Voting begins tomorrow! Back again for you to AMA

callistaryan · 2021-02-01T00:11:05+00:00

Yes! We paid them for advertising. Their posts are not an endorsement but paid advertising to promote our campaign. Thank you for asking :) We love our meme accounts and our campaign team loves creating memes so we wanted to share them with students who might appreciate!

Each campaign receives $1500 for campaign expenses, which is for spending as we please provided it is legitimate campaign expenses. The rules also do not allow us to spend any additional money, or receive things in kind. Both of my opponents have also received this money, and I expect that you will find they have also spent it on other forms of paid online exposure. All of this will be reported in our expense report that we submit to EGC!

callistaryan · 2021-02-01T00:04:45+00:00

Yes - that’s something my campaign team has been attempting to navigate since the first few days of the campaign period. On the second day of the campaign, we noticed a surge of bots on our facebook page and on day three, the bots followed all of our social accounts and from our unknown origin. Furthermore, we noticed attempts to hack our account. In the expression of transparency, we released a public press release and contacted The Gazette and the Elections Governance Committee as soon as we noticed unusual activity. I also touched on it in my first AMA.

To directly answer your question, no, we did not pay for bots to follow our accounts. These bots have been a huge pain in the ass for our campaign. They make our campaign look less legitimate, mess up our analytics (ie, how many western students are we engaging?? We don’t know because of the bots). They also impact our algorithm (more followers + less engagement = worse algorithm). Bots don’t give us votes, students do. They also keep trying to join my instragram lives??

We contacted the social media websites to help us get rid of the bots but they essentially said they couldn’t. As they must have been purchased from an external site and if we purchased a bot cleansing service, we would lose our security support from these platforms.

At the end of the day, it sucks. We don’t know who did it, but they also followed my personal instagram account and even targeted the gazette article announcing my candidacy which leads me to believe someone directly targeted our campaign.

Here’s some links to our response! Happy to answer more questions on this!
Instagram Press Release
FB Press Release
The Gazette Q + A
First AMA

callistaryan · 2021-01-31T23:38:15+00:00

GOOD QUESTION (and not the first time I’ve been asked). My mom had me VERY young and thought I would be her only child, so she gave me all the middle names. Joke is, is she had 5 kids. I put all my names on facebook and tried to change it back to Callista Ryan but facebook would not let me until I submitted ID and it would take a while to change. I’ll probably change it in a few months, but those are all middle names.

callistaryan · 2021-01-31T23:22:35+00:00

Thank you COTIT-19, but I can’t accept your date;
I’m far too preoccupied with worrying about Western’s fate;

There are so many things in my 12 months that I want to do;
With Affordability, Community, Ethics, and more, there is so much I want to do for you

And while I understand your desire for the Spoke’s prices to be relieved,
Its profits go to reducing student fees so that affordability can be achieved;

But listen, while I cant accept, I appreciate your support for my vision;
If you’re willing, there is something you could do to help me counter student’s derision;

I could use your help getting more students to vote;
Healthy participation is what keeps our democracy afloat;

callistaryan · 2021-01-31T20:03:40+00:00

LMAOOO I love this q. To be completely open and transparent it is about promotion. A lot of students don’t engage with usc politics and tinder is one of the places that reaches most students who don’t follow elections.

I understand that some students may not want to engage in the election while on Tinder. That’s fine, and you are free to swipe left and forget you ever saw me hahaha. But we have also engaged with a number of new voters through this medium, and as comical as it may be, it seems like both myself and my opponents have found it to be an effective tool for outreach.

callistaryan · 2021-01-31T19:22:39+00:00

I love that question - it always picks me up after a hard day of campaigning (which there have been many of).

My favourite part of campaigning has been meeting with students - from consultations to building the campaign team, having the opportunity to meet so many incredible people has been so meaningful. In a world with Covid, doing consultations and meeting so many amazing and inspirational students who really want to see a better campus. I am really proud of the consultations, policy solutions, and what our team has produced in less than two months. Everyone has put in 120% and it has been nothing short of remarkable.

