Voting starts March 18
Photo by Ashlee Levy.
Feb. 28 marked the start of this year’s UVSS election, and there is less than a week left before the voting period begins.
This year, almost 30 candidates are running to join the board, with 12 looking to take on full-time Lead Director roles. All Lead Director positions are opposed this election, with the exception of Director of Outreach and University Relations.
The Martlet caught up with each of the Lead Director candidates to learn about what they hope to accomplish if elected.
Director of Campaigns and Community Relations
The Director of Campaigns and Community Relations is responsible for coordinating UVSS campaigns and working with different levels of government on key problems that students are facing. This position also represents the UVSS for external organizations, committees, and coalitions.
Prym Goodacre
Prym Goodacre is a fourth-year religion, culture, and society major minoring in Greek and Roman studies, who is currently part of the UVSS Campaigns Committee. Goodacre has been an active organizer in the local music scene for over five years, helping support young musicians and artists where other politicians and institutions have failed.
If elected, Goodacre will focus on the most urgent needs of students, from housing, to transit, to student-led movements on campus. Considering the large student population, she believes that students have leverage that isn’t being utilized.
“I think a really important part of this position,” said Goodacre, “is empowering students to use their voices to effect change.”
Goodacre has done advocacy work for housing and transportation initiatives, and is a self-proclaimed nerd for zoning laws. She believes that pushing for better public transportation — including a light rail — will help make the lives of students better.
Unhappy with the state of food services on campus, Goodacre hopes to look into a non-profit model to make groceries available to students. Another area that Goodacre wants to focus on is UVic’s sexualized violence policy.
“The current model of UVic sexualized violence policy is incredibly damaging to survivors,” she said. “Students deserve better.”
Isabelle Easton
Isabelle Easton is a first-year political science and writing student. With an interest in whales, the ocean, and polar bear swims, Victoria was the perfect place to move to after growing up in Saskatchewan.
Easton believes that her experience with the Saskatchewan Youth Council will help her in this role and allow her to utilize the insight on policies that she has acquired. If elected, she plans on using a three-step program to tackle the most important issues students are facing, including housing, mental health support, and food security. These three steps are surveying, building, and governing.
“For the survey aspect, I’m planning to conduct surveys and research among the student body,” Easton said, “to impact the largest volume of UVic students.”
After that, she hopes to build relationships with non-profits and local organizations, creating more opportunities for UVic students to become involved in the broader community. Then, if elected, Easton plans on creating and maintaining a relationship with the local government to help give a voice to the student population in municipal decisions.
She is hopeful that she can improve the attitude that some students have toward the UVSS, helping people realize that changes are being made to improve the student experience.
Director of Events
The Director of Events is more than just a party planner. Their duties include planning and delivering a wide array of events throughout the year and collaborating with diverse partners on and off-campus. They also work closely with the UVSS communications and graphic design staff.
Sarah Buchanan
Sarah Buchanan is a third-year sociology student who is the current Director of Events for the UVSS. She moved here from Calgary at 17 and hasn’t looked back since. As an extrovert, she loves the community that she has built here in Victoria.
Buchanan has been planning community initiatives since before joining the UVSS, serving as a Director-at-Large prior to taking her current position.
“Something about running events just clicks with me. I’m so very proud of the work I’ve done both in public-facing events and in back-end advocacy, and the idea of one more year excites me to no end.”
One of Buchanan’s biggest accomplishments has been the free hot lunch program, and she hopes to increase its visibility and potentially its frequency to help alleviate some of the stress that rising food costs cause for students.
Buchanan helped put on Sexpo, and hopes to have the opportunity to make it even better. She’s also helped events like Slushfest or the clothing swaps see the light of day.
“I’m so proud of the work I’ve done, and I think I’d do great again next year.”
Artem Kuklev
Artem Kuklev is a third-year psychology student with aspirations of becoming a clinical psychologist. He has been actively involved with student leadership roles, having served as a student senator and club president.
“I decided to run for the position of Director of Events because I think currently the UVSS is not doing a good enough job,” said Kuklev. “I am deeply committed to enhancing the student experience at UVic. I recognize the importance of addressing key issues such as mental health support, inclusivity, and transparency within the UVSS.”
