Applications for the SEC Elections has now closed! See Candidate Profiles Below.

Are you  interested in getting more involved with SEC next year? Apply to be an exec! The SEC Executive Team take on a diverse range of roles. It’s a great way to get involved on campus and to make friends in the environmental community.

Any UBC student is welcome to apply for an executive position, just submit a short paragraph detailing your experience and why you think you would be right for the job to enviro@ams.ubc.ca. Applicants can apply to multiple positions, but may only be elected into one.

The deadline for applications is Sunday, March 15th, 2015 at 11:59pm.

Positions you can apply for:
– Co-Chair (two positions available)
– Treasurer
– Events Coordinator
– Secretary
– Outreach Coordinator
– Sub-Committee Coordinator (two positions available)

You can read about these positions and review our current constitution here.

Voting will take place online from Monday, March 16th at 8:00am until Friday, March 20th at 1:00pm, or in our AGM from 3:00pm to 4:00pm on Friday March 20th if you’d like to vote in person. This is to ensure people who are unable to attend the AGM are still able to have their say in the future of SEC!

Constitutional Amendments may be proposed to change the structuring of executive positions to better reflect the current functioning of SEC. Any proposed constitutional amendments will be emailed out following our general meeting on Friday, March 13, 2015.

Candidates

Co-Chair (Two positions available)

Athena Huynh

Greetings SECees! My name is Athena, and I am interested in becoming a Co-Chair for SEC next year because it would be a meaningful opportunity to provide strategic direction to the group and to preserve the safe, inclusive atmosphere that the current Co-Chairs have established (which is one of my favourite things about SEC). I feel that I am well suited to this position due to my experience in leading several clubs throughout high school, during which I directed meetings to decide the actions of the group, organized volunteers to help with the implementation of events, and interacted with the general student body to raise awareness about the mission of the club. Furthermore, I have facilitated discussions on education at the 2012 VSB Let’s Talk About Learning Student Forum as a Table Facilitator and collaborated with students and teachers at my high school to help write the proposal that allowed us to install a garden on our rooftop.

Applying my knowledge to the position of SEC Co-Chair, I would be able to facilitate productive meetings while ensuring that everyone has a chance to voice their opinions, raise critical questions to guide the discussion and objective of the group, and provide advice and support for the project directors. As someone who strongly believes in the potential of SEC to become a prominent voice within the UBC environmental community, I would like to contribute to the growth of our group by offering leadership and vision for the team, and I ask for your support in this upcoming election to help make this goal a reality.

Laura Stewart

My name is Laura Stewart, and I am a second-year student studying environmental science. I have been in SEC for two years now. This year I was the Events Coordinator and I organized Green Tea Talks, spearheaded the annexation of the Free Store, and I am on the organizing committee for the upcoming Bike to Wildwood (get excited!). You should elect me as Co-Chair because I am organized, dedicated to the environment, and an effective leader. Ideas of mine for next year include more Green Tea Challenges, continuing with the implementation of Sustainability Reps for major UBC clubs, restoration projects in Vancouver, maintaining and expanding the Free Store, and probably world dominance.

Marina de Pina-Jenkins

Over the past 3 years with SEC (first as a general member, then as events coordinator, and most recently as co-chair) I have had so many great experiences and become more and more connected with the UBC community!
In my last year of school I hope to foster an atmosphere within SEC as a productive and motivated group of students passionate about sustainability and change within the UBC community. Some of my main ideas are:

-I want to continue doing more collaborations but increase our participation within events, do more creative projects with CiTR and the Ubessey, also student magazines like Discorder and Elective.
-I also have some ideas about how to distribute the workload between the co-chair positions.
-I want to create some videos about sustainability issues we see on campus

If you elect me I will help us stay focused on our goals while having fun and create more opportunities for bonding within our club.

Niklas Agarwal

I believe my two years of dedicated membership in the Student Environment Centre has given me the skills needed to succeeded in the position of co-chair. I have come to understand the importance SEC plays in the community, and the potential for it to grow into an active voice of the student body on environmentalism at UBC and in the community. I hope to leverage SEC’s dynamic history and accomplishments, like the U-Pass, in order to expand SEC into the powerhouse and resource on campus it deserves to be.

My connections in different organizations like RezLife, Common Energy and other groups, has given me the broad reach that SEC needs in order to get our message across. My leadership in all of these organizations (and SEC) has given me the organizational and communication skills that will allow me to be a strong co-leader.
My platform for the 2015-2016 school year includes the following items:
-Organizing an active members retreat for the beginning of September in order to create a strategic plan for the year.
-Continuing our campaign for sustainability reps in every club on campus.
-SEC has a history of over 30 years. Let’s find our alumni and create an archive of our past, so we can use skills from the past for current issues.
-Demonstrating leadership in the organization of the RGAC. The resource groups are in a disarray and it is important that we reconnect with the other groups.
-Transitioning to the New SUB. Using this opportunity to renew SEC.
-Continue to organize movements against destructive environmental practices.

Shoot me a message if you have any questions. Your vote is appreciated.

