CUCCJS Executive Elections 2026/2027
Nomination Period: Monday, March 9th to Sunday, March 22nd at 11:59 pm
Campaign Period: Wednesday, March 25th to Wednesday, April 1st at 8:00am
Voting Period: Friday, April 3rd, 2026 from 8:00am to 11:59 pm
Nominations open on Monday, September 18th 2023 at 9am and close Friday, September 22nd at 11:59pm. All CUCCJS Members in Good Standing (2.4) can run for up to two (2) CUCCJS Executive Positions (9.11(b)(i)). All CUCCJS Members in Good Standing are eligible to stand for election; must be a Carleton University student and have paid the CUSA fees and CUCCJS Membership fee prior to September 22.d, 2023 (9.11(b)(ii)). All Nominees must complete the CUCCJS Nomination Form in its Entirety (9.11(b)(iii)) and submit the completed Google Form. All Nominees will receive a confirmation email by Saturday, September 23rd, 2023. The open positions are as follows: Director of Fundraising; Lower Year Representative, open to 1st and 2nd year students, and Upper Year Representative, open to students 3rd year+.
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The CUCCJS Voting Form will be available on Friday, April 3, 2026 on the CUCCJS website. CUCCJS General members will also receive a link to the voting form by email. Voting members will have from 8 am to 11:59 pm to submit their vote for each executive position. Members can vote for one candidate per position. No repeat voting is allowed. All votes will be verified prior to the results being announced.
Rules:
1. To vote in the executive elections, you must be a member in good standing, as per section 2.4 of the CUCCJS constitution as of Thursday, April 2nd, 2026 at 11:59 pm.
2. All CUCCJS Members in Good Standing (2.4) are able to vote in the CUCCJS Executive Elections (2026/2027) (9.1)
3. All voting members will have one (1) vote per position in the CUCCJS Executive Elections (Winter 2026) (2.3(b)).
Nominee Platforms
Emily Ukena
Position #1: Director of Events
Position #2: Director of Education
What skills and/or experience will you bring to the team?
I am currently finishing my placement as a member of the Skills Plus team at the John Howard Society. Through this experience I have learnt SO much with planning, organizing and time management regarding events. One of my primary responsibilities has been creating and facilitating workshops and events, which has allowed me to apply my academic knowledge in a practical setting. This role has also strengthened my confidence in engaging with clients, collaborating with a team, and developing my public speaking and facilitation skills.
What ideas would you like to implement in your role?
I would like to create and promote social and community-building events for members! While school is important (of course), I believe it is equally important to provide opportunities for students to connect outside of the classroom. I would love for my events to be catered to activities and hobbies that foster socialization to promote a sense of belonginess for club members and students with an interest in Criminology! For example, creating art-based workshops or movie screenings.
How will you improve CUCCJS in your role?
In this role I would focus on listening to the needs and interests of CUCCJS members when planning events and initiatives. By creating events that reflect the diverse interests of students, I hope to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment. My goal is for these events to serve as a safe and engaging space not only for CUCCJS members, but also for students who have an interest in Criminology, even if they are not currently part of the faculty!
Fraser Alcock
Position #1: Director of Events
Position #2: Director of Travel
What skills and/or experience will you bring to the team?
I have strong experience in organizing and managing programs. For several years, I have run a summer hockey league, which required coordinating many moving pieces to ensure everything worked smoothly. This involved planning schedules, selecting game times that worked for participants, and ensuring that players were satisfied with the program overall. Through this experience, I developed strong organizational skills and the ability to manage complex logistics. Also, during the summer when I am not at school, I also work with a music production company. This role requires technical knowledge of lighting and sound production, as well as the ability to work effectively in a team. It also involves assigning tasks and coordinating with others to ensure that systems run properly and events operate smoothly.
What ideas would you like to implement in your role?
In this role, I would like to implement a biweekly event to help build a stronger sense of community within the society. These events could be simple activities such as a game night or a physical activity like skating on the canal. I believe that hosting regular events would create more opportunities for people to participate in the club and build rapport with other members strengthening the society is a whole.
How will you improve CUCCJS in your role?
I would also like to increase the overall number of events the club hosts. With many senior members graduating, the club is experiencing a large turnover, which makes next year crucial for recruiting new members. By organizing more events focused on welcoming new members and creating enjoyable experiences for current members, I believe we can strengthen the community and support the club’s continued growth. As a fifth-year student, I have gained extensive experience with the club throughout my time at Carleton. This experience has given me a strong understanding of what works well and what does not within the organization. I have also built connections with past members who could provide guidance and advice if challenges arise.
Summer Debus
Position #1: President
Position #2: Vice President
What skills and/or experience will you bring to the team?
I will bring the skills I have gained from my last two years of being on the CUCCJS executive team. In my current role as vice president, I have learned effective leadership skills as well as what is required to manage the logistics of an academic society. Additionally, I have experience advocating for student needs within the society to improve our activities and operations for all members. I also have strong communication skills which are particularly useful for involving community partners in society events and connecting students to individuals in the criminology field.
