Governing Council elections results have been released after more than a month of campaigning. There were eight positions available, intended to represent full-time undergraduates in Arts and Science, Mississauga, and Scarborough, full-time undergraduates in Professional Faculties, and graduate students in Humanities & Social Sciences and Physical Sciences & Life Sciences
UTM student Price Amobi Maka was one of two people elected to represent full-time undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts and Science, as well as the Mississauga and Scarborough campuses. He received 607 votes, the highest of all 23 candidates.
Maka, a fourth year Political Science and Criminology student, ran on a platform of lobbying for lower tuition fees, cooperating with clubs, pushing for increased funding for academic societies, and creating a safe and inclusive environment for student events.
“My campaign trail was rigorous and dire with its share of ups and downs,” said Maka. “But overall, I am extremely happy with the results for the sole purpose of the team I had behind me, backing me up and riding for me with their support the whole way through.”
Trinity College student Edie Guo was also elected for the same constituency, garnering 471 votes. A member of the Hart House Board of Stewards, she campaigned for an improved exam repository that included all answers, having CR/NCR available after exams, and setting up a mental health emergency room, among others.
“I campaigned on five points during my election in areas of academic support, mental support, and increased investment in green energy,” Guo told The Varsity. “I hope that my points could be achieved and I hope the issues that I prioritize are of the utmost efficiency to both the students and the university.”
Litos Li, a student in the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering, and Tom Sutherland, a student in the Faculty of Law, won the election to represent full-time undergraduates in Professional Faculties.
Li’s campaign advocated for affordable education and improvements in mental health services. Sutherland, a former Student Governor on the board of the University of Western Ontario, campaigned on a platform of fostering open communication with members of the constituency.
“I would advocate for improved learning experience and international students rights,” Li said. “Ever since I posted my campaign material in various platforms, I received a lot of passionate responses about what I’m advocating for. The university should definitely enhance its health and wellness center and pay more attention to students learning environment (physically) as well.”
Li received the highest number of votes of all nine candidates for the position, garnering 276 altogether. Sutherland earned 114 votes. Although two candidates, Zhenglin Liu and Twesh Upadhyaya, both engineering students, received more votes than Sutherland, election rules dictate that the victors are not allowed to be from the same academic division.
“I hope to ensure that the interests of the professional students don’t fall to the wayside when the university makes decisions,” Sutherland wrote in an email to The Varsity. “University is tough, but it shouldn’t be tough for the wrong reasons such as financial hardship, poorly structured academic programs, or alienating work lives.”
School of Public Policy and Governance Student Harry Orbach-Miller was elected to represent graduate students in Humanities and Social Sciences, and Sandhya Mylabathula was elected to represent graduates in physical Sciences and Life Sciences.
Trinity College student Susan Froom and Woodsworth College student Mala Kashyap will represent part-time undergraduate students. Their positions were acclaimed prior to the voting period as they were the only two candidates running.
Governing Council is the highest decision-making body at the University of Toronto, and it includes eight students among its ranks.
This article has been updated to reflect comment from Price Amobi Maka, Edie Guo, Litos Li, and Tom Sutherland.
