Students cast their votes and made their voices heard, bringing in a slew of new representatives for the upcoming year.
The spring general elections for the Student Association of George Brown College (SAGBC) ran from March. 4 to 28, with nine positions open on the board of directors.
For those who do not know, the board is made up of students elected by their peers, to represent them, their needs, and their voice to the SAGBC and the college.
As with every spring election, all seven educational centre representative seats were up for grabs, these educational centres are:
– arts, design, and information technology
– business
– construction and engineering technologies
– community services and early childhood
– health sciences
– hospitality and culinary arts
– preparatory and liberal studies
During this election, there were 17 candidates running across all positions.
Of these candidates, two were incumbents – Max Davidson, health sciences educational centre representative, and Barichisu Osman Abugbila, community services and early childhood educational centre representative.
Now that the elections are over and all seven of the winners known, six are new faces who hope to bring their experiences and skillset to the SAGBC, while one is an incumbent – Osman Abugbila – who will continue on in their work.
These representatives across the educational centres which make up George Brown College (GBC), have yet to start their term, but have already pledged to dedicate themselves towards enhancing the college experience for all students.
During the campaign period, candidates presented their comprehensive plans to students for how they planned on bettering their academic lives while they studied at GBC. Some areas where they noted they would focus included student welfare, campus life enhancement, and student engagement – to name a few.
Rishabh Dhawan, the incoming representative for the arts, design and information technology educational centre, plans on working to ensure the college sees an enhancement in the preparedness of the students to tackle problems after graduation, and improve career prospects.
“I plan to organize tech workshops and career fairs to provide students with practical skills and networking opportunities,” Dhawan pledged. “I believe that creativity, innovation, and technological literacy are essential skills for success in today’s world.” His inspiration is to “be a voice for students who are passionate about these fields and ensure that their voices are heard at the decision-making table.”
Meanwhile, Rishita Gupta, incoming representative for the health sciences educational centre, plans on being there to hear student concerns. She plans on focusing on improving student support and wellbeing during her time in office, by implementing things such as contact forms and stress management workshops.
“Personally, for me the main goal is to hear students out and listen to what they need…This can help the college community know what the students need and address their concerns. I always had this strong desire to do something positive,” she noted.
With a new representative incoming for health sciences, Max Davidson – the only incumbent who was not re-elected during this year’s vote – will be leaving at the end of April 2024.
During his time in office, he not only represented the students of his educational centre, he stepped up and took over as acting director of communications & internal, when the previous one stepped down.
As chair of the ad-hoc transit committee, he was instrumental in the implementation of the PRESTO Loads program, which helped students offset some transit costs during the current affordability crisis.
Davidson’s contributions enriched the lives of his peers and will make him sorely missed.
With a diverse new group of students coming in to represent the educational centres, students can look forward to an exciting new year.
You can find your representative’s contact information online by visiting www.studentassociation.ca/about/#board-of-directors.
Not all incoming reps could be reached for comment.