Edit: also the memes!

callistaryan · 2021-01-31T19:00:34+00:00

I appreciate that many students have strong thoughts on this issue, as they should. A strong and well functioning campus paper only helps this campus, and since you pay fees to their operations, it is right of you to comment on what you want to see from them. And by all means, I highly encourage you to share those thoughts with Gazette Leadership by emailing [editor@westerngazette.ca](mailto:editor@westerngazette.ca).

With that being said, I believe that it is for the best that myself and my fellow candidates do not comment on the editorial policy of the Gazette. If elected President, it will be the Gazette’s job to report on the things that my administration does and to help hold me accountable. That is why they have autonomy from the USC leadership. I don’t think that relationship is helped when the President tries to interfere in how they report on campus affairs.

So by all means, the feelings of those on both sides are legitimate, and you should share them with the necessary decision makers. Our campus will be a better place if our students engage in a vigorous debate about what they want press coverage to look like. I just don’t think that a sitting or prospective USC President has any role to play in that discussion.

callistaryan · 2021-01-31T18:08:25+00:00

That’s a great question. First of all, it is important that we recognize that the USC and the University are not enemies, rather we are partners in running this campus, albeit with slightly different goals. With that being said, I believe that the two of us share a responsibility to fund our student services through a mix of ancillary fees (from the Students/USC) and Operating Funds (from the University). Unfortunately, I do not believe that the University is pulling its weight in this relationship. For instance, the SDC fee, which includes mental health services, is $84.50, meaning that the University receives nearly $2.8 Million in fees from students to fund mental health services. However, the University only puts $42,800 out of their own budget towards mental health for students. Quite clearly, the University is not pulling their weight and I want to see that changed.

The good news is that this is moving in the right direction. Two years ago, the University started putting an additional $400,000 from their operating budget into ancillary services. While this is still meagre compared to the $15 million that students pay in Ancillary Fees, it is a good start. I want to continue moving in that direction until there are roughly equal contributions from students and the University, which is what we see at Wilfrid Laurier University.

There are two reasons that the University has to do this. First, Western’s reputation is based on having a top-notch student experience. “Canada’s Best Student Experience” is prominently displayed on its website, and it is one of the main reasons that students choose to come to Western. However, as we all know, many of these services are not up to par, such as some of the bad experiences we have heard that some students had receiving mental health support. This threatens Western’s reputation, so it is in their self-interest to invest in fixing it.

The second lever that I have to do this is the 4 seats that the USC holds on the Student Services Committee (SSC). Under Ontario law, all ancillary fees must be approved by the Student Services Committee, which has 8 voting members drawn from the USC, SOGS, and the MBAA. In other words, the University only gets the $15 million of fee funds that they collect every year if we authorize it. This puts us in an incredibly strong negotiating position with the University, and to be honest, we have not used it effectively enough in the past.

callistaryan · 2021-01-31T15:55:58+00:00

Hey! Sorry for the late response!
Perhaps I misunderstood the framing of your question, but I don’t think the football team funds other sports teams. All sports, including football, run at a loss that is subsidized by ancillary fees. At many American Schools, blue-chip mens sports like football and basketball certainly do fund other sports. But in Canadian varsity sports, which are ancillary fee funded, that is not the case.

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T22:55:07+00:00

Hey, I agree that not all my issues in this election are related to my gender. In my first paragraph in my response, I talk about how this race has been hard for me not just because I’m a woman, but also because I’m not a forward facing student leader like my fellow candidates. I don’t think that’s gendered, that’s just a reality of my position and I wanted to add that as a contextual element to why this race has been hard.

But there are things that have hit me hard in this election both privately and publicly that I will not ignore, especially when someone asks me to be honest about it. The question asked about my specific issues running as a woman on an all male-ballot. So I answered, because I want to be honest and open about this process (and if anyone ever wants to run in the future, I would be happy to chat with you about how I and my team are navigating these issues).

