The Residence Society (ResSoc) election is on track, with two of three de-slated positions seeing competition.
John Bae, ArtSci ’26, and Amin Meghdadi, HealthSci ’26, are competing for the position of ResSoc President, while Chloe Wedji, Comm ’27, and Deborah Akinbile, ArtSci ’26, are running for vice-president (Society Operations). Yahya Mohamed, Sci ’26, is running uncontested for the Vice-President (Residence Operations) role.
ResSoc is the University’s advocacy group for students living in residence and is comprised of House Presidents, First-Year Interns, and led by an Executive team.
Despite initially being deemed unfit to run after the interview portion of the election process, the decision was reversed, allowing Meghdadi to remain in the presidential race after a reconsideration meeting with ResSoc’s Elections Team. The meeting took place the same day as the all candidates debate on Feb. 9.
Presidential candidates
Having engaged with students living in residence this year, Bae hopes to continue supporting them as ResSoc’s next President. In a written statement to The Journal, he emphasized his goal of fostering a strong community, ensuring residence is more than just a place to stay.
His main campaign is structure around three key pillars: “life after residence, identity, and village.” Together, these pillars focus on creating services that build connection and support among students. Bae aims to help students establish roots at the University by celebrating student diversity and promoting academic success through peer mentorship.
His “life after residence” pillar aims to prepare students for life off-campus in subsequent years, offering developmental events like housing talks and connecting students to employment and internship opportunities.
In an interview with The Journal, Meghdadi said his decision to run in the election stems from his passion for making students happy. Through years of working with residence students, he has built strong relationships, which he views as an asset for the presidency.
Drawing from his experiences as a first-generation immigrant facing language barriers, Meghdadi strives to make residence more welcoming. To achieve this, he plans to collaborate with Queen’s University International Centre and Indigenous student leaders to promote inclusivity in residence culture.
To maintain student engagement, he proposes collaborating with various organizations and individuals across campus, advocating for student voices through storytelling platforms such as The Journal.
Vice-President (Operations) candidates
Akinbile aims to enhance student feedback mechanisms within ResSoc, ensuring students receive the experience they pay for.
In an interview with The Journal, she pointed out residence costs can exceed $18,000 per year. Having faced financial barriers that prevented her from living in residence during her first year, Akinbile is committed to expanding ResSoc bursaries to help cover fees such as academic expenses and laundry costs.
Her campaign is guided by the acronym “BLOOM,” which stands for belonging, leadership, opportunities, outreach, and memories. She seeks to increase student engagement in residence life and reform the House Council system. Currently, House Council is composed of floor representatives who advocate for their buildings through event collaboration and biweekly meetings with House Presidents. However, Akinbile believes this system excludes the perspectives of students who aren’t on the council.
For Akinbile, community engagement means “no one left behind.” She seeks to continuously involve students in the event planning process rather than planning the events on their behalf.
Reflecting on her first-year experience, Wedji recalled struggling to assimilate at Queen’s but finding support in the community created by her House President. This experience motivated her to run for Vice-President (Residence Operations). As a House President, she oversaw House Council representatives and organized residence-wide events.
Wedji’s campaign revolves around three themes: community, commitment, and change. To foster a sense of belonging, she plans to develop tailored event application forms for House Presidents, incorporating building-specific considerations that reflect each residence’s unique culture.
Drawing from her experiences with organizations such as the Smith Black Business Association and Queen’s Women in Leadership, Wedji aims to strengthen the connection between students and House Presidents, ensuring residence events align with students’ needs.
Vice-President (Society operations) candidate
Running uncontested on transparency, persistence, and unity pillars, Mohamed wrote to The Journal why he wants to be the next Vice-President (Society Operations).
“As an international student, residence had a huge impact on me, and that’s why I made sure to come back and serve the community that welcomed me to this campus,” said in an Instagram post.
He aims to enhance transparency by improving communication between ResSoc and residence students, ensuring they have easier access to decision-making processes within Society operations.
If elected, Mohamed hopes to streamline operations, ensure initiatives are completed efficiently, and maintain the daily functions of ResSoc to enhance residence life.
“ResSoc is best when we work together,” Mohamed wrote, referencing his “unity” pillar.
To achieve unity, Mohamed aims to strengthen the rapport between elected Executives, House Council members, and students to create an engaged residence community.
Voting opens on Feb. 10 to Feb. 11 at 11:59 p.m. to all students and staff living in residence. Results will be announced by Feb. 14.
Tags
Elections 2025, residence society, ResSoc elections
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