Treasurer

Siena Smith

Hello, my name is Siena Smith and I am interested in holding the position of treasurer for the Student Environment Center for the 2015-2016 academic year. I would love to be able to do my part to help make UBC and the students, faculty and staff that it houses, an ever greener and more sustainable community. I feel that I would be an excellent fit for this position not only because I am passionate about sustainability and the conservation of our beautiful planet, but also because I am a responsible, hard working individual who is up for the challenge of the position of treasurer. In addition, I have very strong mathematical and reasoning skills that would be very useful in this role. I think that my passion for the environment, my dedication, and my mathematical skills would combine nicely, making me an effective treasurer, whose ideals and values align closely with those of the Student Environment Center.

Events Coordinator

Hello friends! You’ve read about me in my blurb above, and I am also applying to be Events Coordinator again. My plans for the future of SEC remain the same. I am sure I will still be able to achieve world domination for SEC working from this position as well.

Sarah Park

Hello, my name is Sarah Park and I am running to be your next Events Coordinator. I have joined SEC this year to learn more about environmental awareness and also to incorporate green initiatives in AMS and SUS club events. I believe that a competent events coordinator would be able to work efficiently as a team, communicate clearly and be able to promote and market events to as many people as possible. From previous work and volunteer experience, I believe I possess those skills.

Both throughout high school and university, I have been a part of several clubs and groups that have hosted school-wide, district-wide, and faculty-wide events. For example, currently, as the first year representative for UBC Canadian Liver Foundation, I have heavily promoted our events through social media and word of mouth, organized the sponsorships and the logistics with the co-chairs. In high school, I was Co-President of the Be the Change Environmental Club and through this, I was able to implement a composting program throughout our school. This greatly reduced the amount of waste produced and I want to continue my involvement in making a change at UBC.

From experience, I would be able to use the same organizational and detail-oriented planning skills and also collaborate with the outreach coordinator to work with other clubs on campus.

Some of my future event ideas include:
– monthly green tea talks @ different locations around Vancouver
– potluck picnic during reading break
– Seymour snow shoeing/hiking trip during winter break
– wreck beach hangouts
– attending UBC events together as a team

My first year at UBC has been great – mainly due to the relationships I have formed with people. As the events coordinator, I want to develop a sense of community amongst the SEC members and a sense of belonging for future SECees.

Secretary

Emma Ward-Griffin

My name is Emma and I’m applying for the position of Secretary. This will be my 3rd year as a UBC Psychology arts student and member of SEC. I’ve been both Eco Advocacy Coordinator and SEC Secretary in past and am hoping to continue my tradition as executive. I think I would be a good Secretary because I have two years of experience in SEC, a year of experience as Secretary, and because I’m reliable and hard working.
Thank you.

Outreach Coordinator

Athena Huynh

Greetings SECees! My name is Athena, and I am a first year student in the Faculty of Science. Since joining SEC at the beginning of the year, I have continuously been impressed by the leadership, insight, and openness of the members here, and participating in the meetings and Eco Initiatives rebranding has allowed me to appreciate what an inclusive and driven group this is. As a result, I would like to help promote our values and initiatives as the Outreach Coordinator next year, because I feel that SEC is a valuable resource that more students need to learn about.

My plan for extending the reach of SEC is to connect with a variety of clubs and increase our numbers through extensive networking and engaging booth activities during the Clubs Fair. By emphasizing the broadened scope of the SEC Fund and the availability of our support for eco-friendly projects around campus, I hope to bring sustainability issues to the attention of all students so that we can continue to build on this tradition of environmental responsibility at UBC. During the academic year, I would maintain our presence by using social media to raise awareness about environmental events and actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with other organizations around campus. To accomplish these goals, I would draw upon my extensive experience in event planning and implementation.

In addition to being an Active SEC Member this year, I was also a Sports and Recreation Coordinator for the Heart and Stroke Foundation Club, designing physical activities for students around campus, and a Professional Panel Director for Project Pulse Vancouver, inviting health sciences professionals to come speak at a conference for youth interested in this field. From these experiences, I have developed key marketing, social, and communication skills that would allow me to succeed in the position of Outreach Director. Therefore, please lend faith and support in this election, and I will do my best to exceed your expectations.

Marina Melanidis

My name is Marina Melanidis, and I would like to apply for the position of Outreach Coordinator for the 2015-2016 school year!

I am a second year student, studying Natural Resource Conservation with the Faculty of Forestry at UBC. I have been a member of SEC for both my years at UBC, acting as a Sub-committee Coordinator for both of those years. This year I was hoping to fill the role as an Outreach Coordinator, because I believe that I have the skills and drive necessary to thrive in this position.

I am a diverse and effective communicator. I am currently working as an Office Assistant at Columbia Speech and Language Services, where I communicate with clients via the phone, email, and in person, answering inquiries and connecting clients to therapists. This has allowed me to become very effective at connecting and communicating with a large range of people. These skills will be advantageous to the role as Outreach Coordinator, as I will have no difficulty acting as a liaison with other environmental groups on campus and in the city. I will also be able to update all social media and online outlets with confidence.

In addition to these skills, I am also a passionate advocate for sustainability and conservation. I have been a part of SEC for the entirety of my UBC career, and I am eager and confident that I can help increase SEC’s reach within the UBC community. The values represented within the SEC constitution mirror my own, and I am excited to share those values with other students as Outreach Coordinator.

Sub-Committee Coordinator (Two positions available)