As an important voice for students, the TCSA is committed to the well being of its membership. We advocate for student rights and services to make the most of the Trent experience. The best part is that it is all student-led!

Becoming involved in the TCSA is one of the most rewarding responsibilities a student can undertake in their time at Trent. Included below are Referenda Questions that have been submitted by your fellow students, and Candidacies for the upcoming Spring Elections. Please show your support by participating one of our electoral events this week. The TCSA is proud to host Elections & Referenda Speeches on Wednesday, March 15th from 1:00p.m.-3:00p.m. at Sadleir House in the Hobbs Memorial Library. We are also hosting debates from 5:00pm.m-8:00p.m. in Champlain College on Thursday, March 16th. Look for us in the Great Hall! Questions from the audience are welcome. Please email elections@trentcentral.ca if you have any questions.

Voting will begin on Monday, March 20th! Ballots can be found in your @trentu emails as of 9:00 am. Voting closes on Thursday, March 23rd at 4:00p,m.. Vote to have your voice heard!

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[Pictured] Shanese Steele[/caption]Shanese Steele – Vice President Campaigns & Equity Candidate

Aaniin, Tawnshi. Being a queer black Indigenous woman, and returning for a 5th year at Trent, I have spent my time here looking and fighting for equitable spaces on campus.

Last year, Trent students voted to elect me as their Anti-Racism Commissioner. I spent my time in this position advocating for students on and off campus by creating a campaign for students to report incidences of discrimination they have faced. Also, this year I was able to be a part of the planning and enacting of the “Peaceful protest against discrimination” on campus. During the fall term of this academic year, I also had the opportunity to experience what it means to be in the position of VPCE. While filling the role of interim-VPCE for 2 ½ months, I took part in organizing the “National day of action” against tuition fees as well as organizing the “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women” chalk vigil on October 4th.

Over the past two years, I have also been afforded the chance to learn the ins and outs of the Canadian Federation of Students and feel that I will be fully capable of properly promoting and supporting their campaigns on our campus. This means advocating for international students to be reintegrated into OHIP, promoting consent culture and helping to create spaces for racialized, trans and students with disabilities on our campus.

So, what is my platform? First and foremost, my goal is ensuring our students here at Trent come first. This means returning the focus back on to students and away from putting the wants and needs of the administration first. That means advocating for a freeze on the international student fees, lobbying student governance and the people making the decisions to stop increasing their already high fees. Creating more avenues for students to voice their concerns and opinions during things like focus groups or meet and greets with equity commissioners.

The second thing I wish to accomplish is partnering with the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility (CHREA) to create campaigns, events and supports for students who are dealing with mental health barriers to their education. 27% of students seeking help from the CHREA are doing so due to anxiety and stress while 18% are seeking help because of depression or grief. Mental health support is a service that Trent students need.

Lastly, I want to focus on allyship, which means creating training and learning opportunities for Trent students to get involved and support each other through anti-oppression workshops and support events. There’s equality and then there’s equity; one is simply treating everyone equally without accounting his or her life experiences. The other is giving victims of oppression what they need to be equal with everyone else. Together, let’s ensure that Trent University has both.

On March 20th vote for me for VPCE.

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[Pictured] Henry Eccleston[/caption]

Henry Eccleston – Vice President University & College Affairs Candidate

I am a second year philosophy student at Trent university. I am affiliated with Lady Eaton College, and am a Trent fencer. I consider myself a feminist as I believe strongly that (insofar as what positions a person should hold, how much they should be paid, etc.) individuals should be judged for their own virtues and vices, not for mere accidents of birth such as skin colour, gender, or sexuality.

My previous work experience includes multiple years as a camp councillor at Dogwood Acres wilderness swim camp, work as a summer labourer in Fort MacMurray at Northland Forest Products Ltd. and various volunteer positions in my community. I served on the student parliament in high school, as head of fundraising.

I believe in government that is fair and governs without bias for or against any group or policy, that looks out for the benefit of all of the people it governs. I believe in the harmonious cooperation of institutions for the benefit of the people served by them, and I believe that it is the duty and honour of those entrusted with responsibilities by their peers to fulfil their responsibilities to the best of their ability and without reluctance or brashness.

As such, my platform can be summarized as follows: if elected, I will do as the position of Vice President of University and College Affairs requires, without bias towards or against any group or policy, to the best of my ability and with all appropriate enthusiasm for this role.

