WLUSU executive elected VP: Finance for Ontario lobby group

Last week, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) elected Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union vice-president of university affairs Saad Aslam, as their vice-president of finance for the 2010-11 academic year.

With the new position, Aslam will be a part of OUSA’s executive team, and will hold many responsibilities.

“A majority of the role is really making sure the books are kept in order and presenting budgets to the steering committee, which is the VPs from all the seven [OUSA member] schools,” explained Aslam.

Also elected was Joe Finkle, from McMaster University, to the position of vice-president: administration, and Meaghan Coker, from Queen’s University, to the position of president.

“With the vice-president of administration and the president, the executive gets to meet a lot with specific stake holders more so than other members of the steering committee,” said Aslam. “It will be really useful for Laurier students to directly have a voice.”

After being elected to the position on May 27, Aslam, along with the the other OUSA executives, had the opportunity to speak with deputy-minister for training, colleges and universities Deborah Newman to discuss the province’s throne speech presented in March and the new reforms in student aid.

Although OUSA will not set their year’s priorities until the end of June, Aslam is looking forward to collaborating his previous experiences working with the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) with OUSA’s accomplishments of last year.

“I’m really at this point looking to taking all that knowledge and experience I’ve gained and help us become a better organization,” said Aslam.