Arya Razmjoo, a legal studies and communication major with a background in operations management, is running for WUSA president as the head of Waterloo United. Razmjoo’s main goal is to improve student life on campus by ensuring that WUSA prioritizes the mission of amplifying student voices. He plans to introduce a five year plan designed to pass vital reforms, stating, “I want to create fundamental change and a WUSA that is student centric.”
One of Razmjoo’s main goals is to launch an investigation into WUSA. He explained that WUSA is struggling to provide services in a timely manner, stating on his platform page that WUSA has “delayed reimbursements” and demonstrated a lack of transparency with the student body. Razmjoo explained that, “I emailed the dean of environment and got a three day response time but with WUSA it can take up to a month.”
In his campaign, Razmjoo is also advocating to bring back the Bombshelter Pub. He wants to mandate the reopening of the establishment by introducing a fresh business model, and aims to make sure that students have a vibrant social space that they can create lasting memories in. He expressed, “I want to create a campus culture where students feel at home and united.”
In accordance with Razmjoo’s goal of WUSA amplifying student voices, he wants to make sure WUSA plays a prominent role in orientation. “Members of the board need to be actively reaching out to the student body,” he said, stating that the early engagement will ensure that students know about WUSA and have a sense of community from the start.
Razmjoo hopes to push the university to reverse its policy on public information, referring to “the overarching guidelines guiding the university’s decision-making process.” He also mentioned how he wants class information publicly accessible to ensure transparency.
Razmjoo also explained his hope of creating an independent human resource department in WUSA. Though UW currently manages the employment and compensation of WUSA employees, Razmjoo said that “when the university is setting the salaries of WUSA employees it leads to understaffing and employees who are not getting paid enough.” The goal would be to gain control over the recruitment and management of staff within WUSA.
Regarding his platform goal of increasing funding for clubs, Razmjoo wants to create a presidential fund that is designated for clubs and student-run events. The presidential fund will be provided by WUSA. Razmjoo wants to make sure students have enough funding to turn their ideas into reality. He also aims to form a partnership between the Office of the President and student senators to ensure that senators are well-informed, ensuring that the concerns of the student body are heard and addressed. Razmjoo further explained how he wants to push for a stronger provincial lobbying branch, and work with external partners such as OUSA to advocate for policy changes that enhance the well-being of students.
Voting for the WUSA general elections opens at 12 a.m. on Feb. 12. Students can vote online at https://vote.wusa.ca.
