March 30, 2016

GO VOTE!

ENROL CALL

A GREAT SHOWING

Voting is on now – choose your candidates

Application changes spark some interest

TRU curlers take #2 spot in Canada

Need help choosing who to vote for? Candidates came to us for interviews • Pages 6-9

We looked into how TRU is tackling the issue of declining enrolment • Page 2

Corryn Brown’s rink lands a silver medal in CIS nat’l championships • Page 11

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MARCH 30, 2016

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OPPORTUNITIES TO

2016 TRUSU ELECTION

VOTE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 8 A.M. TO 4 P.M. THURSDAY, MARCH 31 8 A.M. TO 8 P.M. FRIDAY, APRIL 1 8 A.M. TO 4 P.M. VOTING TAKES PLACE IN THE

TRUSU BOARDROOM

Few voters, many ideas at all-candidates forum Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω The candidates for the TRUSU General Election detailed their platforms to opposing candidates and few others on Good Friday, March 25. Of the 31 candidates running, 25 attended the event.

Including candidates, TRUSU staff and media, there were 36 in attendance at the forum.

TRUSU Executive Director Nathan Lane acknowledged that scheduling the forum on Good Friday was not ideal and that efforts will be made to avoid holidays in the future.

The Nations United slate accounted for four of the absent candidates. Only their Women’s Representative candidate Briana Guise was present. Guise said that the absences were due to her slate all having to work.

The forum began with candidates for president stating their positions. Student Advocacy Coalition (SAC) candidate Brian Chiduuro pledged to make TRUSU more open and approachable to students and questioned the importance of experience in student government. Incumbent Melissa Gordon, who leads the TRYOU slate, spoke about

her experience and passion for student government. Independent candidate Jeremy Jenvenne said that he represents English and Fine Arts students as well as the disabled. Suryansh Vats of the Nations United slate was not present.

The candidates then received a question from the floor about how they would improve voter turnout. Jenvenne drew on his experience as a skating instructor, saying that he was used to getting people involved. Gordon said that she would focus on getting students that are already involved in other campus activities such as clubs involved in student politics.

“For those that are not already engaged and it’s their first time coming to campus, I think it’s really important for them to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. They should attend events like clubs day or the back to school barbecue where we’re actively reaching out to students,” Gordon said.

“The election is basically set up for the benefit of the establishment right now,” Chiduuro said about the problem of low voter turnout. Chiduuro went on to say that TRUSU had been promising the same things for five years

and criticized the Board of Directors’ spending on entertainment events such as the outdoor movie nights.

When asked what the one thing he hoped to bring to TRU if elected was, Chiduuro pledged that his slate would support the fossil fuel divestment campaign on campus. Replying to the same question, Gordon detailed her slate’s campaign promises including sustainability initiatives, improved transit service and longer hours for on-campus food vendors. Jenvenne pledged to improve the campus food bank and “bring hope to students.”

Chiduuro remained animated throughout the rest of the forum, holding his fist in the air and applauding loudly when his fellow SAC candidates finished speaking.

The forum went on to hear from candidates for the three Vice President positions, VP Internal, VP External and VP Finance.

Both VP Finance candidates, Mwansa Kaunda from TRYOU and Oluwafemi Akinsanpe from SAC agreed that student fees need to be lowered. Akinsanpe repeated Chiduuro’s support for divestment from fossil fuels.

TRYOU VP External candidate

Brian Chiduuro, SAC president candidate addressing students at Good Friday’s forum. (Jim Elliot/The Omega) Amber Storvold repeated her slate’s platform focusing on guaranteed course offerings and improved transit service. SAC candidate Yingqiong Wu said that she is the only Chinese candidate and that she is trying to inspire other Chinese students, who she says are reluctant to join

school activities.

Gagandeep Singh, SAC’s VP Internal candidate, was not present, so Julian Simpson, TRYOU’s candidate took the stage alone to detail their plans for the Entertainment and Equity Committees.

CONTINUES page 2

NEWS

2

MARCH 30, 2016

Advocacy issues Marketing efforts and changes in tackled at forum process prompt rise in applications ahead of voting Wade Tomko

NEWS EDITOR Ω

Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω CONTINUED (COVER) Advocacy reps for women, graduate students, LGBTQ students, international students and First Nations students also spoke about how they would advocate for the groups they represent.

Yash Thakker from SAC and Deepti S. Lobo from TRYOU both said that graduate students need more co-op and work placement opportunities.

SAC Aboriginal Representative candidate James-Dean Aleck spoke very passionately about the preservation of Aboriginal art and culture on campus and opposed pipeline and other fossil fuel projects.

“We must fight this monster that is trying to destroy what my people are trying to protect,” Aleck said, speaking about the Kinder Morgan

pipeline. TRYOU’s Aboriginal Representative candidate, Rochelle DelaRonde was not present.

Caitlin Orteza, who is running unopposed for LGBTQ Representative on the TRYOU slate said that she would bring her experience as treasurer of Kamloops Pride to the position.

The Women’s Representative debate was noteworthy because it was the only one to feature a Nations United candidate, Briana Guise. Sierra Rae of TRYOU and Sola Omatsoguwa also spoke about how they would attempt to empower women on campus.

Rae noted that she wants to make feminine hygiene products more accessible on campus.

Eight Director-At-Large candidates also spoke about how they would assist the rest of the Board of Directors, and used the time to reiterate their slates’ platforms.

Polling for the election begins on March 30 and continues until April 1 at 4 p.m.

Applications to on-campus programs at TRU are up by 13 per cent over last year. Michael Bluhm, AVP Strategic Enrolment pointed to the university’s “Find Your TRU” campaign as one reason for the increase.

Bluhm said that on top of the marketing campaign, the increase in applications might be explained by the fact that this is TRU’s first year completely engaged with the ApplyBC program. That program is offered by BCcampus, an organization that allows students to apply to and transfer between institutions in the province.

Now, instead of having to apply through TRU’s own website, prospective students throughout the province need only to create an ApplyBC account, choose an institution and fill in an application.

Bluhm does warn however that a drastic increase in applications right now may not carry over to actual registrations in the fall.

