The Strand: What made you want to integrate and expand upon incorporating indigenous and marginalized voices and experiences within arts and culture?
Carleigh Campbell: Sustainability and equity are the issues that outlast us. They’re not things that just matter during our time in university. They continue on, and they’re values we should hold for the rest of our lives. I think that VUSAC doesn’t focus enough on these things and I think that, personally, every candidate should have a sustainability and equity point within their platform. Especially sustainability because I think that VUSAC and Vic overall don’t give enough attention to that.
I think that arts and culture give us the opportunity to explore the indigenous land that we operate on at UofT and at Vic—and the colonial past with that. Cultural genocide was something that happened and it’s in the word itself, cultural genocide and that needs to be addressed. I think that we need to give more education on that topic so that people can learn more about it. Sustainability wise, it’s really important for me VUSAC to become that, and I really want to discuss the ways how climate change has affected culture in Canada, on this land.
Arts and culture is such a broad topic. I’d love to showcase people’s arts, showcase marginalized art, talk about indigenous issues, talk about sustainability.
You mentioned how you thought that VUSAC wasn’t doing enough. Could you expand on why you think it’s not enough?
I think that historically we’ve had a lot of issues with marginalized people being further marginalized by the Dean’s office, further marginalized by VUSAC events. I know that orientation week a couple years ago, the process of making Trads gender-neutral was such a difficult process. I think that we’re ignorant to these issues; we’re a very well-off college, there’s a lot of white people here, myself included. I don’t think we’re as well in tune with marginalized issues as we need to be. It’s something I’ve noticed in my couple years in the equity commission.
In terms of organizing events for Arts and Culture, what are you envisioning that will allow the student body to come together and realize these things?
My vision, and obviously this may take some time, but I want to see more collaboration with outside clubs and levies. I feel like VUSAC being VUSAC is a separate entity. I want to have a commission—I know we have that and I want it to continue—to be a support for these clubs, rather than “This is VUSAC and this is Vic pride.” I want us to be a second commission for these clubs and levies. We can put on these events like Gardiner Gala and do that on our own, but the events I want to collaborate with people, I want it to be about them, and be support for them. We have a lot of resources in VUSAC that we can use to help these platforms be built. I think that some of these clubs and levies deserve more attention for the work that they’re doing.
I also want to collaborate within VUSAC, particularly equity and sustainability commissions because art, culture, equity, and sustainability are four words that… they can be interchangeable. They have to go hand in hand. They’re so important to each other. Art is the way of expressing one’s marginalization or one’s desires to build themselves up—their identities. Culture is important to individuality and community. These things go hand in hand with sustainability and equity.
As you’ve mentioned, Victoria College is predominantly white, middle to upper class. Let’s say you do collaborate with Vic Pride or other groups, how are you going to invite other privileged, White Vic students? You can have many marginalized people come but that won’t change the issues. How are you going to reach out to non-marginalized groups and become allies?
That’s a tough one because it’s difficult to get people to acknowledge issues that aren’t their own. The way to go about it is difficult and it represents a lot privilege, but you do have to reach out to these people in a way that entices them as well.
It’s hard because you’re grabbing people and telling them that they have an obligation to understand. So, that’s something I need to work on because advertising only does so much, free food only does so much. It’s kind of reaching into people’s hearts—reaching into them to find their humanity.
It’s something I need to work on and brainstorm about.
With the arts and culture commission, do you plan to hire more POCs? How are you planning to make it more equitable?
I’d like my commission to be open. I’m not sure what the policy is but I’d like my commission to have an exec with a general membership; so anyone can come to meetings, anyone can come participate and volunteer to help with these events. I don’t think that basing things on qualifications is necessarily the best way to go about things. A person may be qualified and have no idea about the real world and these experiences of other people. I don’t plan on basing it off qualifications. Id’ rather base it if off the experiences they can bring to the table, the perspectives they can give to VUSAC and to the rest of the Vic community.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
