MSA Elections

The Svbaltern Magazine presents the two candidates running to be your MSA president for 2018-2019. Because the candidates' platforms were only released to those who registered to vote, The Svbaltern Magazine, in the spirit of free and fair elections bring to you their platforms: DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!! Meryem K What does being a Muslim mean to you? Our community is made up of all types of Muslims, from various social, spiritual, cultural and political backgrounds. Many of us are going through turbulent times questioning identity, suffering from cognitive dissonance, looking for any source of comfort. As president, I not only plan to make a platform that allows spiritual and intellectual inquiry but one that extends to Inclusivity, Communication and Empowerment, or as I like to call, ICE. During these past 3 years as Chaplain’s Assistant and Vice President, I’ve learned that we need to shift away from a management culture and towards having empathetic leaders that care, inspire, and seek continuous feedback. With ICE in mind, I circulated an “Attitudes Towards Muslims at UBC” Survey to thousands of UBC students to help the MSA cater to real needs as opposed to assumed ones. As we should strive to bring the brightest ideas from the entire community to life, I am always available to have a one-on-one chat about YOUR vision, and will help to transform it into a reality. I was ecstatic to have many of these fruitful conversations with motivated individuals as Vice President, through which great initiatives were born such as the ski trip and the sisters halaqas, to name a few. You won’t be told ‘great idea’, but rather ‘Let’s pick a date to make this happen”. With my experience and vision, I believe that we can make 2018-2019 the most engaging, innovative and community oriented year the MSA has ever experienced. I will help make MSA your home away from home - a sisterhood and brotherhood that harbours genuine community, not cliques. An emphasis will be placed on intellectual and social empowerment, values that we helped foster when a small group of friends and I created Chat & Chai. We are an Ummah of warmth, love, and hope; let us spread good vibes throughout our campus and beautify the community! Hussain K My platform revolves around one key theme: MSA has to work for all us, not just some of us. While I'm proud of all we've accomplished as a team and community the past year, we have to ask ourseleves: did everyone feel like they belong? Did they grow as people? Chat and Chai is amazing, but what else does the MSA truly and consistently offer? I want MSA to be a place where anyone (execs, volunteers, members) grow materially and spiritually in a welcoming and engaged way. I propose to do this through: 1) By making sure all MSA meetings are public and their minutes are accessible to members (not just execs) 2) By creating a proposal system where any member of our community can pitch and create events with the help of our team & budget 3) By making sure our events aren't only focused on socials but that the MSA can provide religious learning, career/academic support, and ways to give back to the community In short I want MSA to feel like a family where everyone grows and supports each other. But a family can only work if everyone is part of the dinner conversation.