On October 4th, 2020 the UNB Student Union Council voted to appoint Melissa Ghanem as Interim Vice-President Advocacy. The Vice-President Advocacy role was vacated as of September 28th 2020, and in accordance with UNBSU by-laws, the executive team recommended an Interim to fill the position. Council accepted this recommendation, and Melissa Ghanem was appointed to fill the VP Advocacy position until the scheduled fall by-election. Students will be able to run in this by-election for the Vice President Advocacy position as well as LGBTQ+ councillor, Engineering Councillor, Kinesiology Councillor, Residence Councillor, First Year Councillor, Education Councillor, and Forestry Councillor.
Melissa has held a position with the UNB Student Union for nearly 2 months now as our Wellness Coordinator. Because of her extreme involvement in nearly every Advocacy project, her selection allowed for a swift transition into the role of Interim Vice-President Advocacy. As Melissa transitions into this role, it enables the UNBSU to continue our advocacy campaigns, and work within the New Brunswick Student Alliance and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.
In the role of Interim Vice-President Advocacy, Melissa is responsible for bringing forward new initiatives for policies, campaigns, and positions that promote meaningful change on student issues. She is also responsible for ensuring students are well represented both internally and externally to the UNB community. A full position description can be found at (unbsu.ca/policies) under “Executive Position Description Policy”.
Melissa is thrilled to be joining our team for the time being, and asked to pass on this message to our UNB community in regards to her appointment:
“I am truly honoured to be the Interim VP Advocacy, and I will do everything in my power to ensure the voices of the students are heard and well represented. Advocacy has always been a passion of mine, so this opportunity with UNBSU is an absolute dream and privilege. I hope to learn something new every day in this role and help support students in any way I possibly can.”
The office of the Interim Vice-President Advocacy can be reached at advocacy@unbsu.ca, and any questions about the fall by-election or the appointment of this position can be directed to president@unbsu.ca or cro@unbsu.ca.