There was no debate for two executive positions, as some candidates didn’t show at this year’s Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) all-candidates debate, held Jan. 28.
Presidential candidate Collins Sulplaze Ezeh and vice-president (student life) candidate Brendan O’Malley were missing from the debate, which saw executive candidates battling it out in the University Centre atrium.
Much of the three-hour-long debate centred around transparency in CUSA, student jobs and sustainability, and saw candidates going head to head in heated exchanges in front of a loud—and mostly supportive—crowd of students.
Vice-president (student life)
Students First candidate, Osman Elmi, was the sole candidate on stage because his opponent, Brendan O’Malley, was too sick to make the event, according to Shawn Humphrey, the moderator of the debate.
Elmi opened up the debate by discussing the topic of student employment and career development. He promised to work alongside his team members to create networking opportunities with Carleton alumni, as well as to provide a job shadowing program for international students.
Osman Elmi, running with Students First, was the only candidate onstage during his debate [Photo by Lauren Hicks]
Elmi was also asked about making Carleton events more accessible and mental health-friendly, which he said could be done through implementing spaces and private events for marginalized communities.
“Mental health is a very important topic, and we should put it at the forefront of our discussion,” he said, adding he hopes to continue CUSA programming like Pop the Stigma.
When asked how to reconcile increased car usage caused by initiatives like ‘Uber everywhere’ with a green new deal, Elmi said Uber will result in less traffic on campus while also “putting money back” into student’s pockets. He added rideshare programs for students would reduce traffic while decreasing the impact on the environment.
Vice-president (community engagement)
Students First candidate Morgan McKeen went head to head with independent candidate Mohamed Hamed in a snarky debate tackling student feedback, inclusive events and job opportunities.
When asked how they would establish community partners, McKeen said she would focus on building relationships with alumni, as well as reaching out to local businesses to give students the chance to be brand ambassadors with flexible contracts.
Hamed said he wants to implement an Annual General Meeting (AGM) for students to voice their opinions and concerns, as well as connect to alumni for mentorship and sponsorship opportunities.
Morgan McKeen from the Students First slate joined her opponent Mohamed Hamed onstage [Photo by Lauren Hicks]
During open debate, McKeen informed Hamed AGMs already exist, as well as monthly council meetings which could be attended by all students. Hamed was met with cheers when he retorted students could only listen, not pass motions at meeting.
When discussing their involvement in the CUSA community and ways to get students engaged, the candidates discussed inclusive events on campus, which McKeen said she hoped to organize by working alongside Tinu Akinwande, Students First candidate for vice-president (student issues).
Hamed said future events should be held at Rooster’s to ensure students who don’t feel comfortable going to Ollie’s will be able to attend, and pushed for more consultations between Carleton and other campuses in Ottawa.
Vice-president (student issues)
Independent candidate Fritz Kwabena Okrah and Tinu Akinwande, from Students First, clashed on issues like food insecurity, sexual violence and racial profiling on campus during the vice-president student issues debate.
When asked about slower graduation rates, Kwabena Okrah pointed out co-op and job opportunities throughout university give students the tools to better prepare for their future. Akinwande brought up barriers students face throughout school, such as food insecurity, which she hopes to address through meal vouchers.
Kwabena Okrah told Akinwande food insecurity doesn’t have anything to do with the question asked, to which she replied, “Do you not need energy to come to school?”
Independent candidate Fritz Kwabena Okrah during the animated debate [Photo by Lauren Hicks]
In order to address sexual violence on campus, Akinwande said she hopes to minimize wait times for health services, improve the sexual violence policy, and equip students to offer peer support.
Kwabena Okrah spoke of implementing a database, giving sexual assault survivors the choice to report to CUSA without having to go to the police, as well as implementing workshops to raise awareness about sexual violence and human trafficking.
Akinwande criticized Kwabena Okrah’s database, adding she has heard from survivors that police don’t do anything. Kwabena Okrah clarified he said students don’t have to go to the police unless they want to, adding a leader needs an “important ability to listen.”
Both candidates spoke of their experience with profiling on campus, with Akinwande saying she reported a racist experience to Equity and Inclusive Communities and saw no action, something she hopes to fix. Kwabena Okrah told the audience how he was racially profiled on campus and the university wasn’t there to support him. He added he’s started legal action against the school.
