An interview with Aran Armutlu
By Jamal Al-Bayaa, Staff Writer
The Other Press sat down with Aran Armutlu, treasurer for the Douglas Students’ Union, to go over the minutes of this month and what they mean for Douglas Students. Topics discussed included old business as well as bigger changes coming to the school in years to come.
OP: “So first on your agenda for June was increasing representation on Coquitlam Campus, can you tell us a bit about that?”
AA: “Absolutely. Obviously, a big part of our platform when we were running in elections was to do way more at David Lam, as around 40 per cent of our student body studies there. We figured one of the best ways to do that was to have a full time staff member there. Another thing we’re really hoping for is a students’ union building at Coquitlam, so we’re currently speaking with the college about being involved in the master planning sessions, [because] we understand the importance of having our own space over there.”
OP: “So what’s new with our College Coordinator positions? From what I hear, there’s a New West Coordinator, a Campus Life [both campuses] Coordinator, but no Coquitlam Coordinator. Is that set to change any time soon?”
AA: “It is. We’re currently working on hiring for that position, and we’ll be calling it the David Lam Organizer. Having someone full time over there that’ll be able to engage with students, interact with staff members, collaborate, become an expert at that campus and spearhead the campus life situated there will be really beneficial.”
(Since the interview, it was revealed that Deepa Singh will be filling in the vacancy on that position.)
OP: “On the DSU’s minutes it also says there’s going to be a new smoothie bar on campus. What’s that going to look like?”
AA: “It’s still early, so we’re not rock-solid on anything right now, but we’re looking into a lot of different options and we figure that the best option is going to be something that is self-sufficient, probably staff free. Students can just go in any time, grab one of the pre-made smoothie packages, blend it up, and go. They’ll also have the option to bring in their own stuff and use the blenders that are going to be available to them… Smoothie bars will be the first step in a longer [possible] plan to create a self-serve kitchen on campus, which is something we know would provide students with two benefits: more options, and ways to save money on food. Almost like a hostel kitchen, we’re imagining there to be a self-serve area where students can cook basic meals, and it might include things like blenders, microwaves, and stovetops. We’ll see how that goes.”
OP: “One last thing before we go, and this isn’t officially on the minutes but I want to know, are you guys considering having a nap room on campus as well?”
AA: “That is something that we will look into. We’re going to do a space audit to see which rooms are and aren’t being used and why, and then from there decide how to best utilize that space for students. Nap rooms are a topic that come up quite a bit, but in all seriousness it is something that would be pretty useful. So when midterm season comes around [in the fall], we’ll try it and see how it goes. In this, we’ll be looking at other campuses who have also trialed it to see what would work for us.”