If elected, I hope to accurately represent the TCSA as the position of VP of university and college affairs requires, wherever required. In addition, I will liaise with the Colleges on behalf of the TCSA to ensure effective, efficient cooperation and coordination between the two. I plan to keep my fellow students engaged throughout the year by helping organize events and activities within the scope of my position

Lea Rogers-Balgobin – Vice President University & College Affairs Candidate

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[Pictured} Lea Rogers-Balgobin[/caption]I am currently in my third year of studies, completing a joint-major in Psychology and History. I am incredibly excited to be running in this year’s election, as there is so much I want to accomplish next year. As an individual who is committed to creating strong ties within communities, I participate in various organizations and activities such as Multiple Sclerosis Walks and this year’s Relay for Life at Trent. I have been actively involved with the Gzowski College community, acting previously as a Social Rep and currently as a TCSA Commissioner for Gzowski College Cabinet. I believe my previous experience within the TCSA will be a great asset moving forward into a Vice President’s role. Furthermore, in the broader Trent community, I take part in the PenPal program run by Trent Students for Literacy, have helped to run Open Houses at both the Peterborough and Durham Campuses, and am a general member of both the Trent Psychology Society and Trent History Society. My active contact with various individuals at Trent and in the surrounding area has greatly impacted my time in University and has helped me grow as an individual. Through these experiences, I feel that I have a deeper understanding of how important campus life is for students and for this reason that I have become so passionate about bringing students at Trent greater opportunities for involvement.

I love all the work that the TCSA has already accomplished and want keep building towards a stronger Trent community. Next year, one of my main goals is to adapt our already thriving college system to have an even stronger connection to our institution by creating more events that are interconnected between colleges, including our annexes, while maintaining our traditional college pride. I hope to provide more opportunities for students to get to know the individuals around them both during frosh week and throughout the year. Keeping students involved on campus is incredibly important to me. With the upcoming Bata renovations, I want students to feel confident that they will have a place to stay on campus to study without having to venture into the downtown area. I will be committed to looking into every avenue of opportunity to keep students on campus and connected to the library system. Furthermore, I want to provide a stronger voice for those who are not actively involved in student organizations. In creating alternatives such as monthly polls to gather more opinions from students, I will be able to have a better understanding of what students want to see from their elected student body. I would also like to help give students more opportunities to do what they love on campus without feeling burdened by costs. I would like to work closely with the Vice President of Clubs and External Affairs to accomplish more options for funding and sponsorship. I hope to see you around Trent!

Molly Hu –Vice President Clubs & External Affairs Candidate

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[Pictured] Molly Hu[/caption]I want to represent your voice and the needs of your organization to the TCSA and the Trent administration at large. If elected as your next VP Clubs and External Affairs, my goal is to continue fostering a sense of community at Trent by connecting the various organizations, both on and off campus. I will address funding and budgeting concerns by working with on-campus funding sources to simplify the process. Furthermore, I plan to connect student groups with local businesses and organizations in Peterborough. Building a relationship and starting the conversation with external organizations will bring unique networking opportunities to all students at Trent, and will help us tap into a new funding source to meet the rising costs associated with event planning. Finally, I plan on working with current and future levy groups in order to promote financial transparency. I would like to actively work with levy groups to provide the general student populace with comprehensive information and to promote understanding of the goals levy groups seek to achieve while also providing the necessary support to help their goals to become attainable.

Working with the TCSA for the past two years and as Clubs/Groups Assistant for the past year has provided me with transferrable experience necessary to fulfill the role. As Clubs/Groups Assistant, I helped with the day-to-day administration for all clubs such as managing registration and funding applications, and I was also responsible for helping to organize and coordinate Clubs and Groups Day. If elected, I will utilize my past experience with the TCSA as well as experience working with student groups to effectively plan, organize, and execute Clubs and Groups Day, Orientation, and Frost Week activities. I have had the privilege of being a part of fantastic organizations such as the Forensic Science Society, Pre-Med Society, CHUGS and Alpha Pi Phi and working with these organizations has given me the opportunity to run events in partnership with departments, charities, downtown businesses, and other clubs as well. I have ample experience working with various businesses and personnel within the Peterborough and Trent community to aid and support events, and I plan on bringing this experience to make clubs and groups even more successful next year.

If elected as VP Clubs and External Affairs, I will not be afraid to voice your opinions and bring your thoughts to the governing bodies at Trent. I look forward to helping current and new students of Trent University to find their place here through extracurricular involvement, and help you find a home for yourself at Trent University. Thank you for your consideration.

Brianna Joseph – Vice President Clubs & External Affairs Candidate

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[Pictured] Brianna Joseph[/caption]I am a third-year student doing a joint major in Biology and Forensic Science. I have always been interested in student government and being able to voice student issues and concerns. I ran for student council in high school and carried this desire to become involved into university where I became a part of Otonabee College Cabinet as the TCSA Commissioner for the 2016-2017 school year. Sitting on the board of directors this past school year as the Otonabee College TCSA commissioner, I really enjoyed the aspect of coordinating student life at Trent and discussing integral issues. Sitting on the board of directors definitely makes you feel more connected to the student life at Trent, and has improved my experience here by allowing me to expand my horizons in becoming an active member of the university.

