NPSP Platform SCSU Elections 2014-2015

By

Habiba Desai- Presidential Candidate

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Who We Are: The New Political Student Party ......................................... 3 Habiba Desai- Presidential Candidate......................................................... 3 Shauna Nandkissore- Vice President of Academics and University Affairs Candidate .................................................................................................... 4 List of NPSP Directors.................................................................................. 5 Mission Statement ...................................................................................... 6 Pillar One: Improving Student Life ............................................................ 7 School Spirit ................................................................................................ 7 E-Mentoring Program ................................................................................. 7 Thursday Night Shows ................................................................................ 7 Sports Night Out ......................................................................................... 7 Homecoming ............................................................................................... 7 Game Board ................................................................................................ 7 Gym Schedule ............................................................................................. 8 Mascot Change ........................................................................................... 8 Walk Home Program ................................................................................... 8 Parkette MakeOver ..................................................................................... 8 Multicultural Gala- Celebrating UTSC Diversity .......................................... 9 UTSC Clothing Line ...................................................................................... 9 Student Center Makeover .......................................................................... 9 Daily Events Board ...................................................................................... 9 Fusion Radio- FM transmission ................................................................. 10 Pillar Two: Advocating Student Issues .................................................... 10

TA Evaluations ........................................................................................... 10 Marking Schemes- Understanding Vs. Memorizing ................................. 10 Offering a Grammar Course ...................................................................... 11 Student Spaces Vs. Study Spaces .............................................................. 11 Pillar Three: Rexs Menu Make Over ....................................................... 12 Pillar Four: Learning is Fun ....................................................................... 12 Professor Mentorship ............................................................................... 12 Educational Groups- Enhance Skills .......................................................... 13 Pillar Five: SCSU Mandatory Updating ............................................. 13 Club Funding ............................................................................................. 13 Efficiency and Productivity Campaign ...................................................... 14 Accountability and Transparency ............................................................. 14 Participatory Budgeting ............................................................................ 14 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 14

WHO WE ARE: THE NEW POLITICAL STUDENT PARTY

HABIBA DESAI- PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

Dear UTSC Students, My name is Habiba Desai and I am the NPSP Presidential Candidate for the SCSU Elections 2014-2015. I am in my fourth year studying International Development and Economics. UTSC is my second home. Ive been involved on campus over the years as President of the Pre-Law Society, Fundraising Director for the MSA, an executive for the Sovereignty club, First Year Mentor and also a part of the Green Dot Training Program with UTSC Campus Police. Outside of school I was the Outreach Director for Kids Help Phone and worked at my local MPs office for three years as an administrative assistant. Just on paper alone I have over 1000 volunteer hours. I was also a manager at a caf and did a summer internship as a marketing intern under the supervision of a Schulich CEO. My skills are in organizational management, finance and making sure things get done. My values revolve around Justice, my nickname is Justice Desai. I want everything to be fair, and I don't think campus is a fair environment. I came to UTSC not only because it offered one of the greatest International Development programs in Canada but also because I wanted to be surrounded by the diversity and natural beauty our campus holds. Before my first year at UTSC, my cousins came to this campus and I attended many events with them. As a result, I fell in love with the UTSC campus. NPSP believes in our campus, we see the potential our campus holds and we want to unleash it. By focusing on small doable changes to the daily life on campus, we believe we will achieve this! Through improving student life, academics and the overall environment of the

campus, you will not want to leave UTSC. We have great plans such as homecoming, TA evaluations and efficiency campaigns. Please read our platform to understand what we have in store for the next year. I am humbled by the privilege of running for President of SCSU. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to serving you. Its time for a better student union, Habiba Desai
SHAUNA NANDKISSORE- VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMICS AND UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS CANDIDATE

My name is Shauna Nandkissore, and I am the Vice President of Academics and University Affairs candidate for the New Student Political Party. I am a third year student, specializing in English and minoring in Psychology. Over the past three years, I have experienced all the small yet extremely irritating problems which affect every student, yet are never addressed. I have felt the frustration and anger that every student has felt after paying thousands of dollars only to have a grade that does not reflect their true capabilities. First, I would like to introduce TA evaluations. Through experience, I have had the fortune of meeting TAs who teach wonderfully. But, I have also been taught by TAs whom sometimes do not fulfill the requirements of their job description. To avoid the latter issue for current and future students, TAs should be evaluated just like Professors, as our grades also depend on them. I also strongly believe students should be allowed to use an Exam Aid during exams, as this would allow students to demonstrate their full potential. Another goal would be to create a Grammar Course that could be taken as a breadth requirement. This would help all students on their essay writing skills and improve grades. Another extremely irritating problem, is the unreliable WiFi. WiFi should be accessible and reliable for all students in every part of the school.