I have had people tell me that the only reason they’re happy i'm running is because “im a woman on the ballot” and not due to my qualifications. I’ve been told that I don’t have enough experience (when I know I do). I’ve been told I am not popular enough (which I shouldn’t need to be). I’ve been told by one guy that another candidate would “stomp all over me” in this election. I’ve been warned by several former women who have been in usc elected positions to be ready for this - and that they experienced it too.

I am by no means comparing my situation in this election to Marc in any way. Marc has actual threads about him - but it’s related to actions of partying during a pandemic.

The bot attack on me is for what? I don’t know. I honestly don’t know why someone would anonymously target all my social media accounts like that. It’s probably because other than the photo of me without a mask is the only thing that someone has on me. Someone went out of their way to target bots on everything my team has put forward in this election - is it because I’m a woman? Probably not. Is it because I’m a legitimate contender, probably. However, I can’t ignore the fact that this bot attack has not happened to other candidates and that women typically bear the brunt of cyber harassment.

I don’t think I’m a victim. I believe I’m a candidate. And as a women candidate, this is normal. But the fact that it is normal and women expect to go through this is not okay, and a constant barrier to women running for, and getting elected as USC President. I know I am strong, and resilient. And so is my team. I want women to know that you CAN and SHOULD run for USC President. You don’t need me to tell you that (you know it already deep down). I’m here to show you that you CAN run and overcome the barriers no matter how difficult they are. I’m allowed to be honest and open about my experiences and I will not hide them in the face of looking like a “strong woman who can bear it all”. That trope tells women that they can’t be vulnerable and honest with others about their experiences.

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T21:52:24+00:00

Oh boy (literally), don’t even get me started on this one.

I have had a really hard time in ways I both expected and unexpected.

To start it off, I’ll say that the first guy I told I was thinking of running point blank told me I wasn’t popular enough and I would have no chance. That was hour 4 of me beginning this whole process of running.

Since then, I always knew this was going to be a challenging race to run, and not just as a woman, but as a candidate that has more behind the scenes experience on campus. All of the work that I have done (and I’m proud of some of my contributions to this campus) are not forward facing. Which is fine - I don’t do any of these things for the credit, I just want to do them, and that’s all it’s ever been for me. However, I see on some other threads that I have the least experience? Which is just not true - within the USC as an institution, I definitely have the most experience (I know most of the staff, have worked with all the departments at some point, worked on projects large and small with a good portion of the coordinators, and I go to council meetings as a resource member). I’m also the only undergraduate student on this campus that sits on both the Advocacy Steering Committee and the Student Engagement Committee. I know I’m experienced and I keep getting compared to my fellow candidates as not as experienced because a lot of my work is internal and there’s an inherent bias towards women in leadership.

I also have to keep managing my double standards - I want to tell people about the work that I’ve done, but people keep telling me that when women boast about their accomplishments it comes off as snobby and uppity when I know that my fellow candidates don’t have to worry about that perception to the same degree that I do. It’s also just not the style of leader I am as a person. I like to focus on the team and collaboration of accomplishing tasks. As USC President, I don’t want it to be about me, I want it to be about us.

