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MANI
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March 30, 2022
Voting will take place online March 31 to April 1 at umsu.simplyvoting.com Candidate for Indigenous Students’ Representative
Candidate for 2SLGBTQIA+ Students’ Representative
Candidate for Accessibility Students’ Representative
Candidate for Black Students’ Representative
Ishkode Catcheway
Alex Rana
Caleigh Guillou
Anita Ayame
Ishkode Catcheway is in her third year of a bachelor’s degree in health studies with a minor in Indigenous languages, specifically Ojibwe. She currently serves as the communications coordinator for the University of Manitoba Indigenous Students’ Association (UMISA). She says handling its communications regarding advocacy and events gives her valuable experience for the position she is running for.
Alex Rana is a third-year student completing a double honours program in English and linguistics. He currently sits on UMSU’s board of directors.
A first-year science student, Caleigh Guillou is running for re-election to the position of UMSU’s accessibility students’ representative.
Anita Ayame did not respond to requests for interview by press time.
He has also been a member of the UMSU equity, diversity and inclusion working group.
Guillou thinks her work in the Science Students’ Association and with UMSU has provided valuable and “rewarding” experience.
“I’m running for this position because I [am] on [UMISA] and this year there was absolutely no Indigenous [representative] for basically the whole school year, until the last two months,” she said. Catcheway says the lack of representation made it difficult for Indigenous students to do things like secure funding for projects and she wants to “break [the] barrier” between Indigenous students and UMSU. “Prior to this year, we would usually have an Indigenous rep in there hosting town halls for not only UMISA but [the Métis University Students’ Association (MUSA)] to secure funding for events instead of going through [community initiative funding] which is [where] you buy the stuff and then you get a reimbursement,” she explained. She said MUSA has not been able to hold events this year since it does not have the funds to purchase its own supplies and wait for reimbursement and hopes that if she is able to host town halls as the Indigenous representative, groups will find it easier to secure funding for events. Catcheway said she also wants to hold events in the next semester to help ease the transition to in-person learning for First Nations students coming to campus for the first time. She also wants to challenge racism on campus, such as when professors look the other way when Indigenous students report racist comments in their classroom.
“I decided to run for this community [representative] position because obviously I’m a member of the community myself and I have lots of friends who are, and I think we all feel there’s sort of been a lack of connection between people in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community over the past two years that we’ve been online,” Rana said. If elected, Rana hopes to establish mental health supports that would allow students to access “queer therapists who are able to understand their needs.” “I think by offering students therapists who are part of the community and understand that stuff already, it will make it easier for students to talk about issues that affect our community,” he said. Rana said he wants to deepen the sense of community 2SLGBTQIA+ students feel by collaborating with outside organizations such as TwoSpirited People of Manitoba and the Rainbow Resource Centre and make students aware that these resources are there. He also wants to start a podcast on the UMFM station to discuss 2SLGBTQIA+ issues and answer questions people may have about the community and their experiences.
Guillou said she is seeking re-election because she wants to “act as a bridge between students and the university’s accessibility services.” “Navigating seeking supports and figuring out what best suits their needs can be a stressful process and it’s important that they know that there’s going to be somebody reliable by their side who understands that,” she said. Guillou wants to continue her work creating an updated social media guide to regulate accessible communications. She also wants to establish methods for students to anonymously report accessibility concerns and reopen the accessibility centre to in-person visits from students. “Beyond the physical space, I would relaunch all of its social media platforms and develop sustainable programming with the help of an executive team that I intend to form to manage the centre, which would create a new and exciting opportunity for members of this community to get involved.”
photos provided by candidates
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