Executive candidates for the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) debated on Feb.13, with the five slates facing off to discuss a variety of issues, including the need for increased financial transparency, and improving accessibility on campus.
Teams in the running for RRRA elections this year are AAA for RRRA, Fresh RRRA, Think Forward, Next Step, and The A Team. Fresh RRRA has been disqualified, according to the RRRA elections office, as of Feb. 14.
Vice-president (programming) debate
Vice-president (programming) candidates were the first to debate. They voiced common concern for the need to promote cohesiveness and inclusivity within the student body.
Vinisha Lalchand, candidate for Think Forward, said residence is a very diverse place for students.
“It is very multicultural,” she said. “We want everyone to feel safe.”
Continuing in this vein, Anthony Hajji of Fresh RRRA stated “it’s essential for [students] to collaborate with each other.”
He proposed enhancing inclusivity through improving communication with students with social media outreach, as well as increasing the number of events and gatherings on campus.
Brittany Galler, candidate for The Next Step, suggested hiring a social media co-ordinator—a position that currently exists according to the RRRA webesite—as well as advertising council meetings through social media.
Juwairiye Kembo, with The A Team slate, said live-streaming events, such as sports games and celebrity award shows, would help bring students together while keeping costs low.
Ahmed Afify Ghith, candidate for the AAA for RRRA slate, was not present at the debate.
Vice-president (administration) debate
Candidates for vice-president (administration) addressed issues such as the lack of food options in the cafeteria, and the prevalence of vacant floor representative seats.
Jacob Howell, candidate for The Next Step, said his slate would push for better food options, while Sancho Angulo, of the Think Forward slate, shifted focus toward the need for electoral reform and improved financial transparency of RRRA’s financial operations. Angulo proposed an open budget initiative to enhance students’ trust of the organization.
In order to decrease the number of empty seats amongst RRRA council members, Ahmed Al Amawi, candidate for AAA for RRRA, proposed better advertising as means to reduce seat vacancy amongst floor representatives.
The A Team’s Saif Rushdy suggested the need to raise awareness of RRRA-related issues among floor representatives in order to improve communication with the student community.
Connor Thibodeau, Fresh RRRA candidate, proposed that meetings be live-streamed.
“They can listen to issues that really matter to them, fight for them, and then really take action,” Thibodeau said.
Presidential debate
Presidential candidates were the last to debate. They discussed how to improve the overall effectiveness of RRRA, and how to bridge the divide between students and Carleton administration.
Charlotte Zronik, candidate for Think Forward, proposed that 15 per cent of the RRRA executive salary be re-directed towards funding the needs of students in residence. She also suggested the addition of a seat for The Charlatan on RRRA council to ensure the ethical integrity of council members.
Hyder Naqvi, current RRRA president running for re-election with The Next Step, said he has kept his promises of bringing back the residence formal, and vowed to continue fighting hard for students and student issues.
Nayla Al-Ajami, candidate for Fresh RRRA, emphasized the need for increased awareness within the RRRA executive of student issues.
“To be a leader, you have to be able to listen,” she said.
Relatedly, Ghassan Jabasiui, running with The A Team, promised to “hold more [floor representative] meetings so [the RRRA executive] can hear more about student problems.”
Ahmed Taha Ibrahim, presidential candidate for AAA for RRRA, emphasized the need for cohesion between students and executive members.
“We want to make you all involved in the community,” Ibrahim said.
Voting for the RRRA executive postions took place Feb. 15.
