The Gauntlet -- SU Supplement -- Feb 2020

THE GAUNTLET The University of Calgary’s independent student newspaper

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Vol. 60, SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT

CANDIDATES:

POSTER CRITIQUE:

ENDORSEMENTS:

WHOSE PLATFORM DO YOU LIKE BEST?

HOW DID THE POSTERS HOLD UP?

WHO DID OUR PANEL SELECT?

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2 | 2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT

2020 STUDENTS’ UNION ELECTION SUPPLEMENT

I

t’s the most wonderful time of the year, or the most hated, depending on your point of view. Posters plaster the walls, the science link tunnel turns into a giant fire hazard, student politicians hand out candy in exchange for your time listening to their spiel and awkward clapping ensues every time someone gives their pitch at the front of your classroom.

We love the Students’ Union election, which is one of the reasons why we make this supplement. The candidates are passionate about serving the student body and bringing change to campus and we’re passionate about informing students about who’s running, what they want to do if they’re elected and how likely it is that they’ll actually get those things done.

On Family Day weekend, we compiled a

Twitter: @GauntletUofC Instagram: @gauntletuofc Online: www.thegauntlet.ca

panel of our staff and interviewed (almost) every candidate in this year’s SU election. Each interview follows the same format — we gave each candidate three minutes to pitch their platform, then spent 10 minutes asking them questions. After that, we write up profiles to help inform students about those running.

This year, we heard more than we ever wanted to about CASE competitions — it seemed many of the candidates have the idea to expand their use to multiple faculties. Thankfully, we didn’t hear nearly as much about food options as we have in previous years, or grandiose, sweeping promises to renovate MacHall and student spaces.

We also heard plenty about mental health.

It’s an issue that many students care deeply

about and feel isn’t being addressed on campus.

Some candidates seemed to throw it in their platform as a buzzword to pay lip service to an important issue, while others clearly thought very deeply about it.

With significant cuts to education happening and recent tuition increases, this year it is more important than ever to vote for the representatives you feel can best advocate for student interests. The vice-president external will be integral in bringing the student voice to government.

The vice-president student life will have to deal with the ever-present BSD, the albatross that hangs around the neck of the portfolio. It’s an unenviable position to be sure.

This year, we interviewed candidates for fac-

ulty representative positions as well. We felt it was important to expand our coverage. Student elections are important, and as campus media, we play an important role in bringing you the information. If we can play any part in bolstering voter turnout, that makes us happy. We did not discuss the Senate race as we have a conflict of interest and we have not featured acclaimed candidates. Look to our website and future issues of the Gauntlet in print to read about these positions.

Don’t just read our candidate profiles and endorsements. Read the candidates’ submitted platforms on the SU website, attend some forums and ask candidates questions yourself.

Make sure to vote through your myUofC student centre from March 3–5.

Arts & Culture Editor: Troy Hasselman arts@thegauntlet.ca

Furor Arma Ministrat Room 319, MacEwan Students’ Centre 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 http://www.thegauntlet.ca

judged to be racist, sexist, homophobic, libelous, or containing attacks of a strictly personal nature. We reserve the right to edit for brevity. Grievances regarding the Gauntlet follow a three-step process which requires written decisions from the Editor, the GPS Board of Directors, and the Ombudsboard. The complete Grievance Policy is online at: thegauntlet. ca. The Gauntlet offices are located on Treaty 7 land.

Arts Assistant:

Matthew Herring

Lifestyle Editor:

Tori Taylor lifestyle@thegauntlet.ca

MASTHEAD Editor-in-Chief:

News Editor:

Kristy Koehler eic@thegauntlet.ca 403-970-9217 Nikayla Goddard news@thegauntlet.ca

News Assistants:

Sophia Lopez and Mitali Pradhan

Opinions Editor: Cristina Paolozzi opinions@thegauntlet.ca Opinions Columnist:

Graphic Artist: Photo Editor:

Tricia Lim graphics@thegauntlet.ca Mariah Wilson photo@thegauntlet.ca

Videographer: Cole McCracken video@thegauntlet.ca Business Manager: Gurman Sahota business@thegauntlet.ca

