The Results are in and the CSA has a New President
F
ollowing last month’s election, Tyler Poirier has been named the next president of the Central Student’s Association (CSA).
Poirier will officially take over from current CSA President Dena Van de Coevering on May 1, 2020 and will serve until the following April.
“I think this is a big step for me personally,” Poirier told The Ontarion. “I am super excited to move forward and get more involved on campus and make student life on campus better.”
When asked what inspired him to run, Poirier spoke about the dedication and work of previous CSA executives. It was through them that he came to understand the importance of the executive team, both within the CSA and university as a whole. He also spoke fondly about the time he has spent volunteering with SafeWalk.
“SafeWalk is super important to me,” said Poirier “I have a lot of attachment to it. Especially because we have seen so much progress in SafeWalk. I think seeing that progress made me believe that I could do more for the university and this is a great opportunity to do it.”
In his upcoming year as president, Poirier hopes to have an open-door policy with students.
“I think it is super important for students to develop a personal relationship with the CSA,” he said.
Poirer grew up in a small town in a fairly disadvantaged area, and he told The Ontarion he hopes his background and personal experience will help him better understand the diverse issues students face.
Without this connection, Poirier feels that students would be less motivated to communicate with the organization. He said he will strive for transparency during his presidency, adding that he believes it is important for students to have the ability to “communicate directly instead of through filters.”
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“I think it is super important for students to develop a personal relationship with the CSA”
Tyler Poirier, CSA President-elect
While his passion and competence are clear, Poirier, who is always very polished when speaking, can come across as somewhat guarded. In the few times he has spoken with The Ontarion and during the all-candidate debate last month, Poirier has appeared practiced and even a little cautious when he speaks.
This suggests that perhaps there is another side to Poirier, one the student body has yet to see. As he steps into this new position and stresses the importance of fostering direct connections with students, it will be interesting to see him loosen his tie and relax a bit.
Addressing low student engagement is a top priority for the new president. He believes that an important aspect of engagement is access to knowledge. “I think knowledge mobilization is really key and making sure that we stay in tune with how students receive information,” he told The Ontarion. “If we don’t do that, all that information that we release is just going to be going nowhere. Students aren’t going to see it.”
He plans on making sure all communications between the CSA and the student body is written in a way that those who are not involved in the CSA or other related committees can understand. Poirier wants to help build a bridge between the CSA and the students, and show that the CSA really is there for all students.
“We want to listen,” Poirier said. “We want to make sure that we are providing things that students care about.”
Photo by Alex Vialette
A version of this article appeared in print in The Ontarion issue 188.3 on Mar. 12, 2020.
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