“My caution there is that we

are part way through the application process,” Bluhm said. “We’ll see many students apply, many of those students will actually achieve admission with open admission requirements, but only a subset of those students would actually accept an offer and come to TRU.” Despite this, Bluhm affirms that these recent applications have been fairly well-distributed across all departments.

“To me it means that there is generally more awareness and accessibility to the application process and that it is not just one particular field seeing a spike where we might not have a great capacity for,” Bluhm said.

Enrolment to programs in arts, education and social work has fallen in recent years. Law is another story.

“For us, our enrolment has gone up each year,” said Dean of Law Brad Morse. “What I see from the data and what I’ve been told as well is that if you took the law school out of the equation, the enrolment in TRU would go down noticeably over the past five years.”

Yet TRU’s Open Learning has the strongest growth overall.

Since 2011, Open Learning’s enrolment has increased by 24 per cent. This is something Bluhm directly attributes to modern cultures moving towards a digitized world.

“It would probably follow a trend, a guess on my part, that people today have a willingness to engage in online anything,” Bluhm said. “I do all my Christmas shopping online now. Why not learn online too?”

Unlike on-campus registration, Open Learning requires only registration to be enrolled in a course. For this reason, Bluhm said, the yield for Open Learning applications is much greater. Due to TRU’s strong online learning presence in western Canada, applicants to Open Learning come from as far away as Ontario.

“Students are always looking for alternative ways to pursue their education where they don’t necessarily have to be on a campus somewhere for that fouryear stretch to get that degree,” Bluhm said.

IT department working to protect data from intruders There’s a lot on the line in ones and zeroes, here’s what TRU is doing to keep data safe Wade Tomko NEWS EDITOR Ω TRU’s Information Technology Services filters out “hundreds of thousands” of spam messages to administrative, student and faculty accounts on any given day, according to TRU’s Chief Information Officer, Brian Mackay.

Using next-generation firewall and anti-malware technology from software providers like Sophos’ PureMessage, the university’s IT Services hope to prevent breaches that could compromise data and destroy TRU’s reputation.

In January of 2012, a major breach occurred at UVic. Targeting the institution’s payroll department, thieves were able to make off with a number of stolen electronics including an encrypted USB drive with payroll information. Following the incident, four UVic employees had money stolen from their bank accounts. Hugh Burley, TRU’s Information Security Officer, estimated the damage done to UVic to be around $2 million.

Though the incident was an eye-opener for many higher education institutions around the province, Mackay said it was a learning experience as well.

“It did help other schools in improving their programs and we learned from that,” Mackay said. “But higher education institutions are some of the softest, easiest and most coveted

targets in this information war.”

Because institutions like TRU are committed to the concept of academic freedom, hackers and thieves often target them for their low-risk, high-reward payoff.

“We don’t block things that other organizations would simply shut down,” Burley said.

“Most organizations would not allowed BitTorrent in their network or allow Internet browsing the way we do. We basically have no controls on those accesses to the external world.”

Usually the only time that TRU uses automated controls to block sessions around campus is when their software identifies something malicious within the system, such as when an individual tries to access a site containing a virus or spyware.

Despite this ease of access for hackers and other intruders, Mackay and Burley believe TRU’s information to be safe, though keeping information safe is a constant battle, Mackay said.

“The cost for espionage is zero, but our costs keep doubling to protect our constituencies,” Mackay said.

Currently, information security takes up around seven per cent of IT Services’ budget, or approximately $300,000 a year, Burley said. The cost is expected to only grow in the future. For IT departments in many organizations and businesses, information security is the fastest growing budget.

(Global Panorama/Flickr) Yet according to Burley, this cost is nothing compared to damage that may be caused in a major breach. While there is minimal cost involved for hackers trying to access the data, each set of email credentials breached could cost the university anywhere between $80 and $200.

But guaranteeing network safety isn’t something that solely rests in the hands of IT Services either. Sometimes it isn’t as simple as being respectful of other users’ accounts and

logging them out before you use a computer, or making sure you aren’t downloading malicious software from online torrenting sites.

“Where there are human factors involved, those are really hard to digitally protect,” Mackay said.

Part of protecting students, faculty and staff at TRU is educating them. Currently, all new employees at TRU must undergo mandatory information security training. Burley and his information security team have

trained over 2,000 employees at TRU within the last four years.

IT Services also runs three information awareness programs for students every year. Within these programs, applicants are given a basic understanding of the principles and language of information security.

“It is just a chance to engage with students and staff, where we answer their questions,” Mackay said. “This way we at least know they spent a couple of minutes thinking about information security this year.”

OPINION & EDITORIAL

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With engagement falling, it’s time to re-think student election campaigns Sean Brady EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω It really is too bad that more students weren’t on hand to see what happened at the all-candidates forum. There’s plenty of new and interesting ideas floating around and more ways for students to be represented.

Better still is the energy that some candidates managed to show at the podium. Many of the candidates running this year look ready to engage with students and act as representatives.

You can tell that some of them really want it.

But with the event taking place in a room that seats 45, it looks like TRUSU knew its mistake early on. With 31 candidates running (and 25 present at the forum) there were only about 36 people in the room for the event, including staff and media. TRUSU Executive Director Nathan Lane admitted the timing was less than ideal and said that to make up for it, video recordings of all candidates would be posted online. They’re

posted now, and those recordings are an excellent record of what candidates had to say. But unfortunately viewing them is an act of engagement I don’t think most students will take on. In fact, sitting in a lecture hall for three hours is probably not something students want to take on, either.

Engaging students online is another option, though staying one step ahead of the social media crowds is not an easily accomplished feat. Even if your engagement on Facebook and Twitter is rock solid, you’re still only reaching a tiny fraction of students who know to engage you there. Going all-in online is not the answer (although it may be when it comes time to vote).

Instead, the forum should be more open – a lot more open.

Those running for student government should make their case on small stages in the open thoroughfares around campus, just like people did on old-timey soapboxes back in the day. Student Street, IB, HOL and right in front of the bookstore – these are all places

where students could hear from candidates and respond to questions.

With more time to campaign when schedules aren’t what they are this year, this would be more than possible and also a fairly cheap endeavour, as long as TRU allows the union to use these spaces during the campaign period.

