Meet Brandon Liu, a second-year Innis student, and your 2018/19 ICSS President!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What year are you in and what are you studying?

My name is Brandon Liu but most people call me “Brondon” due to my U of T email and Instagram handle. I am currently a second year student doing a double major in Political Science and Classics.

What’s your favourite thing about Innis?

My favourite thing about Innis is that the closer I get to the physical buildings on St George Street my chances of knowing someone goes up. Even if it’s just saying “hi” or nodding at each other, U of T has a habit of making students feel less than adequate, but whenever I go into the events room or the commuter lounge and see familiar faces that I can always chat to, it makes me happy. Which signifies a sense of belonging and ultimately community.

Favourite course you’ve taken so far?

HIS109- The Development of European Civilization 1350-1946 — I loved the course because it was very structured and Professor K. Bartlett is extremely knowledgeable and comfortable with European history, so much so that he is able to weave in consistent jokes and analogies that kept me interested throughout the entire year.

Favourite study spot on campus?

I’m usually at the events room, but in the case that I am not, I will most likely be at E.J. Pratt (Victoria College library.)

What was your position on the ICSS? How was that experience?

My ICSS position over the past 2017-18 academic year was being the Off-Campus Representative. It was a great time and I learned a lot about event planning, scheduling, and marketing during my time as the Off-Campus Representative. It was also really fun because the turnout for my events was always great, and very few things make me happier than a well-received event.

What is your new position on the ICSS? What does it mean to you?

My new position on the ICSS for the upcoming 2018-19 school year is going to be the President. For me this means that I will be held even more accountable to the dealings of the ICSS and the Innis student population as a whole.

What are your priorities for the upcoming year?

For the upcoming year, I want to increase the presence of the ICSS in the life of Innis students; that being said, I want to entice more people to get involved and come out to our: food events, trips, art shows, and pub nights. I also wanna make the ICSS more open and accessible to everyone, so that everyone is comfortable with speaking to either me or any ICSS representative about anything pertaining to student life or our events.

Any ideas for future events or initiatives?

This year I am going to be spending a lot of time trying to get more people involved in the ICSS. I wanna shed the image of “pretentious” and “snobby” student politics in favour of a “welcoming” and “friendly” atmosphere for anyone to be able to join if they want to.

What are you looking forward to next year, in terms of being on the ICSS?

The Council as a whole has gotten me very excited! All the elected members seem to be very locked in to making the 2018-19 academic year as fun as possible and I am very grateful to be part of such a talented team.

Any advice for first-year Brandon?

First year Brandon did not know that GPA was cumulative and therefore he did not study for multiple finals because he only “needed” a 38% percent on the final to stay within the program. So my advice to first year Brandon would be that GPA is in fact cumulative and does not reset every year like in high-school.