The 2021 Rideau River Residence Association election will be taking place online on March 22 to 23. Students will elect three executives, including a vice-president (programming).
The Charlatan spoke with both candidates running in this year’s election for the vice-president (programming) position.
Bijoy Arora, Renew
Previous experience
Arora said he is a small business owner. He owns Arora, a creative hub consisting of a clothing brand and record label.
“[Starting Arora] allowed me to really develop my leadership, my communication abilities,” Arora said, adding that by hiring employees, he’s developed his teamwork skills.
He said he served as a RRRA councillor in the 2019-2020 academic year and got an “insider look” into both the positives and negatives of how the association runs.
Arora is currently a residence fellow, which he said has further developed his leadership skills and allows him to be a part of the support system and community within residence.
“That’s exactly what the [vice-president (programming)] role is,” he said. “It’s running these events, fostering a community, creating an inclusive environment for students to thrive in.”
Reasons for running
Arora said he wants to make a difference for students in residence, improving upon his experience as a first-year residence student.
“I just see so much untapped potential in RRRA,” Arora said. “I really just want to renew RRRA.”
He also said he is excited about what he can bring to the table as a BIPOC student.
Slate or independent
Arora said he was offered positions on other slates, but chose to run with Renew because his goals line up with running mates Mikaela Baumann and Sama Russel.
“I could sum it up in two words: core beliefs,” Arora said.
He said governing as an independent would open the door to conflict within the executive team.
“[Running as a slate] allows for a more unified RRRA,” Arora said.
Campaign goals
Arora said he wants to create inclusive spaces in residence for BIPOC students because events for BIPOC students in the past were often “just for optics.” He said he would host workshops and bring in guests to fill that gap.
Arora’s other goals include starting a creative hub for students to develop their creative skills and bringing in professionals to speak with students about post-graduation possibilities.
Arora also said he wants to introduce a sustainability week at the beginning of the year to educate students on sustainable practices, with events such as a COVID-19-safe clothing swap.
“[RRRA’s] turnout for virtual and in-person events has honestly been terrible, so I want to revitalize that,” he said.
Final pitch
Arora said he wants to be a person who can give a voice to silenced students, enable academic success and help students explore extracurricular activities.
“Times have been tough,” Arora said. “I just want to be that person who cares for students.”
Gialina Jiang, Advance
Previous experience
Jiang said she volunteered in high school for UNICEF as part of their educational program, where she would organize events to raise money for the charity.
She also said she volunteered for the Boys and Girls Club and SickKids as an events planner.
“I really want to bring that programming experience that I have with organizations here to Carleton,” she said.
Jiang said she was also a councillor for the Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG) this year.
Reasons for running
Jiang said first-year students didn’t get the traditional residence experience this year and she doesn’t want anyone to feel like they missed out next year, whether COVID-19 restrictions are still in place or not.
“I’ll make sure that I plan events and introduce programs that make no one feel like they missed out on an experience, restrictions or not,” she said.
Slate or independent
Jiang said teams are especially effective in governing because everyone believes in each other and has the same policy platform.
“How are you supposed to believe in a student organization if you have a bunch of people who are just working together?” she said. “You want a team that believes in themselves, so students can believe in them.”
Campaign goals
As a CASG councillor, Jiang said she served on the equity committee and proposed an ethics and equity code.
“I really, really want to bring that over to RRRA,” Jiang said. “Equity is such an important thing, and I really want a piece of policy that holds all of us accountable.”
Even though residence students this year missed out on much of the traditional experience, students still pay fees towards RRRA, Jiang said. She said she wants to introduce a residence homecoming so second-year students can experience some of what they missed this year.
Final pitch
Jiang said the Advance slate has based all their platform points around students and want to make the residence experience better.
“This is about you, not about us,” Jiang said.
