It has been an “unprecedented” 2018-2019 University Student’s Council (USC) campaigning season and as the election approaches, Ocean Enbar, the presidential candidate for Team Ocean, shared some insight into their platform and discussed the experience of finishing the campaign without a vice presidential candidate.
Photo from Team Ocean
As this is the first time a USC presidential candidate has campaigned without a vice president, Enbar recognizes that the situation is unconventional.
“The situation is definitely unprecedented, and I like using that word because it is legitimately the way to describe it.”
Despite this unusual situation, the presidential candidate hopes to reassure students of his slate and platform.
“I really do want to ensure that students…that all of my priorities are legitimate and my motives for running are sincere in that I really do want to bring a lot of new experiences to students on our campus,” said Enbar.
Enbar shared his passion for trying to improve student life, giving his peer mentor credit for inspiring his involvement on campus.
“I got involved with the peer mentorship program due to my peer mentor and then realized how incredible it is to have an impact on campus,” said Enbar. “Now being a senator this year, a lot of the ideas that I have realized I want to bring need the USC executive in order to push them.”
Team Ocean’s platform touches on some controversial topics that are present on Western’s campus such as mental health and wellness. According to Enbar, he is most looking forward to being an advocate for continuing to grow mental health initiatives on campus.
“I think mental health is a huge issue on campus, and I’m looking forward to…advocating for the students, the administration, and further increase the resources available, as well as implementing the proactive approaches that we’ve outlined in the platform,” said Enbar.
Some of the approaches that Team Ocean plans to implement include increasing the presence of therapy dogs on campus, guided mindfulness sessions and stress reduction training.
Enbar explained his excitement toward his transportation accessibility plan, as outlined in Team Ocean’s platform.
“I am really looking forward, in terms of accessibility, to make sure that students have an affordable and accessible way to get from London to their home communities,” shared Enbar.
Enbar hopes the process will work to improve student accessibility by expanding current services provided by the university.
“Right now, Team Tobi has implemented a shuttle service to get from London to Pearson airport during exam season, and I want to develop that into a more frequent shuttle that will run in the same fashion,” explained Enbar.
Although some platform concepts are shared amongst both Team Ocean and the other USC presidential slate, Team PrattChang, Enbar has put forward some unique and innovative initiatives.
Enbar discussed a concept idea for the implementation and recognition of cryptocurrencies on Western’s campus.
“We can see that governments around the world, as well as Canada, are moving towards integrating and regulating this sort of realm and I think it’s important that…we stay innovative and progressive and keep up with the progression of our society,” explained Enbar.
Enbar admits that this campaigning season has been met with some challenges. Last week, Team Ocean’s vice presidential candidate, Rav Datta, stepped down, leaving Enbar to run on his own.
“I would have to say in terms of meetings with different groups on campus it has definitely been a little bit of a challenge,” said Enbar. “But I do want to stress, to every single group on campus that before I step into office, in the summer, I have a number of months to still consult and meet with the students and groups on campus.”
If nominated, Enbar hopes students will come forward and nominate themselves for the vice presidential spot. Although he did not comment on whether or not he has anyone in mind for the position currently, he did share his encouragement for a female candidate.
“I will be honest, I was really looking for a female candidate a year ago,” stated Enbar. “I think it’s important to have that appropriate representative for 56 percent of our campus at the end of the day.”
Enbar shared his admiration for the voting process and hopes to encourage students to vote.
“If you are interested in the ideas that we are bringing forward and you like what Team Ocean has to offer I think it’s very important to remember that the only way that that can be brought to campus is if you vote and we really do want to bring voter turnout,” said Enbar. “We encourage every single student reading this article to take 30 seconds to a minute on Monday and just click on the slate that they’re interested in.”
The election will be held on Monday, February 5 and Tuesday, February 6, 2018. Voting will take place online.
Related articles:
Want more HCW? Check us out on social media!