Mental health and student engagement were under the microscope at yesterday's Senate debate. Eleven of the fourteen Senate candidates participated in the event and with so many candidates running with similar platforms, contenders struggled to stand out. Nearly all mentioned a focus on mental health and well-being in their opening remarks.
Some stand-out remarks included potential senator Kadie Williams, who emphasized her ability to connect with large groups of people and said it would allow her to get more student input on Senate matters. Candidate Samantha So made her mark through the priority she placed on students having access to syllabi with standardized informational content for all their courses. Lina Castro, on the other hand, differentiated her campaign through her focus and experience with mental health initiatives on campus.
Of the candidates participating in the debate, Jenna Omassi, current VP academic and university affairs, is the only one currently on Senate. She used her experience to issue a series of rebuttals and emphasized that continuing work that Senate previously did — as most senators hope to do — is only realistic with an experienced senator on the team.
Fall reading break was a prominent topic of discussion and a focus of mental health initiatives in many candidates’ platforms. Although all candidates are in favour of the additional reading week, there was some debate as to how it would be made possible while keeping the same number of teaching days. Some candidates suggested that the exam period be shrunk or that exams take place on Sundays in order to make the break possible.