Aymen Sherwani Contributors

Frankie Hart // Gayathri Peringod

The Gauntlet is the official student newspaper of the University of Calgary, published every other Thursday throughout the year by the Gauntlet Publications Society, an autonomous, incorporated body. Membership in the society is open to undergraduate students at the U of C, but all members of the university community are encouraged to contribute. Opinions contained herein are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily represent the views of the entire Gauntlet staff. Editorials are chosen by the majority of the editorial board. The Gauntlet is a forum open to all U of C students but may refuse any submission

The Gauntlet is printed on recycled election posters from last year’s losing candidates and uses an ink made from candidate vomit after chugging Monster Energy Drinks during campaign week. We urge you to recycle the Gauntlet and please for the love of all that is good actually go and vote.

All Photos by Mariah Wilson

2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT | 3

President

The president is the leader of the Students’ Union. They have the most flexible portfolio, but are generally in charge of setting the direction of the organization.

They also maintain official relations with the university, oversee the work of Students’ Legislative Council and vote on the Board of Governors. Look for an assured, pragmatic candidate who is aware of the challenges facing the SU.

Leam Dunn Leam Dunn is the closest this election cycle has to a joke candidate, but the jokes themselves remain to be seen.

When asked about what he might actually do if elected, Dunn had very vague, surface-level ideas that revealed how little he knows about how the SU operates. He would like to see information on university spending to be more accessible and easy to interpret for students, would like a “little play” in the university budget so that budget cuts would have a limited effect on students. Although the core of these points is well-intentioned, they seemed to be ideas Dunn could’ve come up with on the spot, rather than goals that were developed and researched.

Dunn was correct to identify that the Students’ Union has an engagement problem, but doesn’t seem to have a plan on how to improve this, simply stating, “I

feel like I can do student engagement.”

He also had some questionable thoughts on university financials, suggesting that the university could save money and “negate costs” of the tuition increase by not putting student money and SU resources towards planning protests. These costs don’t exist, as none of the protests on campus were organized by the university or SU. He also suggested the SU could promote costcutting on construction projects for saving money. When asked where he would like to see these funds go, Dunn asked if in that scenario there would be a “net profit,” and suggested it could negate costs of the tuition increase.

Since he didn’t much to say on his joke platform, Dunn pitched several ideas around BSD that further established Dunn’s lack of understanding about the SU. He suggested a “laissez-faire” approach to BSD, returning the

form it took in the ‘80s. There are several reasons why the SU would be unable to do this — the university asked the SU to organize BSD as a single event in 1989, and other problems such as security costs make the concept unfeasible on cost alone. Dunn didn’t seem to be aware of the limiting and at times combative relationship between the administration and SU in organizing BSD, and didn’t address the ongoing problem of deficits racked up by the event. As for lack of attendance, Dunn suggested pushing BSD after exams. While this may be more convenient for those with exams in the days right after class ends, it wouldn’t address the number of students who leave for vacation or who simply wouldn’t want to return to campus after their exams are done.

Dunn should consider leaning into the “joke” part of his joke campaign. If you’re gonna be a joke candidate, you should go all in.

“Just have fun!”

Frank Finley A memorable mix of self-assurance and jitteriness, it was evident from the moment that he sat down at our table that Frank Finley wants, quite badly, to be the Students’ Union president. His firm, assertive stance on student leadership might just be what students need in this challenging political climate. Finley’s antiestablishment persona is needed as student dissent continues to grow and those facing the brunt of post-secondary budget cuts seek to unite against the provincial government.

When asked how he feels he can effectively work with a Conservative government given his background working for the Office of the Premier while an NDP government was in power, Finley responded that he would unite partisan interests under a student-centered focus, citing his endorsements from a wide range of political groups on campus during his past campaigns. While he tactfully avoids making any claims about the other candidates running for his position, he argues that his

experience in politics distinguishes him and makes him more able to see his platform points through.

