Medical Biophysics Graduate Student Association

MBPGSA Blog

Updates, opinion pieces, and news related to the department

GSU Elections 2012: Candidates' Statements for MBP

To all candidates: The MBPGSU invites all candidates to submit campaign messages directed towards MBP students to webmaster@mbpgsa.ca for posting on this page.

Opinions expressed on this page reflect those of the candidates and are not necessarily endorsed by the MBPGSU.

The GradVoice Team

Hi Everyone,

As you may have heard, elections for the Graduate Students Union (GSU) executive are coming this week, on March 28-30.

We are a slate of candidates, the GradVoice, entirely composed of Faculty of Medicine students (MBP, Biochemistry and Immunology). We re committed to improving the graduate student experience, rather than emphasizing political protests. We want to concentrate our efforts on increasing student stipends (our recent MBP stipend increase should not be the limit) and ensuring fair time to completion. We also want to protect the students against unexpected new fees, such as the recently introduced Access Copyright fee.

Furthermore, we have vast experience with the GSU, and know how UofT works and how university administration can be approached. The other candidates are mostly first-year students, and lack experience with GSU exec affairs. So, instead of talking about student issues, we actually know, and have a plan on how to resolve them.

Please, support us on the upcoming elections, and help us make the GSU the body that would finally represent the true voice of the students!

Visit http://www.GradVoice.ca for more information and polling station dates and locations – there is one in PMH and one in Sunnybrook!

Below is a summary of who we are and what we will concentrate our efforts on - quality education, increased stipends, and better graduate student experience overall.

Who we are:

Nikita Reznik (Medical Biophysics) for Finance and University Governance Commissioner

Yunee Kim (Medical Biophysics) for External Commissioner

Jason Dumelie (Biohemistry) for Academics and Funding Commissioner, Divisions 3 and 4

Achire Mbanwi (Immunology) for Internal Commissioner

What we will work on:

Better Funding

  • Fair stipend top-ups for all recipients of competitive awards.
  • Increased public funding, including OGS, NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC.
  • Protect and increase guaranteed funding package.

Lower Fees

  • Fight unfair introductions of additional ancillary fees.
  • Lobby the university and the government to put a halt to increasing tuition fees.
  • Fight for reinstatement of the reduced post-residency fees.

Social Justice and International Students Rights

  • Quality affordable education for all students.
  • Inclusion of international students and, especially, access to OHIP coverage.
  • Make GSU and campus events fully accessible.

Services

  • Increase daytime programming at the GSU gym.
  • Start an additional sports league.
  • Increase the frequency and diversity of interdepartmental events.

Cheers,

The GradVoice Team

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