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Dear Connor,
It has recently come to my attention that the CUS leadership is considering (or perhaps already decided) to seek, via referendum, to levy the $500 fee, originally proposed nearly four years ago, to part-finance the completed and ongoing Henry Angus renovations. Connor, I urge you, before making any decisions and before making up your mind, to get informed as to what happened four years ago and to not let Dean Dan (and REDACTED) be your only sources of information on the matter. You must understand, Dean Dan's job is to look out for the interests of the Sauder School of Business and Dean Dan is admirably adept at doing his job. He's an intelligent man, a persuasive speaker, and an outstanding marketer. However, your job is to look out for the interests of the students (current and future), not the school. As such, it is incumbent upon you and the rest of the CUS to do your due diligence in finding out the facts. Then, based on the facts, you should work to inform the students of Sauder and allow them reach their own conclusion. That is your duty to your constituents as President of the CUS.
You might be wondering why I'm emailing you. Why does this guy care? Who is this weirdo? These are all very reasonable questons, and I'll address them in reverse order:
1. I am a Sauder alumnus who graduated in May of 2008. During my time at UBC I was Editor-in-Chief of the Cavalier, sat on CUS Council, worked to plan and propose the recent CUS constitutional reform, and served in various capacities at the AMS and beyond.
2. I care because I was there when this fee was discussed the first time. I still recall the biased, manipulative, and downright unfair actions of the CUS leadership at the time. I recall how they worked with, perhaps even for, the Dean to ram the referendum down the throats of the student body.
3. I am emailing you because I still care. I want UBC and Sauder to be world class schools. I want them to achieve renown and success. However, I also want them to act in a fair and just way with regards to that which makes them what they are: their students. In my opinion, this wasn't the case in the 2006 referendum and it certainly doesn't seem to be the case now.
Anyway, enough about that. What I'm simply asking of you now is to get informed. Know the facts and know your responsibilities. I've seen CUS presidents in the past act as shills for the Dean. I didn't like to see it then, and I certainly wouldn't like to see it now. As such, I hope that you, and the BoD will take the time necessary to carefully study the facts of the matter and not let Dean Dan push you around. again, he's a persuasive man with a strong agenda. It's up you to stand up to him. That's what your constituents elected you to do.
As for how to get facts on this case, there are a number of sources that are still publicly available:
1. UBC Insiders: http://blogs.ubc.ca/ubcinsiders/2010/03/01/cus-board-to-vote-on-500-building-fee-referendum/ . These guys have rock solid credentials. Together, they know more about how this university operates than, I think, anyone else on campus.
2. The original facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=2211453331 . Yes, we live in a brave new world where nothing ever goes away. Take a look.
3. I'm attaching an op-ed I wrote to the Ubyssey at the time. While I'm certainly biased, I think accurately represented some of the complexities of the situation.
4. Ask the Dean in public. Make him go on record and tell you why he needs this money. Make sure he justifies and explains himself to the students and alumni like me, not just to you in some closed-door meeting or to select individuals of his choosing.
Most importantly, please remember, that you don't work for Dean Dan. You work for the students. In my day, the CUS Executive forgot this. As such, they became not the champions of the student interest, but actively sought to sell the new building project to their own constituents. But what if you don't believe me? Well, here are the notes from the October 18, 2006 CUS Exec Council Meeting pertaining to the building referendum (this is all [or at least should be] CUS public record, so I have not redacted any names; I've highlighted what I think are particularly revealing passages):
I hope you'll agree with me in suspecting that by this point the CUS was no longer a fair arbitrator of a student referendum. Instead, it had become a marketing tool working for the Dean in persuading students of the merit of the building and working to downplay their reasonable fears and objections. As such, the referendum had become an unfair marketing campaign which saw the likes of Dean Dan, the entire CUS executive, and influential alumni like Mr. REDACTED operate a slick marketing machine with the sole goal of convincing students to levy a $500 per year fee on future Sauder students.
I'll wrap this up by saying this: I've been gone from Sauder, UBC, Vancouver, and even Canada for nearly two years. However, that time has not in the least bit diminished my attachment toward my campus, my community, and my school. As I said, I still care and, while I care, I'll act. It has been said that "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Well, sir, I certainly do not intend to do nothing. And I strongly urge you not to either.
Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Peter Rizov
BCom '08
It has recently come to my attention that the CUS leadership is considering (or perhaps already decided) to seek, via referendum, to levy the $500 fee, originally proposed nearly four years ago, to part-finance the completed and ongoing Henry Angus renovations. Connor, I urge you, before making any decisions and before making up your mind, to get informed as to what happened four years ago and to not let Dean Dan (and REDACTED) be your only sources of information on the matter. You must understand, Dean Dan's job is to look out for the interests of the Sauder School of Business and Dean Dan is admirably adept at doing his job. He's an intelligent man, a persuasive speaker, and an outstanding marketer. However, your job is to look out for the interests of the students (current and future), not the school. As such, it is incumbent upon you and the rest of the CUS to do your due diligence in finding out the facts. Then, based on the facts, you should work to inform the students of Sauder and allow them reach their own conclusion. That is your duty to your constituents as President of the CUS.
You might be wondering why I'm emailing you. Why does this guy care? Who is this weirdo? These are all very reasonable questons, and I'll address them in reverse order:
1. I am a Sauder alumnus who graduated in May of 2008. During my time at UBC I was Editor-in-Chief of the Cavalier, sat on CUS Council, worked to plan and propose the recent CUS constitutional reform, and served in various capacities at the AMS and beyond.
2. I care because I was there when this fee was discussed the first time. I still recall the biased, manipulative, and downright unfair actions of the CUS leadership at the time. I recall how they worked with, perhaps even for, the Dean to ram the referendum down the throats of the student body.
3. I am emailing you because I still care. I want UBC and Sauder to be world class schools. I want them to achieve renown and success. However, I also want them to act in a fair and just way with regards to that which makes them what they are: their students. In my opinion, this wasn't the case in the 2006 referendum and it certainly doesn't seem to be the case now.
Anyway, enough about that. What I'm simply asking of you now is to get informed. Know the facts and know your responsibilities. I've seen CUS presidents in the past act as shills for the Dean. I didn't like to see it then, and I certainly wouldn't like to see it now. As such, I hope that you, and the BoD will take the time necessary to carefully study the facts of the matter and not let Dean Dan push you around. again, he's a persuasive man with a strong agenda. It's up you to stand up to him. That's what your constituents elected you to do.
As for how to get facts on this case, there are a number of sources that are still publicly available:
1. UBC Insiders: http://blogs.ubc.ca/
2. The original facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.
3. I'm attaching an op-ed I wrote to the Ubyssey at the time. While I'm certainly biased, I think accurately represented some of the complexities of the situation.
4. Ask the Dean in public. Make him go on record and tell you why he needs this money. Make sure he justifies and explains himself to the students and alumni like me, not just to you in some closed-door meeting or to select individuals of his choosing.
Most importantly, please remember, that you don't work for Dean Dan. You work for the students. In my day, the CUS Executive forgot this. As such, they became not the champions of the student interest, but actively sought to sell the new building project to their own constituents. But what if you don't believe me? Well, here are the notes from the October 18, 2006 CUS Exec Council Meeting pertaining to the building referendum (this is all [or at least should be] CUS public record, so I have not redacted any names; I've highlighted what I think are particularly revealing passages):
d. Building stuff from here• Mike donating $500 to building fund
• Mike – send in updates
• Gary – thought the forum went well
• Connie – Dean Dan avoided a lot of questions
• Mike – should be less of a sales pitch and more of “it’s a good idea”
• Mike – on behalf of a student “it sounds like your assuming that this is a negative idea….your already very defensive”
• Mike – need to come up with a strategy to present to third and fourth years
• Paul – need to inform the students but don’t need to go into depth regarding sales pitch
• Mike – try to avoid the fact of mentioning noise and putting forth the sales
• Paul – make it clear by highlighting benefits
• Gary – make a presentation that will be 10 minutes long to present
• Mike – presentation by Monday
I hope you'll agree with me in suspecting that by this point the CUS was no longer a fair arbitrator of a student referendum. Instead, it had become a marketing tool working for the Dean in persuading students of the merit of the building and working to downplay their reasonable fears and objections. As such, the referendum had become an unfair marketing campaign which saw the likes of Dean Dan, the entire CUS executive, and influential alumni like Mr. REDACTED operate a slick marketing machine with the sole goal of convincing students to levy a $500 per year fee on future Sauder students.
I'll wrap this up by saying this: I've been gone from Sauder, UBC, Vancouver, and even Canada for nearly two years. However, that time has not in the least bit diminished my attachment toward my campus, my community, and my school. As I said, I still care and, while I care, I'll act. It has been said that "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Well, sir, I certainly do not intend to do nothing. And I strongly urge you not to either.
Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Peter Rizov
BCom '08
Justin Yang
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