Q&A with 2SLGBTQIA+ students’ community representative candidate, Aditya Sathish

Aditya Sathish is a fourth-year student in her first year of Dalhousie University’s environment, sustainability and society program. She is running for the 2SLGBTQIA+ students’ community representative position in the Dalhousie Student Union’s general election.

Sathish is one of two candidates for the position, alongside Quin Bullough. 

Originally from Kerala, a southwestern state of India, Sathish came to Canada in 2022. 

This interview has been edited for clarity, grammar and length. 

Why are you running for this position?

I used to be really disengaged with the DSU. After coming out, I started getting involved with the queer community and got to know firsthand how useful the union is. I reached out about a problem, and it got immediately addressed by the vice-president internal, and I was like, “This is useful, I should have been doing this more often.” At the same time, I come from a marginalized community. I’m queer, but I also face issues pertaining to international students. I want to say I’m here for you and show that someone like me can take on leadership roles like these. I want to make it so the DSU doesn’t feel opaque; as paying students, you’re inherently part of the DSU. I want to create that sense of openness and engagement. A lot of students are facing problems, but see the DSU as something disingenuous and don’t have enough trust in them, so they don’t bring their problems up. I want to change that.  

How do you plan on interacting with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community at Dalhousie?

My three tenets are access, availability and community. I want my resources to be accessible. As community representatives and DSU members, you’re obligated to help the students. I understand the importance. I want to interact with more queer students one-on-one. I want to go to more residences, to conduct more events and make a safer community. 

How have your experiences on campus shaped your decision to run for this position?

My experiences on campus have been mixed. I’ve always assumed that these resources are open, but I never really understood that these resources can and should help me. I knew about the [2SLGBTQ+] community advisor, but I never utilized the resources because nobody had reached out to me; [I never felt] that if I was questioning or felt ostracized, I could talk to them. I want to be there for people, and I want to decrease the distance between the queer administrative body and the queer society. 

If you are to assume this position, how will you action your campaign plans?

I’ve been talking consistently to the current vice-president internal and the vice-president academic and external about what they’ve done and what they plan to do. An example is the funding for transgender medical care; a new bill is about to be proposed to increase the funding per year for students. That couldn’t have happened without the previous community rep doing it, and I want to make the importance of increasing funding more visible to students. I want students to know that if they plan on taking medical gender affirming care, the DSU is there for them. Especially for marginalized international folk. We’re in Canada, and these things are codified in law. I want to make sure that hatred and bigotry and anti-community things in general aren’t viable here.

What changes need to be made within Dalhousie to make it a more inclusive space?

I want to make sure things in the DSU are comprehensible. I want to reduce the jargon. If you want an idea to be understood by a community, you need to understand how the community speaks. I want student voices to be a part of our council meetings. I want to increase visibility and comprehension in general.