The year has been one full of memories and accomplishments, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president Folarin Odunayo said the afternoon before his final CUSA council meeting.
“This year we were able to focus on things that affect students broadly, that affect the largest number of students,” Odunayo said, noting the health plan opt-out and removal of ATM fees.
He said he’s pleased with how campus life has grown this year, especially clubs and societies. This, he said, means a more vibrant and engaged campus for students.
“We’ve seen a growth in clubs and societies by about 50, which is excellent. It means students are getting more involved with the things that really matter to them,” he said. “We as CUSA are tasked with giving them a platform and giving them what they have to succeed.”
In terms of campaign promises, Odunayo said they have made good on many promises, like the removal of ATM fees.
“The ATM fees is something that people don’t even notice has happened and that’s one of the most beautiful things, is that quiet satisfaction when you see someone in line at Olly’s and they say ‘hey they didn’t charge me anything. That’s cool’ and they just walk away,” he said. “That makes me really happy because CUSA did that.”
Yet Odunayo’s presidency was not without its controversies. In December 2o14, CUSA presented their 2012-13 audits, which Odunayo as vice-president (finance) in 2013-14 was supposed to introduce during his term. The audits revealed CUSA was more than $700,000 in the red. However, the largest expense was a result of the association’s acquisition of Haven’s Books over several previous years.
Odunayo said the seeds for many other campaign promises have been planted, such as the fresh food market at Henry’s. He said more food is available in the convenience store than before.
CUSA has had a strained relationship with the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) this year and in years past, but Odunayo said the two organizations continued to bring programming and valuable opportunities to students.
CUSA and the GSA are currently suing each other. CUSA, under Odunayo, offered a settlement for both cases. The two parties are still in closed-door talks.
“Talking about the legal issues with them, there has not been a lot of progress and a lot of it has come down to the position that they hold,” he said. “We partner with them and we do events.”
Moving forward, he said he would like to see different groups and people on campus continue to interact in new ways.
“While we’ve had an excellent year, we can certainly improve on it,” Odunayo said. “If we can get all the brightest minds on campus thinking about how we can provide better services, then that only makes Carleton a better place.”
He said although the job is challenging, it is ultimately rewarding.
“Some days are really long and you have to remember why you got into this,” Odunayo said.
The year has been filled with great moments, Odunayo said, and choosing a favourite is difficult. Highlights include frosh and laying the wreath on Remembrance Day, but his favourite moment took place with a student early in the year.
“A random student stopped me in the hallway and said ‘hey man you gave me a shirt during frosh week, I still have it. That was a really cool moment. I’m so happy to meet you,’” Odunayo said. “He just seemed so genuinely pleased to have received a CUSA shirt that I literally could have given to anyone, but it was what made his connection at Carleton. He’s going to remember it for a while.”