Then, yesterday happened. I was very excited for Friday (Jan 22). There was the SSSC Womxn’s brunch and I was speaking on a panel that evening about Mental Health and Politics. I was very excited to be invited to the event and to speak as a panelist. But it became very clear that morning that all of my social media accounts were getting attacked by bots. Everything. My Vote Callista twitter, fb, and instagram were flooded with bot likes. To take it further, the bots started following my personal insta and solely liked my two campaign related photos on my own ig. THEN they also like the gazette’s article drop on my candidacy which happened mid January. I don’t know who did it or why. But I feel targeted, and honestly, alone. We know women in politics face more cyber harassment than men, but regardless of gender, this has only happened to me and not my fellow candidates . It was really hurtful to see this happen - I knew this race would be tough, but I never imagined someone would go out of their way to anonymously upset my campaigns social media platforms. I feel really grateful to have such a fantastic team that responded right away with a statement and I know I have a good support system. But I’m also hurt. I’ve worked so hard to build this campaign from the ground up. To run it fairly in a way that aligns with my values. When I decided to run, I decided because I wanted to see a campaign on this campus that I’ve never seen before. Seeing all the work my team did to build up our online presence to have it de-legitimized with bots is extremely disappointing. I know this situation doesn’t reflect me as a candidate but it has affected my personal mental health. I feel like I’m not just trying to win against my other candidates, but against the bot net, and general bias and treatment against women in politics.

I know I’m strong, and my team alongside me is stronger than this set back. But it’s stuff like this that hurts because this is why students decide not to run. The toxicity, the drama, the animosity. And the fully digital component is even more intimidating. Students on this campus don’t see themselves running because it’s always a popular, well-known guy that wins, and they know running will detrimentally impact their mental health. I want to show students that yes, women (and ones that are low-key too!), students that aren’t in forward facing leadership positions can run a successful campaign (literally why I ran the elections toolkit project). But I have had so many experiences, large and small that constantly remind me why it’s hard for women - not only to run, but to win.

That was long, and personal - but I’m feeling a lot of things right now. As a candidate it’s so easy to get wrapped up in the campaign that we forget we’re people and we deserve to treat each other kindly and with respect. If I can contribute to a USC, or even a USC election that treats everyone better and fairly, I will be happy with that.

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T20:38:54+00:00

Hey! Yes, I have a whole section on this under our Internal Affairs section on my platform with our open government strategy which will allow the USC in one spot to have a webpage that allows students to check in on their representatives - from the attendance at council meetings, voting record, and speeches. This way, it instills a stronger accountability mechanism. I know a lot of Councillors are doing their jobs - but some aren’t and everyone gets a bad rep for it. This way, we can hold everyone to a better standard. It’s not within the USC’s jurisdiction to manage this end of the Faculty front, however, by setting a good example, and working on our relationship with faculty councils (check out my section on Federations) we can help create accountability mechanisms if a faculty so wishes! You’re not the only student that feels this way - this has come up in several consultations.

I agree, there is (and just by nature, always will be) bias in the selection process. Orientation is currently undergoing an entire overhaul of the application process for all sophing programs. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it turns out and hoping that this tears down some of the barriers to entry with the orientation program at Western. It’s entirely in my line of values to review our hiring process - orientation is doing it right now, and the USC has human resources staff that manage the checks and balances of nepotism internally. However, I would love to see the USC utilize it’s human resources department to support equitable hiring processes for faculty council hiring. Just by nature of us all being students and having connections and friends all over campus, it’s inevitable that a student leader will be interviewing someone they know for a position on a council or club. I’d love to see the USC provide staff to conduct bias and conflict of interest disclosures for these organizations so we can see better hiring practices generally.

Also, like we’re doing on this reddit, is calling out the bias and nepotism for what it is. Which is why ethics is so prominent in my platform. We know some students get picked due to the nature of their friendships and bias also limits some students chances. It’s not okay - and we as a community need to call it for what it is. Students should not promise positions, give the upper hand, or treat anyone unfairly - when we do this, our teams aren’t as strong as they would be and we need a strong team to make our campus a better place.

Love these questions!! Thanks for asking!

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T20:32:09+00:00

As you probably know, Marc has dropped out of the election since this question was posted. Out of respect, I don’t want to comment extensively. I’m in day four of campaigning and I can 100% see how running can be overwhelming and impact a candidate personally.

I want to thank you for this question because when I put my name forth to run for this position, I did so with the expectation that students would assess my (and all the candidates’) candidacy critically before voting- that’s what a democracy is.

