Vice-President Election Platforms

Candidate:

Noor ElShanawany

Executive Position:

VP Communications

Experience:

– Was the head of my high school’s MSA for 2 years, running events such as iftars and bakesales
– Media Co-Ordinator for the 2024 IAW for Carleton University
– Extensive experience handling cameras and editing videos/photos
– Involved in the media team for the MAC Eid festivals since 2019 helping in advertising and capturing the event through photos

Platform:

Overall Goals:
– Elevate the Instagram
     – We have talented photographers and videographers + editors so the posts and reels can be taken to another level (if these members choose to return)
– Want more to be captured
     – Feel as though the MSA right now is not showing a lot of the events that take place or the monthly recaps have stopped
    – Staying consistent with the monthly / event recaps and further ensuring that there are members who can come take photos of the events taking place on campus
– Stick to a color theme or a general theme throughout the instaram to make it look more put together and neater (something like how IAW sticks to a color theme throughout their posts + graphics)
     – Would only apply to posts that have an intro slide or a graphic to start off
     – General recaps and photo posts won’t be included unless it has a graphic

Overall, taking what the current VP Comms has set in place and just adding the following ideas + focusing on the above points to elevate the overall coverage of the MSA on social media and showing people a little more about what the MSA accomplished throughout the year

VP intros
Each exec + president of MSA will get their own post
     – Professional looking headshots of each member
     – States their name / What they are studying (first slide)
     – Can choose their favorite ayah (first slide)
     – States their position + portfolio / position overview
     – Their tasks and responsibilities

End of year video
Netflix show type idea that’s a recap of the entire MSA year
Showing all the VPs (interview style)
     – What were they the most nervous for / excited for
     – Goals
     – Something small that they wanna share
     – What they were most proud of ( general or from their committee)
     – Advice for future VPs
Clips of the years (videos + photos)
     – The video would have an intro of someone “clicking” on the end of year video. It would then start off with some interviews but have the clips of the VPs talking switching alongside videos and photos of the MSA year.

Event Recaps
     – Photobooth dumps for bigger events
     – Collage of photos to showcase bigger events
     – Monthly dumps -> collages of events per slides
     – Yearly story recaps

MSA yearbook
     – Could gather up a team / funds to create an MSA yearbook filled with all the memories
     – Gives the graduating students + people in general to get it signed and have a book to look back on for all MSA events

Candidate:

Muhammad Hasan Suriya

Executive Position:

VP External

Experience:

– IAW 2024 Finance Director
– MSA 2023/2024 Executive Coordinator
– MSA 2023/2024 Masjid Coordinator
– MSA 2022/2024 Council Member (Services, Finance, External)

Platform:

A significant challenge has been how masjid’s have been hesitant in supporting us with their resources, this stems from the current disconnect between MSA volunteers and the operations of Ottawa’s mosques. To address this, I plan to establish early summer communication with the UMOOG and attend their monthly meetings. This approach will allow the External Committee to understand the mosques’ needs, allowing us to support them by their promoting volunteering opportunities and their events, in-turn them assisting with resources and connections.

Another issue has been the lack of events organized by the External Committee. To rectify this, I would implement two things the first being increasing collaboration with other council members, particularly from the Services and Student Life committees. This collaboration would involve external coordinators or members taking leadership roles in both event planning and execution, leveraging the strengths and resources of each committee. The second would be to delegate up the current and new external members into subcommittees, this would be done with the aim to provide more organization and focus on the specific tasks and responsibilities of each subcommittee.

Key Events and Initiatives:
– Islamic Heritage Month: Assemble a team of volunteers from various committees to coordinator atleast a 3-day intensive on the historical and current dynamics of the Ummah and a day dedicated to exploring and celebrating Islamic heritage and values.
– Charity Week and Auction Dinner: Work alongside IRCU to hold events in the last week of October to advocate and fundraise for the Orphan Sponsorship Program that Islamic Relief holds.
– External Social Events: Collaborate with the Student Life committee to organize a variety of off-campus events, expanding on the events held in the past such as the ski trips and paintball.

Another place for some improvement is advocacy, particularly promoting awareness around significant events and new charities that are focused on helping the Muslims around the world.

