs. About rising to the challenges offered by the new building on the horizon. About giving us a real and meaningful working relationship with our new dean to serve you better. And most importantly to bring everyone into an EUS that helps them and they can feel connected to. I feel that I have the determination, the vision, the diplomacy, and the openness to make all that the EUS needs a reality.
At the core of it all I believe that being President is about working with people; the students to know what they need, and everyone that works with and for the students to make sure they know what we need. I have proven my ability to do this work: as curriculum rep I kept an eye on the faculties coming course changes and made sure they took student interests to heart, as Equity Officer I was always open to students and able to see things from beyond just my point of view, as AMS Rep I waded thought impassioned arguments and cut to the heart of the matter to make the decisions that benefited the students, Through my years as CHBE VPs I learned how to deal with administrators and how to talk to professionals on a level footing. This wealth of experiences has prepared me for the challenges I will meet and conquer as your president, and let me know that I can grow to meet any that catch me unawares.
Obviously there is much that I can’t get across in a 300 word blurb but I would encourage and invite all of you to talk to me over the coming weeks. I will make every effort to be easy to find on campus but if you can’t or don’t want to try please track me down on facebook, call me on my cell at 778 868 1581, or email me at Julian@telus.net

Sina Sahami

Many students are not aware how the EUS can benefit them. In the past elections, less than 25% of the students voted. I feel there is a communication problem between EUS and the majority of the student body. I would like to reach out to all the students, and with your help, redirect EUS back to its constitutional goals.

At my fourth year in engineering I have been encouraged by fellow students to run for this position to unite the student body and bring change to the system. I will dedicate my time and all my effort to achieve this and bring integrity and prestige to this society.

I believe that there is a lot more EUS can do towards its stated goal,” to support the academic, professional, and social needs of engineering students

Some of the goals that I promise to achieve before September 2010 are:

• I will establish a direct way for students to communicate their problems through EUS to responsible levels at UBC on issues such as courses content, facilities, quality of education and course load.
• I will make the $300,000+ budget, controlled by EUS, more transparent.  I will work towards publishing the details of this budget, for all the engineering students to review.
• I will provide a more accessible means of financial support for student’s projects.
• I will raise awareness of EUS by updating the student body on all of the society’s actions and decisions.
• I will make the EUS facilities, such as Cheeze, cleaner, more welcoming, and accessible to all engineering students.

There is a lot more we can do. The question is, will you vote? Make the right vote and make the difference.

For more information please visit:

http://tinyurl.com/EUSElection

VP Academic

Iman Arbabian

Over the past 4 years, just like any other UBC engineering student, I have experienced a lot of academic issues. Dealing with these problems I have asked myself the same questions over and over:

Why don’t we have a strong student society, that would support us in solving our academic issues?

Why can’t our voice be heard by the department as a strong student society?

I decided to run for VP academics in the upcoming EUS elections, because I think that EUS  should  help provide a better ACADEMIC experience for students.

Here’s a list of what I would like to achieve  with the team:

• I will establish an efficient way for students to communicate their academic issues through EUS, to the department and professors.
• I will communicate with the department on providing a transparent report of the end of semester teaching surveys.
• · Provide students’ with workshops on engineering software including
  • AutoCAD , MathCAD, MathLab, Solidworks, etc.

• I will provide students with a comprehensive sample Exam Data base on the EUS website, available to all engineering students.
• I will Expand and re-organize tutoring services and exam review sessions, so that more students can benefit from them.
• I will work closely with departmental clubs, on each department’s specific academic needs and issues.

For more information about me and my plans please visit:

http://tinyurl.com/changeEUS

Nick Sertic

Greetings fellow engineers,

My name is Nick Sertic and I am currently in my 4th year of Engineering Physics in the Mechanical option. I am running for the position of Vice-President Academic because I believe I have the necessary experience and motivation to ensure that your needs as engineering students will be adequately fulfilled. Over the past year  I have been actively involved with the EUS, serving as the Engineering Physics President and the Professional Relations Manager, which allowed me to gain a solid understanding of the current engineering curriculum. Although we have one of the best engineering programs in Canada, I believe there is still room for improvement.

