Hello Everyone!

My name is Israa Ali and I am running to be your next MSU President. I would absolutely love the opportunity to chat with you over anything related to your student experience and share with you my thoughts on my platform.

Passion and embracing challenges are two fundamental aspects of who I am as an individual. The vision I carry forward encapsulates a variety of student voices that if brought forward, will doubtlessly enhance student life on campus.

My platform points outline different issues with the primary focus going back to addressing this concern: creating spaces for you.

I’m running on a platform to create spaces for Equity, Enhancement, Engagement and Everyone.

The “Everyone” pillar touches on the need to revisit ancillary fees and assess their value to students. For instance, when an average full-time student, out of 20,000 others, pays about $250 to the Athletics and Recreation centre, equating to about $4million dollars collectively every year, we need to question whether each student is truly receiving value for their money and act accordingly. The Ath&Rec are doing a great job, but we have the majority of the students not benefiting from the money they are paying. Hence, I strongly believe that these fees need to be revisited and their value assessed to the students paying. This pillar further elaborates on ensuring the availability of food ingredient labeling across the different eatery on campus. Surprising we don’t have that despite the many dietary/religious/cultural and allergy restrictions students have. Exam Welcome Day as a de-stressor in March is another objective I am sincerely passionate for.

The “Enhancement” pillar revolves around modifying the catering rules for student groups at Bridges Café, which was originally built with the intent of bridging the gap between the different diverse backgrounds and food happens to be an essential component. This is a strategic approach to decrease the monopoly of Paradise Catering on campus. This step will immensely impact many clubs and student groups who continue to have catering challenges and hence enhance their overall event planning experience. Another enhancing aspect is to establish a base for a spirituality centre on campus. I have critically analyzed different ideas of where this space can exist. It’s definitely feasible if enough pressure and commitment are in place. After all, nine years ago, an entire vegetarian restaurant came to life on campus, all because of students’ voices coming together and enough work from the MSU. The potential is there. Within this platform as well, there needed to be space to enhance the learning and academic experience of students, more so from the research aspect. The idea behind the MSU Research Awards is to work collaboratively with the different faculties and hold a campus-wide research symposium, however logistically feasible the supervisors think it would be.

The “Equity” and “Engagement” pillars further revolve around issues we as students can relate to. I invite you to visit me at the table behind Timmies to ask me for more details on them or have a chat over anything you like. Also, I'd be extremely happy to hear from you via this forum as well.

I've attached a simplistic view of more of my platform points for your convenience' sake. Anywhere you see me around campus, please don't hesitate to stop me for a chat, I would sincerely appreciate the opportunity.




And please do let your voice be heard from January 28th - 30th and vote for the president who can truly represent your voice, whether you feel that may be me or any of the other respective candidates. Simply vote, because only collectively we will see positive change.

To engage further:
FB Page: /CreatingS2014
Twitter: @CreatingS_2014
MSU Elections: msumcmaster.ca/elections

I actually feel like the Pulse membership is fair. I pay about 60$ a month for a membership at the gym by my house (lifetime). The facilities are similar with exception of the water slides etc. Is there anyway to increase the size of the gym because it does get quite crowded. I'm sorry if this is not under your control but it would be beneficial for a lot of people and maybe even push people to live a more active lifestyle if they didn't have to wait for exercise equipment.

never really been to the gym, annoyed that i had to subsidize it (in b4 everyone is subsidizing everything for me too) but it just seems the most obvious. At some point, some deal was made to hav e us all pay for that /: it was probably a pretty awkward meeting where someone was really pushing for it.

raise the price of gym memberships and it will become less crowded and ppl will be more serious when they're there.

disagree with lowering pulse memberships unless you plan add equipment/expand the pulse

im assuming at its current price most people who pay actually use it and right now the gym is too full for its capacity. having more "new-years resolutioners type people" would negatively affect the pulse.

Just out of experience I myself and many others have bought gym member ships but hardly ever went. One of the reasons being im to swole to fit through the doors but dw about that

Originally Posted by rtongsta

disagree with lowering pulse memberships unless you plan add equipment/expand the pulse

im assuming at its current price most people who pay actually use it and right now the gym is too full for its capacity. having more "new-years resolutioners type people" would negatively affect the pulse.

I agree, its defiantly a fair priced gym especially compared to most gyms. Exclude the 10$ a month gyms, those aren't even on the same tier as the pulse.

Thank you everyone for your excellent feedback.

Decreasing the cost of the pulse membership is one possible manifestation to ensure students are truly receiving value for what they are paying into the fee in the first place. Each student already pays ~$250 into the building as part of ancillary fees within the tuition fees. Personally, I don't think it's fair that students are double-dipped for their money. We have the majority of students paying that same amount and entirely not using the space. One primary objective I really want to pursue further is to critically analyze all possible solutions where we have either students stop paying for services they are not benefiting from or assess value and find ways we can keep the same costs but increase value. For instance I envision that expanding the services in the gym based on student feedback can actually be a great alternative to pursue. This specific point of mine focuses on bringing attention back to ancillary fees students are paying for and collectively move forward with them to investigate valuable options they would agree with. One approach is to launch a survey campaign to hear student thoughts and from there investigate with the administration some feasible solutions.

