Here are the statements from candidates in our Spring 2023 Executive Elections
ASSU Council will elect one (1) President and four (4) Executives at the March Council meeting. These successful candidates will serve from May 1st 2023 to April 30th 2024. There will also be a Fall By-Election to elect two (2) more Executives at the end of September or early October.
Candidates for President
Eugene Seo
Hello everyone!
As an ASSU executive, I’ve had the honour of being a part of this team this past year. Our students finally had a complete return to campus, and I’ve watched with great respect and admiration all the work you’ve all put in to make this campus a connective and equitable space.
Student governance and initiatives have always had a large space in my heart. I’ve gained strong experience throughout my undergrad from being an Arts and Science Council representative, a science curriculum committee member, and a capital campaigns committee member of my college.
The past school year, I’ve been an asset to ASSU, speaking to the Dean throughout the year about student concerns, hosting a speaker event, bringing back our Open Mic Night, moderating for the Undergraduate Research Conference, working on a research guide and bank, and being part of the Undergraduate Research Fund committee.
As president, I want to strengthen our connection and relevance to the unions and students on campus. My goals are to directly connect to individual course unions for performance feedback and student inquiries to strengthen program representation, diffuse any confusion, bring awareness surrounding student rights to new and off-campus students through online and in-person initiatives, and emphasize getting our union’s full support for current events and issues.
My passion, commitment, and empathy are evident in everything I do. I believe in my experience, confidence, and comfort in reaching out to you directly and working to do what’s right for your voices.
Anusha Madhusudanan
Hi friends!
I am sincerely grateful to you all for allowing me to serve as an executive for the past two years.
This year, as Treasurer, I ensured Course Unions received equitable funding and efficient financial support. As Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Arbor Journal, I managed a team of 16 to publish an academic journal prioritizing creative and diverse academic research. I also hosted a speaker event highlighting climate action with Journalist Gwynne Dyer.
I also have sat on BRC, Scholarship Committee, URF, moderated for URC, and created exam care packages during COVID. At every opportunity to advocate for student equity at Dean’s meetings, I have always spoken up. Now, I ask that you trust me to serve as your President to continue this trajectory.
Here are some of the initiatives I aim to advocate for if elected:
- Remove late withdrawals from transcripts
- Cap late penalties at no more than 2.5% per day and word count penalties at 2.5% per 50 words
- Reduce the 140$ fee for writing deferred exams
- Establish alternative methods of participation if students are unable to attend tutorials (i.e: written/audio submissions)
- More gender-neutral washrooms at Sid Smith
- Free coffee at the office every month 🙂
Outside of ASSU, I have stayed committed to student advocacy at the UTSU, Trinity’s Anti-Sexual Assault Team, Equity Committee, and Mental Health Advocacy Team. My involvement across campus shows my genuine passion for bettering the student experience.
Please put your trust in me again, Vote Anusha 🙂
Jerico Raguindin
ASSU and course unions are uniquely positioned to better advocate for improved academic practices and mental health supports. As such, I will push for solutions such as compassionate late policies and accessible, digital, and free course content. I’ll create supports to improve academic self-advocacy to make it easier for students to access accessibility services, ask for extensions, and navigate bureaucratic processes such as petitions. I commit to collaborating with divisions and course unions to expand programs on spreading awareness on what are and how to get involved with research opportunities, career exploration, and program decision-making. We must also be staunch advocates for one another, especially when it comes to holding inequitable, harmful, and dangerous instructors accountable and I commit to the strongest actions and demands to achieve this goal. .
As past VUSAC President, I implemented free printing at the office, which was successful in increasing engagement with the council and easing one small financial burden of school, which ASSU would also benefit from. I also spearheaded a VUSAC-led survey regarding the 2021 exam cancellations, which was successful in getting more options for students regarding fairer grading and treatment. I will increase awareness of ASSU, its funding, and resources across classrooms, programs, and students. As a leader, I want to best support course unions to advocate for students, build community, and support student mental health.
Thank you,
Jerico Raguindin
Candidates for Executive
Davis Huehn
My name is Davis Huehn and I am currently at the end of my first year in computer science. I have taken a wide range of classes, such as psychology 100, classics 160, and economics 102, this year in order to learn more about the various disciplines within the Faculty Arts and Science at the University of Toronto. By actively engaging in a wide range of classes I feel that I am better equipped to contribute to conversations within the ASSU.
Over the course of this year I have had the opportunity to interact with many talented peers and faculty members who have challenged me to grow. I hope to take what I have learned this year and in my past leadership experiences, such as being a DECA chapter executive and chess club president, into the next year of planning events and improving our diverse school community.
I look forward to meeting other involved students over the next year!
Davis Huehn
GLEN HUNG
I’m not fond of cliches, so I’ll get straight into it; I’m here to build a community. ASSU is made for YOU and represents YOUR interest. I worked with the provincial and federal members of parliaments and was previously elected to be part of Arts Sci Governance. Thus, I distinctly understand how to support the student body we all represent. I’m here to help. My vast experiences have prepared me for whatever we face, and I won’t hesitate to make your voice heard. I can work with anyone, and my logistics and problem-solving knowledge can help us prepare for significant events, proposals, and difficulties. This is why I’m running: Im going to make sure ASSU is made for you, and a Student Union without people’s voices is nothing.
SOPHIA GRACE LOPEZ
Hello, fellow Arts and Science students!
