The 2021 Carleton University Students’ Association election will take place online on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4. Students will elect six executives and 26 councillors, including one president.
The Charlatan profiled four of the candidates running for the president position in this year’s election.
Ammar Tosun, independent
Ammar Tosun, a fourth-year computer science and software engineering student, is running for president as an independent.
Previous experience
Tosun said he has been an undergraduate student for almost 10 years, studying at three Canadian universities. He began his education at the University of Alberta before transferring and graduating from York University. In 2019, Tosun enrolled at Carleton.
“I know what an undergraduate student goes through,” Tosun said. “I’ve been in the faculty of science, the faculty of arts, engineering, all that. I saw all of you guys. I’m one of you. I know the student experience.”
In Edmonton and Toronto, Tosun was a part of an intercultural biology institute and organized several events to help Turkish immigrants acclimatize to life in Canada.
Slate or independent?
Tosun is running independently but said he wants to work with Manuel Osvaldo Lebron Flores, a candidate for vice president (finance).
Campaign goals
If elected, Tosun said he would fight systemic racism and support international students.
“I came here as an international student, so I saw how it’s difficult for them, but also for people here in Canada [who are] minorities,” Tosun said.
He said that he wants to bring a diverse range of students and professors together to discuss how to tackle racism on campus, and organize festivals and events to bring people of all communities together.
Tosun also wants to create resources to support students after graduation.
“[I want to] know how many students have found a job after they graduated, or went to a master’s degree pursuing an academic career,” he said. “I want to have the numbers in front of me and see the success rate of our university and try to improve these numbers.”
Tosun said that one of his main goals is promoting collaboration between Carleton and other Canadian universities by having CUSA join the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.
Tosun said he will advocate for Carleton to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero.
Final thoughts
Tosun emphasized his experience as a student as the reason students should vote for him.
“I have seen many different universities and experienced a lot,” he said. “I want to bring people together and make their voices heard, so that we can achieve greater goals for Carleton.”
Kathleen Weary, Students First
Kathleen Weary, a fourth-year global and international studies student, is running for president as part of the Students First slate.
Previous experience
In addition to being the current CUSA president, Weary was the activism director for Student Energy Carleton, served as a parliamentary assistant for an MP, interned at the United Nations and founded Climate Action Carleton.
Weary said she responded to the move to online learning with a 10-pillar plan to help students.
Under the plan, CUSA launched the Hardship Fund, which has given out over $56,000 to students in financial need. It also created a COVID-19 support group in the Wellness Centre for students to provide peer-to-peer mental health support.
During her term, Weary also led the campaign for Carleton to divest its investments in fossil fuels, which she said received a strong positive response.
“I believe it’s the biggest systemic impact we can make on our university,” Weary said. “We’re talking about moving around $30 to $45 million out of [the] fossil fuels [industry].”
This year, CUSA also put together an internal Black Lives Matter action plan to educate staff on anti-racism, anti-oppression, safe talk and bystander intervention.
Reasons for running
“Over the past year, I learned a lot,” Weary said. “I learned how to adapt, how to navigate the unknown, how to listen to students’ needs and meet those as they evolve.”
Weary said her executive team accomplished 81 per cent of their goals and she wants to continue working for students.
“It’s time for me to keep going, continue to build on that momentum, and continue to serve students and step forward as a candidate who has proven that they’re capable of action and results,” Weary said.
Slate or independent?
Weary is running with Students First because of the diversity of its candidates.
“Students First is a team with vision,” Weary said. “We believe in our values of diversity, representation, listening, and integrity. I know that I can gain and learn so much from having a team that comes from all different walks of life.”
Campaign goals
Weary wants to build a universal COVID-19 students’ rights policy. The guidelines would inform students on how to contact their deans, hold professors accountable for unfair treatment, and get extensions on assignments if needed.
“I also want to advocate on a more governmental level for student debt forgiveness,” Weary said, citing the Nova Scotia government’s move to forgive $8 million in student debt in August 2020.
If elected, Weary said she will continue to push the divestment campaign, expand the Hardship Fund, and review student auxiliary fees to ensure they are used wisely.
Final thoughts
Weary wants to support and represent students and create a sense of community, even if classes remain online.
“We’ve been able to be your voice, in administration and to political leaders across the country,” Weary said. “That’s why I want to come back and keep building on our momentum, keep accomplishing my goals, and I promise to keep listening to you.”
Matt Gagné, Ravens United
Matt Gagné, a fourth-year political science student, is running for president as part of the Ravens United slate.
Previous experience
Gagné first started in student politics as a first-year representative for the Carleton Political Science Society. Last year, he served as Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG)’s vice president (operations) and he is currently CASG president.
As president, Gagné said he fought to support students during the pandemic on multiple fronts.
In May, CASG introduced a bursary for international students who could not go home and were not eligible for government grants. Gagné said CASG awarded around $4,500 through the bursary.
CASG also hosted a student support crash course series on Facebook Live, during which CASG and CUSA executives, as well as the university provost and Board of Governors representatives, informed students of resources available to them.
This September, Gagné advocated for asynchronous learning to help students in different time zones. In October and November, CASG successfully led the push for grading reform, including the ability to designate 0.5 credits each semester as satisfactory.
In December, CASG launched the Ravens Academic Relief Bursary to reimburse up to $200 of school-related expenses.
Reasons for running
“When I’m asking students about what they think of their student union, the most common answer is, ‘I don’t even really know what they do’ or ‘I don’t like them,’” Gagné said.
“I think CUSA can have such a huge impact on students’ lives with the right leadership and that’s why I decided to run.”
Slate or independent?
Gagné ran as an independent candidate for president last year and is running as part of the Ravens United slate. Still, Gagné said he wants to hold a referendum on abolishing slates from elections.
“I’m tired of seeing students complaining that they think the elections are a sham or that their vote doesn’t matter,” he said.
Campaign goals
If elected, Gagné said he will re-introduce the CUSA sustainability committee that was replaced by two student jobs.
“If there are volunteers that want to help out these two climate officers and help them get their goals done, I don’t see why that’s an issue,” he said.
Gagné wants to use the committee to push forward Carleton’s carbon neutral footprint plan and phase out single-use plastics from CUSA businesses. He also wants to keep CUSA elections paperless, like this year’s online election.
Gagné also said his team is dedicated to addressing systemic racism at Carleton. He said he hopes to create a strategic plan and a new student job to make progress on the issue.
The plan would ensure that CUSA staff, executives and councillors know how to deal with issues of systemic racism.
Final thoughts
Gagné said he wants to find “every possible way to bring value” to the Carleton and Ottawa communities.
“I’ve had the honor to be the CASG president and … students see the impact we were able to have,” he said. “That’s the same energy and the philosophy that I want to bring to CUSA next year.”
* * *
Candidates Jasmine Doobay-Joseph and James McKenna dropped out of the race on Monday, citing concerns over candidate mental health.
