Zarifa Nawar, Drédyn Fontana, Jasper Lorien, Sultana Razia and Jaiya Panchi have been elected student senators-at-large.
In a crowded race featuring 10 candidates, these five beat out fellow candidates Ash Dennis, Ian Chung, Elisa Nasimi, Bryan Buraga and Luca Jenkin.
Winning her second term on Senate, Nawar said “I feel fucking fantastic right now,” adding her first priority is an exam database — a resource which previously existed, but was shut down due to a lack of faculty participation.
Razia was also elected for the second time, although her last stint was in the 2023-24 academic year. Her platform focused on seeking inclusive concession policies regarding mental health and improving communication between student groups and senate. Razia was not at the preliminary results announcement and The Ubyssey was unable to interview her.
This will be Lorien’s third term on Senate. Lorien’s platform centred on lowering course material costs and expanding accessibility in the classroom. They declined to comment.
“I’m just overjoyed,” said first-time senator Panchi. “I’m so happy.” She added she would advocate for “clear and consistent” AI policies, and seeing the exam and syllabi databases — a long-standing campaign promise for the position — become a reality. Panchi highlighted that her future position as VP academic and university affairs will be helpful in the pursuit of these goals.
“Guess who’s back,” said Fontana, “I can't even talk right now. I'm just really excited.” His first priority is opening up the academic calendar to add more graduation dates.
