Bijan's Blog

Imagine UBC Pep Rally 2010 - Last year on this day. In Jan 2010,...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:41:00 -0700

Imagine UBC Pep Rally 2010 - Last year on this day.

In Jan 2010, I was elected AMS President, with a small margin, after a vigorous campaign on a platform to repair broken relationships between AMS and its natural partners, especially the UBC administration.

First stop was completing the agreement for a new Student Union Building - a process that had fallen apart after two long years, and thus threatened the future of the building. I took exclusive leadership of the negotiation process, and was very pleased to sign the agreement within 77 days of taking office.

To symbolize my “shoulder-to-shoulder” approach of working with UBC, I asked the UBC President, Prof. Stephen Toope, if we could replace our separate-delivery of Imagine UBC speeches with a duet format. He is a spirited guy and agreed with great enthusiasm. He is also a talented singer with a background in musical theatre, so keeping up with him was a fun challenge.

In the end, we were both overjoyed to feel the energy from the 8000+ people in the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.

Losing HST will hurt students

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:53:00 -0700

I don’t know how many more times I can say it, but going back to the PST-GST would be a big blow to B.C.’s post secondary students.

The HST referendum is just around the corner and we are being asked whether we want to pay less or more tax. Keep the 10 per cent HST or bring back the 12 per cent PST-GST.

Seems like a pretty easy decision when considering the implications to our post secondary education system.

We will have to repay $1.6 billion back to the federal government. Coming up with this money means making significant cuts to social programs like education.

Paying back the debt means creating a deficit and in the end, students will end up suffering.

For example, BC’s U-Pass funding will undoubtedly take a hit at a time when our education and transportation systems desperately need more, not less resources.

Returning to the PST-GST will damage our economy and eliminate jobs in the process – employment opportunities that would be taken away from our universities and colleges.

The new, lower 10 per cent HST also means more money in the bank accounts of every B.C. household and the increased ability for British Columbians to afford quality of education they deserve. Families are what matter in B.C. and going back to the old, higher 12 per cent PST-GST puts our economy, our jobs and our children at risk.

Reinstate the 12 per cent PST-GST regime and we will all pay more and get less.

That’s why I’m voting NO to keep the HST.

Hi Bijan,
I'm a Toronto Star reporter doing a story about the Point Grey riding.
Why are you a Christy Clark supporter?
604-562-0186

Mon, 09 May 2011 12:15:58 -0700

Briefly speaking, I share her vision in making BC a global leader in sustainability - whether it’s social, economic or environmental. I also like her down-to-earth and charismatic character as a leader.

UBC LipDub has been the NUMBER ONE shared video in Canada in the...

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 13:08:52 -0700

UBC LipDub has been the NUMBER ONE shared video in Canada in the past 24 hours.

[OFFICIAL] UBC LipDub - Raise Your Glass & Celebrity Status...

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:08:13 -0700

[OFFICIAL] UBC LipDub - Raise Your Glass & Celebrity Status (ft. Marianas Trench and more!) in HD (by UBCLipdub)

Hey, for the UBC filming in vancover for the music video, what are the times and where exactly in vancouver is it?

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:45:41 -0800

You can keep up to date on www.ubclipdub.com. It will take place on the UBC Campus on March 26 from 11am to 7pm. We are expecting about one thousand participants and an epic product that will be watched by many around the world.

What's next for Bijan after AMS?

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:42:54 -0800

Focussing on my school work, career and dance.

Farewell to UBC Students

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:50:28 -0800

Dear Students:

None of us can choose how history will remember us. But each of us can choose how we will remember the events and people who grace our own history. I have been fortunate to be the 101st President of the student society of one of the top universities in the world, and like any president’s tenure, my time with the AMS has been filled with both good times and challenges. I will remember both for how they strengthened all of us as a student body. Especially, I will remember:

Signing of the New SUB Project Agreement, ending a two-year stand-still between UBC and AMS to construct the building that students voted for and deserve.
Working in conjunction with the Alumni Association to lobby the Provincial government to decrease the interest rate on student loans in BC.
Running an advocacy campaign in favour of rapid transit to UBC. The campaign resulted in a substantial amendment to different sections of Metro Vancouver’s Regional Growth Strategy.
Re-engaging the UBC community by meeting with more than 2,000 student leaders during orientations, facilitating conversations between the University Neighbourhoods Association and fraternities, and the hugely successful UBC’s Got Talent, which drew 124 auditions, 16 performances and an audience of 1,100, benefiting the United Way charity.

In my last few weeks, I have been working with a talented group of students to bring to you the first UBC LipDub on March 26th, where more than 1,000 members of the UBC community will be filmed lip-synching to a popular song. Hundreds have signed up so far, and the video promises to be a successful hit on YouTube.

On a personal level, I have one more year of full-time school left to complete my joint MBA/Law degree. I will blog regularly at www.bijan.ca, and will possibly be involved with Campus Auction, an exciting new international philanthropic venture benefiting charities worldwide.

It has been a pleasure serving as your President.

Regards,

Bijan Ahmadian
101st AMS President

Congratulations to the talented performers of UBC’s Got...