Current Initiatives:
– Green Square Campaign: This initiative aims to raise awareness of the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting and conduct workshops with NCCM on combating Islamophobia in Canada.
– Spot Project: Establishing contact with the Spot Project to raise awareness about the challenges faced by youth in Gambia, expanding our scope of advocacy and international solidarity.
– Nisa Homes: Raising awareness and fundraising for their goal of providing sanctuary to muslim women and children, who are facing domestic violence, and homelessness.

As the MSA Membership would fall under External, I would aim to introduce new opportunities that would be advantageous to both students and local businesses.

Candidate:

Hamza Mahammud

Executive Position:

VP Finance

Experience:

Academic Foundation
– Pursuing a major in accounting, providing a solid academic background in finance and money management
– Knowledge of accounting principles and financial analysis which are critical for overseeing budgeting and financial planning.

Practical Experience
– Gained exposure to the financial workings of the MSA as a Finance committee member last year

High School Student Council Member
– Assisted in organizing school wide events and overseeing fundraiser finances under teacher guidance

Platform:

Assalaamu Alaikum CU-MSA members

I am excited to outline my goals and objectives as a candidate for Vice President Finance. My commitment is to ensure clarity, accountability, and impactful fundraising for our association for the upcoming year and future years.

Clear and Accountable:
I aim to manage our funds alongside my committee with full transparency, providing regular and comprehensive financial reports. That way, our people will always know where each penny is going. The trust given to us by the community has to be upheld and treated as a priority.

Impactful Fundraising:
I plan to keep up with the fundraising activities we all love and expect, such as the annual BBQs and Krispy Kreme fundraisers, sports events, and bake sales. These successful fundraising events have become a tradition within the MSA so it would be my duty to continue them.

Financial Education:
In order to offer valuable knowledge regarding finance in islam, the annual finance lectures that have been a hit in the past will be continued. However, I don’t plan to only stop there, as there are many aspects of finance that we as students can learn and those weekend lectures would not be enough to cover all. I intend on also holding other mini lectures and workshops throughout the year catered to specific topics that would interest a student.

Committee Engagement
In order to allow each member to have the opportunity to contribute, I would spread out tasks and roles for the different events we plan to hold. No one would be excluded as we would be a team helping each other wherever we are lacking and help lift each other.

By electing me as your Vice President, I will do my utmost best to fulfill the duties entrusted to me, knowing that the All-Seeing is always watching over us.

Jazaakumullahu Khairan

Candidate:

Hassan Kaleem

Executive Position:

VP Finance

Experience:

2021-2022 CUMSA term:
– External Committee Member

2022-2023 CUMSA term:
– External Committee Member
– Special Events Coordinator (External)
– External Vice President

2023-2024 CUMSA term:
– Social Media Coordinator (Communications)
– Ramadan Finance Coordinator (Services)

Other Notable Positions with Relevancy:
– Community Engagement Intern with the National Council of Canadian Muslims (Summer 2023)

Platform:

Peace be upon you

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

First and foremost, I recognize that the responsibilities of the VPF are significant, and is essentially the backbone of the MSA. I believe I am a strong fit for this role, not only based on my experience, but with the ideas that I intend to implement, which have been listed below:

Sponsorship Acquisition:
• I plan to renew sponsorship contracts with organizations we have worked with in the 2023-2024 CUMSA term, Islamic Relief Canada and Human Concern International
• I intend to work alongside the future VPE to re-establish a relationship between the CUMSA and IDRF (a sponsor we had years prior)
• I plan to build symbiotic relationships with One Ummah and Spot Project, two UK-based charities willing to expand in Canada, for the purpose of sponsorships
• To follow up on the introduction of the Islamic Relief Orphan Sponsorship Program to the CUMSA, I plan to accomplish the successful sponsorship of three orphans throughout the academic year, which comes down to a total of $3180 to be fundraised ($1060 per orphan)

Fundraising:
• Since I intend to acquire significantly more sponsors for the next academic year, the CUMSA will need to facilitate more fundraising events in order to uphold the multiple contracts
• I intend to work closely with the future fundraising coordinator to hold significantly more fundraising events at our Friday prayers
• I intend to work closely with the future fundraising coordinator and other committees (SL, External, etc) to hold a variety of events in which funds collected will be going towards fundraising causes

New Initiative – MSA Scholarship:
• I intend to introduce a scholarship initiative for which MSA members will have a chance to receive a $500 scholarship each semester by submitting an application which includes writing an 750-word essay on a specific topic related to Islam

