I have served as Faculty of Law representative on the UWSA since my first year of legal studies in November 2020. Since then, I have successfully struck down a referendum pertaining to a legal insurance service which would have had the potential to displace the funding of Community Legal Aid, inquired about the presence of UWSA scholarships for out-of-province students who find themselves disadvantaged by the number of scholarships exclusive to Ontario residents, and corresponded with students in my faculty about other miscellaneous concerns.
In addition to continuing to address new issues impacting my faculty as I have done in the past, I hope to acutely focus on combatting multiple forms of persistent discrimination on campus, chiefly anti-Black racism. With the university having been plagued with multiple instances of virulent racism on and off campus, holding university leadership accountable is of paramount importance, and I will endeavour to approach these issues with as much tact as possible in the year to come.
Now that the university has begun its transition back to in-person instruction, I would be able to facilitate positive relationships with the executive team and Board of Directors by attending both General and Committee meetings in person. I would continue to foster healthy discourse at these meetings while also ensuring that oversight is provided for flagrant and/or subtle breaches of the UWSA’s Constitution and Bylaws.
The UWSA is perhaps the greatest mechanism the students and special interest groups have for ensuring their voices are heard by the university administration. They provide a north star so to speak for student societies to address their grievances to, and are the bridge between the student body and the administration. Our initiatives are necessary to ensure a vibrant and functional campus community.