As nice as the Students’ Union Building is, trying to put everyone into a relatively small room on Friday evening was never going to work – whether it was Good Friday or any other Friday.

A busy day in any other building will usually win out. Attendance was poor this year, but it’s poor almost every year. The trend of declining engagement has to be reversed, and the first step towards doing that is a strong reminder that there are people out there who are working to make things better for students.

It’s important we hear from these people, and it’s important that the student union make every effort to ensure we’re given a chance to do that. editor@truomega.ca

See our TRUSU Election results and coverage online at

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MARCH 30, 2016

KAG exhibit depicts difficulties of coping with memory loss Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω Kamloops artist Laura Hargrave’s series of drawings called Memory Lines is a visual representation of the instability and confusion that comes with memory loss.

Hargrave created the works by standing in front of her canvas and drawing in continuous lines behind her back. This makes the drawings wobbly, cartoonish and in places, incomplete. Her method made memory loss a part of the process as well as the product.

Since she couldn’t see where she was drawing, she could only draw (in both senses of the word) from her memory.

The drawings themselves are outlines of elderly people. Most of the figures are facing to the left and seem to be in motion. In The Cube Gallery it looks as though they are walking in circles around

the room. One of the figures is on all fours, as though they have fallen or are searching for something on the ground.

The chaotic visual of the multi-coloured chalk lines reflects the scattered minds of people suffering from memory loss. With only outlines of the seniors, they feel intangible and untethered.

Although it is hard to discern their expressions, the figures seem confused and distressed.

For anyone who has known someone who has dealt with any form of dementia, the exhibit can be quite emotional. Despite the fact that the drawings were created blindly, the physicality and posture of the people depicted are surprisingly accurate. It isn’t difficult to see people you know in the sketched faces.

The overall impression is that the mental state of the subjects of the drawings is more akin to that of a restless spirit than a live person.

Hargrave was inspired by seeing family and friends cope with memory loss in old age. It is a theme she has explored a lot in previous works.

The exhibit consists of a small handful of works, but the pieces themselves are huge, nearly covering the walls. The memory-challenged people in the paintings are larger than life. Together they seem more like one continuous work of art than separate pieces.

Putting aside the symbolism, the art is very aesthetically appealing. Although the lines are frenzied, there’s something serene about the simplicity of the colourful lines on a black background repeated on all four walls.

With the aesthetic and conceptual values combined, Memory Lines is a moving series, and The Cube is the perfect place to display it.

Memory Lines will be on display in the Kamloops Art Gallery’s Cube for free until June 18.

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CASTING CALL Freeman Casting Co. is casting extras for a feature film, SHIRT. It will be shooting from April 12th to 19th. We are looking for people aged 18-45.

We will be holding an open casting session on April 2nd at The Thompson Hotel 650, Victoria Street, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 2B4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If you are not able to attend the casting session but youre still interested, please send your photos (one headshot, one full body shot) to kamloopsbg@freemancasting.com.

Thank you in advance for your interest.

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EDM trio Black Tiger Sex Machine on the importance of image Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω Montreal-based EDM trio Black Tiger Sex Machine knows that brand recognition and having a strong image is more important than it has ever been in the music industry, and they have done a heck of a job.

Part of Black Tiger Sex Machine’s image are the three light-up tiger helmets that members Marc-André Chagnon, Julien Maranda and Patrick Barry wear while performing.

Helmets have been a convenient and popular solution to create mystery and brand association on sight. Deadmau5 is probably the

most well-known example. The helmets become part of the show themselves, and often evolve as the music does.

“We’ve wanted to build a more immersive show since day one, and the helmets were the first huge step towards that goal. We’re getting set to go on the road with version 2.0 of the helmets right now. [We’re] pretty pumped,” Chagnon said.

When it comes to live performances, EDM music is at a disadvantage compared to acts with traditional instruments. When you’re stuck behind a deck you have to work a little harder to provide visuals to pump up the crowd.

Artists have been able to get around this by incorporating other elements

like light shows, lots of fist pumping and even cake-throwing.

Another challenge for artists can be keeping up with trends. Electronic dance music as a genre encompasses dozens of other subgenres, each of which gets their sometimes fleeting time in the spotlight.

“Things come in and out of fashion really fast here. It gives you an edge to stay on top of things and always remain curious and motivated,” Chagnon said.

Black Tiger Sex Machine and the label they started, Kannibalen Records, focusses on darker, heavy bass electronic music. Their tunes often feel like post-apocalyptic battle hymns.

Although BTSM’s image is

polished, their roots are very down to earth and do-it-yourself.

After they released their first single Chagnon, Maranda and Barry were looking for a label that would fit their sound. Eventually they realised that to get on their ideal label, they’d have to make it themselves.

When it came to starting their own label, BTSM took the same first step any other first timer would: they Googled it.

“Google became our best friend; the key, or our textbook if you will, became to understand how and what others did,” Chagnon said.

The trio had previously hosted a series of successful parties in Montreal called Kannibalen, so they extended the parties’ brand to their

label, Kannibalen Records.

Black Tiger Sex Machine want their performances to be an immersive experience.

“An image can be one way that an artist differentiates him or herself from others, from his or her peers.

Better yet, this image can be a way by which fans identify themselves with you, beyond your music. It’s yet another hook to get possible fans to enter your universe. Ultimately, the quality of your music is what will matter, but a strong image can only be a positive,” Chagnon said.

Earlier this year Black Tiger Sex Machine released their first full-length album, Welcome To Our Church, and they will tour the United States throughout April.

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NEWS

5

Graduating fine arts students showcase their work Story and photos by Marlys Klossner

As the winter semester comes to a close, the six graduating students of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program are putting the finishing touches on their final projects. After going through several critiques, their work will be exhibited on April 22 at 7 p.m. in TRU’s art gallery.

KATHLEEN LOCHHEAD Lochhead’s portion of the exhibit will include three large neon abstracts and several smaller silk screens.

“My final project incorporates neon fluorescent colours and contrasts them against desaturated colours to give you visual impact,” Lochhead said.