This coming year I want to become even more involved in the TCSA, which is why I am running for the position of Vice President of Clubs and External Affairs. In my previous year, I was given the opportunity to be a part of the Clubs and Groups Funding Committee. Thus, I feel being a part of this will be beneficial to me in this new position as I already have experience and knowledge on how funding is decided and how to allocate money based on certain aspects of student group application forms. Furthermore, I am able to work well in a group setting; this I believe is a huge aspect of this position as interpersonal skills are required for this role. I really enjoy being part of a community, in this case most especially the Trent community as well as communicating and becoming more involved with people in the Peterborough area.

One of my goals, if elected for this position, would be to help make both Orientation Week and Frost Week exceptionally organized while still being fun, ensuring that each week runs smoothly. Another goal would be to maintain strong ties with local city councilors as well as utilizing networks to create collaborations. I have a strong view that clubs and groups on campus are very important to a student’s university experience; thus, this position is right within my interests. Within my time at Trent so far, I have noticed that the TCSA, GSA and TDSA are quite segregated. Moreover, another goal for the upcoming year would be to strengthen the communications and establish a higher level of interaction between these three important organizations. I had the opportunity to sit on the board as a college representative, which I feel was very interesting and will ultimately be beneficial to me if elected. Seeing how things are run and how each board member acts within each of their positions, as well as, seeing previously and knowing first-hand what the position of Vice President of Clubs and External Affairs does on a weekly basis will in turn be helpful to me in this position.

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[Pictured] Nikhil Pai Ganesh[/caption]

Nikhil Pai Ganesh – Vice President Clubs & External Affairs Candidate

Being a Vice President of an association is as challenging as it sounds—but I love taking up challenges. I want to make a difference in the TCSA and being the Vice President of Clubs and External Affairs will give me a good opportunity to do so.

There are many responsibilities that come along with being a Vice President. As I’m junior to the President, I’d assist the President and all of the other officers to the best of my ability. I’d be that shoulder to lean on. I will take responsibility of maintaining open communication and active ties with local city councilors and the DBIA; attend relevant City Council meetings and report to the board. I would seek to create a network of collaborations to coordinate the affairs of the TCSA with levy groups. I would work to strengthen the communication and collaboration between the Association and the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and the Trent in Durham Student Association (TDSA).

Our university has a lot of activities throughout the year; one, for instance, is Frost Week. As the Vice President, I will organize bigger and better events to make the week memorable and fruitful. Since that is the time when freshers first get to meet their fellow students, I will organize activities that will help make the bonding easier and more fun.

What enhances the beauty of a university are its clubs and groups. And a club is only properly effective when it has members with proper communication and proper funding. As a Vice President, one of my main motives is to make the clubs and groups at Trent established. I hope to provide them with better funding so they may build up better events. Funding to clubs is an important source of building this and also helps build a club’s reputation. Keeping that in mind, athletic teams would be promised better equipment and reliable relationships on bookings with the athletic center so that even the non-varsity sports groups could bring in better teams to build in varsity. I can get more sponsors inside and outside Peterborough to increase the TCSA funding for clubs and groups.

It’s fun to be a part of a club. But it would be better if more people from different age groups and backgrounds participated in activities as well. I would contact presidents of different clubs and groups and request them to organize activities that involve people from different age groups around Peterborough. Most of all, as a Vice President, it is necessary for me to maintain the integrity of the TCSA. I will hold the association’s strategic goals and maintain it throughout my time as Vice President. Therefore, as Vice President, I would make a lasting and positive change to this Association.

Annette Pedlar –Presidential Candidate

Aannin, hello! Thank you to the Anishnabe people for letting me live and learn on this land. My name is Annette Pedlar and I am excited to present my platform for President of the TCSA.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a fourth-year Indigenous Studies and Politics student, and a Co-President of Traill College (all hail Traill!). Throughout my time at Trent, I have had the privilege of representing the school on the varsity volleyball team, and have also been active in the social and environmental justice organizing as a board member of OPIRG. This past year, as Queer Commissioner for the TCSA, I gained valuable institutional knowledge about the association and its potential.

My platform consists of four main focuses that I have repeatedly heard as concerns from students: health, advocacy, accountability and strategic vision. Healthcare on this campus, and especially for mental health, is not good enough. Because healthcare affects so many different spaces, solutions need to be found in multiple places. Introducing a Mental Health Commissioner to the board, and by providing more consistent Mental Health First Aid trainings as President, I would take strong steps towards creating an association that protects and advocates for the mental health of students. Lobbying the university to increase the number of peer support groups, and pressuring them to develop an off-campus crisis response plan, would ensure that no more students are being left behind.

