Meet KPU’s student Senators and Board of Governors

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With the fall semester well underway, Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s student Senators and Board of Governor (BOG) representatives have begun their term. 

KPU’s Senate is the senior academic governing body at KPU under the University Act. Their many roles and responsibilities include setting curriculum content for programs, creating qualifications for admission, and organizing the student appeal process. 

Syeda Hafsa, Navleen Kaur, Adam Khan, and Guntas Kochar are the four student senators elected this term, they will serve these roles until Aug. 31, 2024. 

The BOG is also under the University Act, but is derived from volunteers in order to serve KPU. Some of their responsibilities include managing administration and controlling the property, revenue, business, and affairs of the university. Ishant Goyal and Aryan Kalia are the two student board members this term. These students give a voice to the KPU student community and promote change around campus. 

By staying up to date on meetings and voting on these representatives, KPU students can participate in the decisions that take place at the university. The student senators and BOG student representatives took the time to speak with The Runner about why they ran and what they hope to achieve during their term. 

Syeda Hafsa  

Hafsa is a second-year general studies student, serving her first term as a student senator at KPU. Some of her responsibilities as senator consist of attending meetings, participating in discussions, and proposing and voting on current policies in place. 

During her term, Hafsa looks forward to addressing academic issues and making decisions that have a positive impact on KPU students.

“Being in the Senate allows direct involvement with the decision-making process at the university,” she says. 

“[These] positions ensure that the student voice is heard and they provide a platform for students to actively contribute to their educational community and gain experience themselves. … People who know me, come to me and explain what their issues are, I try my best to help them as much as I can,” she says. 

Hafsa is enjoying being a senator and is keen on running again next year. 

“I look forward to advocating for students’ needs and encouraging unity.” 

Navleen Kaur

This is Kaur’s second term as a student senator at KPU. She is a third-year psychology student and is hoping to introduce more co-op programs in the psychology and creative writing department. In her role as a student senator, Kaur wants to help students foster connections and get hands-on experience to help with future job prospects.  

“Initially, I did not know much about the Senate and thought it would be fun to get into student leadership. As I got into it, I realized how much of an influence student senators have,” Kaur says. 

Kaur is focusing on introducing psychology and creative writing co-op programs not only because she is a psychology major, but because she knows they can be difficult to get into after university. 

“Psychology is a very hands-on subject. Right now, KPU does not offer a co-op program. It does offer a practicum, but it is not feasible because it only runs once a year and mostly gives priority to applied psychology [students] only,” Kaur says. 

“Since I have personal experience and know the psychology department, it makes it easier for me to introduce and connect with instructors.” 

She says the programs will provide various opportunities and experiences for students. Kaur also enjoys writing and has friends in the creative writing department at KPU. 

“In my previous term, I realized how much goes into the academic decisions at KPU. I wanted to be part of it and try to make a better academic career for students,” Kaur says. 

Guntas Kochar 

This is Kochar’s first term as a student senator at KPU. A third-year health sciences student, she has previously run in student elections and has experience in student leadership roles as Kochar was the previous Kwantlen Student Association Vice-President of Student Life. As an international student, Kochar hopes to foster a greater sense of community for international students at KPU during her term. 

“I am very passionate about giving back to the community. It took me a while to build a sense of community here because it is different to what I had in my home country,” Kochar says. 

Some of her goals are to make campus life better for students and help them be aware of the decisions that are being made around campus. 

“As a student, you don’t know much about what is happening, partly because you don’t want to understand anything, and partly because you don’t understand. Sometimes students don’t want to overcomplicate their work and student life balance so they don’t try to take initiative to try to understand what is happening in the Senate,” she says. 

“When I was asking students to vote for me, they did not even know what the Senate was. Someone has to take the initiative and try to make a difference. That is why I wanted to run.” 

Kochar’s responsibilities are to get feedback from students on campus life, advocate for students, and collaborate with administration. 

“I am the liaison between the students and the administration,” she says. 

Kochar says she is looking forward to collaborating with the administration to work for the students and raise concerns about their interests.

“I want to be the [students’] voice”

Another important part of being a senator is staying transparent, and it is something Kochar aims to do during her term. 

“I have been able to explain to students what the Senate does in simple terms without making it over complicated for them. It is important to have a voice at a place where decisions are made for you. That is what democracy is,” she says. 

Kochar says a lot of international students face issues with academic integrity and often don’t know who to go to for assistance. 

“I think that transparency needs to be there and someone needs to step up and ask those questions, or at least be able to explain them,” she says. 

“It has been a very rewarding experience for me. It’s different than what I have done in the past, … it is very surreal.”

Aryan Kalia

This is Kalia’s first term as a BOG student representative at KPU. Kalia is a first-year accounting student and decided to run in his first semester. In highschool, he played an active role in the student council department, so he did not shy away from being active in KPU’s student body. 

“From the very beginning of my childhood, I had this instilled in me. … I have always been participating in community events,” Kalia says. 

“When I read about the Board of Governors and how it functions, [I wanted to be part of] student advocacy and serving my community … with the best possible interest,” he says. 

Some of Kalia’s roles as student representative consist of advocating for students and attending meetings. 

“Raising the voices of students to the management of KPU … made me want to run. Student advocacy is something that really admires me,” Kalia says. 

“A student is someone who best understands the lives of students, like what they need, how they function, and what problems they face. It is effective when they vote because [we’re] the ones who can actually raise their voice on things that management might not know.” 

Ishant Goyal 

This is Goyal’s second term as a BOG student representative at KPU. Goyal is a third-year entrepreneurial leadership student and is grateful to have been voted in for another term. Like Kochar, Goyal hopes to create more transparency around these student positions and keep the communication accessible and open. 

“I decided to run for this position because I have a passion for advocating for the student body and ensuring their voices are heard at the highest level. Education is a powerful tool for personal and societal development, and I wanted to actively contribute to the enhancement of the educational experience for KPU students,” Goyal says. 

“I was recommended by the board to run again because now I can take on my experience for another year and embark on it,” he says. 

Along with creating more transparency and clear communication among students and the BOG, Goyal hopes to advocate for policies that will enhance students’ experiences at KPU. He also wants to improve the access to resource and support services, like the new academic integrity course, which will prevent students from committing academic integrity violations. 

“I also have emphasis for my existing term to accomplish by advocating for more financial support tools through more scholarships, awards, and bursaries. … This will help us ensure that … students who are in need financially, regardless of their academic achievement, are being recognized,” he says 

“Positions on governing bodies are vital because they bring in the immediate perspective of students to the decision-making table. They ensure that the needs of the students are not just heard but integrated into the strategy,” he says. 

“I think it fosters a sense of empowerment among students, which ultimately leads to a more inclusive and student-focused educational institution.”

Khan did not respond to The Runner’s interview requests before the publishing date. 

To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of KPU’s student Senators and BOG, visit https://www.kpu.ca/senate.