Although she predominantly works in printmaking, Lochhead decided to do more painting so she could blow her work up onto a bigger scale.

“My larger paintings that I’m doing are sort of a continuation of previous abstracts I’ve done in the past, but they’re more complete and well thought-out and planned. I’ve done lots of research into them and that really helped expand the broader scope of them. I’m also doing prints that are more small and intimate and I guess kind of like the drawings I’ve done in the past,” Lochhead said.

Although Lochhead has done an extensive amount of research and tests, she says one of the biggest things she’s learned in the program is not to do so.

“Sometimes it’s okay to not plan a lot. If you have an idea you might as well go for it, and there’s so many opportunities for critique in the Fine Arts department. Just do it. If it wasn’t the greatest thing you’ve ever made in your life, that’s okay, you can make more things,” Lochhead said.

Lochhead grew up in a very artistic family, and having been homeschooled, she was able to go to galleries and take in art unrestricted by a school schedule.

After graduation Lochhead plans to stay in town, “apply for shows, get some grants and make more art,” she said.

“The dream used to be to teach art. Maybe one day I’ll do that, but over the past five years at TRU I’ve got more of my hands on the physical aspects of art.

Getting dirty and covered in paint and it’s gross and slimy, that’s what I’m really into right now. Practicing art and showing and exhibiting is more the goal right now,” Lochhead said.

WHITNEY DRSCHIWISKI Drschiwiski’s final project features the assembled skeleton of a small bull that had to be put down on her family farm in the Fort St. John area.

“Most of my work has been about animals. With this one I’m sending a message to animal rights groups because as farmers we get grouped in with factory and commercial farming, when family farms and community farms are not the same thing. It’s similar in that we raise animals, but we differ in how we raise them. For example, this guy’s name was Sinbad,” Drschiwiski said.

Drschiwiski painstakingly assembled Sinbad together again in a falling position. Assembling the bones in this position was a challenge, as well as figuring out the best glues to use.

The process of readying the bones for sculpture purposes was a long one, starting this time last year.

“He died in March, skinned him in May, and through May, June, July and August I started defleshing him. When he got here he spent quite a few months degreasing and a month in peroxide,” she said.

Although Drschiwiski is comfortable with physical act of turning Sinbad into an art project, it is another thing to deal with the death of an animal from her family’s farm.

“It’s been a bit of an emotional thing,” she said.

After she finishes her degree, she hopes to build her own art studio and make her own silk screen press on the family farm.

“When I showed up I only basically did drawing and painting and so I learned quite a bit while I was here. I learned about silk screening and etching and sculpture, and that is where a lot of my work has turned to,” Drschiwiski said.

TRUSU ELECTION

6

2016 TRUSU GENERAL

ELECTION CANDIDATE QUESTIONS PRESIDENT

MARCH 30, 2016

We asked candidates about issues facing students on campus, about what TRUSU thinks the issues are and specific questions about each position. As of Monday, March 28, out of the 31 candidates running, 28 had responded to be interviewed.

PRESIDENT

BRIAN CHIDUURO

MELISSA GORDON

STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

TRYOU

For Chiduuro, the most serious issue facing TRU students is that many don’t know that the Students’ Union and the services they offer exist. He said that this is a problem he will work to solve by increasing the support for student advocacy around campus.

When asked how he would address the issues laid out in the TRUSU budget consultation, Chiduuro said that TRU needs to improve diversity in regards to their food services. On bookstore prices and financial aid, Chiduuro believes that the Students’ Union could accomplish much with advocacy, including lower bookstore prices.

“It is all about advocating. That’s the motto for the Student Advocacy Coalition: to advocate,” he said.

Applying for the position of president, Chiduuro thinks that focusing on student advocacy is more important than offering student services.

“I believe the position is more for advocacy. Because it is not about me, it is about the students, and for me as president, I’m trying to make the best experience ever for students,” Chiduuro said.

Gordon thinks that the most serious issue facing students is guaranteed course offerings. “Having that guarantee, instead of just scheduling their schedules on a semester by semester basis, they could proactively schedule their courses, like a year in advance for example.”

Regarding the findings of TRUSU’s budget consultation, Gordon pledged to work with facilities to make food service on campus more affordable with better hours.

On financial aid, she wants international students to have better access to financial awards.

To address high prices at the bookstore Gordon said that she would endorse wider use of online textbooks and library copies of course textbooks.

On advocacy versus services, she said “In terms of the president position it’s more primarily student advocacy. The VP Finance portfolio is more concentrated on student services. In terms of advocacy I think it has a lot to do with outreach and actually talking one on one with students; I think that’s a really effective way of getting the message across.”

PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT

JEREMY JENVENNE INDEPENDENT

In the past, Jenvenne has had issues with TRU’s counselors, so he hopes to do some work to improve student access to them. He also thinks there is a “lack of unity” on campus in general.

In terms of addressing the issues put forth by the student budget consultation, Jenvenne doesn’t think the union can do all that much.

“I’d try to beat it into their head that they have to understand what a lease agreement is and what free enterprise is,” Jenvenne said in reference to bookstore prices.

“That’s out of the school’s control,” he said. “Things cost money.

What do you want me to tell you?”

When asked if his focus would be more on advocacy or student services, Jenvenne said “advocacy doesn’t mean anything” and that he’d focus on student services, again listing counseling and advising as services he’s interested in improving.

SURYANSH VATS NATIONS UNITED

Vats said that the most serious issue facing students is a lack of professional and cultural extra curricular opportunities. Vats said that he thinks that most students only show up to school and get through their classes and do not apply themselves to other school activities.

Vats said that prices at the bookstore are the biggest issue highlighted by the TRUSU budget consultation. “I would try to promote the cloud computing stuff especially on the e-books so people can share more and they can be less expensive,” Vats said. Vats said that there should be more food options, and food that fits a student budget should be made a priority. Vats said that some funding given to TRUSU clubs could be used to furnish awards and scholarships instead.

Vats said that he would focus on student services as a way to get students in contact with TRUSU and then open communication about what they need in terms of advocacy.

