Undergraduate students will choose the next president of the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) in a general election from Feb. 4 at 9 a.m. to Feb. 6 at 5 p.m. Students will have the opportunity to vote through a ranked ballot sent to their Carleton emails.
This year, three candidates have been nominated and are looking to secure CUSA’s top position.
Nagam Abuihmaid, Chas Nuhn and Sean Joe-Ezigbo sat down with the Charlatan to chat about their platforms and campaigns ahead of the election.
You can listen to all three interviews on the Charlatan’s podcast by clicking here. Timestamps for specific interviews are listed at the end of each candidate profile and in the podcast description.
Nagam Abuihmaid
“I’ve never been on student government, and I thought that my perspective was fresh and could be beneficial,” she told the Charlatan.
Abuihmaid has three major initiatives she’d like to bring to CUSA, if elected:
- Advocating for better public transit connected to campus;
- Improving communication between clubs and CUSA;
- Developing a CUSA mobile app.
The first is transportation. As CUSA president, she said she would advocate for the creation of direct bus routes from campus to major transit stations, like Fallowfield Station in Barrhaven.
As the second, she said she hopes to create a committee for campus clubs and societies to improve communication with CUSA.
“Every single club executive that I’ve spoken to has explained to me that it’s very difficult for them to know what CUSA executive to speak to [or] who they have to talk to when they need support,” she said.
Abuihmaid’s third goal is the development of a CUSA mobile app, to ensure better communication between students and the association.
“Students don’t know what CUSA stands for,” she said. “They don’t understand the kinds of services they could benefit from, and creating an app would make people more aware.”
The app would inform people of CUSA’s student health and dental coverage plans, she said, and could potentially advertise CUSA’s and clubs’ workshops and events.
She said the app would be developed by Carleton students working in volunteer and co-op positions.
Abuihmaid pointed to the closure of off-campus café Haven as an example of CUSA not seeking student input on decisions.
“If elected, I would bring student voices first and decisions later.”
Abuihmaid said she takes pride in delivering on her promises.
“Everything I’m promising is something I can actually bring to the table in the next year. My words are not empty.”
Listen to the full interview with Abuihmaid here: 1:00-10:55.
Chas Nuhn
- Increasing the amount of free printing provided by CUSA from 100 pages per student to 150 pages;
- Working towards adding more equipment to the Carleton gym;
- Developing a student phone plan, similar to CUSA’s current optional insurance plans;
- Reducing CUSA executive salaries by $5,000, which he said will demonstrate that the association’s members aren’t only in it for the money.
Nuhn said one of his “frontline policies” is taking the association out of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), a national union that advocates for students’ interests to the provincial and federal governments. He said this would lower CUSA student fees by $20 per year.
Nuhn acknowledged that it could be difficult to leave the CFS due to legal restrictions but said it is worth a try.
“When it comes to action and advocacy, it’s important to consult third-party sources, but … I think that money could be much better saved back in the students’ pockets,” he told the Charlatan.
Leaving the CFS has been a topic of discussion among CUSA executives and Carleton students for more than a decade. The latest attempt to leave the federation occurred in an October 2018 referendum, where 52 per cent of Carleton undergraduate students voted in favour of remaining in the union.
Nuhn said his most important policy is the formation of the University Network for Inclusion, Training and Youth (UNITY) Hub.
“The hub would serve as a location for marginalized students and for those who don’t feel at home at Carleton quite yet,” he said. “It would promote leadership [and] inclusion and would have mental health supports.”
Following the Charlatan’s investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct within a CUSA-certified club, Nuhn said the hub would also provide mandatory in-person training for club executives on consent, equity and racism.
“As a leader, you need to be informed on these things,” he said.
Listen to the full interview with Nuhn here: 10:59-27:17.
Sean Joe-Ezigbo
This year, he said he’s running to improve the financial stability of the association above all.
CUSA ran $1.2-million deficits in both the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 fiscal years and is facing a “budget imbalance,” according to a report released on Jan. 27.
To address CUSA’s challenges, Joe-Ezigbo emphasized the need for successful communication between the association and students.
“Sometimes, it just takes sitting down with people and being able to talk to them to see what’s wrong, what they need and how we can collaborate,” he told the Charlatan.
Joe-Ezigbo has also promised to:
- Review CUSA’s student fee levies and summer business operations to address the association’s financial challenges;
- Create a housing support desk to help students secure off-campus housing;
- Offer parking reimbursements for students requiring accessibility accommodations;
- Create survivor-centric supports to address sexual violence in CUSA clubs.
Joe-Ezigbo ran for the CUSA presidency last year, losing in the final round of vote counting. Following his defeat, he said that he knew immediately he’d be trying again.
“Once I didn’t win the election, the mission never changed. The vision never changed. I still wanted to be able to help students.”
The fourth-year business student said he wants voters to know that he’s someone who “has the ability, capability and the willingness” to help students.
“I put a lot of work into my campaign last year, and I didn’t get the victory … but I still came back because I really believe that with my help, [CUSA] can do something to help students, even in the slightest way.”
“I want to hear student voices. I want to bring collaboration. If you want me to help, I would love your vote.”
Listen to the full interview with Joe-Ezigbo here: 27:20-37:03.
Featured graphic by Maryam Teima.
