Live podcast at Concordia emphasizes student influence in politics

Sandy and Nora Talk Politics encouraged students to harness their power by getting involved in political organizing

NewsChantal Bellefeuille — Published September 19, 2025 0 minutes

The event, held in front of a live audience, was hosted by social movement activist Sandy Hudson and journalist Nora Loreto. The two discussed the importance of student engagement in politics, noting that its impact can influence not only university policy but also government policy.  

“[Political parties] realize that when students have access to space to bring and host events and organize without the administration watching them, that they can have a real impact,” co-host Hudson said during the live recording.

Hudson stated that conservative government movements recognize this power and try to silence students by spending time, resources and money in an attempt to crush student unions on campus.

“The campus is the real world; it is an important site for the real world,” Hudson said. “We know that that’s important because of how much energy the right puts into getting access to students, and puts into trying to stop all the organizing [students] are trying to do on campus.” 

Co-host Loreto warned that society needs people to be engaged and that without student participation, societal inequalities that benefit those in power, like wealth inequality, will become worse.

“If you think things need to be changed, if you don’t get involved, who else is going to? It’s the people with the money that’s probably going to make the problem even worse,” Loreto said. “It doesn’t matter what movements you get involved in. What you do in those movements, as long as you’re involved, that’s the most important thing.”

Audience member and Concordia student Divine Ndahayo agreed with Loreto’s point, emphasizing students' collective power and that students are more than administrators, not only in numbers but in awareness.

“We kind of are where the knowledge is created. The university is the cornerstone of it,” Ndahayo said. “No matter how educated you are, the people who are getting educated currently are always going to be smarter than you, because that’s how knowledge evolves.”  

For CSU campaigns coordinator Julianna Smith, the biggest takeaway from the event was the discussion on building international solidarity and applying it to student politics, especially in light of recent conversations regarding the idea that student unions should be neutral to represent everyone. 

“But that actually isn’t true; a union is a political entity,” Smith said. “It’s important for us to have these political events where we’re providing education and resources to students so they become more politically aware, regardless of which side of the spectrum that’s going to.”

Smith added that political organizing can also foster a sense of belonging.

“At the end of the day, we all care deeply about the people in our lives, and we want to find ways to protect them and make sure that they’re OK and finding ways of building those communities,” Smith said. “[Political organizing] is a really wonderful way of building community.”