Both Salma Ibrahim, Sci ’22, and Benjamin Frosst, Sci ’22, have entered the EngSoc election for Vice-President (Operations) with extensive experience in the Society’s financial operations.

Salma Ibrahim

“One positive aspect of the pandemic is that it allows us to re-evaluate our operations and think ahead towards long term success,” Ibrahim said in an interview with The Journal.

Ibrahim has been working as the Director of Finance for EngSoc for the past year after holding the positions of First Year Executive, AMS Representative, and Finance Officer under the previous Director of Finance. In her most recent role, Ibrahim has been working toward streamlining financial processes and making significant changes to bursary policies. 

“When I started my role as Director of Finance, I learned about the current EngSoc policy and noticed the bursary policy was outdated, many terms weren’t practical, and it needed updating,” Ibrahim said. “I worked with the Director of Social Issues to streamline the distribution process.” 

Ibrahim’s key platform points include transitioning safely to in-person events, long-term strategic planning, and improving financial processes. 

“I know there is a way to automate our processes further and make finances more accessible, especially in terms of getting reimbursements in a timely manner,” Ibrahim said. 

Ibrahim would like to implement an environmentally-conscious, sustainable plan to eliminate the current system of printing cheques twice a week for reimbursements. 

Another goal of Ibrahim’s is to encourage more international students to get involved with EngSoc. 

“I don’t just bring an operational perspective; I care about advocating for students. I really care about social issues and representing international students.”

Benjamin Frosst 

Benjamin Frosst held the position of Frec Committee Finance, where he worked closely with the prior EngSoc Vice-President (Operations) to manage finances for Orientation Week. 

“I watched the work he did and how much he was able to positively impact my life with his portfolio,” Frosst said. “EngSoc can really help individual’s lives specifically.” 

He also worked as the Chair of Finance for the Campus Bookstore and an Integrated Learning Centre Constable (iCon) at the ILC. With the Bookstore, he noted the experience of gaining insight into “how real world business works,” which he hopes to translate into the vice-presidential position. 

Frosst’s platform is comprised of a response to COVID-19, increased process automation, and long-range planning and data analytics. 

“My goal is to safely open the services that haven’t been open to the greatest extent possible while following guidelines from the government,” Frosst said. 

Regarding re-opening, his priority is to work with the building manager of the ILC to allow students to book individual desks and rooms and implement a longer period of time between bookings to clean spaces. 

If elected, Frosst said his managerial style would be “not hands on, but always available.”

“I have general experience in all the categories of the role—IT, finance, internal processes, and working with people. I’d be happy to step in and support any member of the team as VP.”

Want to see more like this? Subscribe to our newsletter, Campus Catch-Up to receive regular updates right in your inbox.