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA VICE-PRESIDENT INTERNAL

JULIAN SIMPSON TRYOU

Simpson said that the most important issue facing students is the lack of guaranteed course offerings which the candidate said were causing students to be unable to graduate on time.

“The bookstore prices are ridiculous. What I’m hoping is to outreach to faculty to try to move towards open textbooks or publically-resourced textbooks, also working with the library to get reserves for those textbooks,” Simpson said. Simpson said that food service on campus could be improved by adding more locally-sourced, vegetarian and vegan options and creating competition with Aramark. Simpson said that a lack of clear communication between financial aid and students is the cause of a lot of problems.

When asked what kind of entertainment events students could expect to see on campus if they are elected, Simpson said that they would work to integrate the VP Internal’s other portfolio, head of the equity committee, by using entertainment events to educate students on issues of “systematic oppression” on campus.

VICE-PRESIDENT FINANCE

MWANSA KAUNDA TRYOU

Kaunda said student food service is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

“We need a variety of food services and more options. As we know we once had a huge cafeteria and then we took the cafeteria away,” Kaunda said.

Kaunda said that in order to tackle bookstore prices, the Students’ Union would have to work with administration.

In order to address the issue of financial aid at TRU, Kaunda thinks that the Students’ Union should be working in cooperation with the university to set up an endowment or a joint fund between the Union and TRU. Kaunda says the position of VP Finance is essential. Despite the position almost being eliminated at the last AGM, he believes that the VP Finance role would be safe in the future, saying that he hopes the next VP Finance will get the chance to sit on a committee more suited to their role.

VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

YINGQIONG WU

STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

Wu said that the biggest issue facing students on campus is difficulty finding co-op opportunities and experience in the workplace.

In response to the issues identified by the TRUSU budget consultation, Wu said that food service could be improved by bringing outside business, particularly those that serve traditional international food, to campus. Wu said that although the prices at the bookstore may be difficult to change, the union could lobby for more book rentals and secondhand book sales. Wu advocated helping students negotiate both bank loans and paid co-op positions in response to student concerns with financial aid.

The VP External acts as TRUSU’s liaison with the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). When asked if she supported a recent move to split from the national union by CFS’s B.C. unions, Wu said “if you know more people you get more opportunities for all our students. It’s not only about B.C., if you know many different students from many different universities, they can provide us more opportunities.”

TRUSU ELECTION VICE-PRESIDENT INTERNAL

GAGANDEEP SINGH STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

Singh said that the most serious issue facing students is that they are out of touch socially with each other. Singh particularly stressed the divide between domestic and international students.

Singh said that he would improve food service on campus both by extending hours of service late into the night and consulting directly with students on what kinds of food they want.

Singh said that he wasn’t sure what needed to be changed to improve the financial aid system or bookstore, but said that involving students in the decision-making process is important.

When asked what type of entertainment events he would bring to campus if elected VP Internal, Singh said that he would focus on events that would connect international and domestic students.

VICE-PRESIDENT FINANCE

RAHUL PUJARA NATIONS UNITED

Did not respond to interview request

VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

YASHVINI BANKAL NATIONS UNITED

Did not respond to interview request

7 VICE-PRESIDENT FINANCE

OLUWAFEMI AKINSANPE STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

Akinsanpe believes that the biggest issue facing students at TRU is the lack of awareness of student services. “A lot of students complain about the food bank and behind these issues is the fact that a lot of students don’t know that these services exist,” he said.

Akinsanpe said that fixing problems within the Students’ Union’s finances could remedy the other issues.

“I think there is still a lot to be done, in terms of looking at TRUSU’s expense lines. In a lot of expense lines I can see where we can reduce costs, take the excess and put them into issues where we can really affect the lives of students,” Akinsanpe said.

Akinsanpe believes that the position of VP Finance is an essential one and critical to any organizations dealing with large amounts of money. As VP Finance, he will work to reduce costs within the Students’ Union in order to allocate funds to where they are needed most.

VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

AMBER STORVOLD TRYOU

Storvold said that the biggest issue facing students is guaranteed course offerings. “I think it is really important that students are able to graduate on time and not have to not know what courses are going to be offered at certain times,” she said.

Though Storvold stated that the issues laid out by the budget consultation would most likely go to student caucus, she did identify some solutions. “I think working with Aramark would be a really good idea, trying to get extended hours, different pricing options, maybe healthier options as well,” Storvold said of food services.

Storvold thinks the Students’ Union should be encouraging students to buy their books online. As for financial aid, she said that the best move would be towards a “grant system” instead of the current “student loan, interest-based system.”

When asked if she supported a recent move to split from the national union by CFS’s B.C. unions, Storvold said decisions still need to be made before she takes a solid position.

ADVOCACY: WOMEN

BRIANA GUISE NATIONS UNITED

According to Guise the most serious issue facing students on campus is the lack of an on-campus social life. “Without a social life where you can meet other students and start creating a little community, it’s going to impact them in the long-run. Not only their happiness, but if they do choose to stay at TRU.” Guise said she would promote alternatives at the bookstore such as e-textbooks and online resales. “For food quality, we would go talk to the current food provider and see if we can negotiate a different contract and try to lower prices. Trying to eat healthy on campus is not always possible. Guise said that the financial aid system could be improved by making the online application system more user-friendly.

If elected, she would work to ensure that women are treated equally and taken seriously, particularly in the trades.

Guise said she would try to create opportunities for women to empower each other whenever possible.

TRUSU ELECTION

8 ADVOCACY: WOMEN

SIERRA RAE TRYOU

Rae said that guaranteed course offerings are the most important issue facing students because when required courses are not scheduled it forces students to prolong their studies.

Rae said that she would handle the issues highlighted by the TRUSU budget consultation by working with Aramark to improve food service offerings for students who have dietary restrictions, preferences or allergies. Rae said she was in favour of greater use of online textbooks to help alleviate cost burden on students.

Rae said that, if she is elected, she will try to create a safe and inclusive environment for women on campus. “It’s important for us to have safe spaces, to be inclusive and for TRUSU to have an open door policy.” Rae also pledged free feminine toiletries available at the TRUSU member services desk and promotion of fields such as physics and engineering which have historically had low female enrolment.