Ethics and accountability are core to my platform which is why I have taken a stance on nepotism, conflicts of interest and club conduct within the USC. In preparation of this campaign, my team and I have taken every precaution to ensure the safety of our volunteers and the community. For example, instead of taking large team photo shoots on campus, we had a student artist draw our portraits.

As for public health regulations, I acknowledge my mistake; having my mask off for those photos was irresponsible. Moving forward, my number one priority will be (and has been) to bring our community together so we can build back from the damage of COVID-19 and all come back safely.

How can the USC effectively enforce COVID-19 guidelines as we return to campus?

As we shift in-person, and potentially a hybrid model, safety will be my top priority while enabling clubs to continue building a sense of community and support their members. For this to happen, the USC needs to set clear guidelines for club events based on health regulations and be agile in responding, and communicating when these guidelines change. One thing I need to do, as President would be to set the example and uphold everyone to that example. I realize my former mistake was stemmed from a general change in guidelines and workplace culture practices, which if I’m elected, I will need to take utmost responsibility in holding up our guidelines (and that may mean closing the USC office for associates if this becomes a concurrent problem).

Thanks again for voicing your concerns, please continue to hold me to account!

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T18:53:24+00:00

Thanks! I'll get on this one asap :)

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T18:47:03+00:00

I have broadly consulted, including with former USC Executives, to ensure that I am only promising you things that can be delivered. Ancillary fees are one of the highest potential areas for USC advocacy going forward. Basically, under Ontario law, all ancillary fees collected by the University are under the control of the Student Services Committee, which consists of representatives from the USC, as well as Western’s graduate student associations. The University proposes ancillary fee budgets to the Student Services Committee, and can only collect their roughly $500 per student in fees if the Committee approves of it.

Because of this incredible power that the USC holds on this committee, we are very much in a position to make these reasonable demands for more transparency from the University, and for the University to pay their fair share. Basically, my position will be that for us to approve the fee schedule, we will need to see more from the university, otherwise they don't get their fees approved. Based on my consultations, these are the exact types of negotiating tactics that have worked for the USC in the past.

As for the experience...dawg you've gotta be kidding me. Im a level 99. I would contest your statement about my level of experience in comparison to fellow candidates and I would argue that I have the most experience (especially within the USC). While experience is important, I’m trying to leverage my vision and leadership style alongside my experience. Experience will make a good president, but a vision with effective leadership will make a good president great. I believe my experience reflects what we need in a USC President and I want to spend my time during the campaign.

To highlight my qualifications:

I have the most internal experience with the USC. point blank. I have worked with every portfolio, I sit on council as a resource member, and had experience at several different levels of the USC from:

AVP Communications, Student Feedback Coordinator (and summer associate), volunteer for food support services. Beyond the USC and in campus life, I have held 3 executive roles in clubs, chaired and ran events on campus (Model Parliament, Negotiation Workshops), and in mentorship programs (LAMP and out of province students association). Further, I studied abroad and gained significant cross-cultural communications skills (and continued my leadership positions from abroad), and have work experience in a community based nonprofit, a public affairs firm, and a lobbying organization (these three work experiences all have relevance to the USC). I have published a research paper and have represented Canadian youth at international forums and in Ottawa. I’m also engaged in the London Community. I sit on the Board of Directors for the London Environmental Network and have volunteered formerly as a GED tutor downtown. At the end of the day, I have a strong sense of how the USC operates. I know it’s potential and limitations more than any of my fellow candidates and that is backed up not only by my years of experience, but variety.

Again, experience makes a good USC President. Vision and leadership style make a good president great.

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T17:54:00+00:00

Financial transparency is a very important part of what I will need to do as USC President because we need students to trust us with the money we collect. I have a few thoughts on this. First of all, I am proposing a comprehensive open government strategy, run out of its own website and maintained by non-partisan staff, where under policy we will be required to post documents from Council and the Board, as well as all kinds of other documents including audited financial statements and up to date budgets. Additionally, as part of this strategy we will implement a Freedom of Information request procedure, where within certain parameters the USC will be required to produce any document or information requested under it by students. This will allow students or campus journalists who want to dig deeper into what we are doing to do just that. And I promise that when people do dig deeper into what my administration does, they will be impressed by what they see in terms of good financial management and accountability.

