03/30/2022
Thank you to everyone who attended Democracy Night! Here is a recording of the event if you were unable to attend.
https://utoronto.zoom.us/rec/share/MG4O81Bj1W-W_NaGdHPMdfUPCV1IIfbInd4gII5HgDrEduCDHZy9YpuSOQmbmcFg.SS1KUwe-MxaFGxK8 Passcode: l!
Additionally, here are the answers to the Q&A from candidates who could not attend.
SOCIAL DIRECTORS:
1. Do you have any unique/new ideas in mind to carry through if you were to be elected?
YONA ANDERSON: New and fun ideas are honestly the only things I have for next year! As some of you may or may not know, I've had the pleasure in planning some of the coolest events in residents this year in the residence wide matchmaking scavenger hunt and the Comicon Day! Those were such a blast and so well received that I hope to bring more big events like that in the future where everyone just gets to have fun and enjoy themselves. Of course, I am always down to do lowkey, chill events as well. Again, as some of you may or may not know, I host the InnisTogether Cookbook Club where all we do there is just cook, chill, and chat. In the end, most importantly, I really want to host events that are engaging, inclusive, and won't make you regret choosing Innis as your college!
2. What events have you been to/plan to be at this year? What do you think we can learn from them for next year?
YONA ANDERSON: I've been to many of the IRC events this year, including the 2 major ones that I was involved in planning mentioned in the questions above. I am of course planning to go to both formals as well! One thing I think we can really improve for the future is the organizational skills in some of the events. As well, it is one of my main goals to really boost the engagement and attendance of small whippersnappers that will be joining us next year!
INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE:
1. How can you support and improve the international students' life inside Innis College and its community?
YI ZHONG: I respect all students from different cultures, and I would recommend hosting more cultural exchange activities for students to promote cultural diversity at Innis College.
MIKAEL GOUWTAMA: To improve international students’ lives inside Innis college and in the community, I plan to organize activities that would engage both incoming/new and current international Innis students. The ideas I have in mind would be to have a sort of mentee and mentoring program, pairing international students with fellow international students from the same countries or with local students. I also hope to be someone who can provide updated information about student associations from various countries at UofT. Additionally, if I were to be elected, I hope to plan an event where we can gather international students together for a “meal party” to taste foods from other countries, which hopefully could be reimbursed by UofT 🙂
CLUBS AND MERCHANDISE DIRECTOR:
1. Do you have any ideas for new merch as of yet? Like what items would you like to sell and have you considered any designs?
JAMIE YI: Some common ideas I had borrow heavily from existing merch that other colleges such as Trinity or St. Mike's sell at the UofT bookstore. These include items such as water bottles, mugs, and tote bags. As for other ideas that I'd like to see happen, I was thinking of baseball caps, socks, and shot glasses (I heard this was a popular product in years past). I also toyed around with ideas specifically tailored to Innis culture, such as DVD cases with the Innis logo on it (for all the movie buffs) and or an inspirational poster with our beloved principal, Charlie Keil on it. My plan for any designs so far are limited to the default Innis College logo and its wordmark. I plan on holding design competitions throughout the year so that the community would be able to contribute and choose what designs they like best.
2. Do you have any unique/new ideas in mind to carry through if you were to be elected?
JAMIE YI: I want to hold votes for what sort of merch to make and sell, as well as hold design competitions for graphics that will be printed on the merch. The Math Union did this a while back with their graphic hoodies and even offered prizes to participants. The idea was met with great success, and I want to replicate this with the wider Innis community. I also plan on starting up a general Innis Clubs Instagram page so newer students will have a central place to go to when they want to discover the wide breadth of clubs Innis has to offer. In addition, I'm thinking of starting a bi-weekly email newsletter detailing upcoming club events, new merch in stock, and any other news that I think would encourage Innisians to get active within the community.