Therefore, if elected I will strive to:
- create an engineering-wide course directory for students to have access to notes, previous final exams, and other relevant course materials
- develop the framework and logistics for establishing an engineering career center to assist students in finding a job upon graduation
- expand the tutoring program to include more frequent sessions and more courses based on popular demand

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at nick.sertic@gmail.com, or visit my website: http://www.phas.ubc.ca/~nsertic/. Thanks, and happy voting!

Saba M. Shariati

I, Saba M.Shariati, as a candidate of “VP of Academics” will be committed to the following points if I will be elected by Engineering Undergraduate Students of UBC for Academic year of 2010-11:

•  Determining and Addressing Major Imbalances Between Course objectives and    Professional Work Environment Needs for All Disciplines Such as Mech2, APSC 201, etc.

•  Publicly Circulating of Students’ Feedback on Departments’ Members Performance to Assure that High Academic Quality Standards Are Met.

• Improve the Communication Between Students and Professors to Increase Teaching Quality in All Departments.

• Communicating with Co-op Office to Increase Their Effectiveness for Finding YOU an Appropriate Position.

• And all other assigned tasks according to EUS policy.

By taking the actions above, I do aim to improve the academic conditions ONLY if you USE your RIGHT to VOTE.

VP Communications & Administration (Comad)

Behzad Azampour

As a third year mechanical engineering students, I have followed EUS’s operations for some time now. Like a lot of other students I have talked to, I am not satisfied from my findings. That is why I am running for next year’s VP-COMAD. With its vast budget and resources, EUS can and should be a much more broad and influential organization. I plan to utilize this potential by reaching out to the majority of students; in other words, I wish to get more students involved with the society. To achieve that, I will do my part to make sure EUS addresses the needs and goals of all students and not just a certain group of individuals. I genuinely believe that all engineering students should somehow benefit from the possibilities that EUS can provide.

With your help, I wish to work with the rest of the EUS team to accomplish the following:

1. Bring in industry leaders to meet with students on a regular basis.
2. Campaign for externally funded projects – from major engineering firms.
3. Close the gap between the outside industries and UBC.
4. Organise helpful intellectual events (e.g. CAD Training, Stock Market Analysis, etc.)
5. Focus the budget towards innovative undergrad engineering projects.
6. Reach out to non-departmental clubs and assist them if and when possible.
7. Reduce wasteful unnecessary spending.
8. Always be open to constructive criticism, new ideas and suggestions.
9. Publish newsletters that are relevant and beneficial to the majority of students.
10. Publish periodic financial statements to let you know where your money is going to.
11. Conduct frequent surveys regarding not only the EUS, but also engineering departments, undergraduate programs, etc. Resolve issues that may arise.

Please follow the link for more info and updates: tinyurl.com/Behzad-for-VP-COMAD.

William Gallego

Hi, my name is William, I am a third year ECE Student, and the current VP Comad. This year, I have strived to keep students informed by making high quality, consistent publications, ensuring transparent, valuable communications with all of the departmental clubs, and making sure to be accountable for all of the things the VP Comad should do. I have all of the experience that doing a year as VP Comad can give, and I want to use that experience to be an even better VP Comad next year.

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I intend to split my 4^th year course load into two years in order to do this job properly, and still have fun while doing it. I’m willing to put in the time to make things not only just as good as last year, but even better. I want to make sure that students see exactly what the EUS does, and how it benefits them, to make it easier than ever for students to get involved, to find out when that next tutoring session is, to hear about job opportunities, to learn about things that they actually want to know about.  I want to be your VP Communications  & Administration.

For info of my goals of next year, check out the following link; http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=330887893601&ref=mf

VP Events

Kian Mousavi

It has been a mystery for me, why it is that we, engineers, are known as “just a bunch of nerds” among other faculties? We have isolated ourselves from everybody else in the south side and we have no idea what is going on in the other side and it is as if we are not interested. Well, we are not the loners. We are smart, we build things but at the same time we are as social, fun and outgoing as other faculties. There has not been nearly enough joint social activities with other faculties. I, Kian Mousavi, would like to be considered by Engineering students at UBC as one of the candidates for VP event position to improve the social activities and events of EUS. I am a 3rd year mechanical engineering student and have other involvement such as the greek system which can assist me satisfy the requirements of this position. I have noted where there could be improvements during the E-week which we are always excited for and how we could start to get other faculties more involved with our events.