Finley’s platform points are largely conventional with a few notable exceptions — he wants to bring more inclusive meal options to campus, for example — and his plans to execute them appear well thought-out, although some appear more implementable than others. His ambitious goal of convincing the United Conservative Party to reinstate the Summer Term Employment Program (STEP) and his pledge to improve MacHall infrastructure both seem more like carefully chosen campaign strategies than implementable goals. However, his plans to improve accessibility on campus by overseeing the development and maintenance of half-floor lifts and electronic ramps is a realistic, achievable goal, and his plan to monetarily bolster the campus food bank to ensure its clients do not go hungry stems from laudable intentions. He also promises to put a

“yes/no” vote in place for candidates running unopposed in an election, even acknowledging that past candidates that have run on the point have not implemented it — he vows to be different.

Finley has the experience and the political chops to accomplish his goals and he very clearly has a vision. Unfortunately, it’s that same political acumen that may be just what holds him back in this race as it is emblematic of what students loathe the most about campus politics, namely it being an insider game wherein hyperinvolved students race against each other to bolster their resumes in preparation for their inevitable venture into the world of career politics. There is a restlessness to this year’s Frank Finley, his demeanour reminiscent of that of a Sanders-esque populist figure, hands on hips, demanding to be elected.

Frank is the candidate to vote for if you want someone to make noise and demand change.

“I don’t think it’s radical to expect that just because people don’t have money that they can’t get an education.“

Quinn Stevenson This is Quinn Stevenson’s second presidential campaign, having run for the position last year. This time around, Stevenson is much better informed about the presidential role, admitting that he spent some time talking to past presidents during his year away from the SU. He has largely backed away from the pieces in last year’s platform that fell more into the vice-president student life and vice-president academic roles, acknowledging that his campaign this year is more broad and positions him better to support the vice-presidents in their roles. The holistic way he views the SU’s governance structure is admirable as he understands that vice-presidents have also been elected by students to achieve their goals and that their doing so rests partly with him. Thankfully, he’s also dropped the tired old “improved food-labelling and food offerings in MacHall” campaign promise.

Stevenson is very focused on student

mental wellness. His passion when discussing the matter is genuine and inspiring.

Voters can be assured that, if elected, he will advocate tirelessly for mental health resources on campus and won’t rest until more such resources are in place.

His goal of using the President’s Consultative Task Force in order to engage the needs of underrepresented and marginalized groups on campus is absolutely doable, though he needs to spend some time thinking about what actionable and measurable goals for inclusion he wants to take after he’s done the consultative process.

Stevenson says he’ll demand transparency from the university, to ensure student money is being put to good use. This is a feat easier said than done. There’s no doubt he’ll demand it, but whether or not he gets it is a different story. That being said, he’s incredibly personable and his approach to

the government and university administration is more of a collaborative and consultative one, in direct contrast to Frank Finley’s more aggressive approach. Though, when push comes to shove, Stevenson doesn’t give any indication he’d back down.

His more moderated approach might just be what’s necessary to get things done in a challenging political climate. His plans to lean on CAUS and other student organizations are solid as he understands that, when functioning as a block, there’s more power to make demands.

Overall, Stevenson has a genuine desire to make life better for everyone at the University of Calgary and has actionable plans to get out and talk to students and make sure the SU is working for them. He may seem like the “safe” choice but don’t let his moderated approach fool you — he will be an unrelenting advocate for student interests.

“There is no University of Calgary without the students. I really want to do good and really want to help people.”

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Academic

The vice-president academic is responsible for improving the academic experience and promoting undergraduate research. Their job mostly consists of sitting on committees, meeting with various members of university administration and administering programs like the Teaching Excellence Awards and Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Semhar Abraha

“I strongly believe that every student has a potential to succeed academically”

The platform put together by Semhar Abraha is well-rounded and touches on many different aspects of the vice-president academic’s portfolio.

Abraha brings with her a diverse set of life experiences, having worked with the UN in Sudan and spending time at universities in Africa. As a result, she is able to respond to the academic needs of the University of Calgary’s diverse community of students.

She says her own personal experience with the SU was one lacking in diversity and that inclusion is something very much needed in the organization, be it by engaging more international students or marginalized groups. It’s nice to see a candidate for the vice-president academic role taking an active stance on diversity in learn-

ing and recognizing that inclusion can go a long way to fostering academic success.