New Initiative – Helping Hand:
• I intend to create a framework for the Helping Hand initiative, an initiative in which the CUMSA will collaborate with uOMSA and ACMSA to acquire a lump sum of funding, which will be administered and distributed to post-secondary Muslim students and recent graduates in financial need around Ottawa on an application basis
• As this is set to be a milestone initiative, I plan to consult with the future executive teams of the CUMSA, uOMSA, and ACMSA, as well as numerous community leaders, to ensure the success of this project

Financial Literacy Programming:
• To follow up on the progress of our former VPFs, I plan to facilitate a bi-weekly online class held by Khaled Sultan, senior wealth advisor with CIBC, as such event has been highly requested from our MSA members
• I will also work closely with the future VPE to potentially plan a large-scale event on Islamic financial literacy with experts in the field

Committee Engagement:
• As effectively engaging the committee has been a struggle for years, I plan to increase volunteer retention in the committee through regular trainings of the volunteers, routine meetings with the entire committee, and allowing coordinators/volunteers to work on projects they’d like to see accomplished without the use of micromanaging

Amongst these ideas that are visible on my platform, there are other significant responsibilities of a VPF including, and not limited to, ensuring transparency of the MSA’s finances through an annual statement, the release of CUMSA merchandise for the general public, and assigning budgets towards each of the MSA’s activities. However, I do understand these duties of the VPF are standard and, therefore, details have not been provided on these matters.

Despite being highly committed to the implementation of each idea I have presented, I understand that their outcomes are dependent on Allah’s will. It is important to understand that I also avoid making definite promises, recognizing that final results are divinely decreed.

Candidate:

Suhayb Nummer

Executive Position:

VP Internal

Experience:

– 2023-2024 Prayer Coordinator for Services
– 2022-2023 Fundraising Coordinator for Finance
– Quran teacher 

Platform:

In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the especially merciful with the believers.

The following will outline my platform for the VP Internal position for the 2024-2025 year.

1. Being available for all members to offer advice and support on what issues they are facing and suggestions they have for the MSA. This will be done through the anonymous feedback forms as well as meetings that can be scheduled with me in person for more serious matters such as conflict between members. This will create a space where feedback is constantly pooled into the MSA, and I can directly share this with the team in hopes of implementing it. It will also provide a space for conflict resolution.

2. I would like to revisit how council meetings are conducted. Instead of quick updates from each commite I belive something more concrete and beneficial needs to be done. Firstly, I would like to incorporate a Tarbiyyah element in each meeting. This can be a short reminder or a talk up to 30 minutes where topics such as sincerity, dawah, community work, intentions, balance, working in a team, and more can be discussed. I have specific books in mind that we can cover as well that roam around these topics that would be beneficial for all members involved with working for the muslim community. Secondly when updates are shared from each committee I want everyone to share ideas and suggestions.

3. For volunteer applications it will be my role to ensure the best are selected for each role. The Quran teaches us to be excellent in our work and assign those who are best at something to that specific task or role. We learn this from the prophet peace be upon him as well where he designated certain companions for specific roles they are best at. I want to seek people with talents and channel that effectively to have strong teams that work together. This is something that will continue throughout the whole year as we build a strong team for the coming years as well.

4. I will work with the president in updating the guidebook, which is a document that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the coordinators and Execs. This document should be as detailed as possible so that there is no confusion on whether or not someone is doing their job. Monthly or biweekly check ins with each exec will be done to see if they are on the right track and to give them advice and feedback. This will also be an opportunity for the execs to raise any concerns or request help.

5. During the exec meetings, I would like to start off the meetings with a verse from the Quran related to dawah and community work along with its tafsir and lessons we can extract from it. I hope this will give us a more complete understanding of why we are doing this work, and that we are certain to face difficulty and hardship. The exec meeting should be where we really iron out all the feedback received and work to advice each other and plan out the next month and major decisions. This is were I belive all Execs should get familiar with what their brothers and sisters are working on and offer support if needed.

These are the main 5 points I will aim to work on if I were to be elected VP Internal. I ask Allah to grant us sincerity and to make the team successful and make the year fruitful and rewarding for all the members and the mulslim community at large.

