By Christina Lépine — Features Editor

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, the Student Representative Council (SRC) announced the elected members of the Executive Team for the 2023-24 school year, composed of Sophia Stacey, elected as SRC President, Christina Lépine, elected as Vice-President of Academic Affairs, and Olivia Woods, elected as Vice-President of Student Life. Their nomination for these three positions was announced the week prior on Monday, Feb. 13. The candidates went through a week of campaigning including the Electoral Debate on Feb. 15 to reach out to students, hear about their opinions and ideas, and to inform and encourage students to vote. The vote took place throughout Feb. 20 and 21.

Throughout the campaigning week, the three candidates had the opportunity to meet students around campus or at their respective tables in the SUB. Sophia Stacey revealed meeting students at her table in the SUB was her favourite part of campaigning, since she got to know them and to learn about their different realities; from younger to older students, students that are parents, Indigenous students, and more. She hopes to continue meeting more people throughout her term as President. She is currently the Health and Wellness Representative, and will start her term as President on May 1, with one of her main focus being based around mental health. She explained, “I will never not be able to look at things from a mental health lens.”

 Isabella Halliday, our Editor-in-Chief, got the opportunity to MC the debate night, giving The Campus more awareness among students. The Electoral Debate took place in the Centennial Lobby, where all candidates explained their intentions for the roles they were campaigning for, and answered students’ questions. It offered an opportunity for students to discuss topics important to them, and for candidates to learn more about student concerns before starting their term. Olivia Woods, elected Vice-President of Student Life, mentioned: “The part I enjoyed the most about this campaign was the debate night. It was a great opportunity to hear about what questions students had as well as hear what my now fellow team wants to work on throughout the year! I really loved getting a chance to talk about my platform and plans.”

Next year’s SRC Executive Team is eager to start working on new projects representative of students’ needs and concerns. Woods mentioned she is excited to work on the introduction of safe sex kits in the Gait bathrooms. Stacey said she is eager to work on a project related to “safe transportation to reduce sexual violence.” I, as Vice-President of Academic Affairs, cannot wait to work in collaboration with the Student Success Centre to enhance knowledge and foster partnerships with academic societies and academic peer mentors to advocate for student well-being.

For more information about the SRC, their website is frequently updated on https://busrc.com/ and announcements are posted on their Instagram account @bu_src.