On March 9th, 2026, UBC Okanagan students gathered in the Well to hear the results of the Student Union Okanagan’s 2026 General Election be delivered by 2025-2026 SUO President, Peter Idoko.
Not only did this election have a comparatively low number of candidates running, but turnout for the election was lower this year than last. In 2025, 20.2% of students voted in the SUO General Election; whereas this year, only 17.6% of students voted.
The prevalent sentiment among students is that things have run well in the past year, and big change within the SUO is not a priority for most. Despite this, it is still important for the new board to carry on this good record and inspire new leaders to step forwards next year and join the executive board.
This year’s election was unique as four of the five executive positions only had one candidate running. With four positions uncontested, these candidates had to earn votes from the student body to ensure they would be elected into office.
Vice-President Campus Life was won by Guransh Sandhu with 915 votes. Rhetoric on campus life at UBC Okanagan always seems to come back to one event: FROSH. This past year, the SUO opted to host a variety of concerts throughout the academic year — promising three different concerts, yet only delivering one — instead of one big concert at the beginning of the year. Sandhu wants to listen to student’s ideas, but also hopes to bring more light to student talent in the future. Continuing to offer diverse events is also important for Sandhu as he steps into this new role.
Vice-President of Finance and Administration was won by Shreya Patnaik, who gathered 960 votes in her favour. Patnaik is continuing to maintain financial transparency within the SUO. Ensuring that funding is being allocated where students want it is a goal of Patnaik’s, along with keeping things clean and organized to ensure a smooth year ahead for the SUO.
The position of Vice-President External was won by Naden Qually who amassed 972 votes. Qually is entering this position with a student-first mindset, and wants to advocate for different student needs. With affordability crises emerging across the province, he hopes to make change for the benefit of students. Further perfecting the Community Meals and Pantry programs alike are a big focus for Qually as well.
President was won by Olivia Lai, who earned 1054 votes in support. Continuing initiatives she began in her previous role as Vice-President External, Lai is fighting food insecurity on campus and wants to protect the 2% tuition increase cap for students. Supporting students is Lai’s top priority and she hopes to keep up mental health initiatives, furthering transparency, and building strong connections between the Okanagan and the SUO.
The race for Vice-President Internal was quite close this year with four different candidates running, all aiming for various goals such as supporting clubs on campus and increased transparency. The position was ultimately won by Quinlin Osadczuk, who garnered 447 votes in his favour. Osadczuk plans to focus on increasing communication with clubs, advocating against tuition hikes, and maintaining accountability within the SUO.
The SUO’s Director at Large position had four open positions which were won by Laisa Pertet with 473 votes, Ashley Kyei-Badu with 435 votes, Fikayo Adeleke with 425 votes, and Oliver Hale with 422 votes.
Different faculty representatives have also been elected, with Liam Wallace representing the Faculty of Arts and Social Science after getting 235 votes. Neela Rader will be representing the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies after getting 61 votes. Ali Wasti will be representing the Faculty of Health and Social Development after getting 89 votes. Amanda Bolton will be representing the Faculty of Science after getting 352 votes.
This year’s referendum question asked if students would agree to an increase in the price of the mandatory U-Pass fee from $63 a term to $71 a term to ensure the stability of the U-Pass in the future. This referendum was successful, and there is no longer a risk of students losing access to their U-Pass benefits all together if this referendum had been overturned.
The election results from this year appear to reflect a level of trust that students have for this new executive committee. With ongoing worries of the 2% tuition cap in BC being removed, it is of utmost importance for the executive team to focus on representing students, and remaining accountable for their actions while doing so.
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