As the largest student organization, the TCSA also has a responsibility to act as an advocate for the student body. This includes pressuring the university to maintain affordable international student tuition rates, increasing the diversity of programming and staff of O-Week, and ensuring that the Human Rights Center is well-funded. As President, I would also make a concerted effort to open up lobbying systems at Trent to not just TCSA board members. Having a webpage, otherwise known as Student Advocacy Portal, that explained the complicated university decision-making spaces would ensure that if you had an idea, you could have the autonomy to bring it forward with or without the TCSA.

For the TCSA to be an effective body, it needs to remain accountable to the students. I believe accountability is founded in transparency and communication, and therefore increasing the coverage of the TCSA in Arthur would help students feel more confident about the goings-on of the Association.

If the TCSA wants to be an effective organization and impactful to student’s lives we need to not just think about the Association for the next year, but also for the next 10 years. As President I would complete a strategic plan for the TCSA that would work to engage students in what they want/need from a student union.

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my platform. I have so much more on my website, so check it out by following this link:

https://annettepedlar.wixsite.com/tcsa2017 See you at one of my meet-and-greets on Monday and Friday!

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[Pictured] Brandon Remmelgas[/caption]

Brandon Remmelgas – Presidential Candidate

Hi there! I am so excited to announce that I am campaigning to be your 2017-2018 TCSA President! The TCSA has been a part of many amazing things over the last two years and I am excited and ready to be a part of the greatness the TCSA, and Trent students as a whole, will achieve in the future.

My goal during this election and during my term as TCSA president will be to operate in a way that is transparent, inclusive, and educated by feedback. During my experience in three of Trent’s colleges, I have discovered that transparency can often resolve conflict. Understanding the decision-making process leads to an understanding of the decision and can help clear up concerns and confusion. As such, it will be my goal to be critical of the decision-making process, and ensure that it is fair, equitable, and educated by the proper resources. When it comes to intersectionality, I recognize that I come from a position of privilege. However, I am not uneducated about or ignorant towards issues concerning inclusivity, and I will strive to be as educated, aware, and sensitive as possible if I am elected. It is my wish to foster a campus environment where all can feel included, and know what resources they can access if they do not. Further, as a politician, it is inappropriate for me to speak on behalf of those whose shoes I do not fill. I aim to educate my campaign and presidency on the feedback of others by administering surveys and continually seeking the opinions of Trent students to ensure that the decisions I am overseeing are viewed through as diverse a lens as possible. I want my voice to be the voice of the students. Regardless of our identity, college affiliation, or major, we are all Trent students and we are better together. Politics, even student government, can be very polarizing. It is always yes versus no, or good versus bad, or one person versus another, but that is not how I think it should work. I believe in diplomacy, and debate, and disagreement, and picking the best candidate not only for you, but for everyone.

Next year is going to be a busy one for us all. As a fourth-year student, I know how impactful the closure of Bata Library and the opening of the Student Centre will be. Please know that this is the very first of my concerns and I am going to be focusing my efforts on how to transition through this busy time while still providing quality student services to all. If you have any questions, concerns, comments, queries, or advice, please reach out! I want to hear from as many students as possible! You can email me at brandonremmelgas@trentu.ca, message me on Facebook (Brandon Remmelgas), tweet me (@tcsaBrandon) or stop me on campus if you see me walking by. I look forward to seeing you all at the speeches, the debates, and around campus, and remember Trent, we are #bettertogether.

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[Pictured] Asgiga Corriveau[/caption]

Asgiga Corriveau – Presidential Candidate

Asgiga Corriveau – Presidential Candidate

I am a student in the Psychology and Sociology program. I am running for the position of President for the TCSA. There are many things I will work on through this position, I will talk about a few for the time being, and you are welcome to find me on Facebook or email me at asgigacorriveau@trentu.ca if you have any questions or concerns. I am always open for discussion and helping students advocate.

Looking into the by-laws and operations for the TCSA and commit towards expanding and updating them. Also, looking to add clauses and by-laws on confidentiality, as there was a situation this year and the board was left unprepared to handle it. Making sure the TCSA meets all provincial and federal laws and regulations have been applied properly and to date.

The TCSA has been more reactive than proactive this year; I would like the TCSA to be proactive through better outreach to students and by being a part of all Trent related discussion. It is essential that the TCSA represent the student voice, such as situations like the library closure and the Athletic Center discussion; where students were underinformed by the TCSA and did not receive adequate representation.

As the president for the TCSA it is important to me to have student input and the best way to get that is through student outreach. I would like to better utilize the Brand Ambassador Team, working with Arthur, creating an inclusive space where students could come and speak. I will also encourage and support equity commissioners to meet with their respective constituents and collaborate with clubs and groups.

Another thing I would like to bring to the table is creating a proper food bank that is accessible for Trent students. I will make this an initiative with the Trent administration, as the one that originally supported Trent students was through OPIRG and that has since closed down. There is so much to do and I will get it done! Vote Asgiga Corriveau.