The Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) has released the final results for its 2020 elections, following a delay in results for a number of positions due to an automatic vote recount that was triggered following small victory margins. VISION UTSC, one of the two slates in the running, swept the executive positions, with its candidates elected in the contested and recounted Vice-President Equity and Vice-President Operations races — won by Kanitha Uthayakumar and Bruce Chan, respectively. WENITED, the opposing slate, won one executive position with its Vice-President Campus Life candidate TJ Ho.

The vote recount was triggered automatically in races within a five per cent victory margin. Uthayakumar won by 867 votes, 18 more than her opponent, and Chan won by a slightly larger margin of 37 votes, with 898 in favour.

Ho won the race for Vice-President Campus Life with 882 votes, which was 45 more than his VISION UTSC opponent.

Two positions were uncontested in the election for directors, both of whom were on the WENITED slate: Aimen Kashif representing anthropology and Angelesha Nandini Mendis for English. The recounted director positions went largely to VISION UTSC candidates, including the directors representing health studies, biological sciences, and human geography. WENITED claimed the French & linguistics directorship in the recount.

President-elect Sarah Mohamed’s slate, VISION UTSC, had already claimed victories with Lulu Gemma elected as Vice-President Academics & University Affairs and Eesha Chaudhry as Vice-President External.

Editor’s Note (February 23, 11:49 am): This article has been changed to correct the margin by which Chan won.

In a victory for her slate, Sarah Mohamed, current Vice-President Campus Life, will be the next president of the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) after a three day election from February 11–13. Mohamed’s slate, VISION UTSC, also claimed victories with Lulu Gemma elected as Vice-President Academics & University Affairs, and Eesha Chaudhry as Vice-President External.

The three remaining positions of Vice-President Equity, Operations, and Campus Life are still unfilled since there was a less than five per cent margin between the candidates for each position. This has triggered a recount in accordance with the SCSU’s Elections and Procedures Code.

The results, which need to be ratified by the SCSU Board of Directors, show that Mohamed won with 944 votes in her favour; 693 votes for her opposition, WENITED slate candidate Carly Sahagian; 145 votes for independent candidate Claire Caluag, and 160 spoiled ballots. Sahagian is the SCSU’s current Vice-President Academics & University Affairs.

Gemma took the Vice-President Academics & University Affairs position with the narrowest margin of 148 votes, up against WENITED Yathu Uthayan. Uthayan had the highest number of votes for a candidate on his slate. The race also had 205 spoiled ballots.

Chaudhry, the Vice-President External elect, won by 154 votes over WENITED candidate Annie Sahagian, who had 697 votes in favour, with 224 spoiled ballots and 156 votes in favour of independent candidate Jordan Mirembe.

For director elections, WENITED candidates won a majority of the positions not currently in a recount, including directors for arts, culture & media, critical development studies, historical and cultural studies, philosophy, political science, and psychology.

VISION UTSC candidates were elected into director positions for computer & math sciences, physical & environmental science, international students, and management studies. An independent candidate, Anto Resurreccion, was elected to the director position for sociology.

Average turnout across the three executive positions was 1,940 votes, which translates to a 13.85 per cent voter turnout of the 14,000 members in the SCSU, according to its website.

Kevin Turingan (VISION UTSC)

Kevin Turingan is a fourth-year student doing a major in sociology and minors in economics and statistics, who is running for vice-president student life on the VISION UTSC slate. In an interview with The Varsity, Turingan said his reason for running was “to give back and make sure the campus is lit.”

Turingan cited his experience as being the street team coordinator for campus life and vice-president events operations for Students of Sociology.

Turingan ran for vice-president operations on the Shine Bright UTSC slate last year and lost.

If elected, Turingan would endeavour to reduce the stress associated with being a student by implementing more programs and events, with the goal of creating a vibrant campus community.

Turingan would provide on campus groups with discounted services, such as catering, by working with local businesses. In addition, Turingan plans to open up an arcade room in the UTSC Student Centre as a multipurpose space for students, so that “people could have fun playing games but also relax and rest up.”

