2024 general election: VP Internal
In this year’s Students’ Union (SU) general election, a new position has been created with one candidate running uncontested. The vice-president student life and vice-president operations and finance will be replaced by the vice-president internal who will fulfill the same duties and responsibilities previously done by the predecessor positions. This new role will be responsible for the SU budget, policy and fiscal operations of their businesses in Mac Hall, chair several SU committees, be in charge of student clubs and events like Orientation Week, Frostbite, Bermuda Shorts Day, as well as mental health and overall student wellness initiatives.
NAOMI BAKANA
Naomie Bakana is a fourth-year sociology major and is running uncontested for the new vice-president internal role after holding the Faculty of Arts representative position. In an interview with the Gauntlet, Bakana expanded on her platform points and her previous experience on the SU.
Running for a completely new role and her first executive position, Bakana is aware of the challenges that may arise.
“I’ve of course met with past execs to understand what the workload is looking like and how their day to day is,” said Bakana. “I do understand that this is a new position […] so I know that there may be a few bumps in the road, but I’m doing my best now to prepare for that and to continue to work on the initiatives that I have planned.”
Bakana’s platform focuses on four main points: food insecurity, housing, mental health and wellness and finances.
She notes that she would like to double the financial and staffing capacity at the SU food bank and increase the amount of financial support to new and existing SU clubs. When asked about where the funding for this would come from, Bakana explained that it may be Quality Money funded but she would need to investigate further into where the funds are going.
“Firstly, I would definitely take a look at the budget to see where a lot of the funds are going and what kind of things we have access to. From there, [it could be] another quality money application,” said Bakana.
She also looks to advocate for the university to expand its current residential infrastructure and create an online platform where students can support each other in securing affordable housing options — though she hadn’t concretely decided whether this platform would be entirely new or an expansion to the existing one.
In her final message to students, Bakana encourages students to know that the SU is there to advocate for their needs.
“Though this university experience is tough, just know that people are advocating for your needs. [Students’] voices are being heard.”
Overall, Bakana is a strong candidate for this role and her goals are attainable if elected into this position.
All undergraduate students can vote YES or NO on their ballot for Naomie Bakana as VP INTERNAL or ABSTAIN from voting.