Hello everyone,

My name is Jayden, and what follows is a little bit about me and a peak at some of the issues I will strive to address as Ethics Commissioner if I am elected by you my fellow students, friends and classmates.

First, I want to take a moment to thank you for reading this, it means a lot that you would even take time to read this and maybe even vote for me, so for that, I thank you. My name is Jayden as I said before but please feel free to call me Jay. I grew up in London Ontario with two younger siblings and a cute dog, I am a first year student enrolled in the Political Studies program with the hopes of becoming a lawyer. I chose Trent because I loved that is was small population wise and away from the city but close enough so you have all the things you need in close proximity. Although some might think being a first year student puts me at a disadvantage because of my "lack of experience" I believe it to actually be a great benefit. I am able to come in with a fresh prospective and see Trent through unbias eyes, I so far have first hand experience with the Covid-19 response by Trent University, I saw how my university failed some of our students with financial need during these harsh times, I know that our second, third and fourth year students as well as graduates were all affected by this pandemic, (now) second years having little notice to move off campus, fourth years having an online convocation and graduate students having no access to any of the universities facilities. So far, Trent has been an amazing experience for myself and hopefully it has been for you as well though and it cannot be without praise for where it is due.

However, like everything, Trent is not perfect, in fact, there is much more going on here than one might suspect. For example, did you know Trent University raised tuition fees for international students this year during unprecedented times when people are struggling? Did you know that cafeteria prices went up too an almost extortion level compared to previous years? Did you know that Trent University Bookstore Merch is manufactured by Russell Athletics, a company that fired over 1200 workers to avoid fair labour standards? All of these issues and so many more I want to address if I were to be elected as the Ethics Commissioner.

For many years of my life, I have been dedicated to making the community I live in a better place, I was a cadet for six years, I filled countless bags full of garbage going around cleaning my communities and neighborhoods, I have over 200+ volunteer hours. I have spent time working with Legal Aid Ontario an organization funded by the Ontario Government dedicated to representing people legally who cannot afford lawyers to fight for them. More importantly though, I'm learning, just as all of us are, we are all going through this journey called, I can ultimately only guarantee that I will do my utmost best for you all. I'd be grateful if you would join me because together we can make a difference and strive to make our community a better place. If you want to see some of the work I did over the summer click here for more:

https://www.change.org/p/trent-univeristy-universi...

Thank you and all the best,

Jay