Health Sciences Society (HSS) executive candidates discussed their campaign priorities at the Feb. 3 debate in Mackintosh-Corry Hall.
Candidates debating included Presidential candidate Arani Hiritharan, HealthSci ’27, Vice-President (Operations) candidate, Kelly Jin, HealthSci ’26, and Vice-President (University Affairs) candidate, Trisha Kotakonda, HealthSci ’27. While all three uncontested candidates were in attendance, no student spectators were present to watch.
Second-Year Representative candidates Laila Abrahams, Akhila Challa, Kinza Jamshed, and Noor Khan, all HealthSci ’28, were all present with only two positions available for the taking. Bianca Shen, HealthSci ’27 and Andrew Ganea, HealthSci ’26—third- and fourth-year representative candidates respectively—were also in attendance.
Each candidate was given the same amount of time to respond to each question which ranged from 30 seconds to one minute. For position-specific questions directed at contested positions, the candidates spoke in alternating forward and reverse order. Candidates were allowed one 30-second rebuttal per section.
Engaging with responsibilities
As HSS’s potential next President, Hiritharan aims to make the Society more welcoming by prioritizing ability, personal organization, and transparency.
“Only if I’m organized and stay on top of things happening in the council […] can I ensure that things run smoothly,” Hiritharan said, addressing the other candidates. “It’s very important that I hold myself able. [..] For example, I’m in clubs where I’m responsible for a position, but I’m also responsible for myself, so I’ve had to learn how to organize myself.”
As part of the Vice-President (Operations) portfolio, Jin plans on helping current and future HSS-ratified clubs develop their leadership abilities and organization. She intends on streamlining communication between HSS executives and direct students to where HSS initiatives are d.
“When you’re in that position and managing a commission, you’re not always able to understand the bigger picture coming in related to all the other commissions in place,” Jin said. “I would be there […] making sure that we’re working together in a streamlined process.”
Kotakonda, the sole vice-president (university affairs) candidate, aims to increase the financial transparency of Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) orientation activities. She highlighted the need for active communication to understand the challenges BHSc students face.
“I hope to—as VPUA—host regular active discussions with students to give me more insight into what barriers they are facing,” Kotakonda said.
She emphasized the value in students being aware of who their leaders are and know what the leaders can do for them.
Society affairs, growth, and collaboration
As part of her commitment to ability and transparency, Hiritharan wants to amend the HSS’s constitution to clarify and enforce executives’ responsibilities.
“I find that often, there’s a disconnect between the HSS and the student body, so […] I hope to increase transparency by updating policies, removing inactive positions from the website, making ’ information readily available, and increasing awareness about [HSS] Assembly,” Hiritharan said.
If elected, Hiritharan will ensure HSS consistently gathers student . After testing various methods for two years, she found incentivized and one-on-one conversations most effective. She plans to develop scalable, cost-effective solutions within the Society’s limited budget while leading a smaller faculty society.
Meanwhile, Jin seeks to disclose the HSS’s spending and subsidize event costs, as well as expand opportunities for HSS volunteers into the broader Kingston area. She emphasized her commitment to cultivating student clubs and improving the HSS’s branding.
“I want to work with [students] to increase our financial partnerships and subsidize our event costs while increasing student engagement,” Jin said.
Kotakonda wants to address transparency through newsletters and increase mental health initiatives on campus.
“To achieve this, I will work with the HSS Council to implement regular wellness workshops, share resources with students, as well as getting more peer initiatives, ensuring that students are ed academically and mentally,” Kotakonda said. Operating since 2020, the HSS Council is responsible for managing societal affairs.
Kotokonda plans on prioritizing representation by ensuring incoming BHSc students see their cultures reflected in their orientation experiences.
Polls for HSS elections are open from Feb. 5 to 6. on Simply Voting for all BHSc students.
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