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:18:00 -0800

Congratulations to the talented performers of UBC’s Got Talent, photographed here along with the emcee, Fred Lee, while receiving a standing ovation from the full house at the Chan Centre on 14 Jan 2011.

Duet with Prof. Stephen Toope at UBC’s Got Talent in 2011....

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:06:00 -0800

Duet with Prof. Stephen Toope at UBC’s Got Talent in 2011. We promised to sing a duet to a song picked by the community if the Chan Centre fills up (1,000+ seats). The song Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics received more than 800 votes at www.talent.ubc.ca. UBC’s Got Talent 2011 received 124 auditions, 15 of which performed for an energetic crowd that filled up the Chan Centre on Jan 14. The performers showcased a breathtaking array of talents at UBC. Congratulations to them for making UBC’s Got Talent such a roaring success this year! A DVD of the show will be available soon.

University Neighbourhoods Association was the top sponsor of...

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 11:44:00 -0800

University Neighbourhoods Association was the top sponsor of UBC’s Got Talent 2011, which received 124 auditions, 15 of whom performed for an energetic crowd that filled up the Chan Centre on Jan 14.

UBC’s New Brand: a place of mind

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:30:00 -0800

I came to UBC in 1998 when “Tuum Est” was the tagline, and the strategic plan was called “Trek”. I have witnessed the expiry of that brand and the birth of a new one, “a place of mind” with a strategic plan labeled “Place and Promise”. As a business student, I have been following the brand development to see how UBC is creating exposure for it using online and offline tools.

I was serving on the Board of Governors when UBC launched its new branding campaign with the tagline “a place of mind” and the campaign “from here”. The brand is everywhere now, and most people connected with UBC have been exposed to it. UBC has done a good job of advertising it.

UBC’s Public Affairs website includes lots of details about the brand, and how to use it. The page that tells the development story is quite interesting. It covers the traditional marketing concepts of position statement, emotional v. functional aspects and the brand goals. Looking through the rest of the links, it becomes clearer how UBC is creating exposure for its new brand.

The brand guideline and artwork gives UBCers the tools on how to use the new brand in their day-to-day communication. I’m seeing more signatures with the new UBC logo across campus these days, and every faculty seems to have adopted the “place of mind” heading for their main website page. These online efforts are definitely creating more exposure.

Offline, UBC’s business cards have been changing to reflect the new tagline, and signs around campus make the tagline quite visible.

As I looked further online, I realized that there is an entire website that is named after the brand: http://www.aplaceofmind.ubc.ca/. It looks like a great space that is updated daily with posts under categorized headings. And you can even subscribe to the RSS feeds of those topics. This was all news to me, and I am fairly involved on campus. I bet there are lots more students who don’t know about this treasure trove where you can find many things related to UBC.

The brand seems to appeal to many, but I keep wondering when and how the brand might expire. Our former tagline “Tuum Est” is no longer in use, but that was hard to connect with in the first place anyway. So I will be watching with curiosity to see how “place of mind” does over the coming years.

At the Student Leadership Conference on 8 January 2011

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 13:26:25 -0800

At the Student Leadership Conference on 8 January 2011

Breaking: UBC's Got Talent Sold Out

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 14:40:13 -0800

The Chan Centre just informed me that all of the 1100 seats for UBC’s Got Talent have been claimed.

Sixteen talented performers will rock the Chan on January 14 starting at 8. Any seats not claimed by 7:45 will be released to the standby line-up.

Prof. Toope and I rehearsed last week and will be ready to sing Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics!

Looking forward to it!

AMS @ Student Leadership Conference 2011

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:43:44 -0800

I’m pleased to announce that the AMS has put together a swag package for the delegates at the Student Leadership Conference. We’ll hand it out at the end of the conference in the lobby of the Chan Centre. Among other exciting things, it includes a discount coupon for our food outlets in the Student Union Building. See you there!

Launching bijan.ca

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:17:53 -0800

Launching bijan.ca

Bijan's Blog

Imagine UBC Pep Rally 2010 - Last year on this day. In Jan 2010,...

Losing HST will hurt students

Hi Bijan, I'm a Toronto Star reporter doing a story about the Point Grey riding. Why are you a Christy Clark supporter? 604-562-0186

UBC LipDub has been the NUMBER ONE shared video in Canada in the...

[OFFICIAL] UBC LipDub - Raise Your Glass & Celebrity Status...

Hey, for the UBC filming in vancover for the music video, what are the times and where exactly in vancouver is it?

What's next for Bijan after AMS?

Farewell to UBC Students

Congratulations to the talented performers of UBC’s Got...

Duet with Prof. Stephen Toope at UBC’s Got Talent in 2011....

University Neighbourhoods Association was the top sponsor of...

UBC’s New Brand: a place of mind

At the Student Leadership Conference on 8 January 2011

Breaking: UBC's Got Talent Sold Out

AMS @ Student Leadership Conference 2011

Launching bijan.ca

Hi Bijan,
I'm a Toronto Star reporter doing a story about the Point Grey riding.
Why are you a Christy Clark supporter?
604-562-0186