The Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) is holding a by-election after two executive positions received no candidates during the regular election period, prompting the society to reopen nominations.
Three candidates are now running for the Vice-President (Campaigns and Community Affairs) (VPC) position.
Aiman Dhiloon
Aiman Dhiloon, a student in the School of Medicine, said recent policy developments affecting students motivated her decision to run.
“I think for me it really comes from a lot of recent changes that have been happening in the news with things like Bill 33 and OSAP,” she said in an interview with The Journal. “I really believe that we need, now more than ever, representatives that are going to advocate for students.”
Dhiloon said her previous experience in student governance, including serving as chair of the first-year council, a faculty science representative on McMaster’s Student Representative Assembly, associate vice-president of internal governance, and speaker of the student assembly, helped prepare her for the role. During her undergraduate studies, she also participated in McMaster’s President’s Advisory Council on Building an Inclusive Community.
If elected, Dhiloon said she would prioritize addressing food insecurity among graduate students by expanding existing SGPS food programs and strengthening partnerships with the University, the City, and community organizations.
“Right now, let’s say you want to get a Mason Jar Meal, really the only way to know about them is if you’re reading through the SGPS newsletter,” Dhiloon said. “I think that making these supports more visible and consistent is really important.”
Dhiloon also said she hopes to strengthen engagement between SGPS and students by meeting with faculty societies and hosting open office hours to provide students with opportunities to raise concerns directly with the executive.
Sakura Koner
Sakura Koner, a third-year PhD student in biomedical and molecular sciences, is running for VPC. After serving as an SGPS senator for the past two years, Koner is looking to broaden her role and leadership within SPGS and Queen’s.
In an interview with The Journal, Koner emphasized that her campaign is rooted in key pillars: affordability, accountability, collaboration, community, engagement, and equitable practices or as Koner tagged it, campaign ACE.
She shared that her experience in leadership and governance roles, such as Graduate Student Senator, Vice-Chair of the Student Senate Caucus, Chair of the Student Senate Caucus, and Student Director on the SGPS Board of Directors, has helped hone the advocacy and leadership skills she’ll need for the VPC role.
“I have been involved in student governance, deeply involved in student governance for almost two years […] I bring immense institutional knowledge about Queen’s University administration, and along with that, I have an acute and clear understanding of where we want SGPS to be and how SGPS functions as well,” Koner said.
If elected, Koner is most looking forward to increasing community engagement between SPGS and community stakeholders, advocating for students and educating and aiding the student body on issues such as renter scams and food insecurity. She hopes to host informational workshops and form new partnerships in Kingston to help students struggling with rent and food affordability.
“It starts with me advocating for all of our students and really making those resources more visible and accessible. […] we are ready to advocate for our students and build a collaborative community because we need to help each other out and really learn from each other.” Koner stated.
Alexandra Griff
Alexandra Griff, a ’27 master’s student in translational medicine, is also running for the VPC position.
In a statement to The Journal, Griff said she decided to run after seeing students struggle with challenges such as food insecurity and disconnection from available resources.
“I’ve seen students struggle quietly with things like food insecurity, feeling disconnected, and not knowing what supports exist until it’s too late,” Griff said.
Currently serving as a master’s representative in her program, she said her role involves collecting feedback from students and advocating for their concerns through the graduate program committee.
If elected, Griff said she would focus on improving access to wellness supports and strengthening communication about SGPS programs.
“That includes clearer, more consistent outreach for food insecurity programming and other supports, using platforms students actually engage with,” she said.
She also hoped to expand opportunities for graduate and professional students to connect through community events and improve collaboration between SGPS and university services.
The candidates will face off in a debate on March 13 before the voting period from March 17 to March 18. A voting link will be sent to graduate students via SimplyVoting.
Corrections
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the last name of one of the candidates and referred to them as a PhD candidate when in fact they are a PhD student.
The Journal regrets the error
Tags
Election, SGPS, Simply Voting, VPC
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