ADVOCACY: GRADUATES

DEEPTI S. LOBO TRYOU

“I think that not enough positions for the courses are available. Sometimes when you want a course, they don’t have enough seats and that becomes an issue because students really want to take up that course,” Lobo said when asked what she thought the biggest issue facing TRU students is.

When asked how she would address the three most serious issues identified by students in the TRUSU budget consultation, Lobo said: “We are planning to do a lot in terms of food services, because right now the students who stay up til midnight, when they want to have a quick bite, they have nothing.”

Lobo also said that the other two major issues, bookstore prices and financial aid, would require further research, particularly studying other universities.

Lobo said that a lack of job placement opportunities is the biggest challenge facing graduate students.

ADVOCACY: ABORIGINAL

ROCHELLE DELARONDE TRYOU

DelaRonde is most concerned about course offerings. “There are some courses that aren’t offered throughout the whole year, and if students don’t plan properly they can be held back to graduate for a semester or sometimes a year,” she said.

While DelaRonde has no real solution for the issues laid out in the TRUSU budget consultation, she has promised to work hard in helping address these issues.

“I’m new to this, so I’m just really here to learn – to help best serve students and to make these changes happen,” DelaRonde said.

DelaRonde, an Aboriginal student herself, said that she’d work to make TRU’s campus a more acceptable place for Aboriginal students. DelaRonde wants Aboriginal students, who often come from rural communities, to feel at home.

“I’d like to see Aboriginal students getting out more and seeing what TRU really has to offer. Because sometimes they come here from rural areas and sometimes it can be tough,” DelaRonde said.

ADVOCACY: WOMEN

OMATSOGUWA SOLA STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

When asked what the most important issue facing students on campus is, Omatsoguwa said that tuition and food service were serious issues. “Most of the food are snacks and sometimes students really need healthy food,” Omatsoguwa said. She also said that she advocated getting local restaurant businesses to set up locations on campus.

Omatsoguwa said she is interested in negotiating with TRU to get more textbooks available in the library, to help alleviate the financial burden on students.

Omatsoguwa said that she thought that encouraging businesses to furnish more grants and scholarships for students would help relieve the strain on the financial aid system.

“I have engaged with an issue of disrespect for females by the male people and I have heard a lot of complaints from fellow ladies like me,” Omatsoguwa said. She went on to say that the solution to this problem is more education that women should be treated as equals and not looked down on or disrespected by male students.

ADVOCACY: GRADUATES

YASH THAKKER

STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

Thakker said that the biggest issue facing TRU students is rising fees: “There are a couple of departments where the rise in fees is more than the rise of inflation in Canada.”

When asked to respond to the top three issues identified by students in the recent TRUSU budget consultation, which are bookstore prices, financial aid and food service, Thakker said that bookstore prices are unacceptable, and far more expensive than in his home country, India. Thakker recommended that some of the TRUSU budget for events where food is served goes towards providing grocery store coupons to students and that more academic performance-based grants be provided.

Thakker, who is already the graduate student representative for the School of Business and Economics, said that the scarcity of internship and co-op opportunities is the most serious issue facing graduate students.

ADVOCACY: INTERNATIONAL

CHANDAN SEHGAL TRYOU

Sehgal said that food services and course offerings are the most serious issues he plans to tackle if elected.

When asked how he would handle the issues presented by the TRUSU budget consultation Sehgal said that extended hours and more diverse options would improve food service on campus. Sehgal said that international students should have greater access to the financial aid system.

Sehgal said that a lack of pre-planned course offerings is the most serious issue facing international students. He said that a lack of pre-planning has forced him and other international students to extend their student visas.

MARCH 30, 2016 ADVOCACY: LGBTQ

CAITLIN ORTEZA TRYOU

Orteza said that the issues that her slate is most focused on improving are equity on campus, transit service to campus, guaranteed course offerings and improved food services.

In response to the budget consultation issues, Orteza said that she was interested in improving affordability, hours of service and where on campus food is being sourced from.

Orteza said that she was unsure of how to handle the issues of bookstore prices and financial aid, but said that the issues were important because it was brought to the union directly by students through the budget consultation.

When asked what the biggest issue facing LGBTQ students on campus is, Orteza cited a study by National Coalition of Antiviolence Programs as evidence that protecting LGBTQ students from violence is an important task for TRUSU. Orteza stressed the importance of awareness and education in protecting LGBTQ individuals.

ADVOCACY: ABORIGINAL

JAMES-DEAN ALECK STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

Aleck said that financial issues are the most important issues facing students at TRU. “It always upsets me knowing how expensive it is for students to come get an education here,” Aleck said.

When asked to address the three most pressing issues according to the recent TRUSU budget consultation Aleck said that bookstore prices, particularly art class supplies, nearly made him broke in his first year. “There has to be some sort of compromise so that we can have cheaper books and cheaper supplies so that we can keep up with our classes,” he said.

Aleck said that the most important issue specific to Aboriginal students is keeping Aboriginal culture alive on campus. “I strongly believe that our culture is in danger of being forgotten,” he said. Aleck said that he would work to promote his own, and other First Nations cultures if he is elected.

ADVOCACY: INTERNATIONAL

ANSELM WILSON

STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

Wilson said that the gap between international and domestic tuition fees and the fact that tuition is rising faster than inflation are the most serious issues facing students. “If there is a deflation in the economy then student fees should be lowered as well,” Wilson said.

Wilson said that he would use changes to the food service on campus as an opportunity to make international students feel more welcome by offering food from their home countries. Wilson suggested promoting online textbooks or another alternative to the high prices at the bookstore. Wilson said that encouraging local companies to offer scholarships and paid internships to students would improve the financial aid system.

Wilson said that isolation is the most serious issue facing international students. Making an effort to integrate domestic students into international club events is the solution Wilson proposed to the issue of isolation.

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

ABOUD BAWAZIR

STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

For Bawazir, the most important issue facing students is one of family. He believes that the families of students should have more accessibility to services, such as TRU’s clinic. Children of students should be able to get the same benefits, he said.

In response to the budget consultation issues, Bawazir said that diversity and pricing were the two biggest problems with food service. Both issues, he believes, can be handled through advocacy.