Abraha has some ambitious goals. Open Educational Resources is seemingly on someone’s platform every year and she has decided to continue advocacy in this area.

It is unclear how much consultation she’s done with students and current SU executives to determine the feasability of her plan.

Her goal to network specifically with the vice-president academics of various campus clubs is a good one and she knows that reaching out to student groups all at once is a good strategy for engagement. Improving student access to academic journals is a laudable goal but a rather naive one in perhaps not undertanding the financial feasability of making it actually happen.

Abraha wants to improve access to student research and “expand academic resources and support for students looking for research positions.” Being that U of C is a research-intensive university with the ambitious goal of being one of the best, we wish there was a more concrete goal rather than just “support.”

Overall, Abraha’s involvement on the campus and her past experience make her someone who is able to learn quickly and step into a very difficult role that demands plenty of time and attention. She is knowledgeable about the role itself and recognizes how important it is.

focus on reputation and not enough on substance.

Can Kodaz doesn’t fully understand the importance of the vice-president academic role, arguably the most difficult portfolio in the SU. He wants students to “experience what real life is” and what expectations are facing them in their career path.

He wants to see that all faculties, not just business, host CASE competitions. Forcing this on other faculties is not feasible and falls well outside the purview of the vice-president academic, who surely has better things to do be doing. Entrepreneurial thinking can’t solve everything, but Can Kodaz seems to think it can.

Rather than run for a faculty representative role, he says he would like to represent all students, rather than just his home facul-

ty of Haskayne. That being said, Can Kodaz isn’t well-informed about the issues facing other faculties, perhaps owing to his lastminute candidacy that didn’t allow for much consultation.

His idea to expand the accessibility of course evaluations is a good one as the current way that the USRIs are presented is terrible. He’s right that people turn to questionable websites like RateMyProf as a result.

Can Kodaz wants U of C students to succeed, and that’s an admirable quality. He does admit that his candidacy was a rapid decision. Perhaps his platform will take shape as his campaign progresses.

Burak Can Kodaz

“My ideas can help university students as well as the university overall to become a better educational institution.”

External

By his own admission, Burak Can Kodaz decided to run for vice-president academic at the last minute. His major concern is that the University of Calgary is dropping in the world rankings. He thinks that “something is going on” but isn’t quite sure what. But, he believes that the vice-president academic is responsible for fixing this issue, whatever it might be.

He places more importance on the ranking of the university than the student experience, which seems out of touch with what the current study body cares about. He is correct in recognizing that many students choose a university for its academic and research reputation, and he does note that some intangibles like extracurricular activities and mental health play a role in what makes a university a good one, but there is too much

The vice-president external is the Students’ Union’s representative to municipal, provincial and federal governments. They are also the primary delegate for the many umbrella lobbying organizations the SU takes part in. Vote for the candidate you think can hold their own in a meeting with cabinet ministers or city councillors.

Colson Buchanan

“Now more than ever, students need a very streadfast, trustworth, reliable representative to government.”

Confident, knowledgeable and passionate, Colson Buchanan is close to an ideal candidate for vice-president external. With an impressive list of work experience from campus organizations such as the Clubs Office and FASA, Buchanan is demonstrably reliable and effective as a student representative.

Aware of the most pressing issues that the vice-president external faces — namely tuition hikes, a fragmented and disjointed student voice on the provincial stage, and cuts to infrastructure and maintenance funding on campus — Buchanan recognizes the need to unite student dissent and lobby government, although openly admitting his inexperience in directly lobbying government officials in a refreshing display of honesty.

When asked how he would consult students during his term, Buchanan responded

that one of his key platform points is creating an Advocacy Engagement Task Force, which will continually consult students on what the most pressing issues are on campus. His secondary goal to create a provincial student congress to unify provincial student lobby groups is laudable if achieved. However, it remains to be seen how he plans to unite lobby groups with conflicting values, such as the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS) and the Alberta Students’ Executive Council (ASEC), the latter of which openly supports the UCP’s post-secondary education budget. Despite his insistence that student groups in the province can all unite under similar interests, he has yet to present an incentive for groups like ASEC to do so.