I currently work as a Student Library Assistant for UTSC. I have worked with the Business and Conference Services department, and the Green Path program. For the last three years of my academic life, I was a part of the University Staff, striving towards a better school. I am now asking for a chance to make a bigger impact on this school for the students. Your voice. Your choice.

LIST OF NPSP DIRECTORS

Anthropology Arts, Culture & Media Biological Sciences Computer Science & Mathematics English French & Linguistics Human Geography Management Philosophy Physical & Environmental Science Political Science Psychology Sociology Director

Alexson Philipiah Kristina Zaja Novie Saura Sophie Wang Rumaisa Khan Louisa Julius Farishta Barez Simran Manghirmalani Davinia Chew Anesh Jeyakumar Barrah Faysal Rekha Thayaparan Marc Laurin

MISSION STATEMENT

The New Political Student Party was created to build the best campus possible! The University of Toronto is one of the most widelyacclaimed, established universities and we want UTSC to be just that. Our focus is on improving the lives of UTSC students academically, professionally and socially. We will accomplish this by tackling daily student problems through small doable changes. We aim to implement strategies such as TA Evaluations, salted parking lots, fresh fast food and heated bus shelters. We do not intend on campaigning, endorsing or advocating issues that do not affect the UTSC student community. The NPSP envisions a campus environment that empowers you as a student to meet your potential. Lets unleash it! We are a team of students that believe it is time for a better student union. As fresh faces to the Union, we will bring change through innovative ideas and solutions. We hope you see the vision of what our campus can be and join us in making UTSC a hallmark of diversity, knowledge and innovation by making meaningful doable changes to student life. We are the student union you want. The New Political Student Party. Your Voice. Your Choice.

PILLAR ONE: IMPROVING STUDENT LIFE

Improving student life on campus is our first pillar. We plan to work with the VP of Campus Life, Department of Student Life, directors and the rest of the SCSU team to create the best experience for current and future students at UTSC.
SCHOOL SPIRIT E-MENTORING PROGRAM

The E-Mentoring Program is a way for students to connect with alumni through email. We will create a program which would allow for alumni and students to join. Once we get started, it will only grow larger. This allows for better networking, job recruitment and stronger school spirit.
THURSDAY NIGHT SHOWS

We want to create an environment that students love. This means Thursday nights on campus will be rockin. We will showcase UTSC talent by allowing student bands, comedians, poets, actors and dancers to perform in the student center.
SPORTS NIGHT OUT

We aim to turn final matches into events with halftime shows that include performances by UTSC talent and the UTSC Cheer Team.
HOMECOMING

We intend on incorporating the SCAA in our work by beginning a tradition of having a football game at the beginning of the school year in the valley. This will be the annual Homecoming. Whats a university experience without Homecoming?
GAME BOARD

We have great sports teams but many students are unaware of game times. We will create a game board in the Student Center that includes daily game times so students can have fun and support our athletes in maroon!

GYM SCHEDULE

We have heard many concerns from students about the Gym being booked but not used. We will work with the SCAA and Athletics department to create a 15 minute rule. If the team booked to use the gym does not arrive within 15 minutes of their booked time, the gym will open for other students to use.
MASCOT CHANGE

As much as we love our beloved Raccoon, it doesnt make for the greatest mascot. We want to hold a school wide online vote to decide on a new mascot. Rex the Raccoon will be an option but other choices will be available. In addition to the mascot, we wish to create a cheer so even when students have graduated, school spirit still remains. These are all doable changes that will make our school spirit stronger and UTSC a lot more fun.
WALK HOME PROGRAM

We are concerned for your safety! We aim to commence a walk home program for the students that live off residence and study late on campus. Our plan is to get students to meet at the student center once theyre done studying and walk to the bus stops together. The times will be 12AM, 1AM and 2AM during exam periods. We aim to have students feel safer during their late nights on campus.
PARKETTE MAKEOVER

We aim to work with the City of Toronto to make a pathway and add lights to the park across campus. Its a shortcut commonly used by students walking to their cars or home but is not the safest. We wish to add an emergency red box in the walkway to make it as safe as possible for students walking.

