SU general election: Haskayne representatives
Cooper Joy
Cooper Joy is running for Haskayne School of Business Faculty Representative, but as Joy did not interview with the Gauntlet, this is what students can expect based on his platform.
Joy wants to advocate for transparency, accessibility and meaningful student input in faculty-level decisions. His platform states that he is committed to improving communication between students and the administration, supporting initiatives that enhance academic and professional development, and ensuring that student concerns are heard and addressed.
As a Business representative, Joy wants to plan more accessible networking events so students can connect with more industry professionals, and he says he will advocate for greater transparency around tuition and find ways to reduce or offset student costs.
Overall, Joy aims to “strengthen the Haskayne experience for all students” through specific goals, but as his platform fails to list any concrete strategies on how to accomplish them, there’s no way to know if Joy would be the right person for the job.
Elias Karayiannis
Elias Karayiannis is a Haskayne School of Business student running to be Faculty Representative. Karayiannis did not sign up for an interview with the Gauntlet, so this is what can be expected based on his platform.
In general, Karayiannis’ platform lacks depth and an informed plan on how he wishes to execute his goals if elected. The core of his campaign is focused on “increased transparency around student costs and free access to transcripts and information,” but there is no information on what aspect of student costs he would focus on or how he would approach this advocacy.
Karayiannis hopes to bring student concerns to all levels of administration, both within the University of Calgary and the rest of the city as a whole. Once again though, there is no explanation as to how he plans on accomplishing this. Karayiannis also provides no information on what issues specific to Business students he’d be tackling through this widespread communication.
Karayiannis shares that he is committed “to building on student relationships, working to prioritize engagement, inclusivity and accessibility.”
He states that students deserve better opportunities and plans to provide better access to things like internships, resume building and career workshops. Karayiannis also plans to provide these opportunities to students at minimized costs in a way that won’t impact these resources’ benefits. What exactly this looks like, Karayiannis does not explain.While Karayiannis does have the basis for a compelling platform, his lack of a detailed platform or interview with the Gauntlet only seeds doubt in his ability to thrive as a student representative. Karayiannis provides no insight into actual, tangible plans for fulfilling his goals and lacks a strong focus on Haskayne students in particular.
Zahra Qazi
Zahra Qazi is a newcomer in the SU race, an optimistic candidate who wants better representation and a “More Human Haskayne.” She shared more on how her platform can achieve this in an interview with the Gauntlet.
“I’m running to be Faculty Representative because I believe that we need more representation when it comes to business,” said Qazi. “I think representation starts with people like me, that come from minorities, that are people of colour, that come from different ethnic backgrounds that you don’t necessarily see. It’s important for them, people like us, to be involved in order for us to see change.”
Qazi is well-versed in how to connect with folks all around campus — whether its serving as VP Marketing of the MSA or volunteering with the Calgary Public Library, she always has her ear to the ground to learn about all the struggles affecting Haskayne students. An advocate for mental health and putting student’s well-being first, Qazi plans to give students the opportunity to participate in mental health fairs to combat hustle culture, provide support for students by implementing PASS sessions to all students to combat any academic stress, and add a pop of colour to the student space to make it more welcoming.
Qazi also expressed the importance of developing a network with working professionals and collaborating with one another to achieve success.
“What I think would be beneficial would be to have a more central networking night. […] To have all these clubs come and collaborate together, and have a networking night that is meaningful and purposeful for everyone,” said Qazi.
Qazi believes collaboration is the best way to highlight the work the SU is doing for Haskayne students, such as how they can provide resources with career development and relay any student issues to the SU.
“It comes down to marketing [workshops] to the students because things don’t get marketed too well at Haskayne. I think going into classrooms, talking to people, having real conversations with people to bring issues [to light],” said Qazi.
Qazi’s platform highlights student concerns such as food insecurity, which she aims to address by incorporating food drives in the Mathison building. She also plans to prepare students for post-graduation life by hosting workshops to develop career based skills such as resume building to combat job or industry anxiety.. In order to engage with students, she’s opted to take on a hybrid approach to bridge the gap between the SU and Haskayne students: boots-on-the-ground coverage that currently lacks a plan on relaying that feedback to the SU.
“There’s always a lot of people there to talk to. It’s generally bringing up these things to people in-person because I feel like if you do just digital, people aren’t going to notice it as much,” said Qazi. “So it’s about starting it in-person and then directing them towards the digital platform.”
Qazi also believes that ensuring SU transparency means knowing where student money ends up — as a representative, she says she’ll be upfront about how better infrastructure can curate a better student experience. From fixing the wifi to addressing technological issues, she is a candidate that wants to cover all bases, yet has no clear plan on how exactly to implement these infrastructural changes.
“I’m really trying to run for Haskayne because I want a more human Haskayne, a more inclusive Haskayne, a more equitable Haskayne,” said Qazi.
Although her pursuit is noble and her fight to voice under-represented students is admirable, Qazi appears to lack the tangible planning skills to bring her vision to fruition.