“As for bookstore prices, there should be a second option, if you wanted to buy the latest edition or the previous edition,” Bawazir said.

While Bawazir isn’t sure how he’ll handle financial aid, he said that he will assist the Students’ Union in addressing the issue if elected.

Bawazir would sit on any committee within the Students’ Union, though he is particularly interested in serving on the equity committee. He said he’d push for more services for families of students at TRU.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

COLE HICKSON

STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

Hickson said that rising student fees are the most serious issue facing students.

When asked how he would handle bookstore prices, financial aid and food service, the issues highlighted by the TRUSU budget consultation, Hickson said he would improve food options for students by supporting the on-campus food bank.

Hickson described the price of textbooks as almost immoral and said that his slate would progressively and angrily advocate against price gouging.

When asked which TRUSU committees he was most interested in sitting on if he is elected, Hickson said that he was most interested in whatever committee or other duties that could help alleviate the financial burden on students.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

GUNVEET SINGH TRYOU

Singh said that more course offerings particularly in the summer is the issue he is most interested in changing. Singh proposed an advance course planning system that would allow students to register for courses more than a year in advance.

Singh said that he would work to improve food services by extending hours and improving affordability and diversity of food offerings. Singh said that international students should receive more information about applying for scholarships and grants while they are still in their home country. According to Singh the issues with the bookstore could be solved by creating a forum for students and bookstore officials to communicate directly.

Singh said that he was most interested in sitting on the entertainment committee if he is elected. “It’s not just fun, you can also talk about what changes you want to bring to campus,” Singh said.

TRUSU ELECTION DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

TATIANA GILBERT TRYOU

Guaranteed course offerings is the most serious issue at TRU for Gilbert and one that affects her directly. “There are no computer science courses offered in the summer. So it is just a little bit frustrating, considering we are paying all this money to be here,” she said.

Gilbert said that she’d work to lower the prices at restaurants and food services around campus while petitioning them to stay open later.

“I’m not too sure how exactly we could help with bookstore prices because that is something that is set, under my assumption, by the school or by the publisher. But I’ll definitely look into that, for sure,” she said.

On financial aid, Gilbert wants to be able to create scholarships and bursaries for students who aren’t able to apply to them, specifically with the help of clubs. If TRUSU gave clubs the ability to establish their own methods of funding, Gilbert believes more students would be helped.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

KSHITIJ KHADIKAR

STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

The most serious issue on campus for Khadikar is how expensive course fees are for international students. Khadikar believes the rate at which internationals are charged compared to domestics is unfair.

When asked about bookstore prices, Khadikar said that professors should be able to charge students for the content used in a book for a specific course via Moodle or Blackboard, instead of buying a hard copy.

On financial aid, Khadikar said that students should be prioritized by how heavy their course load is in a given semester.

“In regards to food services, I have heard a lot of complaints from students, especially international students, who believe that they are not being represented enough when it comes to cuisine,” Khadikar said. He believes his work within the Students’ Union could make international cuisine more accessible.

When asked what committees he would like to sit on, Khadikar said that he would work best within the equity committee, where he could give marginalized groups on campus a voice.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

MICHAEL S. ZAITLIN TRYOU

Zaitlin said that the biggest issue facing students right now is guaranteed course offerings. He thinks that students should be able to graduate on time, instead of being held back a semester by one course.

As a TRUSU member who helped conduct the budget consultation survey, Zaitlin thinks that the issue of food service can be dealt with by working in cooperation with Aramark.

“We need to find a way so that Aramark and students can work together, such as being able to have bake sales or even other work-arounds with Aramark as students,” he said.

When asked about bookstore prices, Zaitlin said that the Students’ Union, the bookstore and TRU faculty should work together towards achieving a fairer pricing system for students.

While Zaitlin isn’t quite sure which committee he would like to sit on yet, he said that he is willing to help wherever he is needed.

9 DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

HUMAYRA HAQ TRYOU

“I think right now the most important issue being faced by students, in my point of view, is the course offerings. So basically there are some mandatory courses that students need to graduate, we need to have those courses offered at all times,” Haq said.

Haq said she would try to work with Aramark to increase the hours that food services are open and attempt to make the return and buyback policies at the bookstore more fair for students. She would also look into the financial aid system more if she was elected, but isn’t sure about what needs to be changed.

Haq said that she is most interested in assisting with the entertainment committee because she had already served on it as a member at large. “I have a huge background of how the entertainment committee works and what they do, so I’m highly excited to be part of the team again.”

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

LAURA SANTAMARIA STUDENT ADVOCACY COALITION

Santamaria said that the biggest problem facing students on campus is the lack of awareness of students’ union programs. “When they have specific issues they don’t know who to address it to,” Santamaria said.

When asked how she would address the issues from the TRUSU budget consultation, Santamaria said that even though it is difficult to influence the original price of textbooks, she would lobby for cheaper used books in the bookstore.

Santamaria also said that her biggest concern for food services is the lack of healthy choices and the high prices.

Santamaria said that the financial aid system is too focused on domestic students.

Santamaria said that she was the most interested in participating in the campaigns committee in order to foster awareness of students’ union initiatives.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE

SANCHIT BANSAL NATIONS UNITED

Did not respond to interview request

COMICS & PUZZLES

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YOUR COMIC HERE WE’RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR STUDENT CARTOONISTS. WHY NOT GIVE IT A SHOT? EMAIL EDITOR@TRUOMEGA.CA

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MARCH 30, 2016

SPORTS

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA

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Women’s curling loses heartbreaker in gold medal game Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω For the second year in a row the TRU women’s curling team came up just short in their pursuit of the ultimate goal of being the best in Canada. The ‘Pack lost the championship game 5–4 to the University of Alberta Pandas in an extra end.

For the TRU team of skip Corryn Brown, third Erin Pincott, second Samantha Fisher and lead Ashley Nordin the Pandas were an all-too-familiar

opponent; it’s the same team that beat them by just one point to claim the gold medal in last year’s CIS curling championships.

