After a challenging year fraught with controversy – including an impeachment petition scare – Krisna Saravanamuttu has officially become the president of the York Federation of  Students (YFS). Saravanamuttu comes into office with a strong mandate after he received nearly 4,500 votes in an election with one of the highest voter turnouts the YFS has seen in years. Saravanamuttu said his long-time involvement in York student politics will help him in his role as leader of the student body. During his time at York, Saravanamuttu served as president of the Faculty of Arts Council, and this past year as YFS vice-president equity.

“I was privileged to work with an outstanding group of individuals over the past year and they have taught me invaluable lessons,” Saravanamuttu said. Hamid Osman, who faced some criticism over the past year and became a controversial political figure on campus for his stance on the CUPE 3903 strike, preceded Saravanamuttu as YFS president. Saravanamuttu said that although the 2008-09 academic year was very eventful and it was easy to take a step in the wrong direction, he didn’t think the YFS made any mistakes this year. In spite of the scrutiny that the outgoing executive team received, Saravanamuttu said he is not afraid of the criticisms he will inevitably face as president. “Criticism is a healthy thing and it is the cornerstone of every democracy,”

Saravanamuttu said his biggest challenge in the upcoming academic year will be to unite the student body

Saravanamuttu said. He added that the YFS has become much more visible over the past couple of years, and he is going to try to be in touch with undergraduate students on  campus. “We are on the floor every single day and we are talking to people, whether it’s a political activity [ . . . ] or a social issue we are engaging people about,” Saravanamuttu said. He said his biggest challenge in the upcoming academic year will be to unite the student body. “The campus is somewhat divided,” Saravanamuttu said. “My priority would be to reach out to the individuals who don’t agree with us all the time and at least have a civil dialogue.”

He said the election results speak for themselves and he is confident students will support the YFS. Newly elected YFS Schulich councilor Daniel Ferman – one of the organizers of the unsuccessful “Drop YFS” campaign – encouraged students to sign the petition to impeach the YFS executives back in February. Ferman said that although the Drop YFS petition didn’t work out, it wasn’t a waste of time. “The campaign brought attention to important issues and whether it was successful or not, it was an important step in York’s political history because it showed that York students would not be silent,” said Ferman. He added that it is important to have a diversity of opinions on campus and that since Saravanamuttu is now the president of 50,000 students, he needs to be able to represent them all.

quick facts on Krisna Saravanamuttu

• Birthday: Aug. 28, 1985
• Place of birth: Germany
• Hobbies: Muay Thai and reading
• Favourite movie: Braveheart (1995)
• Favourite artist: Tupac
• Favourite political figure: Fidel Castro
• Favourite newspaper: YU Free Press
• Favourite political ideology: socialism

- Alexandra Birukova