Adrian Alcantara advocates for more EDI initiatives at 2022 Student Life forum
By Sophia Lopez, March 9 2022––
The University of Calgary’s Students’ Union (SU) elections are approaching and this week the SU is hosting various forums for students to get to know their potential elected officials.
On March 3, Assad Ali Bik, the outgoing vice-president student life, moderated the VP Student Life forum where the candidate was given a platform to speak and answer questions regarding their goals for the upcoming term if elected, and what students can expect from them.
Adrian Alcantara, an outgoing Haskayne School of Business representative, discussed how as VP Student Life, one of his main goals would be to increase student engagement on campus by working closer with clubs, especially now that students are returning to campus. He said this would also help him continue supporting Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives.
“I feel like we gained a lot of success when students can physically see either representatives or execs physically out in the field, out talking to students, out engaging with students,” said Alcantara. “How I plan to do that –– working with clubs.”
Alcantara also explained how if elected as VP Student Life, his role would involve supporting university organizations in their actions towards making a more inclusive and positive environment. He wants students to feel heard by asking them for their feedback on his own actions and how he can improve as an elected official.
“In terms of the Office of Indigenous Engagement, we should all be supporting these offices with their endeavors –– that is my role as the VP Student Life and the role that all of the SU executives should be striving to do,” he said. “I want to be able to continue working with that because I believe there is room for improvement in these areas where we can be doing a lot more action, because we’ve had the feedback.”
SU elected officials and faculty representatives are expected to write up weekly reports which are made available for students on the SU website. While there have been times where officials or representatives do not submit weekly reports, as discussed in the VP OpFi forum last week, Alcantara ensures students that he will stick to his responsibilities as he has continuously done up to this point.
“If you check things like the weekly reports, the monthly reports that are published online to the SU website, you will see that there’s always something I’m doing, there’s always something that is there,” he said. “It’s very important to know that you guys have someone super accountable on your side.”
Alcantara said he wants to interact more with students on campus and hear their needs. He also said he wants to create an environment where students feel comfortable approaching him and holding him accountable. Through the continuation of EDI initiatives and mental wellness training, Alcantara has the best interest of students in mind.
Voting takes place from March 8–10, starting at 9 a.m. on March 8 until 4 p.m. on March 10. The un-official results will be announced on March 10 at 5 p.m. in the South Courtyard of Mac Hall. For more information on the VP OpFi candidates, and other SU election candidates, visit their platforms on the SU website. Find out where, when and how to vote and watch a livestream of the un-official results online.