Former two-term Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president Alexander Golovko received the 2014 Henry Marshall Tory Award.
The award, which includes a $1,000 prize, is presented to a graduating Carleton student who shows a high degree of academic devotion, and an outstanding commitment to Carleton, CUSA, and the surrounding community. Additionally, the recipient is required to show excellent leadership within these roles.
The award recipient is nominated, either by themselves or others, and those applications are reviewed by the CUSA awards committee.
The CUSA awards committee is composed of two members of the university senior administration, one member of faculty as chosen by the university senate, the CUSA vice-president (student issues), and two students chosen by CUSA council.
Current CUSA president Folarin Odunayo took over as CUSA awards committee chair from the former chair, Gina Parker, who is also the former vice-president (student issues).
“This year, we had a lot of ties,” Parker said. “Usually the council has six members, but this year we needed a seventh member to break ties.”
The seventh member was Suzanne Blanchard, associate vice-president (students and enrolment) and university registrar.
Parker said CUSA executives are not regularly chosen as award recipients.
“In the past 10 years, CUSA executives have won twice,” Parker said. The other CUSA executive who received the award was James Pratt.
Neither Parker nor the current CUSA vice-president (student issues), Maddy Porter, would disclose exactly why Golovko won the award. Porter sat on the committee as a member of the community-at-large.
“He was the best candidate overall, I’ll say that much, but I won’t say anything about the conversations that went on between the committee about it,” Parker said.
“I can’t comment on the specific reasons Alexander won, as the committee’s rationale is confidential to protect the privacy of those who were selected and not selected,” Porter said.
“In my time at Carleton, arguably no student has had a greater impact on Carleton than Alexander Golovko,” Porter said. “Alexander has demonstrated a massive commitment to the Carleton community. He was instrumental in bringing students a fall break, delivering a more affordable health plan, creating a bursary to help students in need.”
Golovko said it was an honour to receive the award.
“It was definitely a pleasant surprise to learn that I was nominated and ultimately selected as the winner.”
As for the $1,000, Golovko said he may plan to donate part of the prize towards student bursaries.
“I have made financial student support a priority over my time as President of the Carleton Academic Student Government and of the Carleton University Students’ Association over the past three years,” he said in an email.
“As a matter of fact, over my two terms as President of CUSA, each one of my executives along with myself have donated $1,000 per year off our honorariums towards student bursaries. I am currently contemplating a similar part donation with the bursary attached to the award.”
Carleton offers several awards with bursaries attached for students. Applications for these awards, including the C.V. Hotson Award, the Raven’s Award, and the Eva Cray Award usually begin in March, according to Parker.
“We want to encourage more students to apply. We don’t get as many applicants as we would like,” she said.
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