What ideas would you like to implement in your role?
I intend to implement ideas that are going to foster more engagement in the criminology society. I aim to advocate for more interactive events to build better relationships between executive members and general members. Further, I plan to make the executive team more accessible and approachable for students this could potentially look like executive office hours or a mentorship program. Overall, I hope to strengthen CUCCJS member connections and create an even stronger community in the Criminology program.
How will you improve CUCCJS in your role?
I will improve CUCCJS broadly by facilitating further engagement, better relationships, and higher faculty involvement. I also intend to improve CUCCJS by updating certain aspects of the society such as striving to repaint the tunnel mural. Additionally, I am committed to creating more opportunities for feedback from general members to ensure that students are receiving adequate academic society support and engagement.
Zev Fenning
Position #1: Treasurer
What skills and/or experience will you bring to the team?
As an original transfer student, at my previous university I was treasurer for a club. I am able to bring knowledge of budgeting and maintaining a ledger to CUCCJS. As well, I have good communication skills, allowing me to openly express the best interests of the club and what events are able to be done, and maintain within budget.
What ideas would you like to implement in your role?
I would like to implement the idea of maintaining an open understanding on where the budget stands among the executive team. It is important to maintain open communication about where the budget stands among the excutive team to allow for better planning of events.
How will you improve CUCCJS in your role?
I would like to improve the efficency in which CUCCJS is able to reimburse executive members as well as general members when there is the need. I would also like to maintain a consistent understanding among the executive team of how much is reasonable to spend on an event, and what is possible to spend at the time. Open communication is key as a treasurer to ensure the executive team understands what events and how many can be run within the timeframe.
Elizabeth Zomparelli
Position #1: President
Position #2: Vice President
What skills and/or experience will you bring to the team?
I have been on the CUCCJS exec team for two years now as the Director of Travel. I have helped organize multiple trips as well as participate and aid my fellow exec members in running their events. I am very well organized and have strong communication skills. I have a great sense of how the society runs, and am a team player always trying to help and support others whenever I can.
What ideas would you like to implement in your role?
I would like to implement new events, and allow for more options for students who want to be apart of CUCCJS. As well as try to interact and take suggestions from the members of the society. Being able to see what events members want to see more of, or information you want CUCCJS to provide. To be able to improve the society and shape the community to be the best space for members, and be a club people want to be apart of. This could include surveys/polls on Instagram or sending out a google form at the beginning of the year to here from the members of what they want to get out of the society, so we can provide the best experience for members. As well as possibly creating a discord server or holding office hours to allow for people to openly express their opinions and ideas.
How will you improve CUCCJS in your role?
I want to allow for open communication within CUCCJS. From the execs to the members I want everyone to feel involved. I want CUCCJS to be a safe and friendly community for all students both within the Criminology department at Carleton, and those who are apart from other programs. I would also like to focus on the behind the scenes organization of events to ensure they run smoothly. I want CUCCJS to appeal to all students so we can see an increase in participation, and engagement. Allowing for more input from all the general and executive members to share there ideas and opinions. I want the executive team to work as a unit to get goals done, and less compartmentalized. We are all here for each other and that should be reflected in the work put into by our executive team for our general members.
Charita Ponnada
Position #1: Secretary
What skills and/or experience will you bring to the team?
As the Secretary I will be responsible for maintaining records and organization of the CUCCJS materials. These skills are a part of my work experience, at a Physiotherapy Clinic where I spent my time in archiving and organizing patient records. I also have experience in organizing and maintaining records as a part of my job as a Student Support Staff at Carleton’s Teaching and Learning Services.
What ideas would you like to implement in your role?
In this role, I would focus on improving communication, organization and member engagement within society. One thing I would implement is regular check-ins or feedback opportunities for members and execs alike to allow for the society to better understand the wants and needs of members to improve the overall experience.
How will you improve CUCCJS in your role?
In this role, I would improve CUCCJS by strengthening organization, communication, and member engagement. By maintaining clear and detailed records, including meeting minutes and membership data, I would help ensure that the executive team operates efficiently and that important information is easily accessible. I will make sure to convey information from the executive team to members in a timely and organized manner.
Megan O'Grady
Position #1: Director of Media
What skills and/or experience will you bring to the team?
As the current Director of Media on the CUUCJS, I have the necessary experience to fulfil this role. My dedication to the Society and commitment to the team will help CUCCJS run smoothly next year!
What ideas would you like to implement in your role?
In my role, I would implement more opportunities for CUCCJS general members to share their feedback and ideas for events. I think that social media is the best way to do this, so I would utilize the CUCCJS Instagram and TikTok to get opinions from members.
How will you improve CUCCJS in your role?
I would work to maintain the established CUCCJS community and the welcoming culture that has been built. My goal would be to increase the number of CUCCJS members, which would ultimately improve the Society and allow more people to find their community at Carleton.