Bryan Buraga Platform

BRYAN FOR BOARD (OF (OF GOVERNORS)

& SENATE

PLATFORM

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The University of British Columbia’s Vancouver Campus and the Alma Matter Society are located on the traditional, ancestral, and stolen territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. i wish to highlight some ways to support Indigenous land defenders as highlighted by one of the student groups on campus, Climate Justice UBC: You can donate directly to Wet’suwet’en land defenders (donorbox.org/uphold-land-defenders) and to youth of the Gitxsan Lax’yip (firekeepers@laxyip.com) Jocey is a Wet’suwet’en land defender who was living on the land for up to three years and continues to oppose the industrial projects that have caused vast environmental damage without the consent of hereditary Wet’suweten leadership. Support Jocey through the Indigenous Early Childhood Education Certificate program this winter! All contributions help. E-transfer to jocey.alec@hotmail.com or Paypal/Wise at jocey.alec1312@gmail.com

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ABOUT ME Hi, my name is Bryan! I am a master’s student in Community Planning, and I hope to serve as your student representative on the UBC Board of Governors and Senate. My passion to improve students’ material conditions drives my student advocacy work. I am the only candidate in this election who has previously served on the Board of Governors of a university through my previous role as President of the Students’ Society of McGill University.

With two years of experience serving on a university senate, I fought for, and won, a fall reading break for students at McGill University as a student senator. I also bring two years of working in finance to the table,

and in sum, having this full complement of experiences makes me a very valuable resource for students, if elected. I have seen first-hand the power that students have when we band together and fight for a common cause, for each other, and for our community. I believe that the only way we can bring the change we want from this university is by using our collective power as students to force the university to act. Nothing truly worth fighting for has come without a fight, and I intend to be right there with you. From March 9-13, I ask you to join me as we build a better university, together.

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MY EXPERIENCE

2025-Present, Graduate Student Representative & Vice-Chair, AMS Council Chair, Graduate Student Society AMS Caucus Member, AMS External Briefs and Communications Committee Representing the issues, views, and priorities of the 11,000 UBC Vancouver graduate students on AMS Council 2022-2024, Financial and ESG Analyst 2022-2023, Junior Impact Analyst, Impak Analytics Conducted environmental and social impact research on large, publicly traded companies 2023-2024, Data Analyst, Castle Hall Conducted operational and ESG due diligence reviews of private equity and hedge funds using key fund documents, including financial statements 2021-2022, Organizer, Divest McGill Organizing member for the years-long campaign to make McGill divest its $2 billion endowment from fossil fuel companies that have been perpetuating the climate crisis Participated in planning, organization, and execution of actions to bring awareness of McGill's continued complicity in the climate crisis and to place pressure on the university to divest 2019-2020 SSMU President Represented 24,000 undergraduate students at McGill to key stakeholders as its chief officer, including senior administrators, media, the over 100 employees of the organization, and the student body at-large Negotiated the implementation of a key student priority (Fall Reading Break) after years of advocacy Liaised directly with the McGill administration on student priorities Managed the day-to-day operations of the Society due to the absence of a General Manager 2019-2020 Student Governor, McGill Board of Governors Member, McGill Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR) Member, McGill Building and Property Committee (BPC) Presented the case for divestment at the university's highest governing body, influencing the ultimate decision to decarbonize Conveyed undergraduate students' perspectives to the Board during meetings 2018-2020 Student Senator, McGill Senate Member, McGill Enrolment and Student Affairs Advisory Committee (ESAAC) Member, McGill Subcommittee on Courses and Teaching Programs (SCTP) Member, McGill ESAAC Fall Reading Break Sub-Committee Communicated directly with McGill University administration to advocate for student issues, including strengthening McGill's Policy against Sexual Violence, increasing support for student services, and implementing a Fall Reading Break