Nigel Myers

Hey everyone!  My name is Nigel Myers and I want to be your VP Events for the coming year. I’m a second year Mech and I’ve been involved with the EUS since day one. Currently, I hold the position of EUS Social Coordinator and previously I was the PP Pub Rep and Quasi-Soco. These positions have given me the experience necessary to make next year one of the best yet. I now know the inner workings of the EUS Events portfolio like the back of my hand; Frosh, E-Week, Budgets, and even what drinks people like best. I’m even on a first name basis at both the LCLB and RCMP and I’m not even a raging alcoholic nor have been arrested…yet.

Next year I plan on continuing the momentum that Shane has built by improving our budget management, fixing the sports system and continuing to innovate and improve Frosh and E-Week. I want to build up the quality of our events to the point where the improvement snowballs, as the year progresses they just keep getting better and better. This I will do through working together with my CM’s to create a predetermined list of goals and achievements we want to see come into fruition throughout the year, this plus proper budget control will allow us to allocate money where it is most needed and to fund further enhancements, lights, speakers, hot tubs, etc. to give you the best year of events yet.

If you have any questions for me feel free to contact me by my SoCo email or Facebook, I’ll try my best to answer any questions within the day. So remember, if you want experience and you liked how this year went, vote for me, if not…Don’t? Either way, hopefully I’ll see you all at the polls.

VP External

Farshid Azampour

Hi, my name is Farshid Azampour and I am currently studying Mechatronics. I am very excited to be a candidate for next year’s VP external position at the EUS. Why you ask? Well, because I believe it is one of the most important and influential positions in the EUS. To become successful engineers after graduation, we need to be able to have had built effective connections with the outside engineering world beforehand. That is exactly what I plan to do for undergrad engineering students at UBC. My plan is to involve more organizations with UBC in order to create more opportunities for students to connect with more industry leaders. I plan to provide more insight into potential future careers, as well as creating many more fun events with other faculties and schools. They say to get the full university experience is to take advantage of what it has to offer… well, my job is to create more for our faculty to offer more to our students.

Here’s the short list of my future goals for this position:

• Make engineering students more familiarized with EUS and its functions.
• Help  engineering students build better connections with different companies for a better future.
• Get more industries involved within UBC by inviting CEO’s, renowned engineers/inventors and other industry leaders to conferences at UBC.
• Strengthen the relationship between the Applied Sciences Faculty and the rest in UBC.
• Simply help improve EUS.

Dan Olsen

UBC Engineers kick serious butt, and it’s the job of the VP External to make sure industry, alumni, other engineering schools, and the rest of UBC knows it. I’ve cherished my many opportunities to interact with these groups and represent UBC in a positive manner.

Over the past year, I have worked closely with the VP External and Coordinating Managers to help plan and run the UBC Engineering Competition, Engineer Your Career Fair, and other EUS events. I have also enjoyed representing the UBC Engineers to other engineering schools in Canada through WESST and the Western Engineering Competition.

I look forward to continuing the great work of the current VP External by promoting a positive image of UBC Engineers and using my experience to gain any advantage possible for my fellow students as they receive their education, seek employment, and eventually transition into careers as successful professionals around the World.

VP Finance

Brian Lee

I’m running for the VP Finance position because I believe that I will make a difference.  Engineering in the past has always been a grand and epic department, but these days, we’ve been scaled back and forced to operate on a smaller budget.  Many initiatives have already been started to help the EUS financially and I plan on expanding these businesses and solidifying them as an integral part of EUS happenings.  The new fencing that the EUS has purchased could be turned into a very popular service that would promote the EUS if it were organized efficiently.  From this, we could spin off many services and businesses around campus.

Also with the advent of the new ESC coming, there are many income opportunities that will benefit both the EUS as well as the students!  A beverage and food venue would be great for students; especially with the loss of the Barn.  It will provide meals for the students, as well as potential job opportunities for the ones with tighter schedules.  This is also a great opportunity to revamp Red Sales into a more professional business that will expose students to what we’re all about here in the EUS.

