Four candidates are running for the presidential seat of the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) in this year’s election.
On March 16, the elections office contacted candidates to announce their updated schedule. Voting dates will be on March 21 and 22, and the presidential debate is scheduled for March 18.
Students submit ranked votes for presidential candidates, selecting and ranking on their ballot as many or as few as they wish.
The elections office suspended campaigning indefinitely after originally pausing campaigning for the weekend. On March 8, the elections office said voting days will be postponed indefinitely and campaigning is still suspended with no official end date.
The Charlatan spoke with the candidates running for the presidency in this year’s election.
While there were originally six candidates campaigning, Benjamin Lieu and Holden Heppler have both dropped out of the presidential race.
Benjamin Lieu announced he was pulling out of the race on March 9 in a statement on his Instagram. In his post, Lieu said the primary reason for his decision was based on his disappointment with how the elections office is handling the election.
Heppler sent a statement to the elections office on March 16 stating he was dropping out of the race.
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Veronica Dhindsa
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Veronica Dhindsa, a third-year criminology and criminal justice student, is running for president.
Previous experience
Dhindsa is the co-president and co-founder of Innocence Carleton, a student group focused on criminal justice reform and wrongful conviction. She also serves as co-president of the Carleton University Human Rights Society and Carleton’s BIPOC Law Association.
She said taking on these leadership roles has helped her build strong connections within the Carleton community.
“Creating real change and working with other people, that’s always been rewarding to me,” Dhindsa said.
Campaign goals
Dhindsa said improving students’ access to mental health care is her “number one priority.”
“I think in order to succeed in school and thrive as an individual, you need to really focus on mental health,” she said.
Dhindsa plans on increasing the current mental health insurance coverage from $75 to $100 per visit. She also wants to create a fund that directly provides students with money to pay for counselling. She said this plan will remove financial barriers for students without the means to pay for a session upfront.
While she recognizes efforts to lower tuition costs should be directed at the provincial government, Dhinsa said she will first focus on what can be done at the university level. She wants to give students the option to opt-out of more services, create a flexible payment plan and increase need-based scholarships.
If elected, Dhindsa hopes to hire a vice-president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity (DEI) who will work with directors representing different communities at the university. Some examples include director of international students and director of Indigenous student matters.
“As much as I say I want to lobby for change within these communities, I think it’s important for the students in those communities to tell us what they need and how we can go about it,” she said.
Final thoughts
As a first-generation student who has struggled paying tuition fees, Dhindsa said advocating for financial relief and access to mental health is important.
“I totally understand the issues students are dealing with,” she said. “We need to be listening to our students and what our students want and demanding real change.”
Zaiyaan Esoof
Previous experience
Esoof has been involved in student governance since his first year at Carleton when he was a floor representative for the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA). Esoof previously represented the faculty of public affairs (FPA) within Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG) and participated in Carleton’s recruitment program as an FPA ambassador.
“I’ve been heavily exposed to the administrative process, but most importantly, I have been able to identify what problems there are and what needs to be changed,” Esoof said.
Campaign goals
As CUSA president, Esoof said he will maintain direct contact with students to hear their feedback. He will provide students with regular updates on his work and his responsibilities to hold himself accountable to them.
Esoof said he would mandate an awareness program for students about sexual violence prevention and would also increase and enhance care for survivors.
If elected, Esoof said he would introduce a system through Carleton Central where students would have access to mental health support. He plans to consult students about Carleton’s mental health resources to better direct his improvement of the current services.
Esoof said he would also create online spaces for students to build a closer community within the student body.
Esoof said he would introduce more jobs on campus for students with disabilities. He will work with disabled students to create more opportunities for employment before and after graduation.
Lastly, Esoof said he will advocate for lower tuition fees, waive late fees and interest and create a system to accept tuition fees in increments throughout the yea
Final thoughts
“The problem with CUSA in the past has been students feeling disenfranchised,” Esoof said, “and when I say students, I was part of those students. I felt that my voice could not be heard.”
Esoof said this is an opportunity to rectify ongoing problems.
“It is almost a duty for me to do this before I leave this university,” Esoof said.
Anastasia Lettieri
Previous experience
Lettieri was elected as an undergraduate representative for the BoG in 2021 and was re-elected in January. As student governor, Lettieri heard from a wide range of students and learned about issues on campus that now drive her campaign.
“I will build on the financial and procedural skills I learned during my time as undergraduate governor to ensure that I am able to facilitate and implement my policies with efficiency, student consultation, and results,” Lettieri said in an email to the Charlatan.
Campaign goals
Lettieri is presenting her campaign goals in “four pillars”: advocacy, strengthening ties between organizations, strengthening ties within CUSA and student life improvements.
If elected, Lettieri will advocate for tuition rebates for students whose courses were switched to online delivery at the beginning of the winter semester.
Lettieri said she plans to push for a student-wide anonymous survey to address reform within Carleton’s sexual violence awareness policies.
Her work with the board of governors informs her plan to increase collaboration between university organizations. Lettieri said she would introduce “overpayment leniency for international students” and end carding on campus by the special constable program.
To increase CUSA’s transparency, Lettieri said she hopes to improve CUSA’s website, publish campaign budgets and collaborate with campus publications through regular updates and op-eds.
Regarding student life improvement, Lettieri said she would create an additional prayer space, investigate U-Pass and healthcare fees, increase funding for the Mawandoseg Centre and create an Indigenous monument on campus. As president, Lettieri said she would also increase the accessibility fund to support students with disabilities.
Final thoughts
Lettieri said she envisions Carleton as inclusive, accessible, transparent and sustainable.
“Having seen the issues that students have faced, especially since the start of the pandemic, I felt compelled to run for a position that would allow me to advocate for and reinvigorate student life,” Lettieri said in an email statement.
Mohamed Faris Riazudden
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Mohamed Faris Riazudden is a third-year mechanical engineering student running for president.
Previous experience
Riazudden currently serves as the programming coordinator at CUSA’s Wellness Centre, planning and hosting events for students. In this position, Riazudden said he worked with various student associations and organized campaigns that raise awareness around topics including mental health.
He was also elected as an engineering and design councillor for CUSA in the 2021 general election.
Campaign goals
One of Riazudden’s proposed policies is to create more jobs for students. He plans to work with the Ontario government and the university faculties to fund more undergraduate positions for students.
He also wants to create dedicated spaces for CUSA clubs to meet and organize events. This plan will look into unused spaces on campus that can be turned into accessible and safe workplaces.
Riazudden will also focus on developing a mental health framework that caters to students’ needs.
“I had my own journey with mental health and me exploring the challenges that came with this stigma of speaking out about your issues,” Riazudden said. “That fuels me to be there for students.”
Part of his plan is to speak with the different communities at Carleton to identify the specific challenges they face and provide resources that will benefit them.
“A resource for the Latino community is not going to be the same for the Indian community or the LGBTQ+ community,” he said.
Final thoughts
If elected, Riazudden said he would listen to students and advocate for their needs.
“I would tell students to put their trust in somebody who they feel confident enough will represent them to the best [of their ability],” Riazudden said.
This article was updated on March 13 to reflect that Benjamin Lieu dropped out of the campaign and election dates have been postponed.
This article was updated on March 17 to include new information about voting days, the presidential debate and to reflect that Holden Heppler dropped out of the campaign.
Featured image by Maryam Teima.
