After a year of remote operations, the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union is preparing for another round of elections.

With a somewhat uncertain future ahead, these candidates are hoping to build on their past experiences with the USSU if elected.

Voting takes place March 24 and 25 on PAWS.

Presidential candidates

Tasnim Jaisee

Platform points: Creating communication, developing networks, shaping opportunities and updating policies

Tasnim Jaisee is a political studies and women’s and gender studies student, as well as the current USSU Women’s Centre Coordinator.

Jaisee says that her leadership experience makes her a good fit for USSU president.

“I want to utilize the skills that I’ve picked up from my past [jobs], in order to move forward and be able to continue maximizing the resources available in order to continue supporting students,” Jaisee said.

Her past experience includes various leadership positions on campus and in the local Bangladeshi community. She has held the positions of president of the Arts and Science Students Union and vice-president communications of the Bangladeshi Undergraduate Students Federation.

To create communication, if elected Jaisee plans on hosting semesterly college town halls and online office hours.

“There’s still a lot of … unawareness and uneasiness [around] going back to campus, and I think there needs to be stronger communications made with students,” Jaisee said.

“Creating this pathway for students to have these resources has been one of one of the platform points that I really look forward to being able to establish if I’m elected into this position.”

On the topic of networking, Jaisee intends to strengthen relationships with Indigenous students and to ensure “thorough consultation” with the Indigenous Students’ Union.

She also plans on improving the USSU’s role in the Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities to support student projects.

To shape opportunities and update policy, Jaisee wants to focus on leadership qualifications for scholarships, addressing racial barriers by creating policies with diverse input and creating a Safe Campus Committee. 

Overall, Jaisee hopes to bring her experience from other areas into governing the students’ union.

“I believe that I can bring forward these central meaningful conversations that I’ve had, into this platform and [be] there to empower and advocate for students,” Jaisee said.

“Putting students forward is something that I want to go forward with.”

Ryan O’Connell

Platform points: Continuity in governance, external relations, university relations, communications and internal affairs

Second-year political studies student Ryan O’Connell says that what makes him a good fit for USSU president is his commitment to speaking up about issues.

“I will always treat others with mutual respect, but I am never afraid to raise a difficult issue with somebody in a position of power,” O’Connell said.

His experience in student government includes being a first-year representative in the  St. Thomas More College’s Students’ Union and being the current University Students’ Council councillor for St. Thomas More.

O’Connell says his first priority in planning for COVID-19 and the campus reopening is to ensure that the university remains transparent. He notes that although the university has been “very good” with public announcements, it is critical to consider hybrid learning even when in-person learning returns.

“We should [really] be offering as many remote learning opportunities as we can because it does give a lot more students an opportunity to participate,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell says that the student government must continuously indicate their asks to the university while looking for more opportunities to work with them. Another priority for him is to continue advocating for student concerns even when university administration give “convenient excuses” that hinder the USSU’s efforts.

Ultimately, O’Connell says he is “here to work for students.”

“I really just want to be able to reach out, increase voter turnout and show more people what the USSU actually does, and what it can do for them,” O’Connell said.

“Engagement is where all of our power and influence comes from as [students] and that’s really the only way we can be more effective — by bringing in more people.”

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Fiza Baloch | Staff Writer

Photos: Suppied