SU – Vote Now!
It’s election day(s) at the U of A! If you’ve opted to not actually check out any of the candidates, you might chose to participate in my experiment in social-media-totalitarian democracy, and vote the way I do! (Yeah right) but if you really have no clue and would like some tips from someone who went to the Horowitz forum (and took notes!) here’s the lo-down.
Don’t bother ranting in disagreement in the comments or anything, because if you have opinion already, this post is not for you!
VP Academic
Who to vote for: Tom L’Abbé
Why: Of the two, Tom seems to have a good plan to improve faculty association-SU relations, and understands that following prof evaluations are not some magic ticket to better teaching. Also, he seems to be more experienced.
VP Student life
Who to vote for: Rory Tighe
Why: For student life, you probably want someone who is bubbly and entertaining, and Rory definitely wins in this category. He also seems like someone who would be on my side in the bringing of Pizza back to SUB, which Kayla seems to have forgotten is important.
VP Op & Finance
Who to vote for: Zach Fentiman
Why: He’s your only choice, plus he’s pretty adorable. Have you seen his campaign posters? Luckily he’s a good choice.
VP External
Who to vote for: Jon Mastel
Why: This was a tough one, but Jon seemed the best experienced to me. They all seemed qualified, but Jon just seemed to emit the least BS.
Undergrad Board of Governors Rep
Who to vote for: Craig Turner
Why: Besides the fact that Sangram wouldn’t shut up about his completely ridiculous concept of informing the student population with video blogs (not even joking, this is basically his platform), Craig seems to be experienced and good ideas to bring to the table. It looks like this is a boring position, and he’s going to dutifully keep it that way instead of spamming my Facebook Inbox with things I don’t care about.
President
Who to vote for: Nick Dehod
Why: As the brief incumbent President, Nick knows a little bit about what he’s doing. He also didn’t try and tell me that he was “endorsed by Stephen Mandel and Daryl Katz” (BS ALERT) like Adam Zepp did, and didn’t seem to be over-focussed on improving the online calendar of events like Vickram. All three candidates are looking to ditch the $550 fees, so that’s a tie anyway.
Millennium Village Referendum
What to vote: Yes
Why: While I understand the reasonings behind “no” (it’s not a direct benefit to the students, it’s not charity unless you’re giving, etc.) I’m just to far left to say no to this one. The fact is most people don’t care, and if I can force this one through so that the people outside Starbucks right now help out a kid in Africa instead of buying another XL Latte, so be it!
U-Pass Referendum
What to vote: Yes
Why: You like your U-Pass right? Vote to keep it going. Or else.
PAW Fee
What to vote: No
Why: I really don’t understand why we get to vote on what students 5 years from now will be paying for. The fee would fund/pay for a new Rec/Activity centre, but would only apply once it’s built…which would be after your time here. I agree with the idea that we shouldn’t be creating costs for future students, so on that basis, I vote No.
Edit: Vote here!