TMSU’s executive positions

Photos courtesy of candidates and the TMSU

“I would really like to be proactive in terms of bridging the gap between the two and being an active leader in providing guidance and the sort of direction that such equity services would like to take,” said Bakir.

She is also trying to bridge the gap between the university and non-governmental organizations in the community.

Bakir said she is prepared to venture into the new role as she has already taken on many of the vice president equity responsibilities last year.

Bakir said her role in organizing response support for Irainians in response to the recent conflict, started conversations on the sexual assaults on campus and led fundraising for the earthquake in Syria and Turkey last February.

“I have had the past year to prepare me to better be able to do this job and I would like to take my shot at it.”

Shahram Farhadi

Shahram Farhadi is a fourth-year business technology management student representative for the TMU senate.

Farhadi is running under one of two slates in the executive position category, Dream.

Farhadi was a previous vice president events for the Information Technology Management Students’ Association and a Program Admin/Operations Lead for the Recreation and Athletics Centre.

He says TMSU events are currently sociallyfocused but he would like to add career-focused events like conferences and workshops for TMU students to grow their careers.

Trevohn Baker

Trevohn Baker is a fourth-year creative industries student running for the vice president equity position at the TMSU.

Baker has served as the BIPOC Students’ Collective coordinator for three years. He was also on Toronto Metropolitan Univer sity’s (TMU) Anti-Black Racism Student Advisory Committee and the Black student lounge initiative, where he says he played a “fundamental role.”

According to his TMSU candidate profile, Baker has helped with Black History Month initiatives at the TMSU, designed initiatives such as an emergency food box for BIPOC students, a Black natural hair care package, a menstrual product donation in 2022 and “complimentary” trauma-informed therapy for BIPOC students in the BIPOC Students’ Collective office.

“As VP Equity, Trevohn aims to bring ad ditional change to the resources provided for marginalized students on a much larger scale by actively working with TMU to address equityrelated concerns voiced by the students,” the profile reads.

Vice President student life

“A lot of [university students] are interested in professionally growing their career. That’s the reason why we’re here; for fun, but also an experience of actually learning and growing in your career,” said Farhadi.

Despite not being on the TMSU Board of Directors for the 2022-23 term, Farhadi noticed increased transparency throughout the union and upholding many promises such as Grammarly premium discounts.

“[The TMSU] did a lot of good things this year and I definitely want to be a part of that next year and take it a step further, improving much more and get to another level,” said Farhadi.

Molokwu wants to continue the initiatives she started this year, including the Tiny Desk Concert and special pub nights with diverse DJs.

Molokwu also said she wants to start having more conversations about socio-political issues that impact students on and off campus.

“The first thing would be the increase in security on campus as a response to sexual assault,” she said. “And though yes, security does make students feel safer, I personally feel as though there hasn’t been enough conversation on both sides.”

Molokwu said in her candidate profile that she plans to “revitalize our campus groups” through an increase in base and grant funding.

Kareena Bhatia

Kareena Bhatia is a second-year professional communications student and a TMU Board of Governors student member for the 202223 term.

Bhatia is running under Team Revolt. Her agenda includes making student life memorable by planning initiatives, investing in campus athletics and student groups, according to her candidate profile.

“I believe that student life is an important aspect of an individual’s time on campus. I vow to do everything in my power to improve campus experience for all,” said Bhatia in her candidate statement.

Ozi Molokwu

Ozi Molokwu is running for re-election as the vice president student life. Molokwu is a second-year international student from South Africa and Nigeria.

The second-year arts student was previously director of the Society of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities as well as the African Students’ Association.

Sherry Pourghaz

Third-year biomedical sciences student Sherry Pourghaz is running for the vice president education position this year. She has previously served as a Faculty of Science director on the Board this year and is also currently a Undergraduate/Law/Chang Student Senator.

Pourghaz currently sits as the chair of the TMSU’s Board Conduct Committee and is a member of the TMSU’s By-Law and Policies Committee.

Pourghaz says she will advocate for additional study days between the last day of classes and the beginning of the examination period each semester.

“That will be on top of my agenda—to work on more study periods or extending the reading weeks, whichever way is better for students,” she said.

Pourghaz also says she would hope to hold more regular town halls and office hours to take into consideration students’ opinions on these ideas.

Pourghaz also hopes to make some changes within Career Boost, TMU’s student undergraduate work program.

“I would want to work to remove the $18 [wage] cap from Career Boost positions,” she said.

She also noted that, if elected, she would like to call on the university to provide more career boost job opportunities for international students.

“This year was a year that we made fundamental changes to the TMSU. So next year would be the topics that I would deeply work to help students [with],” she said.

Abeeha Ahmad

Third-year graphic communications management student Abeeha Ahmad is running for the position of vice president education.

“Now that we are back on campus, and have been since last year, there is a lot that can be done to make everyone’s experience much better,” reads her TMSU candidate profile.

Ahmad said she’s running to make sure students get to have experiences that they never forget.

“As a student who spent their first 2 years studying online, I felt that it was a huge loss for all of us because the university experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” her statement reads.

Sherry Pourghaz