Avani Singh is a third-year Rotman Commerce student running for Vice-President University Affairs of the UTSU.
Singh singled out the lack of transparency in a campus closure policy for UTSG as something she hopes to work on. She particularly wants to lobby for a clear policy with contingencies, as well as a place for “affordable, nutritious, 24-hour food” for students who are unable to leave campus.
Her goals for lobbying also include “combatting” the mandated leave of absence policy, improving mental health coverage under the University Health Insurance Plan, and implementing a course retake policy.
She noted her experience in the Indian Students’ Society, Her Voice U of T, and with the Dean of Victoria College in developing an international student mentorship program.
Singh also hopes to increase financial and operational transparency, saying that the current executives have made good strides toward improving the transparency of the UTSU.
On the subject of the Student Choice Initiative (SCI) — the provincial government’s mandate that postsecondary institutions must provide opt out options for incidental fees — Singh says cutting funding for clubs would be a “sad choice” and hopes to work with the Vice-President Student Life in ensuring that the SCI is felt “positively” throughout campus. There is no one running to be Vice-President Student Life in these elections.
“I am just a student like everyone else, and I have not had experiences on student government side at the UTSU or collegiate level,” Singh said. “I feel like that gives me a very unique perspective of being able to empathize in a unique way, with all the students on campus.”
Disclosure: Avani Singh served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Varsity Publications Inc. — the not-for-profit corporation that publishes The Varsity — from May 2018 to March 17, 2019. Singh has recused herself from the role of Chair and is taking a leave of absence from the board for the duration of the UTSU election period.
