2023 AES receives record high responses

Bernice Wong Senior Staff Writer

Results of the AMS 2023 Academic Experience Survey (AES) show concerns about affordability, discrimination and inadequate disability support among the student body.

Every year, the AMS polls students on their thoughts regarding educational satisfaction, campus community, finances and other opinions surrounding the university.

This year’s survey, conducted by Kai Analytics, saw a threefold increase in the number of respondents with 3,413 responses, in comparison to last year’s 1,090.

AMS VP Academic and University Affairs Kamil Kanji attributed this record-high response rate to a combination of factors including survey-release timing, collaboration with constituencies and a heightened level of campaigning.

Similarly to previous years, 65 per cent of respondents indicated their overall satisfaction with their university experience. This figure indicates respondents’ positive feelings towards course expectations and exam materials being reasonable.

Breaking Down Survey Demographics

The 3,413 total respondents include both undergraduate and graduate students, with 78 per cent of respondents identifying as undergraduate students.

Approximately 71 per cent of respondents were domestic students and 29 per cent were international students.

Broken down by faculty, 28 per cent of respondents were from the Faculty of Arts, followed closely by the Faculty of Science with 23 per cent and then the Faculty of Engineering at 9 percent.

Kanji noted a “good amount of similarity” between the university’s enrollment reports and survey respondents. In the coming years, he said the AMS will continue to work with constituencies with lower turnouts to improve campaigning strategies.

“Overall, the sample size is pretty representative, but we’re going to keep trying to ensure we get as much of a turnout as possible,” he said.

Students Report Racial And Gender Based Discrimination

The highest levels of discrimination students reported were based on race or ethnicity and gender with 37 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively.

Seventy-five per cent of Black respondents and 43 per cent of Indigenous respondents indicated that they experienced racial discrimination on campus. Within those numbers, discrimination is most likely to occur from other students or instructors, according to the survey.

In terms of recommendations, the AMS believes that all instructors, staff and professors should undergo mandatory racial and unconscious bias training.

For the AMS, Kanji said this recommendation means working with appropriate university bodies across faculties to ensure professors have access to resources “on demand,” whether this includes text, online resources or in-person sessions.

In addition, the report said UBC should commit to increasing op - portunities for Indigenous learning across faculties. In the survey, only half of the respondents felt they had the opportunity to engage and become aware of Indigenous histories and perspectives.

Students Note Affordability As A Major Concern

Twenty-two per cent of respondents expressed that they might not be able to return to UBC in the future due to financial constraints. The survey noted this as the “highest percentage since 2015.” Notably, the survey also reported only 11 per cent of undergraduates believe UBC cares about their thoughts regarding the cost of education. This number has decreased over the past few years. Financial hardships are reflected in the respondents’ use of course materials. Almost 30 per cent of students reported frequently going without a textbook due to cost and 41 per cent of students admitted to using outdated versions of texts to avoid the higher costs of newer editions.

Sixty-one per cent of students noted their frequent use of open educational resources instead of textbooks.

Students also indicated the value of having access to syllabi prior to the course selection process. The

AMS believes it is “imperative” that this access be uniformly mandated for all courses on their respective SSC page.

To address financial hardship, Kanji highlighted the importance of implementing the Student Affordability Task Force recommendations and increasing food and housing support.

Along with pushing for greater food bank funding, the AMS is committed to increasing the number of affordable high density housing units. In the short-term, Kanji explained the Task Force is working to ensure emergency reserve funding is available for students struggling with housing costs.

One of the most surprising statistics for Kanji was the 14 per cent of respondents indicating they have used career support services offered by the Centre for Student Improvement and Careers. He attributes this low number to the university not doing more to adequately promote these resources, which is something he is working on.

Only 14 per cent of students believe the university is transparent with how their tuition fees are used.

“It’s not surprising that the students don’t have faith in their institutions,” said, Kanji. “That’s something that has been a consistent trend and something that we can hopefully work towards addressing over the next year.” U

Aisha Chaudhry and Renée Rochefort News Editor and News Producer

Ams Services Report

June 2 — The 2022/23 AMS services report showed students’ usage of AMS services nearly doubled from 10,674 interactions last year to 23,417 interactions.

AMS Food Bank was the most used service and saw 16,253 interactions, another large increase compared to last year’s 7,496 interactions.

Seventy-two per cent of student food bank visits were international students and 52 per cent were graduate students, although these groups only comprise 30 and 22 per cent of the student body, respectively.

The two services that have been “winded down” were the eHub and AMS Housing.

AMS Housing has been integrated into AMS Advocacy “to be able to provide more specialized support to students involved in a conflict with their landlord,” read the report.

eHub, which provided mentorships and networking opportunities for student-led start-ups, was discontinued on May 1. The report said this was to “direct more resources to Services that are experiencing greater demand.”

AMS Tutoring also saw an increase in use this year, with 1,724 interactions. AMS Senior Student Services Manager Kathleen Simpson said this service mostly supports first-year students. MATH 100 and 101 were some of the most common courses students were seeking support for.

AMS BUDGET 2023/24

June 21 — The final version of the 2023/24 AMS budget was presented at AMS Council.

The current budget estimates a deficit of $738,766 for the 2023/24 year, which is smaller compared to last year’s $856,832 deficit.

Beyond inflation, VP Finance Abhi Mishra identified an increase in wage costs as the key driver behind budgetary changes.

Part-time staff will be paid the new BC minimum wage and AMS staff represented by the MoveUp union will retroactively receive a new salary per their 2021 collective bargaining agreement.

The budget also included a new salaried staff member in the Equity and Inclusion Office at the AMS.

Managing Director Justin Lieu said noted the AMS is “not in a great situation budget wise.”

However, Mishra said he wants to “help eradicate the deficit.”

The AMS hopes the ongoing Blue Chip Cafe renovations “will be able to increase its business revenue year.”

Blue Chip Cafe is moving to the former Pie “R” Squared location in the Nest and renovations will be completed prior to the start of the winter session.

According to the budget submission, the cafe is projected to bring in $709,548 during 2023/24. This would be a drop from the 2022/23 revenue of $725,456. U

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