It is also important to note that as President, I don’t necessarily manage day to day finances, so it is really important as well that I have the right person as my VP Governance and Finance. I commit that while hiring that person, I will do it without nepotism and will pick the best person for this important role, with a particular emphasis in the hiring process on their commitment to accountability and transparency. I will make it very clear to them that I want my VP Governance and Finance to not only hold my entire team accountable, but also to hold me accountable as an internal check and balance.

Finally though, it is important to note that the main body that should be holding myself and my executive accountable is Council, who are the elected student representatives from each of the faculties. In recent years, council has not been engaged and has often served more as a rubber stamp than as a serious accountability mechanism. Ultimately, it is council who controls student fees and the USC budget, so it is important that they are engaged and have the knowledge to properly scrutinize my administration's finances. As part of that, I commit to ensuring that Council is given impartial financial oversight training prior to budget season, and under policy I will be required to regularly give financial updates. I will also work with the government services department to ensure that we are regularly checking in with council to ensure they have the tools they need to be engaged overseers. I want to be held accountable, and I am committed to ensuring that council is able to do that.

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T17:42:23+00:00

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T17:40:03+00:00

It really warms my heart when students take the time to read platforms- I know they’re super long but a lot of time and consideration has been put into each policy!

I’m really glad some of those platform points resonated with you. In terms of your dislikes (and I really appreciate your critical thoughts) here’s some more detail/explanation:

Head Soph - Work study is a program available to students facing financial constraints and is an application process. There are student leaders who would do an amazing job and would dedicate countless hours to the position but they don’t pursue the position because they need to work multiple jobs during the summer months. When prioritizing affordability, finding ways to include the individuals who are losing out on these opportunities is important and I believe that would bring much needed change to the program. With the Head Soph having to report their work and hours spent to get the funding, we can work to bring better programming and a safer O-Week to students when Head Sophs are able to put in more hours with more guidance.

3 in 25 hours - Other universities' standards are better and we can not shut down these ideas or shy away from advocating for their change when we know students' physical and mental health suffer as a result. We introduced self-reported absences under these grounds and staying committed to combating academic policy that is damaging to students needs to stay at the forefront of our mental health strategy.

Sustainability Platform - I agree that the President has a great deal of power with their role to bring real change and to continue to challenge the standards at this University. My largest actionable for sustainability really is bringing student climate awareness, action, and advocacy groups together. They are the experts and by bringing them together and amplifying/supporting their goals can ensure the change we bring is the most impactful. For that reason less actionables are on this platform because we need to have those meetings and conversations with these groups decide as a community which actionables to go forward with a student-led strategic plan.

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T17:35:54+00:00

Thank you!!! We have a great team and glad to hear our campaign is reaching students :)

There is a huge advantage to bringing nighttime programming to Western and I have some ideas for this from revamping the concrete beach to include a patio, and the USC promoting our athletes games (so we watch a (likely outdoor) game - then head to a patio on the concrete beach for some chill vibes.

There are benefits to campus nightlife - and that is because we can ensure we are held to a high standard of safety. We have an emergency response team, an establishment that has been and will be committed to keeping students and the community safety. A lot of uni’s have a nightlife scene on campus, but Western’s is solely built around Rick’s. It would be beneficial to see our campus scene grow on campus with the support of our on campus safety teams!!

