January 18, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BURNABY, B.C. – On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 23 at 2:30 pm, the former President of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), Helen Sofia Pahou, submitted her resignation to Council effective immediately. Later that day, the former SFSS Vice President Internal and Organizational Development, Judit Nagy, also submitted her resignation. As of January 11th 2023, Council was notified of the resignation of Nicole Kirgin, former Vice President University and Academic Affairs.

As per the SFSS By-Laws, the line of succession upon a vacancy in the President’s Office is as follows:

  1. Vice President Internal and Organizational Development
  2. Vice President Finance and Services
  3. Vice President University and Academic Affairs

Consequently, I – Abhishek Parmar, former Vice President Finance and Services, have assumed the duties and responsibilities of the Presidency; and will continue serving as Acting President until elections are complete and then I will return to my position as Vice President Finance and Services on March 18th, 2023.

Following the resignation of the above three Executive positions, Council has appointed the following to serve in the following positions:

  1. Former First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Association Councillor Peter Hance to serve as Acting Vice President Internal & Organizational Development until March 17th, 2023.
  2. Former Faculty of Communications, Arts and Technology Councillor Rastko Koprivica to serve as Acting Vice President Finance and Services until March 17th, 2023.
  3. Former International Studies Student Association Councillor Chloe Arneson to serve as acting Vice President University and Academic Affairs until April 30th, 2023.

I am optimistic about the future decision-making of the Board of Directors and the SFSS as a whole. In my term, I hope to bring a spirit of cooperation to the SFSS and focus on providing services to our members while continuing to support important advocacy initiatives.

Looking forward, Council would like to ask for everyone’s patience as newly appointed individuals and staff settle into their roles. The SFSS exists to serve the students of Simon Fraser University. Though we have faced some turbulence over the past year, I believe Council, staff, and members can continue to work together for the betterment of the SFU community. 

Abhishek Parmar, Acting President

Simon Fraser Student Society