Soon Osgoode will be abuzz with the L&L spring elections. You’ll hear candidates making their best pitch as to why they should represent the student body; you’ll see posters of candidates around the building; you’ll be diligently watching the all-candidates debate (which is probably even more popular than the US presidential debate). You may be wondering to yourself now whether you should throw your hat in the ring. The answer is yes!
Here are the positions up for grabs:
- President
- Vice-president internal
- Vice-president external
- Treasurer
- Social convener
- Secretary
- Equity officer
- Second year representative
- Third year representative
Here’s the inside scoop from some of the incumbents.
How would you describe your position?
Genevieve (President): Being president is really acting as a liaison between York, Osgoode administration, L&L executive, and the student body as a whole. I do more of the big picture stuff, ensuring that any student-run events comply with York’s liability rules, that administration is up to date with the events put on by the student body, and that the student body is up to date with administration policies. I also sit on various Osgoode and York committees.
Rachael (Vice-President Internal): VP Internal ensures that L&L as an organization runs well. That might mean stepping into a meeting when the President is unavailable or supporting the 1L reps as they learn “how to law school” while simultaneously advocating for their sections. This is an active role with few proactive commitments. Aside from raising money for the Access to Legal Education Fund and running legalandlit.ca, this role does not have any projects. Mostly, it is about being available to the rest of the executive and the student body to solve issues, answer questions, and help in any way needed.
Ashley (Vice-President External): The VPX is in charge of all of the clubs and other organizations affiliated with L&L. This extends to the office spaces occupied by clubs, any A/V or other service requests, club funding, and general support.
Shvata (Secretary): This position is responsible for all communications with the Osgoode Student Body, including emails about administrative matters and the newsletter, which keeps everyone up to date about all the fun and exciting events. This role also includes taking meeting minutes for L&L’s transparency, and organizing meeting agendas to ensure that all matters are heard.
Alannah (Equity Officer): This position has 2 primary sets of responsibilities: (1) planning equity-focused L&L events (Mental Health and Diversity Weeks); and (2) listening and responding to student input on equity-related concerns.
Aiishwariya (Second Year Representative): Being 2L rep is not just about making sure that the 2Ls have an amazing year. It is also about fostering Osgoode spirit and a sense of community amongst the rest of the study body. In addition to planning L&L events and acting as a liaison for 2Ls, the 2L representative designs and organizes the distribution of the Osgoode Agendas, coordinates with the York Bookstore to hold clothing sales, and creates a Yearbook for 3Ls that commemorates their Osgoode experience.
What qualities do you think are necessary for a candidate running for your position?
Genevieve (President): A good president has to be friendly because you deal with a lot of people and often act as the face of Osgoode students. You also have to be organized to be on top of your meetings and concerns because, unlike school, if you neglect an issue it impacts more people than just yourself. Finally, a good president should set clear boundaries. Otherwise you can be inundated with questions and requests from all sorts of people around the school and it becomes overwhelming.
Rachael (Vice-President Internal): Good qualities in a VPI are approachability, empathy, and availability. Many people rely on the VPI to answer questions quickly, at any time of day or night. “I don’t know” is never the answer. It’s important to know how the school and L&L operate––or at least know who to ask. Must be a people person!
Ashley (Vice-President External): I believe a good VPX needs to be proactive, resilient, and have good communication skills. You need to be proactive in anticipating the needs of student clubs to help set up resources early on in the school year. You need to be resilient because no club will ever be completely satisfied to operate within our budget constraints, but you’ll need to carry on with your day anyways. Finally, you need to have good communication skills to effectively convey your message to a wide audience.
Shvata (Secretary): A good secretary must be patient as many students have relevant questions and our job is to make sure that they get the answers they desire to the best of L&L’s ability. You must also be creative with how you communicate our messages so that the students can resonate with us, since our service is for them.
Alannah (Equity Officer): Someone who is a good listener, who isn’t afraid to discuss sensitive or novel issues, and who is eager to collaborate with other student groups.
Aiishwariya (Second Year Representative): Since many of the responsibilities associated with the 2L representative position consist of event planning and designing, I think that it’s important for a 2L rep to be creative and organized. Since 2L reps are also a representative of their entire year, I think that confidence and approachability are also important qualities needed for this role.
What was your favourite part about holding your position this school year?
Genevieve (President): My favourite part of being president was the platform to form new relationships with students of all years, and with administration and the alumni board. President is a unique position in that way and I will cherish these relationships after we graduate!
Rachael (Vice-President Internal): My favourite part about being VPI has been participating in various committees and working groups to be the bridge between students and faculty.
Ashley (Vice-President External): In this role, I had the opportunity to meet different people who had the desire to enhance student life, and to attend different events that I normally wouldn’t have attended otherwise. These opportunities were what I enjoyed most about being VPX.
Shvata (Secretary): My favourite part about being secretary has been getting the chance to connect with the Osgoode community on such a broad scale. People come up to me and compliment my creative efforts and constantly appreciate my weekly jokes. It’s nice knowing that I’ve made a positive impact in 1 way or another.
Alannah (Equity Officer): Ensuring that equity-seeking clubs are able to have a presence at L&L meetings and have their insights help shape the decision-making process.
Aiishwariya (Second Year Representative): I have honestly enjoyed every aspect of my role this year. I love designing things on Photoshop so making the Agenda and Yearbook covers have been a great distraction from schoolwork. Also, as much as planning the 2L Informal Formal is stressing me out, I am so excited to see how it all comes together.
The time has come for each of us on L&L to pass the torch or, for some, stand up to the challenge of winning another election. I hope that every race is a contested one so that the student body is truly represented by the people that Osgoode believes should represent them. Good luck to all candidates!
Please reach out to our current L&L executive if you have any questions about any of the positions:
- President (Genevieve Giesbrecht) – president@legalandlit.ca;
- Vice-President Internal (Rachael Glassman) – vpinternal@legalandlit.ca;
- Vice-President External (Ashley Jung) – vpexternal@legalandlit.ca;
- Treasurer (Mahir Mohamed) – treasurer@legalandlit.ca;
- Social convener (Karin Kazakevich) – social@legalandlit.ca;
- Secretary (Shvata Chopra) – secretary@legalandlit.ca;
- Equity officer (Alannah Marrazza-Radeschi) – equity@legalandlit.ca;
- Second Year Representative (Aiishwariya Haran) – secondyear@legalandlit.ca; and
- Third Year Representative (Chadd Pirali) – thirdyear@legalandlit.ca.