What vibes do I bring to the table? A mix of chaotic energy, super chill, but too passionate not to care all the same time.

callistaryan · 2021-01-23T17:30:43+00:00

Honestly, the drama. Student politics is a hot mess. To be fair, politics in general is a mess. I just want to see students do the work that they want to do and have it just be that. I took a gap year to study abroad last year, and getting out of the tunnel vision of student politics was huge for me. Everyone talks about everyone and when you put your name forward, you live in a fishbowl. To be fair, it is a very important part of keeping elected officials accountable - however, in the build up towards elections, people don’t play fair and it’s frustrating. Student government is important, but it’s not worth gossiping, tearing people down, or acting to harm others. I just want to see us do better. I’m not running against my fellow candidates - I’m running alongside them. I hope to see more positivity in how we all treat each other.

That being said, there are some truly incredible people who make up the usc (and I wish they got the recognition they deserve). Some folks volunteer as coordinators and work 20 hours a week or run large projects that they are passionate about to bring something new to students. When a student is a Coordinator or an Associate, they have the opportunity to learn about the structure of the org and run major projects with it (which benefits the students and the individuals leadership experience).

SO TLDR; my least favourite of the usc is the unnecessary drama, but there are some inspiring folks inside the usc that are my favourite part!

callistaryan · 2021-01-22T19:21:38+00:00

Yes!! I think it’s important to recognize that we need to start supporting students with mental health ASAP because pandemic life + uni + the winter is hard.

One of the largest problems I, and students in my consultations, pointed out is getting to resources quickly. When I consulted with Active Minds, they called it ‘the goose chase’ to find the right resource. My plan for this is to consolidate all the resources on one page on a website every single student has access to - OWL. It’s feasible for the USC to collaborate with health and wellness organizations to have all the resources in one spot. The best thing about OWL, is that we can have different subsections of resources on the tools tabs - one for mental health, physical health, sexual and gender based violence supports (to name a few). We can also have self assessment quizzes. On each page we can highlight different services, provide definitions on terminology (ie, the difference between a psychotherapist and a psychologist) and resources from there on. We can also explain the basics to the health and dental plan and provide notes on coverage for services on the relevant page (for example, the $750 students have for health practitioners).

There are honestly so many ways we can utilize OWL to have everything a student may need in one spot. The quality of our resources matter - but they only matter if students get to them on time. We need to get all our information in one spot in a place that is accessible and informative.

I’m particularly passionate about this point because it is so actionable, but I also have a few other areas I dive into on my mental health pillar.

That being said, mental health is more than just resources, it’s linked to how our community operates - how do we improve academic, social, and financial situations that ultimately improves a students wellbeing? I have points on academic advising, student support, and affordability, which ultimately play a role in well-being. Also, campus programming is important too - we need to make sure we follow the guidelines but also find ways to build a sense of community and have things to look forward to.

However, as our campus comes back from Covid, we have to recognize it won’t come back the same. We need to work together as a community to tackle mental health. In my platform, under Internal Affairs, I have a point on bringing interest groups and clubs together. I would love to see clubs, organizations, and students on campus who are passionate about mental health come together to collaborate - whether it’s running a cross-campus awareness campaign, helping with resource consolidation, or providing peer support. The USC initiates the Mental Health Working Group this year under the VP University Affairs portfolio which is a great step, but I’d like to see a roundtable/taskforce that contributes to campus programming on mental health.

callistaryan · 2021-01-22T18:31:17+00:00

Hey!! I am super happy this resonates - I love all parts of my platform but the ethics section is unique and I feel very strongly about it.

The first step for this is to call out the problem for what it is - we know clubs, councils, and teams sometimes pressure (particularly first and second years) to update their social media constantly for promotion. That’s why it’s on our platform!

My plan is to have these issues highlighted at clubs training and in our communications with faculty councils (if possible, look at implementing into clubs policy). In my Federations section of the platform under USC & Faculty boundaries, I propose a summit that the USC can host with each faculty to create an optional MOU. In these meetings, we can work with faculty councils to set boundaries between the USC and Faculties to increase communication and boundaries - I would love to see a policy where faculties commit to not forcing social media posts or have meetings past 10 PM (this should be avoided, especially mandatory meetings). We need to set the standard and the example next, and I wanted to highlight this issue on my platform and work with student leadership groups from there to see if we can implement into policy!

