Sarah Cooper said she’s running for president because the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) needs new faces, “fresh” ideas and leadership.
Cooper, who is running with the slate Fresh Carleton, said the idea for the “fresh” motto of her slate came about when her group was discussing what Carleton needs.
“We were sitting around the table, thinking about the things that were important to us, and what we thought CUSA needed, and we had words coming out like “new,” and “refreshing,” and “exciting,” and that’s what I think our student association should be,” she said.
Another reason Cooper said she ran was to bring CUSA back to the state it was when she was in first year.
“I remember when I came here in first year and our student association was great,” she said. “We had three concerts a year, we had an executive who was organized and who knew what they were doing, and were great at leading our student body.”
“I think that’s what’s lacking this year . . . we’re lacking any sort of leadership within the student body, and that’s what I think I’m here to bring,” she said.
Being the CUSA GLBTQ service centre co-ordinator for two years, as well as a Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FASS) councillor this year, Cooper said she has a good understanding of how CUSA works.
“I’ve seen what doesn’t work and what works,” she said. “I think that’s what I bring to the table.”
Outside of CUSA, Cooper said she also plays on the intramural soccer team.
“I do a lot of fun stuff too, I’m not just busy busy busy, but I just like to be engaged and make sure that students feel like they are represented,” she said.
Cooper also said she hopes to change the way councillors interact to prevent the tensions that occurred this year. Cooper said the whole legal dispute could have been avoided if there had been more communication.
“There were differing viewpoints, but if you just sat down and had a conversation about them, there was no reason why we should have ended in a frivolous lawsuit,” she said.
Ultimately, Cooper said she thinks she’s the best candidate to handle the job next year.
“Students deserve to have a student association that represents them, and that can stand up for the things they believe in,” she said. “I think that I am the best equipped to do that.”
