As the campaigning period gets underway for the 2026 Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) election, students will be able to vote for who will carry their voice for the next year. But what do these various board positions mean and what would they be expected to do once elected? Here’s a brief rundown of the positions students will be voting on and some of the changes to the responsibilities of these positions that have been put in place this year.

Positions up for election:

President

Note: Samir Sharma, currently a WUSA Director from 2025-2026, is the sole student running as President for 2026-2027. His acclamation will be subject to a yes/no confirmation vote. 

The WUSA President is the chief spokesperson for the association. They help ensure that board members act in accordance with by-laws and board policies, and maintain cohesive action and vision that align with WUSA’s annual and long-term plans. They are also the main undergraduate point of contact interacting with other associations representing the community, such as the Graduate Students Association (GSA), the University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA). The President also presides over academic affairs and interacts with Vice Presidents (VPs), Academic from the faculty student societies.

Aside from internal WUSA duties, the president also acts as the head WUSA representative on university governance bodies, like the Senate, Board of Governors, and university committees. There are currently 25 committees that the WUSA President may sit on or send a delegate to attend on their behalf. Some of the committees include the Senate Undergraduate Council, the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee, and the Undergraduate Student Relations Committee (USRC). The WUSA president is also expected to meet every term with university leadership such as the University President, Provost, and VP, Academic.

Several duties have also been shifted from the President to VP roles, namely the management of external relationships and internal student affairs. “One of the problem areas that was revealed was an overloaded portfolio for the president … the president was leading advocacy on everything internal and the vice president was leading advocacy on everything external,” says WUSA governance manager Michael Cimetta. Starting this year, there are now two VP positions: one for managing external relationships including provincial and federal government connections (VP, Government Stakeholder Relations) and another for internal student affairs (VP, Student Experience).

Cimetta also notes that while co-op advocacy matters are currently overseen by a team of directors, that falls under the President’s duties by default.

Vice President, Government Stakeholder Relations

Note: Rory Norris, currently a WUSA Director from 2025-2026, is the sole student running as Vice President of Government Stakeholder Relations, for 2026-2027. His acclamation will be subject to a yes/no confirmation vote. 

Previously designated the sole VP, the re-named position of VP, Government Stakeholder Relations focuses on exactly what the title says — maintaining relationships with external parties outside the university and advocating for the board’s stances on external affairs. As WUSA’s main representative for external-facing bodies, you can expect to see this VP interact with municipal, provincial, and federal contacts on matters related to the student community, like affordable housing, transportation, and health and safety.

To that end, the elected VP will expect to travel as part of their duties, participating in relevant lobbying groups where WUSA holds membership, like the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). OUSA member associations are expected to send a representative to two conferences a year, like their annual General Assembly, and participate in a lobbying week at Queen’s Park. At these conferences, the officer acts as representative of WUSA’s interests and helps draft the collective policies and advocacy positions for these groups to inform provincial legislation.

With WUSA’s new membership in Canadian Alliance of Student Association (CASA), the VP can also be expected to participate in their annual conference and their federal lobbying week.

Vice President, Student Experience

In this newly created position, the VP, Student Experience focuses on internal affairs related to campus life and student experience. Like the president, this VP will also sit on relevant university committees like the USRC, meet with university leadership and connect with other associations representing the campus community (i.e. GSA and student society leadership).

Unlike the President though, they will also spend time interacting with student services and units that focus on non-academic aspects of student life. They’ll work with units like AccessAbility Services, Food Services, Campus Housing, and connect with the University Colleges and UW’s satellite campuses. The VP, Student Experience will also be the main representative on internal institutional advocacy, and bring issues related to accessibility, sustainability, equity, diversity, and inclusion to the board and other committees they participate on. This VP will also be the Chair of the Student Life Endowment Fund and the Equity, Opportunity Innovation Fund, which provide funds for students to hold events or start initiatives that enrich campus life.

There are two candidates running for the position. 

At-Large Directors:

WUSA Directors act as representatives to bring different student perspectives to the Board of Directors. They vote on issues at monthly board meetings and participate in various internal WUSA and university committees. As board members, Directors are expected to be on at least two of these committees, collecting information on university policy and reporting back to the board to help inform strategic planning. They also meet with university administration or other decision makers to advocate for undergraduate students.

Elected directors can expect to spend around 10 hours a week engaging with students and attending meetings related to internal student affairs. A new initiative put in place for the role will be director office hours, where directors are available for two to three hours per week for students to book appointments and discuss concerns that directors should bring to the board’s table. This year, 10 Director positions are open for election, with 16 candidates running.