Nicole Maylor is a third year student who has a broad understanding of the issues and initiatives that take place on campus. She is currently running a campaign called Here for Us where she is running for the position of Vice President of Equity of the SFUO in collaboration with David Gakwerere who is running alongside her for President. We got together with Nicole to learn more about her and her goals for equity and equality on campus!
Ronnie: What are you studying and what made you decide to come to uOttawa?
Nicole: I’m in International Development and Globalization in the French Immersion stream. I decided to come to uOttawa to improve my French. Where I’m from, we just pretend to speak French, but don’t really explore the language properly. I love the language but I realized that the only way that I could improve my French would be to immerse myself in it while studying International Development!
Ronnie: How have you been involved on campus in the past?
Nicole: I’ve been involved with the campus in a couple of ways. In my first year, I joined a pop orchestra to continue playing the trombone like I did in my high school band. Unfortunately my career did not last too long. I also play intramural soccer and have been since my first year. I have been involved with the West Indian Community on campus, and I am also the Co-VP Fair Trade for Engineers Without Borders uOttawa for the past two years.
Ronnie: Tell us what your unique experience at uOttawa has taught you.
Nicole: My experience at uOttawa has taught me patience. Not only patience when waiting to get marks back, but to have patience with one another. I have learned so much from so many different people and I want to expand on that for the rest of my university experience.
Ronnie: Can you tell us three things that students don’t know about you?
Nicole:
1. I want to open up my own tea shop. One of my life goals is to travel the world, drink great tea, then come back and open up my own Fair Trade tea shop!
2. I love going on midnight walks. Especially since we’re in Ottawa, after midnight the city becomes quiet and it’s really nice to take a walk, clear my head, and avoid homework.
3. I can’t bake to save my life. No matter how hard I try and how much I watch the food network anything I make tastes like scrambled eggs.
Ronnie: Briefly tell us what your campaign is all about.
Nicole: Amongst other things, my campaign is all about equity through education. Often times, I believe that we forget that everyone is placed on a different scale of understanding especially when it comes to issues of equity that directly and indirectly affect people.
Ronnie: What are some of the changes you plan on making on campus in the future?
Nicole: I want to see equity work incorporated in every aspect of our campus. I want to be able to give every student a basic understanding of equity issues whether these issues affect us in our daily lives or not. I believe that solutions to equity issues are not about tolerance and merely putting up with someone else and their differences. It is also about understanding and educating people so that they can educate others on equity issues as well.
Ronnie: What do you think are the key issues surrounding this campus?
Nicole: Issues of the accessibility of French courses, not having enough gender neutral bathrooms, the understanding of rape culture, racism, accessibility etc. I think the idea here is that these issues need to be unmasked. There seems to be a stigma around talking about these issue with one side against another. As VP Equity of the SFUO I would want to create safe spaces for these issues where students can talk face to face. We have to remove the fear around discussing these issues and have discussions in controlled settings.
Ronnie: What is your vision for uOttawa as a whole?
Nicole: My vision is to achieve a level, as a campus, where everyone can pull together in times of need. While we have different views on issues and different levels of understanding, at the end of the day, we all wake up for 8:30 classes and we all study our lives away to get our diplomas. We might as well do it in good faith with one another and have a great undergraduate experience!
Ronnie: Where is your favorite spot around campus to go for a night out?
Nicole: I love Café Nostalgica! I love to study in their grad lounge, but for a night out I love the vibe, food, and shows that take place there. Besides that the obvious answer is 1848 on Toonie Tuesdays! I feel like every uOttawa student should at least experience one Toonie Tuesday in their time here!
Don’t forget to go out and vote on February 10, 11, and 12!