Much like other students running for office, Buchanan plans on replacing the

Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP), which was cancelled late last year.

His plan to lobby the UCP on the provincial level to rescind its earlier decision and reinstate STEP seems unlikely. However, his method of going about it on the municipal level — advocating the university to continue pursuing its own STEP replacement program with local industry — is far more realistic and achievable than other campaigners, and is an innovative political strategy to give U of C students with the same opportunities as STEP without attempting to reinstate the program as it was.

Overall, Colson Buchanan puts an impressive foot forward, coming across as reliable, meticulous and unafraid to be inventive in his political strategy.

2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT | 5

Marley Gillies Marley Gillies has a plan, and a good one. Her platform is organized into the levels of government she would be working with in order to advocate for student interests.

Municipally, Gillies wants to work to continue the implementation of the UPASS into the second phase of the electronic transit fare system.

In order to do this, she’d need the full adovacy power of student groups behind her, but it is feasible if she uses the right avenues. While many people will focus on the provincial government this year, Gillies understands that focusing on consultation on the municipal level is important in the long-term.

Gillies has a strong knowledge of the challenges facing students on all levels of government. She is aware that the role of vice-president external is arguably the most important position in the SU right now, especially with the

cuts to post-secondary education.

She wants to have a larger presence on campus than her predecessors have in the past, believing that students are engaged right now owing to the political climate. She wants to use her platform to keep the students informed and helping them to rally around causes and get things done.

Gillies believes that the most important issue facing students right now is the implementation of performance-based funding. She plans to demand a voice in the consultation process, which might be easier said than done. Still, it’s necessary to try.

A major selling feature of Gillies over her competitor is her internal knowledge of the SU. She has been taking in knowledge for the last two years from the sitting vice-president externals and the transition would be easier for her than for Buchanan. She is also aware of what is and is

Student Life

not achievable with regard to her platform. She has been a vocal advocate and an effective representative for her faculty, delivering on most, if not all, of her platform points in this year’s term. The drawback to Gillies also rests with her SU experience. She has represented the Faculty of Arts for two years, making her potentially too focused on arts students. She is, however, aware of this and promises to be aware of any potential silo thinking.

Gillies has a well thought-out platform and would be able to step right into the role, something that is sorely needed right now. She has a personality that enables her to work with all levels of government and university administration in a professional manner that gets things done.

Overall, she is a solid choice for vice-president external and there’s no doubt she would put in the work necessary to advocate for students.

“It’s important that students have a strong voice that demands constant consultation.”

The vice-president student life is in charge of student clubs, events like Orientation Week, Frostbite and Bermuda Shorts Day, as well as mental health and overall student wellness initiatives. Pick a candidate who understands all parts of the portfolio and is enthusiastic about campus life.

Assad Ali Bik Assad Ali Bik’s platform got a glow-up!

He ran for the position in 2018 and was largely panned by the Gauntlet’s panel for being unprepared. This year, our panel saw the Ali Bik who did his homework. He was prepared and is running on a solid platform that retains the passion of his previous campaign. Let’s be clear — he had good ideas in 2018, but those ideas are now more refined as a result of increased student consultation with regard to feasibility. By his own admission, he started consultation much earlier this year and factored the things he heard quite heavily into his platform.

He has made a significant effort to include the entire student body in his platform. It’s obvious this was done with care and authenticity and he’s one of the

few candidates to discuss working toward greater accessibility on campus.

Ali Bik expressed a desire to begin his campaign as someone who is open to listening to diverse groups of students on campus. He believes that the best way to engage students is by cultivating a reputation as someone who actively listens and takes action. His plan to introduce formal collaboration with the Residence Students’ Association (RSA) is a good one and something that’s largely been ignored until this point.

Ali Bik says the first thing he’ll do is focus on mental health and advocate for funding.

He, perhaps naively, believes that making students aware of funding issues will engage them in finding a solution. He absolutely has a plan to increase student awareness that will be impactful and spread needed messages

across campus, but he needs a more concrete plan for how to advocate for the issues he’s hearing about.

