DSU Vice-president (internal) candidate: Veer Gandhi

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and formatted for style and clarity. 

The Dalhousie Gazette sent a similar questionnaire to each candidate in the 2019 Dalhousie Student Union election.

Name: Veer Gandhi
Running for: Vice-president (Internal)
Pronouns: He/Him
Program and Year: Applied Computer Science, Year 2.

Why are you running for this position?

Having run in the previous year I learned a lot of things about my position and a lot about how powerful the DSU is –– in terms of its ability to significantly impact student opportunities, student life and other critical matters that affect students. 

I am running for this position because I honestly do not think that we are getting the value for what we pay each term. I have also heard about many negative experiences that our students face when engaging with the DSU and about many fractured relationships with societies.

I want this to change and I want to be the person who changes this. I want societies to thrive in their capacity, I want students to be encouraged to come forth with their ideas for improvement and opportunities and at the very core and center of it all I want to create opportunities for everyone to have a memorable time here.

What do you admire about the current DSU executives?

I have personally spoken to many of them and I think that they do have some passion and care for our community. I think it is difficult to be in such a position without love and passion for what you are doing and for the people you serve.

What would you like to see the DSU do differently?

I think that our ratification and funding processes need to be much more efficient. It takes a very long time for our societies get ratified and any form of funding and this really limits and discourages the positive work that our societies do and the opportunities that they try to create.

What, in your opinion, is the biggest issue on campus right now?

I personally believe that one of the biggest issues is the lack of student engagement. I do not blame the students for it because I believe that this is largely due to the negative experiences our students face when trying to engage with the DSU. This also happens because students are not made aware of the ways in which they can be engaged with the DSU.

Low student engagement is a problem because when our students are disengaged we cannot create the opportunities that meet the needs of our diverse student population and this significantly limits our students’ chances to get involved in our community. 

What are your goals if elected?

My main goal is to work closely with societies to solve the issues surrounding funding for them. I am also interested in fastening the ratification process for societies. Additionally, our current VPI started working on a one-time ratification process for all societies and my goal would be to implement and start using that as soon as possible.

If elected I also wish to be available to all students, whether that is physically on campus or through social media. I think transparent, responsive and efficient communication is really important and that is something that I wish to work on. Furthermore, I want to engage in a variety of ways to encourage students to bring forth their ideas that will eventually shape the opportunities we have for all students.

Why should students vote for you?

I think students should vote for me because my only goal is to do right by everyone. I do not make promises I don’t intend to keep. I know what I want from the position, for the people and I know exactly how to get it. I am committed to working hard and striving to do my best every single day to meet my targets. I promise to do everything in my capacity to create better opportunities and ensure a memorable time for students.

What have you been watching on Netflix lately?

I don’t watch Netflix. My commitment lies with being the best person I can be every single day.