My name is Sophia, and I’m in my second year specializing in Human Biology: Health & Disease with a minor in Physiology. I currently seek your consideration and trust as I run for the ASSU Executive position for the 2023-2024 school year.
Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of participating in a wide range of initiatives and organizations within and outside the Arts and Science community, and these experiences have instilled in me a passion for collaborative leadership and community building. I currently serve as the External Affairs Director for the UofT chapter of the Scientista Foundation, primarily responsible for developing stronger partnerships and relations with other student unions and organizations. If elected, I am committed to bringing this same collaborative spirit to ASSU; working closely to foster collaboration within our incredibly diverse course unions, with a common goal of ensuring that all Arts and Science students’ academic and social needs are met and that their views are represented within the discourse. This involves prioritizing and supporting initiatives that promote inclusivity, equity, and access to a wider range of opportunities and resources, as well as initiatives that promote student engagement and in-person events that allow students to connect more with one another, given the barriers brought by the recent pandemic.
Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to the opportunity of serving the Arts and Science community.
FIRDAUS SADID
Hello Arts and Science!
We’ve done it once. Let’s do it again! It is my pleasure to announce that I am running once again for executive on the Arts and Science Students’ Union. I would first like to thank you for the immense support I have received from council in the past year and convey my gratitude with utmost sincerity. This past year, fully in-person, has been tremendously rewarding, allowing me to learn more about and contribute to this impactful organization. With your support, I am excited to put my efforts forward for an even better year to come.
Through the moderation of the Undergraduate Research Conference (URC), the planning and coordination of an Intro-to-Research manual, the execution of the ASSU Open Mic Night, and hours at the office helping students, I have acquired considerable knowledge about ASSU as an organization, student policy, and large-scale event conduction.
During meetings with the Dean’s office, I was honored to represent and advocate for students on topics ranging from absence declarations, to final-exam accommodations. If re-elected, I will continue to express my passion for student advocacy. As a returning executive, you can be sure that I will successfully facilitate the onboarding of new executives, providing assistance. In the coming year, I intend on planning the Undergraduate Research Conference and initiating a research segment on our podcast—and of course continue to stand for, represent, and help guide the student body of Arts and Science.
Thank you for reading, and remember to vote for Firdaus!
Kalsoom Shahzad
My name is Kalsoom Shahzad and I am a third year student Double Majoring in Health & Disease and Cell & Molecular Biology. It is with great passion and dedication that I am running for the ASSU executive position this year. This past year, I worked as the orientation executive for New College and currently working as the Office of Residence and Student Life outreach assistant. Through these positions, I have gained meaningful skills and experience to plan, manage and execute events and programs tailored to the needs of UofT students.
As an ASSU executive, I want to apply my previous skills and experiences to work towards creating new opportunities for students, specifically related to research and volunteering opportunities within and outside of UofT. Actively looking for research opportunities since my first year, I have experienced the extremely difficult nature of research and similar involvement opportunities. However, this past year I was not only able to apply my skills in attaining a research position at UofT but was also able to help other students in navigating research applications and opportunities. I was able to assist other students through being a MSSU mentor and RSG leader. I want to apply the passion and skills gained through my personal experiences in helping other students at UofT. I hope to plan, organize and execute social media posts and host seminars specifically related to finding and applying for opportunities within and outside UofT.
Thank you so much for considering me for the executive position. Vote Kalsoom!
DAISY SMITH
Many students are not aware of the services and support the ASSU and course and program unions offer. As a transfer student who came to UofT in my second year, I had little understanding of how to get involved in or access the services provided by these unions, as most outreach is done in the first year. By collaborating with teachers and increasing awareness in classrooms, the ASSU could spread this knowledge directly to students of all years. Through my experience managing the Cat’s Eye, the Victoria College student lounge and event space, I saw how important academic unions are to students’ social engagement, and increasing students’ awareness of these groups will make a difference to the campus community. I would also implement more academic advocacy and support programs, and make the existing services more accessible to students. Revamping services like the
anti-calendar by providing students information on teachers, evaluation types, and class content in advance would help students choose their classes without stressing about add/drop deadlines and missing content in the early weeks of classes. Existing advocacy work, like the Academic Grievances advice, should be streamlined into online manuals and guides, with clear steps of how to contact the ASSU for in-person guidance, rather than it simply being listed on the website as a service with no further information. Overall, if elected to the ASSU, I would make accessibility to and awareness of academic unions and their services a priority, to ensure our advocacy and support is effective.
Michelle Wong
Hello everyone!
My name is Michelle Wong, I’m a first-year life science student, and I’m excited to announce that I’m running to be an ASSU Executive for the 2023-24 school year!
As an Executive, I look forward to using my platform to create more opportunities for students to gain extracurricular experiences. I aspire to coordinate and communicate with course unions and departments within the Faculty of Arts & Science to build an organized directory of resources that allows students to easily find the opportunity they are looking for-work, research and more!
As a Recognized Study Group Leader, I know the value of the student-centred programming run by the Faculty of Arts & Science. I plan to use the ASSU social media platforms and email newsletters to share about these valuable programs and improve communication with students about course union events, ASSU initiatives, as well as awards, scholarships and opportunities offered throughout the Faculty of Arts and Science.
From my experiences as a yearbook editor and orientation leader in high school, I know I am a strong communicator and collaborator. You can trust me to amplify, advocate and act on behalf of your voice and all voices.
I would be honoured to support and represent you as an ASSU Executive.
Thank you for your time!