BSD falls under the VPSL umbrella and Ali Bik’s plan for what to do about the event involves a lot of listening and consultation and no real plan for how to fix it — though to be fair, no one else had any better ideas.

Ali Bik has a warm, friendly and open personality that would make him a very approachable VPSL. He’s not in this for himself — he’s in it for the students. There’s no doubt that Ali Bik will be an active listener who will take action for student concerns. While he may lack a bit of direction in how he’ll go about actually accomplishing his platform points, there’s no doubt he’d learn quickly on the fly. He’s a kind, authentic, passionate individual who is a solid choice for VPSL.

“Advocacy means getting the student voice to decision-makers.”

Georgia East Georgia East is earnest, thoughtful and wellprepared to run her campaign. Having spent the past year in the SU as education rep, East has a working knowledge of the issues the SU faces, notably a lack of student engagement with wellness resources and a lack of interest in improving social programming for students.

Her solutions for these issues are streamlining the social events hosted by the SU and improving accessibility of wellness programming on campus — laudable intentions for a vicepresident student life hopeful.

East’s Bermuda Shorts Day plan is unclear, although she insists that this is because she has a lot of ideas and is simply hesitant to be married to them. However, East points out that her past student leadership experience in other campuses involved her planning six BSD-style events in a given year, so she is clearly not incapable of

successfully hosting such an event.

When asked about why her platform involves reimagining the SU Stress Busters initiative, East responded that her background in social work plays a major role in her prevention-based mental health platform. While this is certainly true, East’s recommendations when elaborating on the types of events that would replace Stress Buster events are not very different from regular social events — pizza parties or mini-putt events, for example. While improving social programming is a commendable goal for the role, East’s mental health prevention plan seems to merely have more social events, taking away the mental health-specific programming that previously existed, likely a disappointment to students hoping for more accessible mental health resources. East appears to counter this by advocating to make wellness services available after working hours

to be more accessible, although she admits that this is likely not an achievable goal in her term.

East’s key passion project is her multi-sensory room, for which she submitted a Quality Money application as education representative. The room, which would be of massive benefit to those who struggle with sensory stimulation, stems from East’s desire to provide a more accessible environment for all individuals on campus, a commendable goal. Her passion when discussing the need for such a room on campus is palpable and her passion for helping others is heartfelt, geuine and touching.

East’s past SU experience gives her a clear advantage over the other candidates, and her demonstrable interest and enthusiasm in engaging the campus community is an admirable quality in a vice-president student life candidate.

“I have always believed that a Students’ Union is responsible for a well-rounded student experience.”

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Ibrahim Oshodi

“University is the time to find a community.”

Ibrahim Oshodi is articulate and funny, cracking witticisms about his transition to university as he sat down at the interview table. Disappointingly, however, his campaign platform is largely unresearched and undefined, leaving much to be desired regarding his plans for the implementation of his platform goals.

Oshodi plans to host a series of larger social events during the school year, lamenting the lack of engagement between Fall Orientation Week and Bermuda Shorts Day. While this lack of engagement is a concern, Oshodi fails to clearly explain how his solution of holding low-cost events during the school year will improve the current state of student engagement.

In addition, his plan for BSD is still to be determined. When asked about it, Oshodi responded that it was an important tradition to maintain, and later commented that he’d like to bring new

energy into BSD by pitting traditional rivalries against each other in friendly competition, citing Haskayne and Schulich as an example.

Apart from this, Oshodi did not go into further details about his vision for next year’s BSD despite it being one of the primary events hosted by the SU to foster a sense of community in the student population.

The rest of his platform deals with clubs, drawing from his past experience as executive in various student organizations, and identifies issues he believes need to be dealt with.

Although Oshodi explained, quite reasonably, why these issues are important, he does little to suggest implementable solutions that are not already in place. For example, he suggests that the SU give clubs advice on dealing with turnover or marketing, but fails to explain how this idea differs from the detail-oriented Clubs

Manual, which provides much of the same advice that he seeks to put in place.

His entire campaign centers around hosting events for students, making him the epitome of #VPParty. To be clear, Oshodi is well-intentioned, but his campaign reflects a lack of awareness about what things fall under the profile of student life. There is no plan whatsoever for mental health and wellness, priorities that need to be addressed on this campus.

