KSA amends tuition benefit, now covers 6 credits per semester per executive

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated for accuracy.

The Kwantlen Student Association held its last council meeting for the 2022 to 2023 council on March 30 at 10:00 am in hybrid format. 

Introductions and a land acknowledgment were not given, as usually conducted at the beginning of each council meeting, but quorum was met. An agenda was not provided to The Runner either. 

Armaan Dhillon, president and VP university affairs, brought a motion to council to amend the executive tuition benefit to cover six credits per semester per executive instead of the current $10,000 tuition reimbursement. The amendment takes effect on Saturday, April 1, the first day of the new council’s term. 

At Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a domestic student pays approximately $153.46 per credit per semester, which is about $920.76 per six credits, $2,762.28 per year, or $11,049.12 for four years of full-time study in reimbursable funds. 

International students pay approximately $747.18 per credit per semester, which is about $4,483.08 per six credits, $13,449.24 per year, or $53,796.96 for four years of full-time study in reimbursable funds. 

There are four executive positions on the KSA each eligible for executive benefits under the Regulations. 

“This revision change has been made after the pilot resolution that was brought in last year,” Dhillon said. “After looking at the advantages and disadvantages of that particular resolution, the changes were made with a very deep consideration of that.” 

“Please note the executives are busy preparing for the AGM, and as it is our last day tomorrow, I have forwarded your inquiries to Parveen, our Executive Director. Kindly note, she is also in preparations for the AGM but will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible,” Dhillon wrote in response to The Runner’s emailed questions.

“On the matter of the tuition benefit as well as a number of other matters, I have been working closely with Parveen who has now become our full-time, permanent ED for the KSA. Given I am down to my last day, and regardless of who introduced the motion, to ensure consistency and continuity, we felt it would be important for Parveen to provide not only the comment, but the necessary context as well. We feel that providing the context is important on the tuition benefit so that it is correctly understood and represented, something a comment does not in and of itself help achieve,” he wrote in a follow-up email.

The KSA is holding their annual general meeting on Friday, March 31 at noon in-person only in Fir 128 on the Surrey campus. 

Lesli Sangha, VP finance and operations, also introduced a motion to increase the allowance of meals and goods for staff and elected officials from $20 per meal to $75 per day. This motion was previously brought forward at the Aug. 17 executive committee meeting and was passed to be discussed at a council meeting on Aug. 19. Sangha said this motion was forgotten about at the Aug. 19 meeting. 

“All staff and elected officials of the Society may incur and be reimbursed for reasonable and justifiable expenses that have been budgeted for and are incurred while acting on behalf of the Society,” reads the KSA’s Regulations.

The motion was passed at today’s meeting. 

“We removed the per meal portion because it was too restricting and decided to have just a daily limit to make it more flexible,” Sangha said. 

“Looking at the average cost of meals … we decided on $75 a day because some meals are more expensive than others. We felt it was really important to accommodate someone’s dietary restrictions … [and] allow for more diversity within meals.” 

Titus Gregory, speaker of council, announced at the end of the meeting that Parveen Sehra, interim executive director, is now the permanent executive director for the KSA. Sehra was appointed at the Dec. 19 council meeting following the resignation of the former executive director Ben Newsom. 

The council meeting adjourned at 10:50 am. 

The first meeting for the newly elected council is on April 14 at 10:00 am in hybrid format. Students can email info@kusa.ca to join the meeting.