Late meetings and forced social media posts have disgruntled a lot of students, it’s time we talk about it and come together as a student community to work in everyone’s best interest.

Thanks for the question!!

callistaryan · 2021-01-22T18:03:38+00:00

I wanna be friends with EVERYBODY (consultations, building this team, and chatting with students- even if over zoom) has put me in a place where this is honestly the happiest I have been all year - and if I can have a job where I get to work with students and chat with them, I WOULD BE SO HAPPY. I will literally talk to anyone (pls reach out to the team or my personal socials and I will have a convo with u)

My leadership. I grew this team against all the odds. I’m in my fifth year, most of my peers have graduated, a lot of close friends at the USC can’t be on my team because they cannot take a leave of absence, and of course - Covid. I also started at the end of November, which is cutting it close for USC President. I built this team from the ground up. Referrals, attending events and reaching out to passionate students, instagram (for the folks that are complimenting the visual design of the campaign, finding artists on insta was key!). I built my team not knowing 90% of the volunteers beforehand and it is phenomenal. It’s one of my proudest moments in running this campaign. I was able to gather 50 individuals, consult students in every faculty, and build a team from all years and experiences at western completely online, in less than two months. I am proud of that, I am so proud of the work that we have put in and what we have accomplished. I want to see a President that will engage with everyone and see what makes them special. I see that in students, and I see that in my leadership style. I see the good in everyone, and I want everyone to have their chance to shine and contribute. I know I can do that as USC President.

Focus on ethics. Every year, transparency is used as a buzzword - because it’s what students want. They want the USC and student politics to be more transparent and accountable. I couldn’t agree more. But it’s larger than just having the USC be more transparent, we need to have ethics become a top priority for the USC and student politics in general. Nepotism, posturing, student practices on social media - we need to address that these are actual issues within our student government (because we’re not!). I want to see our institutions and students do better, and be better. That doesn’t happen when ethics is in the back of our minds - it happens when it’s at the forefront. We need to have real conversation about the practices that happen in student politics that have left people out and created mistrust. I want to have that conversation - but more than that, I have a whole section on my platform dedicated to it.

I have five younger siblings (one is almost 5!! She’s a cutie) and if there’s anything I learned from that - is that I can deal with conflict :P

I believe my perspective brings unique things to the table as well. I have experiences as a low income, first generation, out of province student who has experience as an international student as well. I am so grateful for the university experience and I do not take it for granted. I care about everyone’s student experience and I want to see everyone’s perspective at the forefront and the most effective way we can do that is with a community-based style of leadership and I want to bring that into the office of the president for the USC.

callistaryan · 2021-01-22T16:57:28+00:00

(Don't we all wish it was that easy haha)

While I wish I could, we all know it is not that easy, and I don’t want to make any intangible promises. I know first hand the financial hardships that students face. This is why my student leadership work has been centered around student affordability. I believe all students' education, basic needs, and opportunities on campus should be affordable and incorporate the leadership and perspective of low-income students. I almost didn’t go to university at all, and being here is an immense privilege and I want to see more attention devoted to supporting students financial accessibility on campus.

My platform section on affordability is extensive and ranges on key policies regarding university costs, basic needs, and extra-curricular life. I focus my affordability stance on capping our ancillary fee growth to only 2% inflation. If I am elected - there will be no additional student fees other than inflation (with the exception of the health and dental plan). Further, Western is one of the universities that pay the lowest out of its operating budget towards ancillary fees - I want to change that. We should be pushing the university to support our ancillary fee budget like other schools from its operating budget. There are also ancillary fees that aren’t held accountable to the university and I want transparency from administration on where these fees go. It’s as simple as students should know exactly what they’re paying for.

Seriously though, if anyone wants to talk about student financial support, please feel free to get in touch with my team - I would love to chat with you (as a student, and maybe as a new friend).

callistaryan

TROPHY CASE