As well, he would commence monthly themed pub and karaoke nights at the Scarborough campus’ student pub, Rex’s Den.

Turingan would also move to implement an online booking system for campus groups to organize room rentals.

TJ Ho (WENITED)

TJ Ho is a third-year student majoring in psychology running for the position of vice-president campus life under the WENITED slate for the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union. An avid goer of campus events, Ho believes UTSC’s event planning could benefit from an outsider without a “fixed mindset” when it comes to event structure.

“Essentially it’s a leader… showing students how a person on campus can be engaged,” Ho said of the position.

Ho is an international student from mainland China and believes Chinese students are underrepresented when it comes to campus politics. In his first year, Ho did not attend many campus events, besides those geared toward international students, because he felt they were not meant for students like him.

Should Ho be elected, he plans to “deconstruct” events so as to increase the number held throughout the year. Ho cited his perception that a common event currently would have both food and a dance floor as an example. Ho would instead organize events that feature a single component, such as only a dance floor or only food, so that more events could be held.

Ho said that he considers himself to be a creative person, as in his spare time he designs board games and writes. Ho said that he would bring that creativity into the role of vice-president student life by designing “super fresh” events for students.

—With files from Andy Takagi and Hannah Carty

Bruce Chan (VISION UTSC)

Bruce Chan is a fourth-year student majoring in human biology and minoring in psychology and applied statistics, who is running for the position of vice-president operations on the VISION UTSC slate. Chan did not respond to The Varsity’s request for an interview at publication time, however Chan’s campaign points were listed on the VISION UTSC slate website.

If elected, Chan plans to implement new discount services at the Members Services Desk, including tickets to Canada’s Wonderland and movie passes. Chan would also look into getting more food options for UTSC, particularly focusing on halal, kosher, vegetarian, and vegan options, as well as starting a community garden to help promote food security.

In addition, Chan would improve mental health at UTSC by creating a “decompression space” at the UTSC Student Centre and working toward better mental health coverage on the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) health and dental plan.

Niroban Jayakumar (WENITED)

Niroban Jayakumar is a third-year student double-majoring in neuroscience and molecular biology, running for the position of vice-president operations on the WENITED slate. Jayakumar would like to promote transparency, should he be elected.

“I want students to hold SCSU accountable for the money that they use, essentially because all the students are paying,” Jayakumar told The Varsity. He would see that the SCSU budget is updated monthly online so that students can follow along with the SCSU’s financial endeavours.

In addition, Jayakumar would lobby for expanded health and dental services, including mental health, and increasing affordable food options on campus.

In the face of an appeal by the province to overturn the Divisional Court of Ontario’s decision to quash the Student Choice Initiative, which allowed postsecondary students to opt out of certain incidental fees deemed “non-essential,” Jayakumar said that he would focus on seeking external sponsorships and investments to achieve “returns for future years.”

As far as prior experience goes, Jayakumar has been involved in a variety of campus clubs and associations in a finance and budgeting capacity, including managing an $80,000 budget as the president for the Scarborough College Athletic Association.

—With files from Andy Takagi

Eesha Chaudhry (VISION UTSC)

Eesha Chaudhry is a third-year student majoring in international development and health studies, running to be vice-president external of the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) under the VISION UTSC slate. She currently serves on the SCSU as the Director for Critical Development Studies.

Chaudhry’s motivation for running is to “serve as a liaison, a voice of reason to help students get what they truly deserve.” In her various leadership roles throughout U of T, Chaudhry said she realized “how much the smallest efforts I do really do give back to other people.”

Her top priorities if elected would be to address the topics of mental health, student housing and transportation, and cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

Chaudhry feels it is especially important to improve mental health resources for students given recent discontent about student mental health services. “It’s clear and evident that university, although it’s a huge milestone in our lives, it’s also one of the most stressful points of our lives.” She hopes to increase mental health support and resources, inform and educate students, and improve campus mental health resources like the Health & Wellness Centre.

