Three UTM students are running for seats on Governing Council, U of T’s highest decision-making body.
A number of students are also competing for positions on the UTM Campus Council and its standing committees.
The names of the candidates competing for student seats on Governing Council and its several sub-councils were announced Thursday following a call for nominations earlier this month.
GOVERNING COUNCIL
UTM student Ridwan Olow is one of 10 candidates competing for two Constituency I seats on U of T’s Governing Council—the body with the final word in most decisions concerning university priorities, capital projects, and student life, among other matters.
Positions in Constituency I are reserved for full-time students in the Faculty of Arts & Science, UTM, and UTSC.
In addition to Olow, two of the three candidates running for the two part-time undergraduate seats on the council are UTM students Ray Khan, currently president of the ICCIT Council, and Amir Moazzami, UTMSU VP part-time.
Student governors serve one-year terms and provide input regarding university decisions.
UTM CAMPUS COUNCIL
In addition to Governing Council, the names of candidates running for seats on the UTM Campus Council and its standing committees have also been released on the GC website.
UTM Campus Council is responsible for discussing issues relating to academic and student life at UTM, along with business matters for the campus. The council makes decisions on behalf of GC on UTM-specific issues.
Candidates running for the two seats for full-time undergraduate students are Emerson Calcada, Alice Li, and Abdulla Omari.
In addition to GC, Moazzami and Khan are also competing for the sole part-time undergraduate seat on the UTM Campus Council.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Under the Campus Council are three standing committees, and elections will be held for two: the Academic Affairs Committee and the Campus Affairs Committee.
The Academic Affairs Committee oversees matters concerning teaching and learning at UTM, as well as research. The committee also provides recommendations for amendments to current academic policies. These recommendations go through Campus Council and are then presented to one of the bodies of Governing Council.
Seven full-time students are competing for four seats on the AAC: Nour Alideeb, Best Anaele, Sarah Amjad, Vanessa Kattar, Ryan Persaud, Betsy Susan Yeldhose, and Samiha Zaman.
No election is required for the part-time seat, for which Leonard Lyn is the only candidate.
This school year, the Academic Affairs Committee has approved new programs such as the forensic science minor to be available at UTM next year.
In the past, the AAC has also approved changes to the credit/no-credit policy.
CAMPUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Nine students are running for the four positions open to full-time students on the Campus Affairs Committee.
The CAC discusses issues affecting student and campus life and makes recommendations on matters relating to campus priorities, planning, and the management of campus resources.
Like the AAC, the CAC makes recommendations to Campus Council for approval before they are presented to the relevant division of GC.
The candidates running for seats on the CAC are Albina Almetova, Nash Chikowore, Maheen Farrukh, Abdul Hadi Tariq, Lina Hassan, Hoda Khan, Abdulla Omari, Maria Rabbat, and Tsz Yan Tam.
Since Amber Shoebridge is the sole candidate running for the part-time seat on the CAC, there will be no election for it.
Recent decisions approved by the Campus Affairs Committee include the recommendation to build a new parking deck at UTM and increase parking and other ancillary fees.
All full-time and part-time UTM students are eligible to run for seats on GC and its bodies if they are citizens of Canada and enrolled in a degree, diploma, or certificate program. International students cannot currently serve.
Campaigning for the election will begin on January 26, with voting to be held in February.