Candidate:

Nilab Akbari

Executive Position:

VP Internal

Experience:

Last Year:
– Student Life’s Committee Member for Carleton University Muslim Student Association (CU-MSA)
– Volunteer with Islam Awareness Week (IAW)
– Member of Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA)’s Womxn Center
– Member of Carleton’s Mechanical and Aerospace Society (CMAS)
– Member of Carleton Student Engineering Society (CSES)

This Year:
– Vice President-Internal for Carleton University Muslim Student Association (CU-MSA)
– Volunteer with Islam Awareness Week (IAW)
– Events Coordinator with Carleton Afghan Student Association (CASA)
– Volunteer with Engineering Orientation Week (EngFrosh)
– Member of Carleton’s Mechanical and Aerospace Society (CMAS)
– Member of Carleton Women in Engineering (WiE)
– Member of Carleton Student Engineering Society (CSES)
– Carleton University’s delegate at the Conference on Advocacy and Leadership in Engineering 2024 (CALE)

Platform:

Assalam Alakium Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

If re-elected as VP-Internal of CU-MSA, my goal is to enhance internal operations and improve the member experience. Building upon the successes of my previous term and incorporating valuable feedback from my work as VP-Internal, I aim to implement the following initiatives in the upcoming term:

Comprehensive Training Programs:
– Conducting specialized training sessions for the executive team and coordinators to enhance their skills and knowledge.
– Introducing leadership seminars and courses to promote personal and professional development, with a certificate of completion for participants.

Communication and Feedback:
– Having regular check-ins with the executive team to ensure their well-being, track progress, and address any challenges they may face.
– Establishing a structured feedback circle for the executive team each term to evaluate performance and identify areas for improvement.

Council Meeting Engagement:
– Initiating a mini-competition among committees to encourage attendance of their members at council meetings, fostering a healthy spirit of engagement and participation.
– Facilitating member input on meeting topics and speakers to ensure that council discussions remain relevant and of interest to the membership.

Streamlined Operations and Resource Optimization:
– Collaborating with the president to clarify and optimize the executive coordinator role so they can better assist the president in their duties and responsibilities.
– Reviewing and refining the MSA Guidebook to streamline coordinator roles, emphasizing multifaceted responsibilities and eliminating redundant tasks, while also creating new coordinator positions to facilitate efficient task delegation and prevent burnout.

Efficient Recruitment and Selection Process:
– Establishing a dedicated hiring panel for a fast and efficient coordinator recruitment process, ensuring that talent and expertise are recognized and deserving individuals secure positions.
– Implementing capacity limits for committee members in each committee to enhance team dynamics and encourage members to effectively fulfill their responsibilities.

Organizational Culture:
– Arranging team-building activities for coordinators and the executive team to foster stronger bonds and promote camaraderie.
– Expanding the Internal Coordinator’s responsibilities to include assistance with new applications, thereby optimizing efficiency in membership management.

Performance Evaluation and Accountability:
– Introducing semesterly performance reviews for the executive team, providing constructive feedback and recognition for their contributions.
– Enhancing coordinator and committee member contracts to include minimum commitment hours, ensuring accountability and dedication to assigned roles.

Strategic Expansion and Development:
– Adding an additional coordinator to the internal team to oversee the paid-membership aspect, further developing initiatives to enhance member benefits and engagement.
– Collaborating on the refinement and implementation of paid-membership ideas to strengthen connections between members and external Muslim businesses.

Through these initiatives, I am committed to fostering a dynamic and inclusive environment within the CU-MSA, where each member can thrive and contribute meaningfully to our shared goals.

Candidate:

Yomna Alhalawani

Executive Position:

VP Internal

Experience:

CUMSA and IAW:
– IAW Planning Team – Training Director (2023-2024)
– Services Committee Member (2023-2024)
– IAW Planning Team – Booth Leader (2023)
– IAW Volunteer (2022)
– Student Life committee Member (2022-2023)

MAC (Muslim Association of Canada):
– Day Camp Volunteer (2023-present)
– Summer Camp Leader – Counselor A. (2023)
– Summer Camp Counselor (2022)

HMA (High Schools Muslim Association):
– Director of Marketing and Communications (2023-present)

Highschool:
– LDHSS MSA co-president (2022)

Platform:

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious and the most Merciful,

Asalam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh,

If elected as VP Internal, by the will of Allah, I aim to fulfill the responsibilities of the VP Internal effectively through focusing on the following areas and contribute to the overall success and cohesion of the MSA, while ensuring the overall well-being of the MSA VPs, committee and general members in sha Allah:

