Thursday March 22, Arthur will host elections for its editors in LEC pit at 7 p.m. Below are your candidates. To be eligible to vote, you must be a member of the staff collective - to be a member of the staff collective, you must have contributed to 15% of published newspapers. The following people are eligible to vote in Thursday's election:

Berfin Aksoy, Leina Amatsuji-Berry, Elizabeth Beaney, Caitlin Bragg, Heather Brown, Charleigh Chomko, Clay Duncalfe, Zoe Easton, Lola Edwards, Tasha Falconer, Natasha Hildebrand, Jacie Houghton, Mauricio Interiano, Meghan Johnny, Tyler Majer, Chuong Nguyen, Jordan Porter, Lubna Sadek, Peter Stuart, Nick Taylor, Colin Wigle, Lindsay Yates, Amina Yusuf, Will Pearson, Claudia Marchisello, Steph Corkery, Kortney Dunsby, Dan Morrison and Josh Skinner.

Editorship Platforms

Leina Amatsuji-Berry and Lubna Sadek

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Hey! We are Leina and Lubna, and we would like the opportunity to be the next editors of Arthur. Please read more about us and what we wish to accomplish with this position:

Hello Trent University and Peterborough-Nogojiwanong community! My name is Lubna Sadek, I am an international student from Egypt completing a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology at Trent. Coming a long way from home, I found a second home at Trent and in Peterborough-Nogojiwanong. During my time at Trent I held the position of Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) commissioner for Champlain College Cabinet for two years. This allowed me to learn more about and engage with student politics and the behind-the-scenes action that goes on in the university. For the last year and a half, I worked as a staff writer for Arthur newspaper, exploring my skills as a writer and photographer, and improving these skills as much as I can. With my previous interest in media, photography and journalism, this was a great opportunity to channel my creativity and have my voice as a student be heard.

Being a part of student governments on campus and as a member of the Arthur staff collective, I was immersed in the community and really enjoyed being part of a media platform that connects both the student and local community in the city. With the guidance of the previous and current editorship, I was able to establish networks within the community, and was exposed to different outlets and sides of the city and Trent campus. Representing Arthur as a staff writer has been an honour, and I would appreciate the opportunity to represent the paper as co-editor, offering the lessons and guidance that I have gained from my experience to future members of the staff collective.

Hi, my name is Leina Amatsuji-Berry, and I have been the digital media coordinator for the past volume of Arthur as well as a paid staff writer for this time. I have previously contributed to Arthur as a volunteer or as an arts contributor. During this time, I have been able to grow as a writer and into a journalistic practice, which has been extremely fulfilling for me. Taking on the role of digital media coordinator has also been rewarding, as I’ve been able to grow the newspaper’s presence on social media while also teaching myself the back end of TrentArthur.ca. Both of these accomplishments were made possible under this year’s editorship, as well as with my own formal training. I will be graduating this year with Bachelor of Arts Honours degree, joint-majoring in English literature and media studies.

Though my professional relationship with Arthur has been brief, I have been a long-time reader. Being born and raised in Peterborough-Nogojiwanong drew me toward Arthur before I even attended Trent as I was developing relationships with the cafés, bars, shops and venues at which it is distributed. I care deeply for the newspaper because of its capability to communicate what is happening between and within the university and the city. The thoughtful and creative ways that Arthur has been able to do this have always appealed to me.

We, Leina and Lubna, decided to run together for this year’s Arthur elections as candidates for the editor position. We believe our qualities and what we individually have to offer complement each other’s capabilities and strengths, creating the optimum Arthur editor team. Bringing the international and local perspectives, the arts and the sciences, the media skills and the networking, we hope to provide a platform that can hold the wide spectrum of views within the community. We want to successfully and fairly represent the voices of the community, create open and respectful dialogues about relevant events and issues, and bridge the gap between campus and the city using this classic media platform.

As editors of the newspaper, we will aim for responsible editorial practices, attention to detail, and consistency in presentation. Furthermore, we would like to not only respect but emphasize and celebrate the diversity and inclusivity that Trent and Peterborough-Nogojiwanong offer. For us, this includes:

• Having standardized office hours

• Holding story meetings that are physically accessible, and more accommodating time wise

• Developing training materials for staff and staff collective

• Provide guided workshops during the year for staff collective

• Maintaining meaningful working relationships with community groups

• Continue to stabilize the organization financially, and make cost effective decisions

We appreciate your time to read more about us individually, and what we wish to achieve as a team, if we are elected for the position. Please feel free to approach us with any questions, suggestions and/or concerns. We would love to have the opportunity in carrying out our goals for the paper as it means so much to both of us, and we feel like we are not only qualified for the positon, but passionate about it as well. Thank you and vote for Leina and Lubna!

Heather Brown

My name is Heather Brown and I’m a 3rd year business student at Trent. I’ve been writing for Arthur since last September and have had a number of articles published. While writing for Arthur, I’ve served as the Director of Communications for the Trent Conservatives. With my help, the TCs have grown from 6 core members to almost 30. I believe that my unique experiences and perspective will help shine a light on the darkness that Arthur is currently shrouded in. While other members of the staff collective may have more experience with Arthur, my mixed experience as both an insider and outsider has allowed me to spot key problems both internally and externally. If elected, I will enact the following:

Improved Communications: One of the biggest problems at Arthur is their ability to communicate, or rather a lack thereof. As editor, I will be happy to answer your questions on a multitude of platforms. I won’t dismiss you by saying “any questions you have should be sent to me via email,” instead, I will accommodate your questions on a multitude of platforms: Facebook, Twitter, text, call, one-on-one meetups, etc..

Added Value for Contributors: As writers, your contributions are of utmost importance to Arthur; they are the oil that keeps the engine running. You will receive more than just a “thank you very much for your contribution,” you will also receive: constructive criticism, additional information regarding upcoming story meetings, deadlines, and contact information.

Putting the “u” Back in Arthur: Arthur is supposed to be about you, the student, which is why I will personally go out of my way to reach out to the wider campus community. This will be accomplished in a few ways. First, I will table once a month on behalf of Arthur to talk with students face-to-face about the paper and offer salient information on how they can get involved. Furthermore, I will personally reach out to specific individuals or groups on campus and encourage them to write for the paper if I feel their voices are either unheard or if they have an interesting story to tell.

Minimize Political Bias: As a conservative, I acknowledge my bias. With that being said, I will ensure that my bias does not create a conflict of interest by touching base with individuals both inside and outside Arthur. This way, any concerns I have regarding submissions can be verified as legitimate.

Sincere Apologies: If for any reason I have failed to uphold these standards, I will hold myself accountable and sincerely apologize for my inadequacies. I will not apologize for your feelings. I will apologize for my actions that caused your disappointment and/or upset. Furthermore, I will, with your help, decide what I should do moving forward to avoid similar situations from happening again. Finally, I will change my behavior and continue to touch base with you to ensure that your needs are being met.

While my personal experience at Arthur has been less than ideal, I believe Arthur has the potential to be a great school newspaper, but only if individuals such as myself are willing to put in the effort to make it great.