There’s a well-known children’s nursery rhyme called Humpty Dumpty. You know the story – an egg, typically not a sentient object, is sitting on a wall. It proceeds to fall off the wall. Now shattered, a futile attempt is made by a dedicated team of men and horses to piece the egg back together. I can only suspect that this team of men was actually a group of six UBC students living in Kits doing peyote in a basement before breakfast.

You’re probably wondering “what does this have to do with Alan” and guess what, that’s exactly what I’m about to tell you, ya impatient little turdnugget. See, Alan reminds me of this nursery rhyme not because of the egg, but because of the wall.

Last year, the Student Life and Communications Committee was fortunate to receive a grant to put together a public art installation titled “Before I Graduate…”. The piece was essentially a large chalk wall for students to share what they would do before they graduate, and it was intended to go up in early September. Last summer, after the groundwork for the project was put down, Alan was appointed the new chair of the committee. He had nothing to do with the conception of the installation or securing its grant – he had no skin in the game, no attachments to note. However, as a good leader does, he took a look at the situation, and launched himself in asking how he could help bring it to life.

I mentioned that this project was intended to go up in early September. The thing about September, as many of you know, is that it is really, really, really busy. I was out of town for advisor training during the best dates to work on it, and other members of the committee had other such commitments. The deadline was there, we had the funds, we knew what we wanted to do, but damn if it isn’t true of student life, all that needed to be done was everything.

Alan, more or less, did that everything. He put the wall together. Seriously.

He used his engineering prowess to literally build a fucking wall on his own.

He recognized a good idea and saw it through to completion, when it would have been so, so, so easy for him to throw his arms up and go “aye lmao maybe next year” – instead of his arms, he threw up a wall because he appreciated the idea and knew it would be something that could contribute to student culture on campus (his time as VP Student Life with the EUS might also give him a hand on this front).

Beyond the wall, seeing him in action as the SLCC chair this year has made it evident to me that he’s a patient and thoughtful individual, genuinely cares about fostering community and, frankly, he gets shit done.

I endorse Alan Ehrenholz for VP Admin.

Gurvir Sangha

At-Large Senator, UBC