Implement: Council Trainings for MSA members through the council meetings:
– Utilize council meetings as platforms for leadership training and Islamic knowledge enhancement not only for council members but students across campus:
     – Have a series of “training sessions”/workshops that are on-going for the whole year through the council meetings in sha Allah.
     – To better prepare and train our future VPs and our current MSA members and make sure they are provided with the resources and knowledge required to work in a team and in general.
– Collaborate with other committees to provide relevant and meaningful training sessions or halaqa serieses for MSA members and Carleton students.
– Bring in knowledgeable speakers to conduct workshops on teamwork and communication skills for the VP team and all committee members.

Implement: Committee Specific Trainings:
– Apart from the mandatory council meetings, I intend to, in sha Allah, have optional leadership and communication training specific to each committee.
     – Example: Communications committee members will receive media and communication training (perhaps implemented in their committee meetings) and so on.
– Depending on which committee it is and the VP and the members’ preferences, these sessions might be implemented in either the committee meetings or be separate.

Administrative and Equity Committee Member (Chair):
– Ensure smooth coordination across all VPs and committee members within the MSA.
– Facilitate communication channels between committees for effective collaboration through allowing them to get to know each other, understand what each committee does so they can collaborate on events and initiatives together comfortably and meaningfully in sha Allah.
– Organize regular check-ins to ensure the well-being of members in the MSA (collaboration with the President’s MSA office hours idea).

Constitutional oversight including initiatives and events in accordance to our Islamic Values:
– Oversee events and the goals behind initiatives in the MSA to ensure events align with the Association’s objectives and our Islamic values. Make sure everything is done for the sake of Allah, following the Islamic rules.
– Ensure that all activities and decisions within the MSA align with Islamic values and principles.

Volunteer Management:
– Manage volunteer applications and allocate responsibilities effectively among committee members and make sure they understand what their committee does and what their responsibilities are.
– Ensure distribution of workload across committee members and encourage VPs to delegate work and feel comfortable working in a team.
– Provide volunteers with training through the council meetings and other training and resources which would help them fulfill their roles and make sure they are comfortable in sha Allah.

I understand the importance of the VP internal in ensuring all committee members are welcome, and have the resources capable of making them do their work in the best way possible and I will try my best to assist them in this in sha Allah.

Candidate:

Ahmad Massalkhi

Executive Position:

VP Services

Experience:

– 2023/2024 CUMSA Council Member (Services)
– 2024 Ramadan Coordinator (Services)
– 2024 IAW Floor Plan
– 2023/2024 OIC Mosque Events Coordinator

Platform:

In the name of Allah the most gracious the most merciful.

I would like to first acknowledge the Algonquin nation whose traditional and unceded territory we are gathered upon today.

If elected as VP Services, by the will of Allah, I aim to do my best in assessing the needs of the Muslim body on campus and ensure that the services provided by the Carleton MSA are maintained and improved upon to the best of my ability.

Musallah maintenance:
– hold scheduled bi-weekly musallah cleaning (vacuuming, wudu area cleaning, storage cleaning, etc.)
– Maintaining the Paterson musallah (possibility of finding something bigger)
– Creating a budget for cleaning supplies (monthly)

Friday prayers:
– Ensure a cleaning of the carpets (1-2 per semester)
– Providing a khatib training to encourage and teach the younger generation to learn and teach Islam (Connect the youth with masjid, shayookh, Dawah centers as well to get them situated)
– Looking into having more knowledgeable people give a khutba (once a week)
– Looking into the sound system problems (getting a new mic)

Halaqa:
– Provide by-weekly halaqas for all levels (beginners to more knowledgeable)
– The true meaning of Jihad
– Miracles of the Quran
– Prophet’s wives
– Providing a bigger variety of topics and getting different people of knowledge
– Collaborate with different MSA’s to bring back intensive programs (whole weekend lesson)
– Basics (pillars of Islam, pillars of Iman, how to pray, wudu, etc.)
– Collaborate with external regarding the bigger events of the year (Islamic heritage month, charity week, Green square campaign, Black history month, etc.)