Oshodi’s lack of implementable solutions and overly broad platform is a shame given his enviably high level of energy and affable, good-natured personality. He should consider running next year in a faculty representative role — his passion and genuine interest in building community would be embraced with open arms within his faculty.

Strategy and sustainability goals. Her commitment to diversity on campus is laudable and her intentions are genuine.

Peppinck’s main focus seems to be improving the quality of the campus experience through social events. Here, she identifies the issue of a lack of mature student inclusion in campus events, as well as a general lack of student engagement. She wants to bring more live music to the Den which is a great idea. One of her proposals to improve the current state of affairs is to implement a series of artistic endeavours around campus, such as film festivals, art pieces and artistic architecture around campus. When asked how she feels students from other faculties would fit into this picture, Peppinck replied that these students will also connect with the art, stating that all

types of faculties are involved in the creation of art. Finally, when asked about her plans for BSD, Peppinck responded that the event may now be a thing of the past, that perhaps the event should no longer be called “Bermuda Shorts Day,” and proposes to de-transition the event from an alcohol-focused party event to something new to improve student engagement, suggesting everything from live music festivals to paint murals to sports competitions, although she has yet to tie herself to a fleshed-out proposed alternative.

Without seeing the fully-detailed version of her “million ideas,” it is impossible to scrutinize her platform to the same degree as other candidates. As much of it seems up in the air, there is very little substance to Peppinck’s actual platform or policy ideas, though she’s starting from the right place.

Sara Peppinck

“I have a million ideas all the time for events!”

A newcomer to the world of student politics, Sara Peppinck is well-intentioned but her platform lacks detail.

Peppinck’s platform on the SU website consists almost exclusively of her resume — which boasts an extensive list of accomplishments.

While she has frequently stated that she has a million ideas ready to implement as vicepresident student life, she didn’t detail any of them in her platform. Peppinck sent us a list of points centred around clubs, campus life and accountability. Her clubs-related platform section — aiming to help clubs run smoothly and mentor new ones — describes the basic requirements for someone in the role and does not propose anything imaginative or new. The accountability aspect of her platform aims to hold the SU accountable to the university’s Indigenous Strategy, Campus Mental Health

2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT | 7

Faculty Representatives Arts - Fayo Abdi Fayo Abdi did not interview with the Gauntlet. Having not spoken with her, a thorough analysis of her platform wasn’t possible and we can only make a judgement based on the platform posted on the SU’s website.

Unfortunately, the posted platform isn’t a platform at all, but several hundred words of platitudes.

“I would like to implement what the students of my faculty want as opposed to what I think they want” and “The changes you want to see are the ones I want to execute” are two quotes taken verbatim from the platform. This information says absolutely nothing about what she will do

to make life better for arts students.

Overall, it seems that consultation with students in the faculty has not yet been completed and Abdi would be starting from a significant step behind the other candidates as a result.

Abdi says she wants to provide the same opportunities for growth to arts students that are provided in other faculties, but there is absolutely no indication of what these growth opportunities are. The only two actionable pieces to her platform are “more workshops for professional development” and more networking opportunities, though there is no clarity as to what these thing are.

She also states that “there are always ways for students to enhance themselves and their degree.” What are they? Overall, Abdi’s platform has no structure and no plan.

The one positive to her posted platform does reference the diversity of the Faculty of Arts and includes everything “from economics to dance” and we appreciated the inclusiveness of the underrepresented fine art department.

Arts - Brandon Eby Brandon Eby is a passionate candidate for arts rep, with a platform grounded in advocacy. Their prioritizing of student consultation makes them a strong contender for the position.

Reducing food insecurity is one of Eby’s main goals. Part of their plan to address this is to also recognize the importance of diverse food options to food security, a component that shows incredible awareness and sensitivity. Though SU campaigns have often included working towards including halal and kosher options on campus, Eby’s plan was more practical than some past plans. They would advocate for diverse and accessible options for new vendors, and work to ensure existing vendors respect dietary restrictions by implementing efforts are made to

prevent things like cross-contamination.

