OUSA

Back Row (Left-to-Right): Sam Andrey, Chris Rudnicki, Daud Grewal, Kieran Slobodin, Nick Soave, Joe Finkle, Alexi White

Front Row (Left-to-Right): Alvin Tedjo, Meaghan Coker, Robert Woodrich, Saad Aslam

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Meaghan Coker – OUSA President
Vice President University Affairs of the University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario (Email)

Meaghan is a student at The University of Western Ontario, where she has earned a degree in Management and Organizational Resources and is currently finishing a second honours degree in Political Science, with a focus in Canadian politics. Originally from Guelph Ontario, she became involved in a variety of capacities at Western, including the varsity cross-country team, competitive Debating Society, and the Pre-Law Society, leading her to her current role as Vice President University Affairs with the University Students’ Council. She is inspired by the talent of student leadership across Ontario and passionate about student representation on the priorities of academic advocacy, being devoted to furthering the awareness and engagement in the issues relevant to students. Meaghan is enthusiastic about the opportunity to represent OUSA’s members and work towards improving the educational experience for all Ontario undergraduates!

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Saad Aslam – OUSA Vice President Finance
Vice President University Affairs of the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union (Email)

Saad is a fifth year student currently pursuing a double-major in Political Science & Psychology. In his time at Laurier he has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Governance Officer for the Students’ Union and as a Student Senator and Student Governor for the University. Saad enjoys loud noises, thunderstorms and all kinds of food. Having grown up in New York City (although his family now resides in Hamilton) he is an avid Yankees fan and a self professed fantasy sports aficionado. He is intrigued by the opportunities for enhancing the comprehensive undergraduate experience through technology as well as improving the student financial aid system.

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Joe Finkle – OUSA Vice President Administration
Vice President Education of the McMaster Students Union (Email)

Joe Finkle hails from the thriving metropolis of Belleville, Ontario and currently attends McMaster University in Hamilton. There he studies History, with a minor in geography and just completed his fourth year. He first became involved in OUSA two years ago when his friends dragged him to a meeting of the McMaster OUSA Street Team. From there he was hooked and has been involved ever since. His interest include history, politics, soccer and generally being off the chain. During his time as Vice President Education of the McMaster Students Union he plans on focusing on community relations and outside the classroom learning and as Vice President Administration of OUSA he plans on lobbying the government on quality issues in particular.

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Chris Rudnicki – Steering Committee Member
Vice President University Affairs of the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University (Email)

Chris is in his final year of an honours degree in Philosophy from Queen’s University. He hails from Ottawa, Ontario, where he graduated from the International Baccalaureate program at Colonel By Secondary School. He is an avid reader and enjoy the occasional game of badminton or ultimate frisbee.  As a member of the OUSA steering committee, he hopes to research innovative cost-recovery models for post-secondary education in Ontario and focus on increasing access for historically marginalized and underrepresented students. After graduation, he hopes to go to law school and become involved with advocacy work and social justice.

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Daud Grewal – Steering Committee Member
Vice President University Affairs of the Brock University Students’ Union (Email)

Daud Grewal is in his final year of Political Science at Brock University. He was born in St. Catharines and raised in Niagara Falls where while attending Westlane Secondary School he started up a local tour company called “See Sight Tours”. He has been heavily involved in student government and has served two terms on the Board of Directors and temporarily served on the Senate of Brock University. Beyond student government Daud has been very involved on-campus and has proudly served as the President of Brock’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) and started a new club called “Independent Minds for Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice (IMSEEJ)”. He is determined to improve student engagement both inside and outside the classroom and improve student advocacy at Brock University.

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Nick Soave – Steering Committee Member
Vice President Education of the University of Waterloo Federation of Students (Email)

Nick Soave has recently graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Degree in Geography and Environmental Management. Nick grew up in London Ontario, but has lived in Waterloo full time for the last 2 years. He enjoys most professional sports especially the Toronto Blue Jays and Maple Leafs. Nick has been involved with OUSA intensively for the last year as a student volunteer and is looking forward to continue his work specifically in the area of student success with a particular focus on teaching quality.

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Robert Woodrich – Steering Committee Member
Vice President University Affairs of the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance (Email)

Robert Woodrich is a native of Windsor, Ontario and is currently undertaking his fifth year at the University of Windsor. This being his second term as an OUSA Steering Committee member and UWSA Vice-President University Affairs, Robert brings an experienced perspective to both teams. He likes to attend concerts, suit up and travel, and two of his academic interests include communications policy and public relations. When his term is through, he hopes to study Law.

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Kieran Slobodin – Steering Committee Resource Member
Academic Affairs Commissioner of the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University (Email)

Kieran Slobodin is an Economics Major at Queen’s University with his sights set on an International Study Certificate. Before becoming Academic Affairs Commissioner for the Alma Mater Society 2010-11 year, Kieran was both an intern and deputy within the commission. Kieran’s other exploits at Queen’s include being a member of the Outdoors Club, an Arts and Science Orientation Coordinator, and working for the Walkhome service.  Born and raised in the Yukon, Kieran’s family has deep roots in Kingston and he looks forward to experiencing his first full year in Ontario.  Kieran’s advocacy interests lie in financial aid and rural and remote accessibility.

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Alexi White – OUSA Executive Director (Email)

Alexi White was first involved in student advocacy while attending Queen’s University, where he recently graduated with a degree in mathematics.  Since he began volunteering with the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance five years ago, he has sat as a member of the Steering Committee and now serves as Executive Director.  Alexi hails from Etobicoke and says he can recite 33 digits of pi, you should ask him to demonstrate.

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Sam Andrey – Director of Research and Policy Analysis (Email)

Sam Andrey finished his degree in biochemistry at the University of Waterloo, which is where his involvement with OUSA first began as a delegate to General Assemblies. Sam was a Director with UW’s Federation of Students, and a member of the University’s Senate and Board of Governors. He also worked in a research lab for two years, where he discovered his passion for combining research and policy together. Sam currently resides in Toronto and enjoys football, politics, and traveling.

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Alvin Tedjo – Director of Communications and Public Relations (Email)

Alvin Tedjo completed his Political Studies degree at Queen’s University, with a year abroad at the International Studies Centre in Herstmonceux, England.  He worked as a Training Consultant for the City of Mississauga before coming to OUSA. Alvin currently lives in Toronto with his wife, and they are expecting their first child.  Maybe they’ll name him Ousa…

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Morgan Campbell & Chris Martin – Research Assistants (Email)

Morgan Campbell is a fourth year political science major, global development studies minor at Queen’s University. She is currently serving her second year on the Board of Trustees, and is working with OUSA as a Summer Research Analyst. Her efforts will be focused on early outreach and issues of accessibility. Morgan is also the External Advocacy coordinator at Queen’s this year, and will help to run OUSA campaigns and the OUSA General Assembly.

Chris Martin is a fourth year student pursuing a double-major in Political Science and Film. Starting off as a student journalist, Chris ran for a seat on the McMaster Students Union’s Student Representative Assembly in 2008. There, he served as chair of the MSU’s University Affairs committee, coordinating assessments of University policies and gathering student opinion on the quality of education offered at McMaster. The following year he was elected MSU VP Education, and spent the year with the OUSA Steering Committee. After a positive experience writing policies on Student Success and assisting with the Alternative Cost Recovery paper, Chris wasn’t ready to let go when his term wrapped up. Luckily OUSA hired him on as a summer researcher, allowing him to continue pursuing his passion for higher education policy. In his spare time, Chris writes music, plays guitar and sings in a couple bands.