Dawah:
– Creating a dawah sub-committee
– Weekly or Bi-weekly dawah stand
– Ensuring the preparation of an educated and prepared team (trainings, lessons, etc.)
– Revert program (group chat):
– Place to chitchat
– Will have contact of people of knowledge to ask questions
– Provide one on one lessons on the basics of Islam

Candidate:

Salma Khai

Executive Position:

VP Services

Experience:

Joining the Muslim Students Association (MSA) has been a transformative experience. It opened my eyes to the vital importance of a thriving and supportive Muslim community on campus. This realization has ignited a passion within me to not only contribute to the MSA’s legacy during my remaining university years, but also to ensure its continued success long after I graduate.

My time at the MSA has been richly rewarding. I’ve forged strong bonds with fellow members, both on the team and those who participate in our events. Through these interactions, I’ve learned the true power of listening and translating words into action. I possess excellent interpersonal skills and an unwavering determination to be a leader who gets things done.

Throughout my youth, I’ve actively volunteered within local mosques. My most notable accomplishment was organizing, coordinating, and supervising a children’s cooking class. This experience, along with my extensive teamwork and people management skills honed outside of Islamic settings, demonstrates my ability to manage diverse teams and thrive under pressure. I have a proven track record of successfully managing backstage operations for various events, showcasing my patience and problem-solving abilities – crucial skills for effectively serving any community. Furthermore, I possess a keen understanding of the needs and aspirations of a community, and I’m passionate about translating those aspirations into reality.

Within the MSA, I have served as the right-hand to the previous Vice President of Services. I consistently demonstrated my dedication by actively participating in every assigned task, contributing meaningfully in meetings, proposing innovative ideas, and fully immersing myself in the process of bringing those ideas to fruition.

Platform:

The Services team has undeniably excelled in leading halaqas, congregational prayers, and organizing events. While their dedication is commendable, I believe there’s an opportunity to further elevate the quality and consistency of our services.

Here’s a proposed framework to achieve this:

Streamlined Structure: By establishing dedicated teams with specific responsibilities, we can ensure consistent execution of tasks on a pre-defined schedule. This will foster a sense of ownership and accountability within the Services team.

Enhanced Communication: Regular, pre-scheduled bi-weekly meetings will mirror the structure of council meetings. This will create a platform for open communication, allowing teams to address challenges, share best practices, and ensure a smooth flow of information.

Friday Jummuah:

Sisters’ Entrance and Exit: We can explore implementing a physical solution to optimize the flow of traffic for sisters entering and exiting the prayer space.
Bag Organization: Implementing a well-organized system for bag storage will enhance the overall experience.

Khateeb Development: Inspired by the IAW training model, I propose a “Khateeb Workshop” led by esteemed Imams from Ottawa mosques. This will help cultivate a pool of student speakers and ensure consistently high-quality khutbahs.

Musallah Enhancements:

Cleaning Supplies: Securing better cleaning equipment and resources will contribute to a cleaner and more inviting prayer space.

Accessibility: We should strive to make the musallah fully handicap-friendly, allowing everyone to participate comfortably.

Sister’s Ablution Area: Addressing the privacy concerns regarding the double doors is crucial.

Divider Improvement: We can explore solutions to improve the structure and clarity of the divider between prayer spaces.

By prioritizing these enhancements, we can create a more enriching, well-organized, and inclusive experience for all members of the MSA. This investment in improved services will ultimately strengthen the foundation upon which our community thrives.

Candidate:

Marium Syed

Executive Position:

VP Student Life

Experience:

CUMSA Committee Member (2022–Present)
– I have been an active member of the CUMSA for the past two years. Primarily, I have been significantly engaged with the Student Life committee. I have helped carry out almost every single event planned by SL during these past two years. As such, I have a good idea of the effort, planning, and organization that occurs behind the scenes for each event.
– Ramadan coordinator

IAW Planning Team (2023–2024)
– I have also been active during IAW. This year, I was granted the responsibility of being a booth leader. My role consisted of managing volunteers including, holding meetings, overseeing the progress of each poster, as well as coordinating a booth video and bake sale.

Community involvement:
– I have plenty of experience working with organizations such as, Islamic Relief, IDRF, NCCM, and similar entities in carrying out events and programs. My responsibilities have included assisting with various operational tasks. 

Platform:

بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

If elected as Vice President Student Life, I will fulfill my role to the best of my abilities, providing a welcoming space and platform for spiritual and social programs for Muslim students on campus through engaging events and initiatives. With the guidance of Allah, I am committed to upholding Islamic principles and the values of the MSA.

