Meet the KSA election candidates

Every year the Kwantlen Student Association holds a general election to determine who will sit on the council. These students are responsible for making decisions that can impact almost every student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Online polls for this year’s election will open March 15 at 10:00 am, and will close on March 17 at 9:00 pm. There are 26 positions open on the KSA General Council, and eight candidates are campaigning. Additional information about the election can be found on the KSA website and at Member Services locations at KPU campuses.

Editor’s note: the following statements have been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

Armaan Dhillon | International Students Representative

Why are you running for this position?

My motive behind running for this position is that I myself identify as an international student, and this is my first semester at KPU. I’ve faced a lot of problems and see a lot of problems, which I see as an opportunity to work upon as a representative of the international students.
International students live far away from their family. They come into this country alone or just with friends, so there is a lot of personal pressure on their minds which they carry around. 

That’s why I look forward to having more and more cultural activities and engagement activities in the university, so that we are more engaged with them, and we let them know that we are all united, and we stand together as the Kwantlen community. 

Why should students vote for you?

Students should vote for me because my motives are much more clear than the other candidates. I look forward to serving my people, my constituents, and other Kwantlen students with more efficiency. 

I’ve had a lot of experience with elections and other executive roles in the school as well, because I was elected as a prefect in my high school back in my country. My experience and my efficiency counts as the best. 

What would you like to change about the Kwantlen Student Association?

This is my first time running for the Kwantlen Student Association. So, it’s really good. It brings up students to work in some executive positions, so that they can work for the constituency and the faculty members. 

Yeah, the KSA may have some problems, but there is a lot less awareness about KSA among the students. Even when I’m campaigning about my election, a number of students just asked me, ‘Okay, what is the KSA?’ So that is where the problem lies. 

I just want to increase awareness about the KSA so that each and every student at KPU knows what the KSA is, and what the KSA is doing for students’ betterment and for their growth.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency? 

If I’m elected for the position I’m running for, which is International Students Representative for Kwantlen Student Association, I will always be accountable to my constituents, even to all the students of KPU. They can reach me anytime, for whichever problem they encounter, and I will do my best to solve that. 

I will act as a bridge between those constituents and the administration so that each and every problem is resolved in an efficient manner. I will be accountable to them each and every time they ask me some questions. 

Karan Singh | Langley Campus Representative

Why are you running for this position?

It’s a good thing to be experiencing something when you’re in university. So for me, for Langley campus, I want it to be more developed. So, there is no Sport & Rec facility and I want there to be a sport center there so that the students who are in the Langley campus can just go and play, and focus on their health.

Why should students vote for you?

I would say students should vote for me because it is good to have somebody you can just go and talk to. If I were elected as Langley Campus Representative, students could just come to me and they would feel very good by just talking to somebody who is right now a student compared to somebody who is at a higher position.

What would you like to change about the Kwantlen Student Association?

As of now, everything seems to be pretty good. But when I get there, I’ll just go and look at what they’re lacking in or what their qualities are. I’ll also probably go out and ask students what they want from the KSA. 

I’ll mainly go to the students, and I’ll have their opinion of what they want or what they don’t want. But things seem to be pretty good as of now for me. 

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency? 

I may remain accountable to the students, because as I mentioned, I am a student myself. So, I know other students and how they suffer from things. 

For example, somebody who’s from another country, they might struggle in accommodation, some of them might suffer when filling out their tuition fee. So it would be great to reach out to me and other students because I will be accountable to them. 

Harmanpreet Singh | Surrey Campus Representative

Why are you running for this position?

It’s my personal interest to really work for students’ welfare. I was an international student before, now I am a domestic student, so I have faced the challenges that international students face now, and I also know what the issues are for the domestic students. I feel like I’m the balanced candidate for both of those students who study at KPU, and I personally want to work for the welfare of students and how we can promote better learning at KPU.

Why should students vote for you?

I want to work with a lot of different issues at KPU that have never been touched here. Issues like enhancing the course registration process for students, for instance. Many students are not able to get their courses at the right time or at the right place. Some want courses that are offered online, however they’re not able to get those courses because the capacity is very limited.

The tuition fees for international students in comparison to domestic students is four times higher. If we really analyze those factors, the quality of life international students have here is really challenging, and we should be focusing on that.

What would you like to change about the Kwantlen Student Association?

I don’t want to change … I want to improve a lot of policymaking processes because, being a political science student, I learned those sort of subjects in my curriculum. I believe I am the right candidate for the position because there are many issues being faced by international and domestic students, but the KSA doesn’t actually take those into consideration when they create those policies. Most of the policies are being created without students’ consent, and I think students should be more involved in that policy making process.

If elected, how will you remain accountable to your constituency? 

I would personally listen to each and every issue of the students, and then take those issues in front of the KSA, and talk with the president and see how we can improve policy making processes at KPU and how we can address those challenges. Many students don’t know that they have a way to raise their voice, and that any of their ideas or any of their feedback matters. 

I’m going to make sure that every student knows that their opinion matters, and sort of improve that engagement process between the KSA and students. That’s how I’m going to be more accountable.

The Runner was unable to schedule interviews with Surrey Campus Rep candidate Ranjot Singh, Students with Disabilities Rep candidate Lesli Sangha, Students of Colour Rep candidate Jujhar Inder Singh Sidhu, Women’s Rep candidate Manmeet Brar, and Arts Faculty Rep candidate Alvin Chand.