September 21st saw the staff, executives and directors of the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) convene for the first time this academic year to report their summer activities, ratify the association’s 2025-2026 Strategic Plan and approve the schedule for the upcoming Fall By-election.

This year’s TCSA fall by-elections will be held from October 10th to 17th, with nominations ongoing from September 2nd to the 26th, campaigning from September 29th to October 17th, and the ratification of results set for the association’s October 19th board meeting.

The newly ratified TCSA 2025-2026 Strategic Plan has four key areas of focus: student advocacy, student awareness, student engagement and internal development.

The plan then lays out measures the association will take on during the year, separated by area of focus. On the advocacy front, TCSA executives plan to “establish continued accountability for racism on campus” in light of Mayor Jeff Leal’s use of the n-word in a guest lecture last year. 

In terms of student awareness, they present several means through which they hope to better promote TCSA events and programs, including social media posts raising awareness of food insecurity while promoting their One Stop Chop Food Pantry and the recent redesign of the TCSA app. 

Internally, in an effort for greater transparency, the TCSA’s 2025-2026 Strategic Plan will mandate the publication of Board meeting attendance, as well as a review of the association’s own policy on sexual violence.

On September 21st, however, the TCSA’s executive team seemed to have set their sights on one area of hyper-focus: student engagement.

To bolster engagement, President Iyiola Alade explained he plans to give talks about the TCSA and its upcoming by-election in multiple first year classes, particularly in departments identified as focus points for greater association engagement, such as those of social work, sociology, political science and Indigenous studies.

President Alade is convinced these measures will help increase student engagement with TCSA elections, which has been trending upwards since the low-point of the 2024 spring elections, where no single issue achieved quorum (meaning a vote from 15% of the student body).

Alade is confident the association’s renewed focus on student engagement will bear its fruits come October 10th.

“We have had a lot of students reaching out about election information, how to run. We’ve been able to direct them to our website, to our Lead Electoral Officer…I think we’re going to see a good turnout for people who want to participate and run,” he told Arthur on September 21st.

In his update, President Alade also teased multiple other projects in the works for the TCSA executive team. Most notably, he spoke of continued advocacy for the return of Peterborough transit routes 31 and 32, which will to continue serve Trent students from multiple remote communities such as Curve Lake and Selwyn, despite the contract being set to expire in March 2026.

In a statement to Arthur after the email, TCSA President Iyiola Alade clarified that "transit to Curve Lake via The Link has been ensured for next academic year."

“That was in collaboration with Fleming SAC and the City of Peterborough,” explained Executive Director Mahika Saluja during the September 21st meeting.

Fleming College’s Student Administrative Council (SAC), Trent Durham Student Association, Trent University Faculty Association and Trent Graduate Student Association were all mentioned as student or related groups with which the TCSA is hoping to improve its collaboration efforts.

Vice President Campaigns & Equity Mickayla Simpson-Carty announced her collaboration with the Trent University Native Association, Trent Muslim Student Association, Out on Campus, Trent International Student Association, Trent Feminist Society and other “minority groups” to host “Uncomfortable Conversations,” a monthly series of talks “to encourage students to engage with advocacy-related topics, ask questions, and engage in respectful conversation.”

“I’m still working towards collaborating with other clubs and groups on campus for future uncomfortable conversations,” explained Simpson-Carty.

The association also seeks closer collaborations with the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), of which President Alade is the treasurer. VP Simpson-Carty is set to arrange for CFS to table on campus “at least 5 times during this academic year,” according to the Strategic Plan.

“This year, we really plan to have them more in our spaces, more involved in our membership,” explained President Alade. “Across the school year, you’ll be seeing them at different events on campus.”

Editor's Note (9/23/2025): This article has been edited to correct a speaker misidentified by the author and include an email statement from TCSA President Iyiola Alade.