OFF-CAMPUS REPRESENTATIVE:
1. What changes are you planning to bring about if you get elected?
VICTOR ZHENG: I plan on pressuring the ICSS to ensure that funding is evenly distributed for the proportion of Innis students who live off-campus. The vast majority or Innis students don't live on residence, so I think it's important that their voices are heard. I'll make sure to do community outreach at the Innis College building to see what commuters want to see happen at the ICSS. And I promise that if elected, I'll ensure that transparency is valued at the ICSS, so that every single cent that the society is given directly contributes to the well-being of Innis students. Far too often, it feels as though we don't know where our money is being spent, and I think this disproportionately affects commuters.
MADDY LOO: I plan to involve commuters in the planning process to ensure that the events organized are what commuters want, that way resources can be used in the most efficient way possible to fulfil the needs and interests of commuters. In the process, I also hope to create a more interactive relationship between commuters and the ICSS (specifically the off-campus function) through social media platforms that facilitate two-way communication.
ALICE LO: If elected, I will be inviting commuters to a budget meeting to see exactly what student fees are going to. This gives commuters a chance to speak directly about the events and hear how changes are being made. In addition, I will send out a semesterly survey to keep up with the general availability and interests of commuters.
2. What challenges do you anticipate catering for the needs of commuters and how do you plan on overcoming them?
VICTOR ZHENG: The biggest challenge I expect is that it will be hard to reach students who only come a few times a week to campus just for classes. I think the main method to address this issue is to run events that off-campus residents actually want to attend. I've been to numerous events where I've felt that I just didn't want to be there. But if commuters want to do something, then they'll show up. Another portion of the off-campus student body has never heard of the ICSS, but I'm sure these people care about the $60+ they spend yearly on the society. So, to address this, I think the main method to do so is in ensuring that we reach students when they are in their first-year. Getting the word out through email blasts in the Innis Insider program, during orientation, and by word of mouth will greatly improve the outlook of the society for years to come.
MADDY LOO: I believe it will be a challenge to increase the rate of engagement because there are so many commuters, all with very different schedules and plans. My plans to overcome this challenge are detailed below (question 3).
ALICE LO: As the current Off-Campus Representative, my biggest challenge has been choosing, purchasing, and distributing prizes. This may be a surprising answer, but I once spent 45 minutes in the UofT Bookstore trying to buy 10 gift cards and DoorDash had rejected all my credit cards. With these experiences, I now know to invest more time into ensuring that commuters get their awards and when possible, purchase prizes as soon as the event is approved.
3. Many commuters don’t live downtown and thus have stricter schedules. How do you plan on accommodating these commuters and increasing commuter participation in general?
VICTOR ZHENG: Yes! This is why I'm running! If elected, I'll fight for every cent that the ICSS expends. Commuters outnumber the number of residences at Innis—their voices should be heard. Regarding increasing commuter participation, it's all about running events that students want to attend. If you truly enjoyed the first event you went to, then you'll want to come again.
MADDY LOO: To accommodate those with strict schedules (which are most commuters), I think it is important to host a combination of different types of events that vary in terms of time and commitment (for example, small but frequent social events, or online events that can be easily and quickly accessed). This helps increase flexibility and provides greater options for commuters with a smaller availability window or very inconsistent timetables and will give everyone an opportunity to join events that fit their own unique schedule. In terms of increasing participation, it is key to understand what commuters want and to use that knowledge to steer event planning. Awareness is a large component of participation, so social networking platforms will also be important to notify commuters of different events and to encourage engagement.
ALICE LO: I will take on a hybrid approach to deliver events both in-person and online. This does not mean Zoom calls all the time!! Instead, Instagram poll contests and photo submission giveaways will continue so that commuters can participate whenever and wherever they are. This year, the Off-Campus Portfolio took on a "repost every two days" strategy, but with the recent Instagram giveaway, it appears that daily advertising is the best way to get commuter interest. Events are cross posted on Discord, Facebook and the ICSS official Instagram to gather the largest audience.
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