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BOARD OF GOVERNORS

PLATFORM

Affordability & Food Security Advocating for a tuition freeze Ensuring student housing is built to accommodate all students in need of housing before any more for-profit housing is built on campus Ensuring housing is not contingent on tenant contributions to the UBC community Advocating for the university to draw more contributions from its $3 billion endowment in the face of financial pressures Advocating for additional revenue streams for the university to not come from further financially burdening students Advocating for a moratorium in pay increases for senior administrators until the university is able to balance its budget Stopping starvation stipends and ensuring tuition waivers are not considered in stipend calculations Respecting the rights of all workers, including student workers, to unionize Securing long-term food security funding, allowing the AMS Food Bank to re-open access to all members of the UBC community Tenant Protections In collaboration with the Vancouver Tenants Union-UBC, creating a residential tenancy policy for tenants that includes a just grievance process Freezing rents until there are tenant protections in the form of a residential tenancy policy in place for UBC Housing tenants or for the next three years, whichever is the longer period Capping rental increases in line with or below those listed in the BC Residential Tenancy Act Providing eviction protections for tenants including a just appeal process through a third, neutral party Providing accessible housing for disabled student tenants including but not limited to functional elevators Providing 24 hours notice before entering tenants’ homes for repairs or other purposes and providing an accurate time for entry Providing all student tenants with the option to maintain housing for the duration of their program Providing temperature control of units to tenants Ethical University Partnerships & Investments Having the university sign the Apartheid-Free Communities Pledge Advancing work on the Human Rights Framework for the university’s investments Advocating for the university to partner with credit unions, away from big banks that continue to fund fossil fuel projects / companies Priority Committee Placements Executive Property Finance

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RATIONALE

OVERVIEW

As the only candidate running in this race who has previously served on a university Board of Governors, I am keenly aware of the thought process that Governors have, mainly considering things from a financial, legal, and operational perspective. Having worked in finance for 2 years before coming to UBC for my graduate degree, I know how these people operate, and I can speak their language to advance student priorities. I also think that past student advocates have forgotten the other perspective that Governors base their decision-making on: reputational considerations. Some of our most impactful student advocacy wins have come from intense student pressure: UBC’s Declaration on the Climate Emergency, securing Food Security Initiative funding after a student walkout, and the ongoing work for a Human Rights Framework for the university’s investments. Having experience working both inside and outside the system, I believe I am the best candidate to bridge these two approaches together to fulfill the badly-needed student priorities of our student body.

AFFORDABILITY & FOOD SECURITY

Year after year, students are subjected to tuition fee increases. I believe it is important to have a student representative on the Board of Governors that holds the line and continues to advocate against tuition fee increases. The university cannot continue to place the financial burden for its own financial mismanagement on the shoulders of students, all while cutting key student services and giving raises to themselves. Further, student tenants on campus are receiving rent increases, while outside of the university, the average price of rent is decreasing. Graduate students are subsisting on starvation stipends, and while student stipend increases have been secured for PhD students for years 1-4, tuition waivers have been counted as part of funding packages and master’s students as a whole still do not have guaranteed funding.

In addition, while an $800,000 commitment for Food Security Initiative funding was secured for FY 2026-2027, there still is no longer-term commitment from the university to continue this funding past next year. We need to secure a long-term commitment that meets the food needs of all members of the UBC community, not just students, as was the case previously.

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RATIONALE

TENANT PROTECTIONS

Currently, under the province’s Residential Tenancy Act, tenants in student accommodations do not have legal protections that other tenants do. The university can unilaterally kick you out without a hearing, invade your privacy by entering your unit without prior notice, and raise rents as much as they want. These platform points highlight the key demands of the UBC Tenant Union, asking for basic rights and decency from the university. I am happy to support their work, and I would advocate for these protections at the Property Committee of the Board of Governors.

ETHICAL UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS & INVESTMENTS

I would like to recognize the work of student groups on campus that have advocated for ethical university partnerships & investments over the years, including from Apartheid South Africa, the fossil fuel industry, and now, from Israel for its ongoing genocide in Gaza and its apartheid system discriminating against Palestinians. I support the democratic will of students in overwhelmingly demanding that UBC divest from companies that are complicit in Palestinian human rights violations. I have previously advocated for divestment movements in the past, in my role as a Student Governor on the McGill Board of Governors, and I commit to working with student groups that continue to advocate for these movements on our campus.

