Carleton University’s Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) began elections, announced the hiring of a new communications director and discussed the re-opening of Mike’s Place at a virtual meeting on April 11.
Voting days are scheduled to take place on April 13 and 14, with election results announced on April 16. Voting will occur virtually, with all graduate students receiving ballots through their Carleton emails.
Hosted and moderated by chief electoral officer (CEO) Stojanche Gjorcheski, presidential, graduate senator and executive candidates were each given two minutes to introduce their platforms to the council.
Here is a complete list of GSA executive candidates, according to the GSA website:
President
- Cassandra Szabo
- Farzam Kharvari
- Milan Sanghani
- Reza Sohrabi
Vice-president (finance)
- Abhishek Khoyani
- Evans Boadi
Vice-president (operations)
- Faith Achile
- Ishaan Nijjar
Vice-president (external)
- Mohammed Nijim
- Navyashree Krishnareddy
Vice-president (academic)
- Hande Uz Ozcan
- Kanksha Patel
Senate of Carleton
- Mohsin Ilyas
GSA president Chi-Chi Ayalogu announced after being vacant for several months, the position of communications director has been filled.
She noted the vacancy was one of the reasons the GSA had to delay the election period to April, instead of the initially proposed March timeline.
“We’ve sent out the job offer to our top candidate, so we’re hoping to begin transitioning and training as soon as possible,” vice president (operations) Rae Landriau said.
The person hired has yet to be announced.
In their monthly report, the Mike’s Place committee said they have been working with the Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) and other committees to get the funds needed to reopen the graduate student pub in fall 2022.
According to Mike’s Place committee representative Mathew Czipf and vice president (finance) Hemant Gupta, the student pub had already been experiencing $30,000-60,000 in annual losses prior to the pandemic closures. Czipf said they would need to raise revenues to consider reopening.
Gupta also said the Mike’s Place committee is working on signing a lease for a new location for the pub on Carleton’s campus, featuring ground-level access and a full kitchen.
Gupta said the new space will “increase chances of breaking even” as well as provide students with the “proper ambience” long-term.
In collaboration with the Organizational Review Committee, Landriau introduced upcoming amendments to the constitution on transparency and accountability of mandates, and protection for GSA members who come forward with concerns.
Landriau said she hopes to present the amendment drafts to the council by the end of the month.
Featured image from screengrab.