MULTICULTURAL GALA- CELEBRATING UTSC DIVERSITY

We aim to unite our diverse student population by hosting a Multicultural Gala. It will be a glamorous night where students dress up in their cultural clothing, be it a little black dress, sari, abaya, cheongsam, thobe or suits. Let's celebrate the diversity on campus together! We aim to hold it at the end of first semester. It will be an annual tradition. Next year, we aim to hold it during the Pan-Am Games. In addition, we aim to invite guests from the Games to celebrate the diversity of cultures. The Pan-Am Games may bring the world together for a few weeks, but at UTSC we aim to work together in unity for the pursuit of knowledge and moving humanity forward. Tomorrow is created here.
UTSC CLOTHING LINE

We want school gear that is not for the sole purpose of working out. Working with students we wish to design a UTSC clothing line. We also wish to create graduation memorabilia such as a UTSC Graduation Ring. Another idea would be to create Graduation Watches. Furthermore, we believe that with the development of UTSC leather jackets will create more campus spirit and love. We will work with the UTSC Bookstore to bring this tradition to our campus.
STUDENT CENTER MAKEOVER DAILY EVENTS BOARD

Many great events happen around campus each day. Students do not attend because they are unaware of the occurrence of such events. Although the Intranet posts events, most students do not use the Intranet because almost all courses are accessed through Blackboard. We aim to create a post-it board in the student center with posters of the events happening that day. Have time to kill between classes? Check the board and head on over.

FUSION RADIO- FM TRANSMISSION

By making Fusion Radio an FM channel, we will not only increase our revenue, but it will create more school spirit. Students will be able to tune in on music chosen by their own peers. Furthermore, we want to also create an inclusive campus for international students. One idea is to create a weekly show in Mandarin as well as one in Hindi/Urdu that talks about international headlines and issues relevant to the respective community. These are just some of our ideas in making UTSC a great undergraduate experience. We will work with students and the rest of our team to create even more greatness!
PILLAR TWO: ADVOCATING STUDENT ISSUES TA EVALUATIONS

An issue that students face at UTSC are TAs and the issue of accountability. Most students have experienced TAs who do not fulfill the requirements of their job description. We aim to fix these problems by working with the University to create TA evaluations. Working with the newly elected VP of Academics we aim to create an evaluation survey and will collaborate with Registrar to implement them. This will be a collaborative project with the different departments on our campus.
MARKING SCHEMES- UNDERSTANDING VS. MEMORIZING

Another issue that UTSC students face are courses with a 40/60 or 50/50 exams in which the students entire grade is based on the midterm and final exam. This is especially the case for large classes, which take place in first year. The first year of university is a hard transition from high school and this style of grading increases stress levels. This leads to many students not at their peak performance in first year and having their GPAs pay the price.

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We want to work with Professors to allow students the chance to be graded on what they truly understand instead of how well students regurgitate. We aim to standardize an acceptable exam aid for all future exams. This allows professors to grade students on understanding instead of memorization skills. Students get the chance to demonstrate their true potential.
OFFERING A GRAMMAR COURSE

There are set breadth requirements that must be completed before graduation. One of the breadth requirements is Arts, Literature, and Language. We believe that learning about poetry or childrens literature may not help students who are science or psychology majors. A solution would be to create a Grammar Course. This enhances students writing skills in essays, resumes and for future employment opportunities. Many student will be provided the opportunity to use this towards graduating instead of taking electives that do not necessarily pertain to their future career choice.
STUDENT SPACES VS. STUDY SPACES

We are a commuter campus. This means that most students are on campus while they are between classes. The issue we believe is not only the lack of study space, but the lack of spaces to hang out. Occasionally, study spaces are being used to relax which creates incredibly unproductive environments for students who wish to study. We wish to create more spaces where students are able to freely relax, eat, talk, play pool and enjoy being a UTSC student. Students spend a large amount of time on campus. We would like to make this experience as comfortable as possible to promote a productive atmosphere. We aim to place heaters in the bus stops for the student who use public transit. In addition, we wish to ensure that there is WiFi in all parts of campus for better accessibility. Campaigning and advocating for issues that affect you as a UTSC student.

