SU general election: Science representatives
Carrar Saleh
Carrar Saleh is a third-year Biochemistry student in the uncontested race to be one of the four Faculty of Science representatives. As Saleh chose to not interview with the Gauntlet, here is a summary of his platform’s key points.
Saleh advertises himself as being “accustomed to the struggles of being a science student.” With this understanding, he aims to “make meaningful change for science.”
His campaign is centred around flexibility, connection and affordability.
To increase flexibility in courses, he promises to “pressure” departments to coordinate deadlines and prevent papers from being due during exams. Saleh will also push for a flexible deadline option in science classes. The details of this flexible deadline option are not specified.
Saleh plans to strengthen communication between the Science community and the university by advocating for increased consultation around the construction of the multidisciplinary science hub, as well as communicating Science students’ opinions on the Mac Hall expansion. The plan lacks detail on how this communication would occur.
Saleh also promises to organize a science research fair that will give students an opportunity to connect and promote their own research.
Another key point on Saleh’s platform is his push for affordable education. He plans to oppose all “exceptional tuition increases” and prevent “student dollars [from being] stolen.” Like his other platform points, the specific steps he plans to take to achieve this are unclear.
Although Saleh’s platform addresses relevant issues to Science students, many of the details on how he will “make meaningful change” to improve the student experience are missing. With no information on his relevant experience, it is unclear what strengths he brings to help him succeed as a Faculty of Science Representative.
Yansing Huang
Yansing Huang is a second-year Neuroscience student in the uncontested race to be one of the four Faculty of Science representatives. As Huang chose to not interview with the Gauntlet, here is a summary of her platform’s key points.
Huang’s platform is centred around affordability and opportunity.
She promises to create a program through the Sustainability Fund where science students can borrow lab equipment for free, including chemistry model kits.
One of her goals is to increase access to internship and research opportunities for science students, as well as increase financial support. Huang says that she has already submitted a funding proposal to the Financial Aid Office to secure $150,000 to create a scholarship that reimburses living costs for students needing to relocate for summer research. Huang also aims to increase networking events and science internship opportunities at career fairs.
To increase academic flexibility, Huang states that she will push for a policy granting a 72-hour, penalty-free automatic extension on one assignment in any course.
She emphasizes that she will increase communication between the students and the faculty by developing a faculty-wide consultation process. Students will be able to provide input on issues like tuition increases and programs, including internships and PASS sessions. She states that this feedback will be “[incorporated] into decisions that affect the student experience,” but the details of this consultation process and the platform for student feedback are not specified.
Overall, Huang’s goals target key issues affecting science students. Her initiative to create a scholarship has demonstrated her ability to take action to improve the student experience. However, we are not able to gain a clear understanding of her relevant experience nor the specific details of the logistics behind the proposed consultation process.
Warren Hamill
Warren Hamill stands out as one of the top candidates in this year’s election. A third-year Environmental Science student running uncontested for one of the four Faculty of Science Representative seats, Hamill’s platform focuses on student representation, community-building and open communication.
“I’ve always been really passionate about being the leader; the front-runner kind of guy,” said Hamill in an interview with the Gauntlet. “I’m big on advocacy. I love going out to protests […] like when there was the teachers’ strike, I was in the protests in front of Mac Hall,” said Hamill. “I’m not afraid to call people out when I see issues.”
Hamill highlighted his active engagement in the Tuition and Fees Consultations and called out the current faculty representatives for their lack of student representation:
“I went to lots of the […] Tuition and Fees Consultations with the Students’ Union and Robin Yates […] and nobody from the SU was there,” said Hamill. “If I’m already going to them and […] can use my platform to speak on behalf of the Science students who can’t go, then I’ll be able to be their voice.”
“In my opinion, the SU is supposed to represent all the students. Like the faculty representatives, their number one job is to be the voice of everybody. So if the SU isn’t showing up to these important things with the administration, then there’s a disconnect,” said Hamill. “I want to be a bridge between the students and the administration.”
