UBC's Okanagan campus has a vibrant and active student union.
Every year the students have an opportunity to vote for fellow students
that they feel
will best represent the values, initiatives, and concerns
affecting them throughout their post-secondary education, here on campus.
Rocky Kim is the current president and today's guest
on UBC's Next Big Thing.
Rocky, you have been the president of the Student
Union here at UBC Okanagan's Campus now for just under a year, a couple, what 7
months?
Uh yup, about six months. So what's that been like for you so far? Well it's been fun.
It's been interesting. It's been a lot of work. But luckily I have a very reduced
course load so I can devote a lot of my time into
making sure that the Student Union functions the way it should, and we have a lot of
support staff. So
overall it's been fun, it's been interesting, it's been a lot of work. Oh,
I'm sure it is, because really the Student Union
has a very important role here on campus. Maybe you can talk a little bit about what
that role is.
Well, the main role at the Student Union is to be dynamic so we have to evolve as
student's needs evolves on this campus.
So we can never be devoted to one single cause or purpose,
except the general idea of, hey we need to solve different student problems on
a variety of issues. Everything from student space, to food, to mental health
issues. Year after year, different needs are going to be different,
and it's the role of the Student Union to make sure they cater to those needs.
So we've been a University here on campus for about nine years.
What have been some of the significant things that the student union has
participated in to see this
campus grow? Well obviously a very significant one would be
like the changing of slates. Uh, there was a very Canadian Federation Auit
of students' heavy slate that was operating the Students' Union for a long time.
And from there the Students in Action took over, and then different things
started happening.
We did move into the UNC building, that was still during the CFS period,
uh, from there different things, I couldn't name
all of them, but obviously the library is a big one.
You mentioned the library. Something very significant happened
recently. We've got a library that's
obviously too small and to help
see some changes in that direction, what did the student union recently
put together? Well the students just passed the referendum with eighty-five percent
approval,
to commit seventy dollars per student, per year, towards
the building up a new library. Why do you think that's so important?
Well it's showing that the need of students' study space on this campus,
and it's a pioneering move where students are saying hey,
we're gonna put our money where our mouth is, and we're gonna commit this much money to the
library, and hopefully the government and different donors follow suit, and commit
their money as well.
This is a project that, you know, where we are now as far as the
University build.
We've built as much as we can and that we have funding for, at the moment.
And for us to see a new library, it's something that we
have to come up with the funds, somehow. And so the referendum that was hosted,
was
to see if the students would buy into it. Yup. Now you're telling me they are. Why do
you think
the students found this so important, themselves?
Well, just personally from being here for four years, uh,
it's definitely a necessity. There's no,
like no student will tell you that we don't need any more study space, it's a
necessity, I know that for a fact. And
how passionate students are about it, is to the point where they're willing to
give more money
to build a new building because they realize how important this issue is.
It's interesting though, too, that the students that voted,
right now, most of them will never seen that new
library. So that's a pretty big thing to
to say, look, that we're willing to pay now, yup, to
see the improvement and, and leave a legacy behind.
Yeah, and then main thing is that they realize the importance of this, and that
they have to think further into the future than just this year.
And they gotta realize that if students three years ago
had done this for them, that they would be setting in a
new library, and this would not be an issue. So now they're taking that
burden upon themselves to say hey,
I'm gonna be a leader and I'm going to make sure that students of the future benefit from this.
What role then does the Student Union have in seeing this library
get built beyond this? So it acts as a donation to the University for the
library so,
that can come in many different ways, shapes, and forms. Obviously, a lot of
the consultation that we've had with students, has been done previous to the actual
referendum.
Right. So then that's just what students want to see in the space essentially, because at
the end of the day, it's students that are going to be using the space.
So everything from how many chairs are, how many students study spaces there are.
There's
study carrels, computers, things like media centres, conference rooms, and all
that type of stuff. So
students will have a lot of input into what goes in, into the space.
Are libraries, in your, well in your impression
phasing out? I mean some people might say who reads books anymore, is why, why would
people even go to library?
When we say library, it's for a all general purposes, it's
it's not really a library. It's just the centralized location where you come and
study so it's more than
learning centre and innovation centre, where you can come study, meet like-minded
individuals,
study for your exams, work on group projects, go on the computer, surf the web.
We're calling it a library but its, its
the new, more than, yeah so the new space is not going to be committed
significantly to
shelves for books. I think that's the idea behind libraries now-
a days. Yeah. They are more, yeah, than just a place to house books. They're resources. Even
the librarians that work there,
they are trained to help students be able to pull out the information and,
and get access the, the resources that they need.
What other things do you, do you see the student union
getting involved with, and trying to uh look forward to in the future,
on this campus? Well, so the main two things that I ran on last year, were
uh food, and study space. So the food issue is a very hard one with limited
space, you can only offer so many different food retail outlets.
