FROSH 2024: What is the Students’ Union? 

By Vama Saini, October 8 2024—

The Students’ Union (SU) is the official student government at the university, representing and advocating for undergraduate students. The highest governing body of the SU is the Students’ Legislative Council (SLC), which is empowered by Section 95 of the Post-Secondary Learning Act. This Act grants the SLC the authority to create bylaws and policies on student-related matters, including membership, elections, governance, fees, property management and committee appointments.

The 82nd SLC is composed of 25 members: 21 faculty representatives elected by students in their respective faculties and four executives elected by all undergraduate students. Representing over 25,000 undergraduates, the SLC’s primary role is to address student interests and concerns. It ensures transparency and accountability by making meeting agendas, supporting documents and reports publicly accessible. Faculty representatives provide monthly reports, while executives produce trimester reports on their goals and initiatives.

SLC members are elected annually in the General SU Election held in March. For positions that still remain vacant, a bi-election is consequently from Oct. 8-10.

President

Ermia Rezaei-Afsah is this year’s SU President, and oversees all SU operations, represents students to the university administration and leads the executive team. Additionally, the President sits on the Board of Governors. 

Vice President Academic

This year’s VP Academic is Jessie Dinh. This position addresses academic issues, works to enhance the quality of education and handles student concerns related to academics. The VP Academic is tasked with improving academic experiences and promoting undergraduate research. They sit on committees, meet with various members of the university administration and administer programs such as the Teaching Excellence Awards and the Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Vice President External

The VP External this year is Mateusz Salmassi. The VP External manages relations with external organizations and government bodies, advocating for policies that benefit students. The VP External serves as the SU representative to all of the levels of government — municipal, provincial and federal. They are also the primary delegate for the several umbrella lobbying organizations that the SU partakes in.

Vice President Internal

This new portfolio was created this year by merging the roles of VP Student Life and VP Operations and Finance and is held by Naomie Bakana. As the first VP Internal, Naomie oversees internal SU operations and student services, ensuring effective communication within the SU and among its members. She manages the SU budget, focuses on student well-being and sits on various SU committees.

SLC meetings are held regularly with all meetings open to the public. The SLC also has various committees that focus on specific issues, programs, or topics such as academic policy, sustainability and financial matters. These committees report back to the SLC, which holds ultimate responsibility for their actions. More information about SLC can be found on the SU website.