If elected, my goals are the following:

Increased Student Engagement:
– To increase engagement, by organizing a diverse array of events. Among these are consistent sports tournaments, Masajid sleepovers, Qiyaam, brunches, picnics, hikes, trivia and game nights, painting sessions, movie nights, and our traditional multicultural coffeehouse. This variety will ensure that there’s something for everyone.
– Feedback forms: To establish a year-round feedback form, aimed at gathering community input on event preferences and ideas for new initiatives.
– To work closely and in a timely manner with the communications committee to ensure events and socials are advertised in advance.

New and Fresh events:
– To incorporate a multitude of new events alongside popular ones from previous years. Examples include a back-to-school bonfire and halaqa, sisters’ brunch, skate nights, brothers’ late-night soccer tournaments, Eid Al-Adha event, as well as socials for both brothers and sisters throughout the year.

Committee Structure:
– To organize intake meetings to grasp Student Life committee members’ interests and their intended level of involvement. By understanding their preferences and getting to know each member, I would gain a better understanding of the types of events and programs they are interested in planning, allowing for effective coordination throughout the year.
– To ensure that all events and programs put forward by the Student Life committee are in accordance with Islamic guidelines
– To ensure timely selection of coordinators well in advance, accounting for events held immediately at the start of the school year, including MSA frosh/101-week events. Additionally, discuss and outline the rough schedule of events for the year to provide clear direction prior to the start of the 2024/2025 academic year.
– In shaa Allah, the coordinator positions would include, Brothers coordinator, Sisters coordinator, Special events coordinator

Continued Collaboration
– To continue working on inter-committee efforts, including halaqa socials.
– To continue working in collaboration with other MSA’s, including UOMSA, and ACMSA.
– To continue to hold programs with local masajid, including sleepovers and Qiyaam.

JazakAllahu Khairun.

Candidate:

Sohaila Haroun

Executive Position:

VP Student Life

Experience:

2021-2023 – Merivale HS MSA Co-President
2022-2023 – High School Muslim Association Co-Founder and Executive
2023-2024 – IAW Program Director
2023-2024 – CUMSA Committee member

Platform:

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatu Allahi wa Barakatuh,

As Vice President of the Student Life committee my biggest objective would be to improve students’ lives by focusing on meeting their needs for this life and the next.

This would be by making events more purposeful where students would be able to get their needed dose of social interactions and activity throughout the year while staying within the bounds that Allah has given us and having an Islamic approach to the events that would allow for students to earn good deeds while having fun. This can be done by outlining clear goals of the event while planning, and reiterating for people to renew their intentions when starting the event. Examples of this can be seen from events I planned as IAW program director, more particularly like the IAW Fast-athon and the Prophet’s game night.

I would also have a bigger focus on listening to students’ needs throughout the year by implementing a feedback form (or other method) that would allow for changes to be seen more directly after input from MSA members. An example could be the fact that sisters are not usually comfortable attending events on campus that end late, so I would put an effort in having events that end earlier and seeing other available times that work with the target audience. Another example could be related to the types of events that students want to see more or less of, by coordinating closely with the Sisters Events coordinator and Brothers Events coordinator, we can cater events to all students’ wants and needs throughout the year and make sure everyone has an event that they will enjoy attending.

I acknowledge the importance of this role as it is essential for students to feel welcomed by the MSA to be able to make use of the services it has to offer and to help integrate them into a muslim community on campus. Events like the frosh weeks help students make good muslim friends and serve as the first step for many students to become more firm in their religion, especially in the university environment where it is not always easy to do so. Other events, throughout the year, allow for maintenance and strengthening of the brotherhood and sisterhood between muslim students on campus and serve as a check in with students who might otherwise not have other interactions with the community. By taking a balanced approach to event planning, I will ensure as VP Student Life that students not only have fun within the bounds of Islam, but also have fun while striving closer to their deen.

Jazakumu Allahu Khairan

My objectives more concisely:
– Make events more purposeful and intentional
– Diversifying events
– Be the first welcoming step for Muslims to the MSA
– Allow students to gain knowledge in engaging and entertaining ways
– To be the bridge for students to make good Muslim friendships and build kinship
– Increase community engagement
– Increase collaborations with organizations and MSAs
– Implement feedback forms before and after events
– Continuous and inclusive coordination