News brief: KSA council increases executive pay to over $2,100 biweekly and associate president pay to $12,000 per semester

The Kwantlen Student Association increased meeting honorariums and executive pay as well as reviewed its draft audited financial statements during a council meeting on March 21.

The council voted to increase executive committee members’ pay to $24.03 per hour, effective April 1. Previously, members of the executive committee would receive a $1,592.80 biweekly stipend. Executives work 80 to 90 hours biweekly, according to the KSA’s regulations. 

The new pay means executives can make up to $2,162.70 biweekly — a 36-per-cent increase. The updated executive salary would be up to $56,230.20 annually, not including meeting honorariums or the tuition benefit, which reimburses executives six credits of tuition per semester.  

The student union also increased the associate president honorarium to $12,000 per semester, which was last increased to $9,000 in September.

Faculty of Arts Representative Jasmine Kaur Kochhar presented regulation changes to increase the pay for council members, which were proposed by the internal and governance committees. 

Honorariums for all council, standing and special committee, and ad-hoc committee meetings were increased to $125 from $100 per meeting for all representatives. 

The council increased the committee chairperson honorariums from $150 to $175. Honorariums for student-at-large representatives were increased from $50 to $100. These honorariums were previously increased on April 1, 2024. The new honorariums will take effect on April 1 this year.

The KSA council did not answer The Runner’s questions about the honorarium increases during the meeting. The Runner reached out to Kochhar and Executive Director Timothii Ragavan via email to follow up on the questions but did not hear back before publication.

Gary Wozny from Tompkins Wozny LLP, the KSA’s independent auditors, presented the association’s draft audited financial statements for 2024. 

Associate President Ishant Goyal moved the council meeting in-camera, or in private, to review the draft audit. 

The KSA’s executive committee also held a meeting on March 21, where it approved funding for clubs and KSA events.

In non-meeting motions presented during the committee meeting, executives approved $22,000 for the KSA’s Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan 2025 event, $4,500 for a clubs appreciation, and $4,131.08 for a March 4 lunch where students could meet with councillors. 

The committee also approved $621.60 for KSA event coupons and foamcore signs and $10 for tickets for a University of British Columbia Holi event.

In regular submissions, the executive committee approved $3,400 for the Muslim Student Association’s (MSA) Ramadan Iftar event, $3,300 for the Kwantlen Sikh Students’ Association’s (KSSA) Vaisakhi Day event, and $1,750 for the Kwantlen Creative Writing Guild’s Spring 2025 Kwantlen Poetry Project.

The committee also passed motions to provide $1,525 for the KPU Brew Club’s field trip to the Victoria Malt House and Brewery and $900 for the Kwantlen Japan Club to hire three students to create art for merchandise for future events.

KSA executives also approved $800 for the MSA’s Unity Iftar: A Night of Blessing and Connection event.

The committee also passed further motions that provided a combined $2,646 in funding for club events and supplies to the Kwantlen Psychology Society, Sociology Student Club, KSSA, KPU Sustainability Club, KPU Cricket Club, KPU Entrepreneurs Club, and Accounting Students of Kwantlen.

It also approved the club rosters and constitutions for the KPU Table Tennis Club, Journal Club, and Girls Rising to Achieve, Connect, and Empower (GRACE), which aims to empower women at KPU by focusing on mental health, personal growth, and academic success.

KSA Peer Support received a total of $1,750 in funding for subscriptions as well as lounge and event snacks, supplies, and games.

The next KSA council meeting is scheduled for April 2 at 11:00 am, with the executive committee meeting set to follow at 1:00 pm. Interested students can email info@kusa.ca to join the meetings.