CREDIT: EMILY STEWART
Health systems management student Katyayini Thakur is thrilled to be elected the Fanshawe Student Union's (FSU) new president

Katyayini Thakur is still thrilled to be the new Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) president.

“It is the best feeling that I ever experienced so far. I’m absolutely elated,” Thakur said of her election. “The first thing that I did was that I called my mom and I literally cried, even though I knew I was going to win but still it was one of those things that happens to you once in a lifetime.”

Thakur, a health systems management student, was the only candidate who ran for FSU president during the FSU Elections this year.


A physician by profession, much of her platform focused on the health and wellness of students. Thakur wants to reduce wait times for medical appointments at the Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic and bring in healthier food options on-campus.

“I feel that what we put into our body today, is going to mould our future. If we inculcate healthier living habits and practices right now, we wouldn’t have to go see a physician in future,” she said. “Even though that is my profession, but still, I want the students to get healthier.”

After being elected, she told a media scrum outside of The Out Back Shack that she wants to ask students what the FSU means to them, because she felt like a lot of students are unaware.

“We do have a great Red Squad volunteering program and we try to get the information as out there as possible, but there seems to be a broken link.”

Thakur said that during her time as a director for the Student Administrative Council (SAC), she spoke to the London South Campus students. The students told her that while they follow the FSU’s Instagram, they’re unable to register for an upcoming event because of their busy schedules and classes. Thakur also noticed that there aren’t enough posters or banners to promote the events around the campus.

“I feel like if we could do that, at least, when students are going to class that’s like the first thing that they notice entering the campus,” she said. “I think that would be a great idea.”

Since she had two midterms the day of the FSU Director and President Speeches and Q and A, Thakur was unable to present a speech. She let Paul Masse, the general manager of the FSU, know in advance, and he told her that if she had time, she could come by in-between midterms to answer questions. By the time she made it to Forwell Hall, however, the event wrapped up.

“Being a director in the past year, what I learned about the FSU is that academics, your studies here, are the first priority,” she said. “Everyone’s been super cooperative, super accommodating, and I think that’s great.”

Along with her studies and involvement with the FSU, Thakur also works part-time. She manages her time by taking things day-by-day.

When asked about her favourite memories as a student, Thakur said she enjoyed doing a remote presentation in one of her classes. The students held their presentations in front of the class while the teacher watched them from her office.

After the directors told FSU administrative coordinator Bonnie Williams about a student at the downtown campus needing a wheelchair to go to her classes, due to a broken leg, Williams got it for her. While the student was in recovery by the following board meeting, Thakur was impressed the FSU was prompt about the situation.

Thakur said that current FSU president Keren Nanneti and former acting president Julia Brown did great work during their presidencies. She would like to continue the Nest from Nanneti’s run, where remote stations with information about the FSU were spread across various campuses.

Thakur is looking forward to start her run as FSU president this spring and connect to fellow Falcons.

“FSU is basically students serving students, right?” she said. “It is so important for us to spread awareness about the FSU to the students so that the students know exactly where to come with any concern, any issues, anything that’s bothering them. We want to be that for the students.”