Content warning: this article contains mentions of sexual assault.
Mitra Yakubi, a fifth-year biology and sociology student, is running uncontested for re-election as president of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) under the Build Back Better slate. Yakubi has also previously acted as the union’s volunteer coordinator and orientation coordinator.
In an interview with The Varsity, Yakubi highlighted the work she did this year launching a new mental health peer support program, along with getting a U-Pass rebate for UTM students. “I’m excited to continue the work that I have already started and to expand on it more to ensure that our students have an accessible education,” she said.
If re-elected, Yakubi hopes to expand the peer support program to include supports for sexual assault survivors. She also plans to strike a mental health task force that would lobby all levels of government for more resources.
Yakubi’s priorities also include reviewing UTM’s ancillary fees to look for savings and reducing tuition fees by lobbying senior administrators and provincial and federal politicians.
“It was really shameful that the campus was closed, and students were charged thousands and thousands of dollars for an education that wasn’t even half as good as what we used to get in person,” she said.
The voting period for UTMSU elections will run from March 16–18.