If elected, Kuklev hopes to organize events catered to the diverse UVic student body, with initiatives like free meals, academic success events, and career development events. He is committed to making improved accessibility to mental health support a priority, hoping to ensure that wait times are greatly reduced so that students can access these resources when they need them.
“I believe I am a strong candidate for the role of Director of Events due to my experience in student leadership, my passion for advocating for positive change, and my dedication to addressing the needs of the UVic student community.”
Bethany Shymko
The Martlet reached out to learn about Bethany Shymko’s Director of Events campaign and did not hear back before the time of publication.
“If elected, I am committed to cultivating this community spirit of success through more frequent events on a diverse array of high-traffic locations on campus,” reads Shymko’s bio on the UVSS Elections website. “These events, such as free coffee or lawn games, will facilitate community togetherness and support.”
Director of Finance and Operations
The Director of Finance and Operations manages all aspects of UVSS finances, including operations, services, marketing, and planning. They also coordinate the UVSS health plan, dental plan, U-Pass program, and act as the liaison between staff and the Board of Directors.
Khushi Wadhwa
Khushi Wadhwa is a fourth-year international student from India studying economics and minoring in business. She is the current Director of Finance and Operations for the UVSS, and before taking on this job, she was a marketing executive of multiple UVSS clubs and the president of the Young Women in Business club.
If re-elected, Wadhwa plans on creating a digital rewards app for the SUB, so any time you spend money at the SUB you’ll get rewards. She’s also planning to restructure student insurance to benefit students more and hopefully reduce student fees. This includes creating financial caps on services.
“My experiences serving students this year has been very rewarding and a wonderful experience overall,” Wadhwa said. “Supporting students directly or indirectly through my role, or being an active member of UVic Senate committees is something I love to do and would love to continue doing.”
Meher Tahiliani
Meher Tahiliani is a third-year business student from India. Though she has only been in Victoria for two years, she has grown to love this city and the people in it. After graduation, she’s planning on getting her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation to eventually work in wealth management. While she has not worked for the UVSS before, she currently works for the university as a community engaged learning assistant.
If elected, Tahiliani plans to increase financial literacy on campus, especially among international and exchange students who have limited access to these resources.
“I have been involved with other university-related clubs and programs but I realized that being in a Lead Director position will give me the chance to make an impact,” Tahiliani said. “Running [in] this election, and hopefully winning it, gives me the chance to transition from wanting change to causing change.”
Ryli Michalczuk
Ryli Michalczuk is an Economics major with a minor in music. While she has not previously worked for the UVSS, she is excited to get more involved through the election process. Despite this lack of experience, she has worked before with finances, marketing, and communications through running a non-profit in her hometown in Ontario.
If elected, Michalczuk wants to provide students with more budget transparency.
She also aims to be a friendly face that students can approach with their ideas and thoughts regarding the UVSS and SUB. She hopes to work with students to budget for the clubs and events that are important to them. For marketing, Michalczuk wants to work closely with the businesses in the SUB to see what could be done differently, including new products that could be introduced.
“I really want to communicate and contribute to my student community,” she said. “Hence my motivation for running for this position.”
Director of Outreach and University Relations
The Director of Outreach and University Relations acts as the UVSS spokesperson to the student population and oversees the development and implementation of bylaws and policies. This job includes overseeing member outreach projects and programs, coordinating volunteers, and lobbying the UVic administration. This director also serves as the chair of UVSS Board of Directors meetings.
Bunni Williams
Bunni Williams grew up on the unceded territories of the Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo Nations, and has lived on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen and WSÁNEĆ peoples for the past five years. During their time at UVic, they have been taking sociology and Indigenous studies. Williams has worked as the Gender Empowerment Centre representative for UVSS and is currently the Director of Student Affairs.
Their plan, if elected, is to empower students within their community and to make a change on campus. They want to create avenues of communication with students so their work can be guided by the students.
“As Director of Outreach and University Relations, I see my role as a vessel [for] communication between student interests, the university, and other key powerful partners on campus and beyond that can motivate student advocacy on campus,” Williams said.
