Danielle Karakas is a PhD candidate in the department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology program, running for vice-president academic divisions 3 and 4 for the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU). She is currently the UTGSU’s academics and funding commissioner: divisions 3 and 4, and she is running unopposed.
In an interview with The Varsity, Danielle said she’s “laid the groundwork [and] the potential for a lot of amazing initiatives,” and that she wants to continue to build off the work she’s already done.
Danielle pointed to the work she’s done with the U of T Emergency Food Bank, such as the motion she put forward at the UTGSU Annual General Meeting to allocate $25,000 to it. Additionally, she noted the work she’s done creating legal clinics where students can seek advice from law students and local Members of Provincial Parliament about dealing with unfair landlords and other legal injustices.
When asked how she sees herself working within the new board structure, she said that she doesn’t see her role changing all too much. However, she sees the UTGSU running a lot more efficiently because of these changes, and thinks that there will be a lot more accountability.
Voting for the UTGSU elections opens on April 8 and closes on April 14 at 11:59 pm.