She would also work with Scarborough housing activists and the university “to ensure that students are not only getting adequate and decent housing that is within their budget, but that they also know their housing rights, that they’re protected, that they’re safe.”

As a commuter herself, Chaudhry would prioritize lobbying efforts to see the Eglinton East Light Rail Transit system comes to fruition. She also wants to ensure that buses arrive as scheduled. “Transit is such a critical factor in whether or not I even come to school.”

She also emphasized the importance of OSAP. “Education is a right, it’s something this country owes us.”

Annie Sahagian (WENITED)

Annie Sahagian is a fourth-year student in human biology and media studies, journalism, and digital culture running for vice-president external under the WENITED slate.

When asked why she is running, Sahagian answered: “To give back to the UTSC community, to really utilize my connections on- and off-campus with the university administration, specifically for the betterment of the student body.” She also noted that the experience she has gained through the SCSU “literally made me the person who I am today.”

Sahagian cited being a student representative on the UTSC Campus Council, and being the volunteer network program coordinator for SCSU, which involved working with off-campus organizations, as relevant experience.

Among her campaign points, Sahagian wants to institute a political and financial literacy workshop and consolidate information on health resources to make it easier for students to understand. She also wants to install cameras in UTSC libraries and parking lots, in order to help students who have things stolen from them at those locations.

Addressing the fact that presidential candidate for her slate is her sister, Sahagian responded: “I am very proud to be running with such a dedicated leader on campus.”

For Sahagian, the responsibility of vice-president external is “to strengthen our relationships and collaboration… not only off, but even on campus.”

Lulu Gemma (VISION UTSC)

Lulu Gemma is a fourth-year student who studies psychology and health studies. She is running to be the next vice-president, academic & university affairs of the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) under the VISION UTSC slate.

Gemma’s motivation for running stems from the personal struggles she has faced while navigating the academic system at UTSC. Thus far, not only has her time been characterized by a heavy dependence on the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), but she has also experienced a program change and has had to rely on her professors and student union for additional support. In an interview with The Varsity, Gemma expressed that she wants “to be able to give students a platform where those issues are easier to mitigate.”

Her key priorities include moving forward on OSAP reform, providing students with more accessible academic tools — which could be done by paying professors a lump sum to post their textbooks and other required resources online — and increasing the number of credit/no credit courses that a student can enrol in.

“I also want to advocate to make permanent 24-hour study spaces,” Gemma noted. Because of a lack of these dedicated spaces, “Many students don’t get to stay on campus and participate in events and stick around for other academic review sessions.”

Yathu Uthayan (WENITED)

Yathu Uthayan, a fifth-year student studying human biology and psychology, is running for the vice-president, academic & university affairs position on the SCSU under the WENITED slate.

In an interview with The Varsity, Uthayan spoke about his experience, citing his creation of the UTSC Tamil Networking Association, which, according to him, saw significant growth and attracted many people to its events. This is something he hopes to replicate with SCSU.

“I want to actually make sure that all the events, everything that we do on SCSU is being continued and delivering its purpose,” stressed Uthayan.

Uthayan also expressed that his diversity of experience was relevant for the role, which includes prior experience with SCSU, the Scarborough Harry Potter Alliance, and the Tamil Students’ Association.

Uthayan explained that he has delivered specific campaign promises with timelines so that students can hold him accountable. One of his plans is to lobby the administration to ensure that marks are posted at least 10 days before the start of the next semester, and another is to allow students to credit/no credit courses until the last day of the semester.

“You can see all my points are kind of shaped toward making sure that students are making more informed choices,” said Uthayan.

When asked how he will approach the role, Uthayan said that his responsibility would be “to make sure the students at UTSC are effective, efficient, and successful.”

—With files from Andy Takagi

Nadifa Mohamed (WENITED)

Nadifa Mohamed is a fourth-year psychology and health studies student running for the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union’s (SCSU) vice-president equity position as part of the WENITED slate. To her, the position is one of community building — particularly for students who are part of marginalized communities. To address this, her campaign will focus on funding and accessibility. If elected, Mohamed hopes to implement grants for marginalized students, and to host monthly events with the goal of fostering a more cohesive community.