This point is not to target any specific department, rather an awareness call to students to pay attention to the fees they are paying to the university and how the MSU should advocate for the sake of the students to optimally ensure the value of their money. I personally hold high respect to the Athletics and Recreation Centre and am in contact with many hard-working and honest people there, my request is more transparency with student money, the university matching the amount of money students are paying (which does increase per CPI - Consumer Price Index) and optimal benefit to the majority of students, if not all.

Hope this clarifies things further, please let me know of any further inquiries! I'd love to hear from you!

also people can play squash, play in some intramurals, go swimming, run on the indoor track .....without paying a penny to any membership

do we really want a "one in, one out" policy during peak hours?

Hi Ryan,

Just to clarify further, students do pay an automatic fee of $112.25 as part of the Ath&Rec Activation Fee, which allows them access to the areas you had alluded to, so it's actually not free.

On a similar note, students also pay $4.51 per unit to a maximum of $135.30 towards the Ath&Rec Building Fund Fee to pay the mortgage and the operating costs of the building, such as Hydro and Heat. This specific fee was passed as referendum back in April of 2003 and continues to increase annually per CPI. As a collective body of students, we need to assess the value that 20,000+ students are receiving from the money they are paying and be further recognized. The university has made an agreement to match the ancillary fees students are paying, however the MSU Board of Directors have also expressed their concern in that regard.

I want to ensure continuity within the MSU after David Campbell has made a great step this year by revisiting ancillary fees and collectively with the SRA (Student Representative Assembly) had reduced the summer fees for students. I want to continue on with this trend and ensure students are optimally aware of all they are paying into the university and what value they are receiving for their money. My primary concern is to assess value from ancillary fees and collectively with student input, enhance student life.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by the "one in, one out" policy you are referring to. Would it be possible to elaborate further on that?

Buff MSAF please.

Mcmaster Pulse tweeted they might have to use "One in, one out" policy sometime this month because at peak hours they might reach full capacity. I would assume there would be a lineup outside the Pulse, and only one person can enter when one leaves.... "one in, one out".

https://twitter.com/McMasterPulse/st...38406753284096

yes thats what i meant students dont have to pay a "membership" to use those facilities; they have it simply by being a student at mac

Originally Posted by Israa Ali

Thank you everyone for your excellent feedback.

Decreasing the cost of the pulse membership is one possible manifestation to ensure students are truly receiving value for what they are paying into the fee in the first place. Each student already pays ~$250 into the building as part of ancillary fees within the tuition fees. Personally, I don't think it's fair that students are double-dipped for their money. We have the majority of students paying that same amount and entirely not using the space. One primary objective I really want to pursue further is to critically analyze all possible solutions where we have either students stop paying for services they are not benefiting from or assess value and find ways we can keep the same costs but increase value. For instance I envision that expanding the services in the gym based on student feedback can actually be a great alternative to pursue. This specific point of mine focuses on bringing attention back to ancillary fees students are paying for and collectively move forward with them to investigate valuable options they would agree with. One approach is to launch a survey campaign to hear student thoughts and from there investigate with the administration some feasible solutions.

As another member said. Those $250 provide us with indoor track, basketball courts (6 full courts!), ping pong tables, volleyball nets, swimming pool, equipment from DBAC, 6 squash courts, a racquetball court, some wrestling stuff and change room facilities.

Pulse is already quite subsidized when you compare to external gyms. I think you should focus on something else instead of this non-issue.

1. What do you mean by redefining equity role within MSU?
2. What is the "Space Reallocation Strategy"?
3. Why is there a need for a Spiritual Center?
4. Why the MSU Student Research awards? Who will pay toward this?
5. What do you mean by availability of food ingredients? We already have Mac Farmstand and Fortinos and Metro pretty close to campus.

Point 3 should be modified to modify pricing policy. I know it's uninionzed and all but holy food is expensive on campus

Originally Posted by Afzal

As another member said. Those $250 provide us with indoor track, basketball courts (6 full courts!), ping pong tables, volleyball nets, swimming pool, equipment from DBAC, 6 squash courts, a racquetball court, some wrestling stuff and change room facilities.

Pulse is already quite subsidized when you compare to external gyms. I think you should focus on something else instead of this non-issue.

1. What do you mean by redefining equity role within MSU?
2. What is the "Space Reallocation Strategy"?
3. Why is there a need for a Spiritual Center?
4. Why the MSU Student Research awards? Who will pay toward this?
5. What do you mean by availability of food ingredients? We already have Mac Farmstand and Fortinos and Metro pretty close to campus.

Just a hutch, but for #5 I'm pretty sure she means the ingredients that go in the various foods available to buy on campus.

Originally Posted by herBs

Just a hutch, but for #5 I'm pretty sure she means the ingredients that go in the various foods available to buy on campus.

What's wrong with their availability?