Maailah Blackwood
3rd Year
International Relations
21
What made you want to run for Senator at Large?
Senate is one of the most important decision-making bodies at Western and being an editor at the Gazette allowed me to take a closer look at Senate, as well as other types of student government. Too often I found myself or my colleagues reporting on decisions being made for students by Senate with little to no pushback. That’s what made me want to run, I’ve been following Senate closely, and at times I haven’t been too impressed with the actions of the administration. I know that as a senator I would be one that gets things done with a no-nonsense approach. Even just looking at people that have run for these positions year after year, I can’t help but roll my eyes at the fact it’s clearly a career move to add a few lines to their resumes. That’s not my goal, I just want to fight students the way I wish someone would fight for me.
What are you hoping to accomplish as Senator?
In a dream world I’m having lunch at the UCC and overhear a table beside me saying, “Did you know they added a syllabus database! It’s actually lit.” Just knowing I actually changed the day-to-day life of students that may not even follow Senate but feel the tangible results of my platform would be my dream accomplishment. My entire platform centres around making the lives’ of students more convenient and stress-free. It starts at a syllabus database but goes further into revamping OWL, adding more diverse courses, things that students want to see.
What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge as Senator?
It has to be making sure you are diligent in representing all students. Students are being vastly underrepresented and too often decisions are being made without their input. A common response I hear to that often is that getting student feedback is near impossible, but to me that’s not a good enough excuse. This is why one of my major platform points is increasing the student representation on Senate. The student population has grown exponentially over the years; however, the number of student representatives have stayed the same. This election has proved that students want to get involved, they want to get their voices heard, we need to make it easier for them to do so. More representation also means we can get more senators out there on campus reaching out to more students to overcome the obstacle of getting feedback.
How will your program and other experiences benefit you in your position?
International Relations is a hybrid program encompassing Political Science and History. This program is very participatory intensive. Going to senate meetings I’ve seen some senators rarely speak or share their opinion. Thanks to my program, I’ve learned the art of making sure my voice is heard without overpowering the discussion. Being an editor for the Gazette I’ve been following student government for two years now, so not only am I knowledgeable, I’m going to hit the ground running.
What is the best experience that you have had at Western?
Being at Western I’ve gone out and searched for every social and academic opportunity that came my way. In first year when my mom dropped me off, she said, “Never forget how much money you’re paying to come here. Not only are you buying an education, but an experience as well. Now it’s in your hands to go out and make the most of it.” The words of my mother have echoed in my head, and I have tried my best to take advantage of every opportunity I can. My favourite experience so far has been my experience being VP Communications of the Association for International Relations (AIR). In my role at VP Comms, I have worked closely with not only my executive team but with other community members(USC and faculty) to promote our existence on campus and our events. This has been rewarding because it has allowed me to provide amazing programming for our members while networking with community members.
Learn more about Maaliah and her goals here:
https://www.facebook.com/voteBlackwood/
And be sure to vote for Maaliah on February 13 and 14!
{photo cred: The Double Jay Collective}