With the end of the school year nearing, the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union is gearing up for its annual elections season.

There are two candidates running for the presidential seat, but all the vice-president positions are uncontested. This is not the first time that positions are uncontested as it has been a frequent occurrence in recent USSU elections. For the VP positions this year, three STEM students take the stands. 

Voting takes place March 24 and 25 through PAWS.

Vice-president operations and finance

Abhineet Goswami

Platform points: Better connection and communication with students, creating equal opportunities for students and supporting campus communities 

Abhineet Goswami is a neuroscience student and the current president of the International Students’ Association. He says that the USSU is failing to connect with students, based on his personal experience and his discussions with other student associations over the past few years. 

“These students deserve a better connection with our union,” Goswami said.

Goswami wants to create a funding system for students who operate a small business. He says that the pandemic has really affected the student population and he wants to ease students’ financial burdens through the funding system and by creating a student market.

“We can create student markets where students can sell their products because I know a lot of my friends, they have their small small business set up in Saskatoon,” Goswami said.

Goswami says that there is a lot of talk around Indigenization, but there are not enough actionable steps being taken. To promote Indigenization, Goswami emphasizes Indigenous culture. 

“Everyone talks about revitalizing and promoting Indigenization and everything, but I don’t know how they are thinking to do that,” Goswami said. “I really want … more of the Indigenous community [to] come forward [and] promote their culture.”

Lastly, Goswami aims to promote equality within the union. Namely, he wants to address and fix the issue of international students not being able to run for executive positions.

“It’s our union and we are all the University of Saskatchewan,” Goswami said. “I really want to make it [equal] so that each and every one has equal rights when it comes to anything.”

Vice-president student affairs

Nickol Saenz

Platform points: Advocating for a more inclusive environment, increasing student services and ensuring access to certificates to boost students’ degrees

Nickol Saenz is a STEM student and a former president of the Latin American Association on campus. 

Saenz says she is passionate about equity, which is her reason for running in the election.

“I know how it feels to be invisible and I would like to work for my peers, undergraduate students, and have a positive and accessible impact at university,” Saenz said in an email to the Sheaf.

As a neurodiverse student herself, Saenz hopes to advocate for students with invisible disabilities.

She aims to end the stigma and make everyone at the university aware of the realities and challenges faced by students with invisible disabilities, according to her platform.

Saenz aims to boost inclusion and diversity by connecting with students in Saskatoon and around the world.

“I am advocating for all students regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. All brains are welcome,” Saenz said.

Vice-president academic affairs

Tauqeer Iftikhar

Platform points: Advocating for students, promoting accountability and easing the academic transition back to campus

Tauqeer Iftikhar is a fourth-year physiology and pharmacology student and currently serves as a U of S senate member.

Iftikhar wants to help with the potential transition back to campus in September by making sure that students have access to all the support and resources they need.

“I want to help with that transition, and make sure that academically, our students are in a stable position,” Iftikhar said.

If elected, Iftikhar plans to host monthly sessions in which he will report all that he has accomplished as the VP academic affairs. 

“I want to be the most accountable VP in the U of S,” Iftikhar said.

Iftikhar says he wants to increase the amount of bursaries available, establish a support group for students who are struggling with the pandemic and advocate for more study spaces on campus. 

“As a union, [we] … can provide them with equal and equitable opportunities,” Iftikhar said.

Ultimately, he wants to ease the academic burden on students as much as possible.

“We all come to the university for the attainment of higher education and that should be the main focus of [the] USSU,” Iftikhar said. 

—

Wardah Anwar | News Editor

Photos: Supplied