Hello everyone!
My name is Shemar Hackett and I’m incredibly excited to be serving as a Steering Committee member this year. At Mac, I serve as the Vice-President (Education) for the McMaster Students Union (MSU).
I have recently graduated with an Honours BA in Social Psychology, but ran for this position to help those who wont be as lucky and will face numerous barriers just to graduate university. The post-secondary sector has seen a tremendous amount of changes. From the cuts to financial aid to the student choice initiative, the accessibility of post-secondary for many students is decreasing. Hearing the stories of how these changes negatively affect students laid the foundation for my passion for advocacy.
I’ve learned that there are so many ways for students to affect change and increase the quality of our education and want to spend the next year making tangible differences on my campus and across the province for all students.
My focus throughout my term will be on post-secondary affordability and accessibility, building safe and inclusive communities, increasing the in-classroom quality of education for students and advocating for an increase in funding for support services on campus for students. With the changes seen to financial aid and tuition, I will explore ways to decrease the financial burden of our education on students. I’m incredibly grateful to be in this position and advocate on behalf of undergraduate students and I’m excited to work on my platform points, through OUSA, as I’m confident change can be achieved.
Between working with OUSA’s Steering Committee members and the student leaders on my campus, I’m confident in our ability to affect positive change for students across the province. If you have any questions about my platform, or would like to geek out about marvel movies, send me an email! Looking forward to the amazing things to come this year!