They have three main goals as Director of Outreach and Community Relations. They hope to lower prices of food on campus while improving quality, opening a thrift/freestore on campus, and updating the EQHR Sexualized Violence Response Policy to include off-campus incidents, since students that need access to these services live both on and off-campus.
“Students are loud with what they want,” Williams said. “I just need to hold the mic for them.”
Director of Student Affairs
The Director of Student Affairs is primarily responsible for acting as a contact between the UVSS Board of Directors and various student groups on campus. This includes supporting advocacy groups, clubs, and course unions by meeting with these organizations and reviewing UVSS policies that affect them. They are also the chair of the Advocacy Relations Committee as well as the Clubs and Course Union councils.
Jordan Cowan
Jordan Cowan is a fourth-year software engineering student, who is also on the varsity swim team. Cowan has always been active in his community, serving as president of his high school’s music program and taking on leadership roles within various sports teams.
“I enjoy collaborating with others [and] trying to create a better environment that accommodates everyone’s needs,” said Cowan, who decided to run in this year’s election to help the UVic community. “I like being organized in a professional space and keeping as many people happy and informed on their relevant issues as I can,” he added.
If elected, Cowan hopes to focus on student engagement through the Director of Student Affairs role.
“Having started at UVic during COVID, I have felt firsthand the rift that can form between people and know how difficult it is to mend,” he said, emphasizing the importance of encouraging students to get involved with the UVSS and other organizations on campus.
By providing support and listening to concerns of student groups, including advocacy groups, clubs, and course unions, Cowan believes he can help ensure that students’ concerns and voices are heard.
“Nobody should feel like they are on the outside looking in as the student body and our many groups continue to make decisions without their input being heard, considered, and addressed.”
Callum Carroll-Ireton
Callum Carroll-Ireton is a third-year student studying computer science and education. They are currently serving on the UVSS Board of Directors as the representative for the Pride Collective.
“I want to bring in space for more queerness and more STEM representation on the board,” said Carroll-Ireton. They decided to run after interacting with the Director of Student Affairs and learning that the role provides the opportunity to help students find community on campus.
“As the Director of Student Affairs I want to do everything in my power to enable students to build and engage with a thriving university community,” said Carroll-Ireton. “I want to do as much as I can to help to grow something beautiful in this place that I love.”
Their plan to increase student engagement with clubs includes increasing the visibility of student groups by creating a newsletter focusing on upcoming events and providing access to the UVSS Instagram for promotion. Carroll-Ireton also hopes to allow non-ratified clubs to book meeting spaces and provide more funding opportunities for clubs.
“Another part of making the community more accessible is flexibility and responsiveness,” added Carroll-Ireton. “Students will no longer have to choose between skipping class and getting funding for their club.”
Hemal Sharma
Hemal Sharma is a second-year political science student who has community leadership experience through work with the Calgary Sikh Society. Sharma also has experience in various on-campus positions and has worked as a food service worker and voting information officer.
“Student affairs particularly stood out to me as it is the role that can best support different student organizations and students directly,” said Sharma, who decided to run after hearing about the UVSS Board’s impact from a current director.
If elected, Sharma plans to focus on improving mental health support and access to other resources for students, as well as fostering inclusive spaces on campus by offering diversity and inclusivity workshops to staff and students. “This initiative will include creating safe spaces for dialogue and learning, aimed at fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of our diverse student body, thereby ensuring everyone feels truly welcome and valued at UVic,” said Sharma.
Supporting student groups will also be a top priority, and Sharma plans to focus on improving the collaboration and communication between these organizations and the UVSS Board. “I aim to build a collaborative process where these organizations feel heard and have a real say in policies that will affect them and their members.”
Now that you’re familiar with the Lead Director positions and the students running for them, make sure to cast your vote this election. Voting starts at 9 a.m. March 18, and polls close at 3 p.m. March 20. Look out for voting booths throughout campus or cast your ballot online to have a say in who takes on these roles, as well as the Director-at-Large and the Director of International Student Relations positions. This year’s election also includes four referendum questions.
