The below snippets of the Gazette’s interview with Morelli were edited for clarity and grammar.
Have you been involved with the DSU before?
I have. I actually have three years of DSU experience in my back pocket, so I know policies like really no one else on campus. I started off as resident representative for two years, then was internal commissioner to the VPI [vice president internal], and now I am the current vice president internal. I work all the internal administrative duties, so I’m doing the ratifications, I’m doing the bank letters, and I’m also trying to be as student-centered and student-focused as I can, so getting out to society events, connecting with students, being that forward-facing person for societies.
Why did you decide to run for DSU president?
There are a lot of things that I think you don’t really know about the role until you’re in it. I kind of worked my way up through the DSU, and I feel like it’s the next natural progression for me. I do think that there are some things that can change. I admire the work of the DSU execs in the past few years, but I do think that the three years have given me a good amount of experience to be that relentless leader that everybody needs. My platform is basically all advocacy for affordability on campus, and that’s something that’s really important to me, so I just want to push forward with that change.
Why do you think you’re the best person for the job?
I will point back to my experience. I feel like the students need someone who knows the way that the union operates inside out. I have really good connections with the university administration. I’ve been pushing for the sexualized violence policy, the discrimination policy, accessibility and accommodations for the past three years so I’m really intertwined with that aspect.
Over the past year, I’ve done a lot of work as the VPI. We had SnoFest, which brought Loud Luxury here, which was really exciting. We also launched our first-ever EDIA [equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility] society training in person and online.
I also know student issues. I hear about them every day; I have a million students always coming to my office telling me what’s going on on campus and telling me ways to improve it. I’m always looking for criticism on what I’m doing and welcoming those uncomfortable conversations with open arms. I’m ready to take risks. I’m ready to fight for the students, and I think that’s what people need on campus right now.
Could you talk about some of the key points of your campaign?
I have three main points. My first is definitely the affordability aspect, so that’s tuition (domestic and international) and more co-op opportunities with fair and equal pay. I know that’s a huge struggle, especially for the computer science faculty right now. Housing affordability is another one, both on campus and off, and food insecurity. We have amazing resources here; we have the food bank, we have Beet Street Market, but I’d love to do more for those issues. The next main point is society support, because, obviously there is a special place in my heart for societies. I think they’re the pinnacle of student life, so I would just want to increase bigger campus events, cultural events and make sure that specific cultural societies have their space. I guess lastly is overall awareness for mental health resources and more accessibility resources, so working with the accessibility office, the accommodation center to make sure that people are actually being recognized. I know there is a huge backlog, so I really wanna ease the process for people to access resources.
How is your platform different from what you’ve worked on with the current administration?
It’s extremely different because right now, as internal [VP], I’m really on the back end of things. I do sit on a lot of task forces and policy review committees, but I don’t really get to be front-facing, or an advocate on the board of governors, or the Senate. I don’t really play a role in that right now. So I think it’s entirely different from what I campaigned on last year. Obviously, that was more society-focused, but now I’m hoping to touch on the broader campus community.
The DSU recently ran a concert in the Quad called SnoFest — were you involved in its organization?
I was, yeah, I was involved in that. It was a lot of work. We got a great response from that concert. A lot of it was sponsored, so there were a lot of people involved, but it was a hit. We almost had 2000 people on the quad. It was the first event of its kind that we ran in a long time, and a huge part of my campaign is pushing for larger events like that, just because after COVID, there’s been such a disconnect on campus in terms of our community.
Word on the street is the union lost a lot of money on the event. Is that true?
No, that’s not true. The union didn’t lose anyone’s money. There were no student fees harmed or anything like that. Like I said, there were a lot of sponsorships for that event. A lot of people saw our vision and wanted to make it happen, so the union did not lose any money and going forward, there is not going to be an increase in student fees or anything because of that. Another part of my campaign is trying to connect with community partners to host more big events like that without having to increase student fees.
Are you planning on continuing the current administration’s initiative of pushing the board of governors to divest from Israel?
Yeah, honestly, what I will say is that I think the president is a spokesperson of the Union; they’re here to advocate on behalf of whatever society comes to them and asks them to. So, 100 per cent, I will be. I think I made that known in the debate as well. I even asked the other candidate about that. I basically asked my opponent if they were willing to carry on that motion, to which they said that they don’t know and they would go with whatever the majority goes for, and I don’t necessarily agree with that. There were also a few other students in that meeting who were wondering the same thing. I just feel like you need to know these things, you need to have a straight answer and you need to do your research.
Is there anything else that you wanted to add or would want the student body to know?
Honestly, I will say I just feel like the students need someone who is experienced, who is ready to advocate on their behalf, no matter what comes forward. The president and the union as a whole are supposed to advocate for student interests, and it is not really about doing what they feel is right, but it’s more so doing what is right for the students, not for themselves. I just feel like I’m ready; I’ve been ready for the past four years. I have a lot of experience, and I’m super passionate about these issues on campus.
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