It’s a two-man race for leader of RRC’s Student Association
By Becca Myskiw
The race is on for presidential candidates Brad Gebhardt and Yash Chopra.
Another year has passed and with that comes another Red River College Students’ Association executive election.
Last year, only one person ran for RRCSA president — this year there are two men pining for the title.
One of those campaigning is Yash Chopra, a third-year Business Administration student.
Chopra spent the last year as vice-president internal for the RRCSA. He said his education in Business Administration and his experience as an executive board member has made him good at handling finances, something he believes is necessary for being president.
Chopra says he’s not running because he’s good with numbers, though. During his time as VP internal, Chopra says he was confined to one campus and being president would allow him to be more involved on all campuses.
“Being VP internal is a lot about a particular area,” he said. “But the president’s job description is pretty broad.”
One of Chopra’s main goals as president would be to put on more cultural events at Red River College (RRC) campuses like the recent Turban Pride Day he organized.
He said days like that are important for the international students at RRC to feel included. They also encouraging a sharing of cultures between all students.
RRC celebrated 25 years of international education in November. Chopra is an international student from India.
Chopra’s other goal is one that he thinks is a big challenge: getting all students aware that the RRCSA exists.
The other presidential candidate is Brad Gebhardt. He also sees Chopra’s goal as a challenge, but he said it’s something he’s prepared to take on.
Gebhardt’s main goal is to adopt a small-town mentality at RRC. He believes most students don’t know the RRCSA is there because there are eight campuses and more than 100 programs that don’t have a lot to do with each other.
“[RRC is] not just a place where you grab your books and get to it,” said Gebhardt.
Gebhardt said he wants students at the college to make lasting relationships while they’re there, regardless of how long they’re there for.
He’s a first-year Business Administration student who comes from a 13-year bricklaying background. Gebhardt’s also been in marketing, business, and he hosts a podcast.
He believes he can represent all sections of RRC, and he said he wants all students and programs to feel represented in the RRCSA.
For Gebhardt, it comes down to communication.
When it comes to his campaign, Gebhardt plans to work on RRCSA’s social media presence and talk to students in person.
“I’ll know if I was being effective if we double last year’s votes,” he said.
Voting for the RRCSA elections begins March 13.
