In the recent October by-elections, three candidates nominated themselves for the position of Communications Officer! Please see their candidate statements below.
Any elections-related questions can be sent to the Elections Officer at elections@cupe3903.org. Voting will open at the end of the October General Membership Meeting, staying open for a period of five days.
The candidates’ campaign period opened October 6 at 2PM and closes on October 20 at 2PM. Voting (via Simply Voting) opens on October 20 at 2PM and closes on October 25 at 2PM. You can find more details about how to vote and troubleshooting voting issues by clicking this link. Communications Officer is an all-units position, meaning that CUPE 3903 members of all units are eligible to vote in this by-election.
Aishwarya Bhattacharyya
Before coming into my current roles within 3903, I already had about three years of professional experience in health communication. My PhD work also has a substantial communication component: I currently work on inter-class occupational health communication in industries affected by extreme heat resulting from anthropogenic climate change. So communication has been part of both my professional and academic life for some time. At the same time, working within 3903 has changed quite significantly how I understand communication itself, given my previous experience was in the corporate. When I first came into my present capacities, I think I relied quite heavily on habits I had picked up from my previous experience. I tended to assume that there would be a particular workflow through which information moved, and that members and representatives also carried much of the responsibility for keeping themselves informed. I learned fairly quickly that union communication works, and really has to work, differently. What I have gradually come to understand is that when union work is done ethically and equitably, communication cannot simply mean making information available somewhere and expecting people to find it. It also means taking ownership of whether members are actually being reached, thinking carefully about accessibility and clarity, following through, and being accountable for how information moves between the union and its membership. That has been an important learning process for me, and one I am still very much engaged in. I seek your support so that I can bring this rigour and unlearning in serving the membership holistically as the Communications Officer.
Vanessa Moonilal
My name is Vindra (Vanessa) Moonilal, and I am running for Communications Officer. As a fifth-year Ph.D. Candidate and Unit 1 member, I believe communication is central to union work and activism because collective bargaining, striking, and general information require a shared commitment to keeping our CUPE members informed and aware of their rights.
Since 2024, I have been a member of the Distribution Committee. I have distributed important time-sensitive information around campus. Currently, I am Chair/Head of the Humanities Graduate Student Association (HUGSA). I have handled media and communication outreach by creating posters, Instagram posts, and email correspondence with our GPD and Program Assistant for events such as the Professor Talk Series, a conference, and writing workshops for the graduate community.
My goals are, given that we are currently in bargaining:
- Create accessible and inclusive language for CUPE updates on bargaining agreements.
- Establish the use of online polls or Q&A features to allow questions and concerns to be addressed.
- Revamp the newspaper’s visual design to make it cleaner and easier to read.
- Continue to ensure that all voices are represented fairly and accurately.
As Communications Officer, I am eager to apply my knowledge and experience as part of a collective team that advocates and informs our readers about CUPE’s fight against oppression and the continuous need for inclusivity.
In communication and solidarity!
Theodore Fox
My name is Theo Fox (he/him), and I am excited to be running for the position of Communications Officer this year.
I am currently a political member of CUPE 3903 and have served on the Accessibility Committee for the past year and a half. I was previously a rank-and-file Unit 1 member in the English department, where I also held a number of positions in our graduate student association (EGSA) over the years, including co-chair and listserv coordinator.
Prior to beginning my PhD, I worked as a communications specialist for several years, where my role included:
- developing written and digital content curated to engage various audiences
- managing social media accounts across a range of platforms
- designing detailed media strategies to foster community participation in events and initiatives
- analyzing website and social media metrics to determine areas of success and opportunities for improvement
- implementing accessibility tools such as alt text and captions for all published materials
- researching relevant developments at Canadian post-secondary institutions
- drafting briefing materials and speaking notes for media appearances
As the union continues bargaining this fall, clear communication is key to building our collective power at York. If elected, I will work hard to:
- promote rank-and-file participation in union spaces
- design proactive communications strategies that implement membership guidance/feedback
- distill complex materials into frequent and concise updates to the general membership
- ensure students and other community members receive easily understandable information about our bargaining priorities
- sustain our connections to other campus organizations/unions
- build cross-movement solidarity with struggles against systemic oppression
My lived experiences as a queer and disabled academic also shape my commitment to serving the CUPE 3903 membership: the core principle guiding my union advocacy is collective liberation, and I am invigorated to continue working toward it in this position alongside all of you.