The ‘Pack were strong throughout the round robin part of the tournament, finishing it with a record of five wins and two losses. One of those wins was an important 10–4 thrashing of the Pandas in the last game of the round robin. Scoring seven points in the last two ends to complete an epic comeback in that game, it looked like the ‘Pack had exorcised their Panda

demons just in time for the medal round.

TRU matched up with the University of Dalhousie Tigers in the semi-finals and took control of the game right from the start.

Scoring two points in multiple ends the game was never really in doubt as TRU cruised to a 7–4 victory. Both Fisher and Brown curled over 80 per cent in the game.

The victory led them to an exact rematch of the gold medal game from the year before, facing Kelsey Rocque and the Pandas all over again.

WANTED

Rocque came into the game as not only the defending gold medallist but also having captured back-to-back silvers in 2013 and 2014.

The gold medal game was a tight affair with neither team scoring more than one point in any end throughout the game.

After a blank in the seventh end, the Panda’s took a 3–2 lead into the eighth. The ‘Pack would score a point in both the eighth and ninth ends to lead by one going into the tenth but couldn’t quite finish the Pandas off as Rocque scored one and forced

an extra end with the game tied at four.

Holding the advantage of last shot in the extra end, everything appeared to be going TRU’s way, but a win was not meant to be as the Pandas stole a point and the gold medal right from the grasp of the ‘Pack.

The front end was strong for TRU in the gold medal game with Nordin and Fisher both curling over 80 per cent.

Nordin, Pincott and Brown were all named CIS first team allstars, while Fisher earned a spot on the second all-star team.

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Record crowd on hand for Canada vs. Mexico Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω More than 54,000 people crammed into B.C. Place Stadium to watch the Canadian men’s soccer team do battle with Mexico this past Friday. The fans created an atmosphere that I thought I could never find at a soccer game in North America, and despite the home team Canucks falling 3–0 it was a night to remember for anybody that follows the Canadian national soccer team.

The crowd set a Canadian record: it was the most people who have ever watched the men’s national team play on Canadian soil.

The singing and drumming started at least two hours before kick-off. By the time I had made my way to my seat (which was destined to remain empty for the entire match) my ears were ringing and there was a smile on my face that was going to stay there no matter how many times Mexico found the back of the net.

The stadium was packed with people wearing red, although there was more than a smattering of the green of Mexico throughout B.C. Place. While the Mexican fans may have been outnumbered they were determined to not be drowned out. I don’t think I ever truly knew

how much noise a person could make until the Mexican national team took the field and everybody wearing green in my vicinity let loose a torrent of sound, the likes of which I had never experienced before.

Determined not to be outdone in their own stadium, the Canadian fans rose to the occasion and it’s safe to say that the largest crowd in Canadian soccer history was also the loudest.

Unfortunately Mexico ranks 22nd in the latest FIFA ratings, a full 65 places ahead of Canada, and they didn’t allow the Canadian fans much of a chance to cheer.

From the outset it was clear that the Mexicans were the far superior team. But the Canadians, emboldened by the support from the crowd, refused to sit back and play a defensive game, instead launching themselves forward to attack every time the Mexican team gave them an opportunity.

That offensive strategy led to Canada having a few opportunities in front of the Mexican goal, but also left themselves wide open defensively. Were it not for the heroics of Milan Borjan, Canada’s goalie, the score could have been out of hand after just 20 minutes.

It seemed like just a matter of time before the Mexicans took control

The scene at B.C. Place on March 26. (Cameron Doherty/The Omega) of the game and the inevitable breakthrough came off the head of Javier Hernández in the 31st minute.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward rose up to meet a cross just outside the six-yard box and powered a header past Borjan.

Mexico added another goal quickly before the halftime whistle to really take a stranglehold on the match. The rest of the game played out with Mexico playing conservatively and trying to hold possession

of the ball while the Canadians fruitlessly chased after it trying to give the massive crowd at least a consolation marker.

The game was a qualifier for the next World Cup, taking place in Russia two years from now. Canada and Mexico are in group one of the three groups in the fourth round of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).

The top two teams from each

group move on to the final round of qualifying. Mexico currently tops group one with Canada just clinging on to second place with the round halfway finished.

Despite the loss, the game will be considered a milestone for soccer in Canada. Canada was never really expected to be competitive in this game, and for a team trying to qualify for just their second World Cup in history, having the support of over 54,000 is victory enough.

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MARCH 30, 2016

ELECTION NOTICE POLLING WILL TAKE PLACE ON: Wednesday, March 30th, 8:00AM-4:00PM Thursday, March 31st, 8:00AM-8:00PM & Friday, April 1st, 8:00AM-4:00PM in the TRUSU Boardroom The following members were nominated for election: President

International Students’ Representative

• • • •

• Sehgal, Chandan | TRYOU • Wilson, Anselm | SAC

Chiduuro, Brian | SAC Gordon, Melissa | TRYOU Jenvenne, Jeremy | Keep Your Head Up Vats, Suryansh | Nations United

Vice President External • Bankal, Yashvini | Nations United • Storvold, Amber | TRYOU • Wu, Yingqiong | SAC

Vice President Finance • Akinsanpe, Oluwafemi | SAC • Kaunda, Mwansa | TRYOU • Pujara, Rahul | Nations United

Vice President Internal • Simpson, Julian | TRYOU • Singh, Gagandeep | SAC

Aboriginal Representative • Aleck, James-Dean | SAC • DelaRonde, Rochelle | TRYOU

LGBTQ Representative • Orteza, Caitlin | TRYOU

Women’s Representative • Guise, Brianna | Nations United • Rae, Sierra | TRYOU • Sola, Omatsoguwa | SAC

Director-at-Large (4) • • • • • • • • •

Bansal, Sanchit | Nations United Bawazir, Aboud | SAC Gilbert, Tatiana | TRYOU Haq, Humayra | TRYOU Hickson, Cole | SAC Khadikar, Kshitij | SAC Santamaria, Laura | SAC Singh, Gunveet | TRYOU Zaitlin, Michael S. | TRYOU

Graduate Students’ Representative • Lobo, Deepti S. | TRYOU • Thakker, Yash | SAC

Candidate photos, biographies, and videos from the all candidates forum are available at trusu.ca/news