Improving and expanding student services is one of Maryann Adamec's top goals for the coming year along with lobbying to restore federal funding to post-secondary institutions and lower student loan interest rates for students in public institutions.
"Finding solutions to the funding crunch at UBC and improving the quality of education is the number one job," says the recently elected president of UBC's Alma Mater Society (AMS).
In an overwhelming majority vote, Adamec--who represents the Students for Students party and was last year's AMS vice-president--garnered 2,816 votes of the 4,338 ballots cast by UBC students. Approximately 15 per cent of eligible student voters voted in the election.
Adamec will chair the student council, the executive committee and both the community planning and working groups in the 35-hour-per-week position.
The third-year Marketing major joins vice-presidents Erfan Kazemi, Academic and University Affairs, Graham Senft, External, Mike Warner, Finance and Mark Fraser, Administration.
One way to maintain affordable and accessible education is to cap tuition to inflation she says, adding that surplus federal budget monies should be earmarked for the post-secondary sector.
Another prominent AMS issue is transit. The new president plans to negotiate with UBC administration and Translink to improve mass transit to campus and examine the feasibility of a universal bus pass.
Committed to encouraging a diversity of student opinion, Adamec says she is a consensus-builder who wants to hear a variety of perspectives before reaching decisions.
Other issues include a wider variety of AMS programs such as frosh week and orientation for the graduating class.
Adamec takes over from outgoing AMS president Ryan Marshall.