1. Why are you running for this position?
To be honest, I was interested in running for VUSAC elections since my first year. However, being an international student with social anxiety, I just decided to observe how things work first. I slowly realized how friendly and welcoming everyone at Vic and VUSAC is. It’s a warm community and I don’t have to be an extrovert to join it. Since this is my last year, I would like to make the most out of my time here by representing my fellow peers through VUSAC. As an international student myself, I have felt that there is a lot that can still be done to make our journey here less stressful and more meaningful. Therefore, I would like to bring the changes that I wanted to see during my journey over the last three years. I think this position is perfect for me since I am also one of the international students at Vic and nothing is better than starting a change from where you are!
2. What sets you apart from other candidates?
I have some previous experience working in a large team, organizing and managing events and also handling communication due to my past involvements here at UofT. I had also been a part of the VUSAC Mental Wellness Commission last year. Although I was not directly involved with the administrative team, I did get to observe how they work. I think these experiences will definitely help me manage the workload at VUSAC efficiently while simultaneously letting me focus on my studies. Also, this is my fourth year as an international student! You could say that I have had quite some experiences and realizations over the years and I believe that this knowledge will also let me understand and help my fellow peers better!
3. Please summarize the main points of your platform.
So my first point is to advocate for more scholarships and bursaries for international students. Although UofT has some amazing scholarships for us, not everyone can get it. Financial stress can be an extra burden for an international student, especially when they are already trying to cope with both academic stress and the stress of adjusting to a new environment. Availability of more scholarships might thus be able to reduce this stress from a lot of us. The students can then focus more on their education and experience instead of their fees. Secondly, I would like to encourage the exchange of knowledge about the students’ culture and beliefs through cultural events. This would not only improve interpersonal relationships but also cultural awareness between them. Also, I would like to arrange more opportunities to introduce them to Toronto and its culture. Lastly, since we are still not fully out of this COVID situation, I would like to work on providing financial and mental support to any international student who might need to move out or seek medical help immediately. It would be a great help for those students who have no relatives here to take care of them or their emergency situations.
4. Do you have any personal ideas or projects that you would like to take up as a part of the VUSAC Council?
Although my platform points are the ones that I would mostly like to focus on, I would definitely love to collaborate for cultural events with international student groups from the other colleges. Also, I would like to collaborate with the Mental Wellness Commission or Health and Wellness to provide mental health support to international students. Adjusting to a new environment can be very stressful and can harm our mental health. So I would like to work on that too.
5. What will you do if you do not win?
Study, eat and sleep? Just kidding. I would still like to be of any help that I can be to the international students here, even if that means just listening to their stories!
6. Give your personal review of the Northrop Frye McDonald’s.
Wait… there is a Northrop Frye McDonald’s? I guess there is actually no boundary to learning new things!
Editor’s note (September 27, 2021): The profile has been updated to correct the candidate’s full name to Tazneen Tamanna Mahmud.