Over these last two years, I’ve been an active member in EUS activities and clubs.  Being around has integrated me into many aspects of engineering life.  I’m proud to be a UBC Engineer and I’m passionate about making a difference.  I believe that all engineering students should feel this sort of pride and I’m ready to make sure that happens.

Milad Mesbah

I am very excited to be a candidate for Vice President Finance for EUS. I am currently in the third year of Computer Engineering program, and during my final year I would like to have the opportunity to serve my fellow Engineering students. Even though I believe that the EUS members have worked very hard to improve the organization, like many others I can see that they have failed to create enough opportunities to involve the majority of the students. My general philosophy is “show each other, learn from each other, work with each other, care for and feed each other.” Together we can increase the number of students that benefit from the opportunities created by EUS to the majority of the Engineering undergrad students. My main goal as Vice President Finance is to increase our current budget through creating student run businesses. This creates opportunities for more people to be involved in EUS. Following are the goals that I would like to achieve by the end of next year

• Create more scholarship opportunities
• Create funding for innovative ideas
• Finance more extracurricular classes (i.e.   Cad / Solid Works, Matlab, etc)
• Give out monthly financial statements showing exactly what our budget is being spent on
• Reduce the amount of money being wasted
• Increase the budget for engineering clubs
• Find a solution to the food services availability problem
• Fund events that interest the majority of the engineering students

AMS Representative

Farshid Azampour

Hi I am Farshid Azampour. I am running for AMS representative.

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Julian Ritchie

Hi I am Julian Ritchie and I am running to be your AMS Rep again. I bring the experience of working on this council before, and the proven dedication to keep representing you as the meeting drags on to 1am. The AMS should matter to you because it governs everything we do: it controls our money, validates our constitution, and is our face in the eyes of the law. By having an AMS rep that works well with Council and the executive it helps ensure the good will of the people the effectively control us. The AMS also gets its operating budget from students, and part of our job is ensuring that what they provide benefits you, since hey you’re paying for it. Council meetings are just one aspect of being an AMS Rep though; there are also meetings of the committees of council where I have and would continue to work towards an AMS structure and policy that benefits us all. If you would like to know what I do on AMS now and want to continue doing in the future please get in touch with me, track me down on facebook, call me on my cell at 778 868 1581, or by emailing me at Julian@telus.net

Nick Sertic

Hi everyone,

I would like to become one of the three engineering representatives on the Alma Mater Society Council during the next school year. Having attended and participated on AMS Council meetings before as a proxy, I believe that I have an ample amount of experience and knowledge about university affairs to quickly transition into the role.

The events surrounding the AMS over the past few months have highlighted the need for accountability and responsibility from student representatives. If elected, I would promise to consult students to ensure that your opinions are being heard in the decisions that affect you as a UBC student. I believe I can provide a strong voice for engineering students, but I cannot do it without your support and participation.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at nick.sertic@gmail.com.

Pouria Talebifard

Hello Undergraduate Engineers of UBC!

My name is Pouria Talebifard, however Pouria T will probably suffice; I would like to act as your AMS Rep for the forthcoming academic year (2010-11).

I came to UBC in 2006 as a Science student but I realized that I would be of more use as an engineer. Currently I’m in my third year of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Coming from a Science background I happen to know a few of the AMS execute from classes and social events. I believe that with stronger connections, more prompt and conscious representation of our society, the Engineering Undergraduate Society, we would be able to represent the interests of the Faculty and Students more effectively. In other words, I want our Society to be seen and heard as more active to allow EUS executes to be able to tackle the problems and challenges of our Faculty whether it be financially, socially or even academic vise.

I do not like to ramble on as much so if you would like to know more about me and my personality, and to see if I would be fit for this position, please visit: http://tiny.cc/Eng_AMS_Rep

Thanks for reading!

Applied Science Student Senator

Philip Edgcumbe

Campaign website: http://vote-philip.blogspot.com/

I am a 4^th year Engineering Physics student and I have the experience to do the job.  I served as your APSC student Senator in 2008-2009 and I have served as the Engineering Physics Board of Studies Representative from 2008-present.  The senate is the highest academic governing body of UBC.