One of Hamill’s priorities is to create a “simple and anonymous feedback system” that will be available for Science students year-round.
“I find that there’s lots of polarization with feedback because not everybody feels comfortable sharing legitimate complaints and then nothing can really change,” said Hamill. “Having a way to get better feedback, particularly through a faculty club […] would be one of the best ways.”
Hamill promises that the faculty club will “streamline communication” and facilitate faculty-wide events:
“We would be able to host events easier […] and just have a more relaxed casual space — whether that’s an actual physical space or even a Discord server for people to just connect with each other,” said Hamill.
“The club opens up the avenues for everything else — for professor, TA and course feedback, for events that can connect the faculty and […] [give] more opportunities to students because it’s really helpful from a career perspective,” said Hamill.
Another one of Hamill’s goals is to get a printer in the EEEL building. He recognizes that Science students are often late when they do not have a printout of their lab materials and need to walk a long distance to TFDL for a printer. He plans to consult with library staff to see about printer sourcing before meeting with EEEL management to determine the best place to put one.
In response to questions on affordability, Hamill pointed to meetings he has already had with Deputy Provost Robin Yates and outlined both the limits of the representative role and his intended next steps:
“I’ve already had a couple of meetings with Robin Yates […] about these issues,” said Hamill. “The real root of the problem is […] the Government of Alberta cutting funding. Within the Students’ Union, we can do all that we can to advocate […] but there’s not a lot that a faculty representative can actually practically do within the Students’ Union. That being said, I am planning to do things personally outside of that, like letters and emails to MLAs and the Premier, and any chance that I have to speak to a government representative.”
Warren Hamill ranks among the most competitive candidates in this year’s election. He proposes realistic, thoughtful changes to improve the experiences of Science students and demonstrates a strong understanding of what is achievable as a Faculty Representative. With detailed and feasible plans, transferring his activism and campus engagement skills into tangible outcomes will be key to his success.
Sejah Kang
Sejah Kang is a first-year Neuroscience major running uncontested to be a Faculty of Science Representative. Kang’s platform is centred around three core values — mental health, academic and financial support.
When advocating for better mental health supports, Kang wants to specifically focus on raising awareness of the current resources on campus. “I feel that although […] there are plentiful resources for mental health […] [Science] students are just simply unaware of it,” said Kang in an interview with the Gauntlet.
To achieve greater awareness, Kang promises that during midterm season, he will post on D2L, message students through emails, and request that professors have open discussions in the class about mental health and well-being.
Kang plans to expand academic support by strengthening standard office hours, expanding TA-led help centres and improving access to current-standing Open Educational Resources.
Using the current math help centers as a blueprint, Kang hopes to implement TA support centres where TAs pursuing Master’s degrees can help students in chemistry, biology and physics.
To cover the cost of these TAs’ working hours, Kang will collaborate with University of Calgary deans, the Science department, and funding groups. After finding the financial means, he will then focus on booking rooms and building schedules for TAs and students.
It is unclear how exactly Kang plans on executing these goals, considering the substantial amount of planning and the involvement of previously mentioned parties this would require. His desire to collaborate with faculty deans and the Science Department is not fully fleshed out.
When asked about the logistics of budgeting and finances, Kang said, “The whole point of this is to at least have the backbone; we have the backbone and the frameworks set in place. Now, all that needs to be done is the actual action.”
To fight for affordability and financial support, Kang plans to increase awareness and accessibility of bursaries, emergency funding and Alberta Student Aid services for students.
When asked how he will specifically reflect the needs of international students, commuters and students balancing full-time work, Kang said that the first step is getting to know the students and their struggles. To do this, he said he would create feedback forms to get a better sense of students’ current conditions, and then allocate resources effectively and efficiently.
Kang certainly has the drive to bring change and all-around better support to the Faculty of Science, yet when it comes to concrete plans, his platform is severely lacking in guided steps and methods to ensure accountability.