Uh, we try to make best on our promise by bringing in a new Taco Del Mar, that's going
to have vegetarian or vegan options there as well. It's something that can
suit to all students needs a little bit, and it's something that we don't have on our
campus right now.
For the students' study space I, I'd be,
I wouldn't be too reluctant to say that I don't think students
will be running on that issue anymore, because
I feel like that's been solved. We're getting about two-and-a-half times
more seats that the current
library has right now, so it's going to be a great year for the Students
Union, I really, I really truly believe that because it's, a it's gonna, this is the
point in time where it's going to be
although innovators, the people that have these great ideas where there are no
longer just solving a problem that exists,
mhm, but seeing farther into the future and possible problems that may
arise, and try to proactively combat those. So, everything from
the trying to actively get into a new
building, maybe like uh as the University develops new multi-use buildings
run on platforms that are just going to put the Students Union a financial situation
where we can
uh, try to make a bid for those spaces, or anything from that uh
better investing of our term deposits, or anything. So, it will be an
interesting, interesting ride this election period, for sure.
So you're expanding a little bit of your media presence.
You have a newspaper that's been going for quite some time. Tell us a little bit
about how you get
things out there into your student body. The number one
key to having a democratic society that's operating efficiently and
transparently, is you need to have a free and open media.
The Phoenix News, while they maintain editorial independence,
we do operate them financially, so that we do provide funding for them.
Editorially, they're allowed to print essentially whatever they want.
From there, we want to expand our media presence and we've introduce the Heat Wave
Radio,
and I think we provide ten thousand dollars worth the funding to try to get it
off it's feet, and we hope to continue that in the years to come to make sure
that they're slowly building on it.
That's a avenue where students can put together their own programming and it's uh,
podcasted? Oh absolutely,
in terms of the radio it, it's an exciting opportunity to be a radio
host for a student or anything of that sort,
right, so i think give a lot of different students, different opportunities that they would
have never had before.
Right. And if you look at our regulations, it specifically mentions a
a radio. So, which for some reason has never happened in the past, but
I hope to make sure that he gets off its feet this year.
Why do you think it's so important that
students have a voice. You know, they, they come to school here, they're
getting their education, but why is it important
that the student union represent them? Well the most important thing is that
we
can't forget that the students run the Students Union.
It's not the staff, it's not the Student Union Representatives, it's not myself,
it's not any other executives, it's the students.
And we got our keep that in mind every time we talk to students when they bring
up issues that
we might not think is important, but to each individual it is important. Like I
said, the Students Union has to learn how to evolve,
and where to go from there. So students are the largest stakeholders on this
campus. There's
8198 unique individuals on this campus, with all different wants, needs, and
purposes and uh,
we need to try our best to cater towards as many of those as
possible, and uh yeah, we're, we're hoping people think we're doing a good job of it,
I guess.
How does the student union operate, because that maybe some people out there that are
thinking of coming to the
University, and maybe have been involved in their own um,
political arenas, where they're going to school now. How does it work and
how do they get involved?
What we'll be doing this year, is going to be a little bit unique as uh, the
election period will be the same, nothing will change with the elections, but I'm
gonna be running a
an engagement campaign a month before elections start.
Then it'll be a crash course for any student that's never been in the Students Union
before, or had involvement, where they can be like,
or they can come and uh hang out with me for a couple days and I'll show them
everything to do with the Students Union, I'll run them through all the services
that we provide, all the different departments we work with,
every like, everything from A to Z about what the student union is, how to get
involved,
and where to go. And it's essentially, there are elected positions, and then
there's hired positions, and then there's full time positions, and
part-time positions, and then there's student positions, right.
The transition period is steep, but it's, it's possible.
Even if you've never heard of it before, I've seen many Student Union Executives run
after their first year at school, and still be decently successful. Wow,
and it's a great opportunity for students to learn about governance and,
and politics, and just serving other people. Yeah.
So you encourage students to get involved. Oh, absolutely I would,
it's been one of the best experiences of my life so far, it's definitely been one
of the highlights.
Yeah I would definitely recommend it to every student I know. A lot of students
don't wanna run in elections because they don't want to be put on the spot light,
and it's, it's very nerve-racking when you're sitting
during elections up the stage in your getting grilled with questions from the
audience and students about
why they think you're wrong, and your opponents they're yelling at you, telling
you that your ideas are bad, when,
and for all intensive purposes usually both students running have the exact
same issues. Same platform. The same platforms, but
it's one of the best experiences I have and it's, it's a three-week campaign
period, right, so after nominations and then nine days of campaigning, it's like
suck it up, go and run, and you'd be
astonished with what you can do. And what you can add to your resume,
when you get out, absolutely, and take your education it's another part of
an education that you couldn't get in the class. Exactly, yeah.
Good. Well we are so appreciative that you came by today and shared with us and
all the best
and congratulations on the library campaign, and to a successful year this
year.
Thank you so much. That wraps up this addition
of UBC's Next Big Thing. Until next time, I'm Rosemary Jean Thompson,
make it a great week.