I am seeking re-election to pursue four initiatives:

1) Challenging courses for credit: Student’s should be allowed to challenge up to two courses in their degree if they have already mastered the material.

2) Classroom video recording: I want to bring McGill’s COurses OnLine (COOL – COurses OnLine - cool.mcgill.ca) program to UBC.  Don’t worry if you miss a class, you can simply watch the lecture online.

3) Streamline academic exchange program: I went on exchange to the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 2009 and I wish more engineers were aware of and took advantage of the opportunity of going on exchange.

4) Scholarship Guidelines: Encourage UBC Student Finance and Awards to develop clear guidelines for high school Major Entrance Scholarship nomination process.

Past Initiatives (view full reports at http://vote-philip.blogspot.com/):

1) Beef and Pizza: In 2008 I re-introduced the Beef and Pizza (student forum with Associate Dean) in collaboration with the EUS.

2) UBC provincial exam admission policy: I spearheaded student feedback about UBC’s provincial exam admission policy and my findings were included in a report for the BC Provincial Exam Advisory Board.

3) Reviewed CPSC 260: Conducted focus groups with CPSC 260 students, created survey for CPSC 260 students and submitted analyzed survey results to the CPSC 260 Prof and computer science department head.

If I am elected I will continue to represent your views and concerns on Senate.

Thank you, ~ Philip Edgcumbe

Sina Sahami

Many students are not aware how the EUS can benefit them. In the past elections, less than 25% of the students voted. I feel there is a communication problem between EUS and the majority of the student body. I would like to reach out to all the students, and with your help, redirect EUS back to its constitutional goals.

At my fourth year in engineering I have been encouraged by fellow students to run for this position to united the student body and bring change to the system. I will dedicate my time and all my effort to achieve this and bring integrity and prestige to this society.

I believe that there is a lot more EUS can do towards its stated goal,” to support the academic, professional, and social needs of engineering students

Some of the goals that I promise to achieve before September 2010 are:

• I will establish a direct way for students to communicate their problems through EUS to responsible levels at UBC on issues such as courses content, facilities, quality of education and course load.
• I will make the $300,000+ budget, controlled by EUS, more transparent.  I will work towards publishing the details of this budget, for all the engineering students to review.
• I will provide a more accessible means of financial support for student’s projects.
• I will raise awareness of EUS by updating the student body on all of the society’s actions and decisions.
• I will make the EUS facilities, such as Cheeze, cleaner, more welcoming, and accessible to all engineering students.

There is a lot more we can do. The question is, will you vote? Make the right vote and make the difference.

For more information please visit:

http://tinyurl.com/EUSElection

Lin Watt

Senate is the highest governing body for academics at UBC: among many other things, Senate deals with academic appeals, admissions, and curricula changes and extends Reading Break for two weeks during the Olympics!  But although Senate’s decisions fundamentally affect the student experience, Senate is composed primarily of faculty and there are only 18 seats assigned to students across UBC Vancouver.  As such it is imperative that your Applied Science Student Senator is a strong, knowledgeable, and respected voice for engineering and all students.  I believe my experience, professionalism, and cross-campus connections make me a strong candidate for this position.

Over my past four years here I have become very involved with many clubs and organizations across campus, from residence to the Alma Mater Society (AMS), Engineers Without Borders to the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS).  I have learned how to navigate the university’s complicated (and often bureaucratic!) structure.  I am very familiar with academic issues and concerns, most recently chairing the AMS Academic Quality Committee (composed of AMS Councillors and Senators), and have learned and applied effective advocacy techniques to improve our engineering academic experience.  Through my roles as EUS Vice President Academic and EUS President, I have developed very productive working relationships with the Faculty of Applied Science and UBC: my connections make me uniquely able to be able to effect positive change for engineering students, in and outside of Senate.

As your Senator, I will bring my experience, judgement, and professionalism to be an active and respected voice on Senate.  I will make sure your student needs and your concerns are heard and acted upon, and I will ensure I remain accountable and available to you.

For more information, please check out my website at www.linwatt.com, and from March 15-19 vote Lin Watt for strong student representation on Senate!