“I don’t want to create things for people without their consultation, without them knowing,” Mohamed said in an interview with The Varsity, outlining her campaign vision of a more inclusive SCSU.

Mohamed speaks from experience, as she currently serves as President of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Health and Society Students’ Association at UTSC, an organization that she has been a part of for three years. She also talked about her experiences with community outreach events for young women of colour and artists, which Mohamed said have built up her skills for handling the logistics of events.

“[Universities and institutions] are so individualistic, and I think we need a narrative change — that we need each other to do things, that we need each other when it comes to mental health and all these kinds of things,” Mohamed emphasized.

In terms of concrete policy goals, Mohamed hopes to increase accessibility to counselling services, create working groups to identify Islamophobia and racism on campus, and other equity initiatives.

Kanitha Uthayakumar (VISION UTSC)

Kanitha Uthayakumar is a fourth-year health studies and political science student who is running for the SCSU’s vice-president equity position under the VISION UTSC slate. Uthayakumar immigrated to Canada when she was 12 after fleeing Sri Lanka in the midst of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Her prior experience includes being the president of the UTSC Tamil Students’ Association and a co-founder of Manidhi UTSC, a non-profit organization that advocates for the “social and political emancipation of women” in the South Asian community.

She is running to be the next vice-president equity because she wants “to remove the barriers that students are facing on and off campus.”

Uthayakumar has six key goals that she would address if elected. She plans to host biweekly events that would provide free breakfasts and lunch services, and “advocate for more diverse course content that covers issues related, but not limited to, race, gender, sexuality and religion.”

Her plans for Governing Council and lobbying university administration include tackling Health and Wellness funding and wait times, better budgets for the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, and incorporating Indigenous knowledge into curricula through the hiring of Indigenous leaders. She also plans to host educational workshops on a variety of equity-related matters.

In a written statement to The Underground,  UTSC’s student paper, Uthayakumar remarked that “UTSC shaped me into the person that I am today by providing a variety of leadership opportunities.” In return, she wants to give back to this community by ensuring that it is a safe and inclusive campus for everyone to enjoy.

Uthayakumar did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment at the time of publication.

Sarah Mohamed (VISION UTSC)

Sarah Mohamed is a fifth-year student studying health studies, psychology, and city studies who is running to be the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) president under the VISION UTSC slate. She is currently serving as the SCSU’s Vice-President Campus Life.

Mohamed is motivated to run because she is “passionate about student issues, and [she wants] to make sure all UTSC students have the best [experience] on campus.”

Her slate’s platform rests on three major goals: increasing student aid for students, providing better mental health services for students, and fostering greater transparency and accountability in student representation.

As president, Mohamed’s key priorities would be to improve the Annual General Meeting process, create a frequently asked questions page on the SCSU website, increase SCSU staff positions for part-time students, and invest in training and development for SCSU executives, board members, and staff.

Carly Sahagian (WENITED)

Carly Sahagian is a fourth-year student studying biology and women and gender studies, and is running on the WENITED slate for president of the SCSU. Sahagian first came to Canada with her sister and fellow candidate Annie Sahagian from Aleppo, Syria. After transferring from the University of Aleppo, Sahagian worked at the UTSC registrar’s office, represented students on the Campus Affairs Council, and currently serves as SCSU Vice-President Academics & University Affairs.

Sahagian’s main focus on the campaign trail is emphasizing realistic and concrete policy promises: “students are tired [of] empty promises,” she said. However, she did not name particular executives from previous years that she believes have failed to uphold their campaign points.

“I want to make sure that all of my team, even if it’s a mixed slate or whatnot, I’ll be the leader that they come to me and that I can lead them to make the campaign points a success,” Sahagian said, pointing out that in her current position, she has filled in for the current president as second-in-command.

Regarding her particular policy goals, Sahagian hopes to increase the number of embedded counsellors in Health and Wellness, lobby the province against cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program, and increase Indigenous representation on the SCSU.