New year. New faces. Same objectives.

The new Brock University Students’ Union executive team is starting off their term with high energy,lots of laughs and excitement for the year to come.

But if there’s one thing that Patrick Foster, Julia Wood, Faisal Hejazi and Jad Nasser are looking forward to the most, it’s bringing positive change to campus.

“Every day we remind ourselves that we work for 18,000 students,” Foster, BUSU President, says. “What we do on a daily basis is shaped by what they need, and those needs change rapidly.”

The new executives agree they are committed to the students and their priorities.

“We want students to know what BUSU is really about and where our priorities lie,” says Nasser, Vice-President Student Services.

Transit, food affordability and mental health initiatives will continue to be among their central priorities, with previous years’ programming remaining in their plan for the next academic year.

However, students can expect to see a renewed dedication to extra study space, a push for flat rate cab fares and increased diversity awareness on campus.

When it comes to supporting the students, “there is clearly a great need for us to step up and be more active,” Foster says.

Wood, Vice-President External Affairs, says the team has also “made sexual violence a priority,” working with the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance on creating a crisis management plan and additional support services on campus.

“This is a great opportunity for Brock to make that change at the provincial level,” she says.

Hejazi, Vice-President Finance and Administration, credits their dedication to these issues to the connections they’ve made with students with strong voices.

“Our passion for the students is what drives us to continue to make a change,” he says. “Even if I’m able to help just one student, I’m happy.”

Before the executives move forward with any decision, Foster recognizes the importance of not only checking in with the rest of the team, but also checking in with themselves.

“We ask ourselves, ‘Is this what’s best for our students?’” he explains. “We’re conscious of the importance of this job so we not only need to be smart about the choices we make, we should also be transparent and be able to show the students how we came to the decision.”

At the end of the day, Foster says the executive team is just ordinary students with an extraordinary job.

“If you see us in class, at an event, or in the halls, come talk to us. There is no barrier, we are students just like you, and we represent you.”

Patrick Foster

Fifth-year Political Science

Hometown: St. Catharines, Ontario

Julia Wood

Bachelor of Business Administration International Dual Degree (BBA ’15)

Hometown: Warkworth, Ontario

Jad Nasser

Bachelor of Arts Economics (BA ’15)

Hometown: Niagara Falls, Ontario

Faisal Hejazi

Fourth-year Medical Science

Hometown: St. Catharines, Ontario