About
Vote Shariq Ahsan for SFSS President
- Name: Shariq Ahsan
- Major: Physics
- Email: shariq_ahsan@sfu.ca
I’m Shariq Ahsan and I’m running to be your next SFSS President. Over the last few years, I’ve had the privilege of leading and working with many executive teams. However, before that I started as a student who didn’t really know much about the SFSS or student groups around campus. Ever since getting involved 3 years ago I’ve worked to help students get access to all the resources that are provided by groups on campus. I recognize how hard it can be for many to get involved especially now in the current pandemic and I believe the SFSS has not helped to facilitate this process for its groups and students. If elected I will work to increase the awareness of the SFSS and get more students involved. I believe you do not need to be an executive to understand what is going on around campus. An engaged membership is a powerful membership!
As SFSS president I want to begin to rebuild the trust that students have lost in the SFSS. This comes from being more accountable to your membership and ensuring that they are always consulted. This isn’t something that can be done overnight, and it will take a consistent effort to achieve. This effort has to start from our DSU’s and FSU’s. In order for them to tackle these challenges they need support from the SFSS and as President I will work to provide them with this. In doing this I hope to create more outreach initiatives on campus to better involve the membership. Student power is on the rise and now is the time to continue the push!
Experience
Over the last few years I’ve been president of the Physics Student Association and then President of the Science Undergraduate Society. In those three years I’ve had the opportunity to lead diverse executive teams with there own set of challenges. As PSA President I was able to revamp the structure of the union and foster a greater sense of community. This was evident from seeing meeting attendance increase from 5-7 people per bi-weekly meeting to 25-30 people per biweekly meeting. With the turn to online learning there was a great fear among students of invasive proctoring software being used. As PSA President I negotiated a joint statement with the department in which they agreed to not pursue any invasive proctoring software. This greatly improved student mental health as it eased concerns about invasions of privacy.
Last summer I also helped organize a joint campaign between the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) and the Society of Arts & Social Sciences (SASS) to obtain common rooms in the new Student Union Building for both Faculty Student Unions. These spaces will serve as central hubs for the operations of both societies which will help foster a greater sense of community within these faculties. These rooms will serve as spaces for Science and Arts students to mingle between classes and interact, socialize, and network with students from other departments. After passing the motion to allocate space for these groups I worked alongside the VP Internal and Organizational Development and other executives from SUS and SASS to draft a memorandum of understanding between the SFSS and their respective faculties. In finalizing this agreement, we have ensured this community will be active for Science and Arts students for years to come. Over the last year I have also been a regular attendee of Council meetings and have gotten to hear the viewpoints of the many groups across campus.
Physics Student Association - President
2019 - 2021
I started with my work in student unions when I become President of the PSA. I had gotten involved with the community earlier and it had been incredibly valuable to me. I wanted to give back to the community and this was how I wanted to do it. I want all students to be able to find that sense of community on campus and it wouldn’t happen if we don’t support our DSU’s.
- Revamped structure of the Union
- Negotiated joint statement with department about not using invasive proctoring software
- Increased focus on mental health initiatives
Science Undergraduate Society - President
2021 - Current
After serving the Physics community for a few years I decided to take the step up and run to be President of SUS. I had already been involved for many years as the PSA representative on SUS council. The focus of the year was to help facilitate an effective return to campus for science students. This included getting permanent space for SUS on campus as well as hosting in person events.
- Secured space for SUS in the new SUB building
- Held pop up events to increase student mental health
- Rewrote large parts of the SUS By-laws and Policies to improve day to day operations of the SUS
Goals
If elected, I will commit to the following:
- All
- Pandemic Concerns
- Mental Health
- DSU / Club Support
- BIPOC Support
- Other
Effective Return to Campus during the Pandemic
The pandemic has been a burden on all students on campus. It has greatly affected our ability to learn and socialize, two large parts in the life of University Students. Throughout the entire pandemic SFU has not effectively communicated there plans with the student body. The uncertainty has led to greater stress being placed on students. I also understand that there is a divide on campus as to which method of learning people prefer. As SFSS President I will work to have the University provide a hybrid model that will help all students across campus. I will work to ensure a more transparent process as we navigate ourselves in such an uncertain time. I will also commit to:
- Ensuring that student needs are always prioritized
- Pushing the University to create contingency plans that are communicated to students well in advance
- Pushing SFU to provide remote options for long term use
- Pushing to increase affordability and accessibility for international and BIPOC students
Mental Health Support
As SUS President, my team held two pop up events in Fall 2021. One for Halloween where we gave out candy in Convocation Mall. We also gave out Starbucks coffee and pastries before exams at the end of November. The purpose of holding these events was to help students ease up and de-stress for exams. Many students expressed their gratitude in having access to free food and drinks and relieved some of the mental stress they were carrying around. They also expressed their desire to see more events such as these take place. As SFSS President I want to have the SFSS lead initiatives such as these or empower our Unions, Groups, and Clubs to provide more resources like these. I also wish to::
- Provide more mental health supports beyond MySSP
- Provide SFSS Councilors and student union, clubs, and constituency groups executives access to more mental health supports in doing their jobs
- Creating a mental health committee to oversee more emphasis on student well being
DSU and Club Support
As elected representatives our job is to consult and represent our membership. This has to start from our DSU’s and work its way up to the SFSS. The best way for this to happen is to engage the membership in the activities of the SFSS and all of our constituents across campus.
- Implement better trainings for the executive teams of Student Unions, Clubs, and other Groups on campus
- Help facilitate effective collaboration between Unions, Clubs, and Groups
- Work to release Council agendas in a timely manner to allow for proper consultation
- Commit to further outreach initiatives to better educate the membership on services the SFSS provides
Increased Support for BIPOC Communities
Over the last few years, the SFSS has undertaken a greater emphasis on activism. It is important that we continue pushing on multiple fronts to support our marginalized communities. It is important to make sure these groups are always consulted on matters as they have historically been excluded. As President I will commit to: :
- Having the SFSS undertake more material activism initiatives
- Ensuring that SFSS initiatives on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are being continued and expanded
- Ensuring that marginalized communities have a say in all aspects of campus life
Releasing Exam Schedules at Enrollment Time
During the pandemic SFU switched to releasing final exam schedules mid way through the semester. This proved to be a challenge for many students as exam dates was a major factor in selecting their schedules. As SFSS President I will push SFU to finalize exam schedules during enrollment times so students can plan accordingly.