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SENATE

PLATFORM

Accessibility Continuing work to fix the gaps in the university’s Disability Accommodation Policy (LR7), including allowing for self-certification of accommodation needs and consideration of temporary health issues Allowing for all classes to have online, hybrid, and in-person options, as well as lecture recordings Ensuring instructors respect student accommodations, particularly in regards to surprise in-class assessments Securing more funding for the Centre for Accessibility Expanding accessibility shuttle access to all parts of campus, including student housing, and to allow for motorized wheelchairs to use the shuttle Fairness Including a dedicated Indigenous seat on Senate Making it mandatory for students in all programs to complete at least one Indigenous studies course Advocating for adequate resourcing for Senate-governed appeals processes and expedient timelines for appeals to be heard Stopping starvation stipends and ensuring tuition waivers are not considered in stipend calculations Amending the Examination Hardships and Clashes Policy (V-102) to define Examination Hardship as 2 or more exams within a 24-hour period Stopping student intimidation from staff and administrations when students are advocating for student needs Establishing a Fossil Free Research policy to stop all funding and research partnerships with fossil fuel companies Student Supports Advocating for at least one library on campus to have 24/7 access, at least during exam season Extending the course add-drop deadline to the last day of classes Amending the Academic Concession Policy (V-135) to allow for selfcertification of concession need Establishing an exam and syllabus database Priority Committee Placements Student Appeals of Discipline Appeals on Academic Standing Agenda Budget and Academic Buildings Academic Policy

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RATIONALE

OVERVIEW

Having previously served on a university Senate for 2 years, I know how important continuity is in student academic advocacy work. Much of my Senate platform already builds upon the good work of the Student Senate Caucus over the past few years, including from many of my conversations with current Student Senators. These priorities stem from Senate 2026, a document submitted by Student Senators to the UBC Vancouver Senate outlining key student advocacy priorities for three years (in this case, 2023-2026). I do not intend to re-invent the wheel, which is why I have drawn on key issues that still need to be addressed for the student body. In addition, in my consultations with AMS Resource Groups, Constituencies, and other advocacy organizations, other key issues were identified that I will fight for if elected.

ACCESSIBILITY

As a disabled student myself, I know first-hand the issues with the Centre for Accessibility, having had to wait for resources to be granted to me until after my previously-diagnosed disability was verified by another healthcare professional and processed. The current Disability Accommodation Policy does not meet the needs of students, and the Centre for Accessibility is underfunded, under-resourced, and its employees over-burdened and over-worked. I also believe in Universal Design for Learning, an approach that avoids a onesize-fits-all model for one that fits the diverse learning needs and approaches of students. I am thinking in particular about students with disabilities, students with families and childcare responsibilities, and students who live far from campus and have to commute in for their coursework.

In addition, with the rise of AI, many instructors have leaned on surprise inperson assessments to counter AI use in assessments. However, many of these in-person assessments are administered in contravention of universityapproved accommodations, requiring these students to take on additional labour to fight for their right to equitable access to education. Further, the current accessibility shuttle system on campus does not allow motorized wheelchair users to have access to this service; the service also does not currently service student residences. These are all things I will fight to improve upon, if elected.

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RATIONALE

FAIRNESS

In conversations with the Indigenous Student Society, key priorities they brought up was the inclusion of a dedicated Indigenous seat on Senate, as well as ensuring all students complete at least one Indigenous studies course during their program. I am happy to provide whatever support I can for their priorities, recognizing that I am a settler on this land and I will do what I can to support their priorities.

A major issue that I have also learned about from students is the inadequate process of appeals at the university. For matters of student discipline of both an academic and non-academic nature, the final appeal process rests with the Senate through its Student Appeals of Discipline Committee and Appeals on Academic Standing Committee. However, the time for appeals can stretch well into 8-10 months. For someone who has been suspended from their studies for 4-8 months, or has been evicted from their student residence, and has to head home because of their visa restrictions, this is a procedurally unfair process, particularly when many students are exonerated at the end of the appeal.

Institutional power actively tries to trump grassroots advocacy when it goes against the status quo, and I have heard directly from students that have faced reprisals and threats of reprisal for their student advocacy work. This is unacceptable, and I would work with other members of the Student Senate Caucus to stop this from occurring at our university moving forward.

STUDENT SUPPORTS

Regarding student supports, what students have been asking for over the course of several years is not revolutionary. In fact, some of these points have already been implemented in the past, only for the university to rescind them later on. In my past work as a Student Senator, we looked to other U15 universities to use their policies, resources, and operations as examples of what can be feasible. I intend to continue this work, if elected.

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