Vice-president (internal)
Independent candidates Abdo Ethar Salama and Mariam Furré, and Students First’s Farook Al-Muflehi, squared up in one of the most heated debates of the night, discussing councillor funding, club communications and increased CUSA transparency.
Salama opened his statement with a land acknowledgement, the only candidate to do so.
Furré, who said she ran as an independent to ensure transparency, said the decline in councillor candidates this year can be traced to a lack of promotion, adding council dates and meeting minutes—while available to students—are not properly promoted.
Al-Muflehi replied councillor meetings are always recorded online and are open to students.
When candidates were asked what they offer that their opponents do not, Furré noted her platform’s focus on advocacy for marginalized students.
Abdo Ethar Salama, independent candidate, in the heated discussion [Photo by Lauren Hicks]
Salama said he will work to give club executives the tools and funding they need, such as working to get sponsorships from outside sources.
Al-Muflehi emphasized his past experience—completing over 80 per cent of his policy points.
Salama also expressed concern with one-day training sessions for club executives, adding he would implement year-long training.
Al-Muflehi said his top priority was to make campus safe for everyone who calls it home through mandatory training on issues such as sexual violence.
Furré brought up the increase in independent candidates running, saying the student body doesn’t trust slates and called for them to be banned.
Vice-president (finance)
Independent candidate Matt Gagne, and Jacob Howell, from Students First, discussed affordable transportation, financial transparency and CUSA businesses.
When asked about their plans to make transportation more accessible after the closure of the O-Train, Howell said he would introduce ridesharing services on campus and promised the summer U-Pass would be delivered.
Gagne said he wants to implement a bike lane, lobby for the route 111 bus to run on weekends, and consult with Uber and Lyft for cheaper prices.
Howell told students he was already implementing a bike lane and it would be finished by the summer, though Gagne questioned Howell’s ability to keep promises, saying he was still waiting on the delivery of a student discount card promised in 2019.
Matt Gagne is one of the seven candidates running independently [Photo by Lauren Hicks]
Both got shots in, with Gagne mentioning Howell’s delay in presenting the CUSA budget, emphasizing he submitted CASG’s budget on time, which drew some laughs from the crowd. Howell replied by asking about CASG’s lost cheque.
While debating the hot topic of financial transparency and accountability in CUSA, Gagne promised to present budgets on time and post them online quickly, as well as moving the AGM to November, making it more accessible for students.
Howell retorted he couldn’t find the CASG budget online, showing his phone to Gagne, and promised to increase transparency through a brunch for students to talk to their executives and councillors, as well as roaming office hours.
Gagne concluded by saying he would take money from executive salaries and invest it into making businesses more sustainable.
President
Kathleen Weary, running as the presidential candidate for Students First, was the only candidate to take the stage, with her opponent, Collins Sulplaze Ezeh, not showing up.
Weary said she would foster inclusivity on campus, which she plans to do through renaming places on campus with Indigenous names, implementing space in the library for prayer, and renovating all the bathrooms in the University Centre to make them cleaner, more accessible and gender-inclusive.
Weary added she would implement 41 specific calls to action from Carleton’s Truth and Reconciliations Committee, fund Indigenous elders to come to campus, and “lobby the university to make sure that Indigenous knowledge is included in every single syllabus.”
Kathleen Weary was the only candidate onstage during the presidential debate [Photo by Lauren Hicks]
As founder of Climate Action Carleton, Weary said sustainability on campus is important, promising to lobby the university to divest from fossil fuels, invest in clean energy, and make a virtual sustainability impact hub to employ students.
Though she acknowledged the importance of climate action, Weary said the biggest change she wants to make on-campus is to reduce the cost of life, through lobbying the university for lower tuition and the government for increased OSAP aid.
“True power only comes from a collective. When we unite, our voices are heard, as we saw with the global climate strike this fall. So Ravens, the time to unite is upon us again,” Weary said, closing the debate.
CUSA elections voting takes place Jan. 29 and 30 both online and on campus.
Elected candidates will begin their term on May 1.
Featured image by Lauren Hicks