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PILLAR THREE: REXS MENU MAKE OVER

After speaking to many students, we have discovered that students want fresh fast food options on campus. By fresh fast food, we do not mean fast food corporations. Instead we aim to have food on campus that is not processed, frozen or comes in powder form. We have a simple solution that not only will fix this issue but will help create profits for Rex's which has been losing money for the past few years. The SCSU provides Rex's Den with a subsidy for $130 000. This money can be used to purchase the equipment and food. During exam time, we will bring in waffles with various toppings available. We aim to bring in a salad bar and dinner will be home cooked meal style. We will have limited options but the food will be fresh and delicious. Having a small simple menu will allow us to buy more of the same ingredients and make food in a large quantity in order to keep costs low. Since it will ready to plate, it will make for delicious fresh fast food. Simple, delicious, fresh fast food
PILLAR FOUR: LEARNING IS FUN PROFESSOR MENTORSHIP

We want to create a flourishing academic life on campus. We want students to love learning, and we plan on doing this by tapping into one of our most underused valuable resources; professors. We aim to create monthly events where professors can discuss anything new and interesting in their respective fields. Imagine TED inspired talks happening every month to keep us motivated and informed. It also gives students from different programs the chance to learn about things that interest them outside of their studies.

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EDUCATIONAL GROUPS- ENHANCE SKILLS

We wish to enhance UTSC students skills beyond academics by funding student educational groups providing students the opportunity to teach other students. Our three group plans are entrepreneurial, computer programming and fashion design. These groups will also work with the SCSU to gain valuable work related experience. For example the fashion group will help design our new school gear and also work on the multicultural galas fashion show. We also want to give students computer skills to add to their resume. Basic programming is becoming an asset in all job markets, so we want to set up classes where students teach students. This gives students volunteer experience and provides other students learning experience. Furthermore we will aim to make all sessions lecture casted so that students who are unable to attend can watch online. Imagine a university campus flourishing with ideas, and students excited about learning

PILLAR FIVE: SCSU MANDATORY UPDATING

We plan to do full reviews of the SCSU office, in order to create efficiency and productivity. We will be fair and create opportunities for all our students. Furthermore we are going to create a new commission open to all students and advertised formally, that will make sure the deficiencies in our student union do not occur.
CLUB FUNDING

We will review the funding process, the documentation required and how much funding is provided for different events- we want to know whats going on at campus and how we can help you.

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EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY CAMPAIGN

We will do a full review of the SCSU office, Fusion Radio, Rexs Den, Hero Burger, and KFC to find new innovative ways to create efficiency and productivity so that things get done. This will include going over the wages and benefits which are the SCSU largest expense, to see where we can create innovative methods for less spending. We also want to breakdown all expenses per receipt to understand our finances better.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

We want to be transparent and accountable. This will be done by updating our monthly progress, spending and hiring on the SCSU website. If students feel they have found an issue, it will be addressed and resolved. We also want you to know the SCSU. We aim to hold discussion sessions in the student center monthly to discuss any issues or concerns.
PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING

We want to work with students to spend our money. This means we want to give a portion of the net budget to students, to nominate ideas and vote on where the money should be spent that year. It will create opportunity for involvement from the student body, fresh new ideas and an additional student issue will be solved. Its time for a better student union
CONCLUSION

We know this was a long read, but we want to show you just how serious we are about change and the ideas we have to make our campus the best it can be. From homecoming, to salted parking lots, student participation, TA evaluations, galas and much more, we are the student union you want! It's time for a better student union. The New Political Student Party. Your Voice. Your Choice.

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