Eby’s other main concern is mental health.

They’re interested in SLC conducting a full review of the Wellness Centre to identify improvements. Eby mentioned one improvement would be making sure that it has a diverse community, as they’d heard concerns from students that they’d felt alienated from interactions. It’s unclear how far the arts representative role could influence decisions in the Wellness Centre on this level, but Eby would certainly be another voice in SLC advocating for improvements.

Eby’s platform lacks points that are specific to the arts faculty. However, their platform includes a heavy focus on student consultation, including proposing “fireside chats” to make the SU more

transparent to students. If Eby follows through on these plans, they would be in a great position to advocate for the needs of arts students for incoming issues and projects.

Eby stated that their experience in advocacy and protesting in the campus club Students for Direct Action distinguishes them from the other candidates. Eby is a candidate against complacency and is ready to use their position to fight for students. They would be a useful addition to SLC to ensure student voices are heard.

“I want to make sure that I’m going to students, making sure that everything is absolutely transparent.”

Arts - Caitlin Hornbeck Caitlin Hornbeck arrived to our interview with a bucketful of energy, a handful of ideas and a spoonful of charisma. Hornbeck is new to student politics — this will be her first term — but she understands how the system works and what students typically expect from an arts representative and is not afraid to challenge herself in the role.

Her sustainability initiative is a creative step in the right direction, effectively distinguishing her from other candidates in her robust explanation of how she plans on implementing her goal of making major programs and events sustainable, explaining that she hopes to make major programs and events hosted by the Faculty of Arts certified sustainable. Her personal workshops

and events are also to be certified sustainable, helping her advance her sustainability platform in a realistic, feasible manner.

When asked about her second key platform goal — her professional development workshops — Hornbeck seemed to falter. She aims to tackle the issue of falling graduate employment rates in the faculty by hosting a series of professional development workshops with certificates attached to the completion of a given workshop, but fails to adequately explain how these certificates will help arts students find a job apart from her claim that they will boost the confidence of those seeking employment. This aspect of her platform is a key area in which she will need to elaborate during her campaign

if she hopes to convince arts students that these workshops will increase the likelihood of them finding a job after their degree.

Hopefully Hornbeck will have ironed out these details come voting period, as the sustainability element of her platform is unique, innovative and deserves implementation. Hornbeck also exudes confidence and enthusiasm, both important qualities in an arts rep, and will likely serve as a worthy student representative if elected.

“I believe that my platform gets to the heart of improving student life on campus.”

Arts - Justin Gotta Justin Gotta is running for a second term as Faculty of Arts Representative. In his first term, he proved himself to be a passionate advocate for student consultation and SLC minutes reveal him being a vocal voice for arts students.

Gotta is passionate about research opportunities for the Faculty of Arts, correctly identifying the lack of awareness of these opportunities as an issue that arts students care very much about. Gotta believes that research opens up a lot of gateways for students and wants to help his faculty understand that they too have a place in a research-intensive institution. This goal shows awareness of the climate facing students upon graduation and an

ability to use the resources available to him to help students.

His plan to resurrect the D2L shell for the faculty is doable and would provide a simple way to connect a large, diverse faculty. He also wants to increase the social media presence of the arts reps, citing the fact that many students take to platforms like Reddit when they are upset, rather than speaking with someone who can actually help them.

He wants to continue his work in connecting faculty and staff and plan more events where networking can occur.

While he didn’t achieve all of his platform goals in his first term, Gotta learned from the

experience and has come back with a platform that is more doable and actionable. He also found ways around the obstacles he faced in achieving his goals, showing tenacity and adaptability.

His greatest strength is his ability to connect with a broad cross-section of arts students and bring their voice to SLC. Gotta has proven himself an effective and impactful faculty rep with a wide network of students with whom to draw on for consultation.

“When you vote in the SU election, you are voting for students like myself who want to be strong advocates.”

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Arts - Rody Visotski Rody Visotski has a genuine desire to unite the Faculty of Arts and recognizes the diversity present within the faculty. He knows his platform inside out and was wellprepared for the interview — and for his campaign. He’s knowledgeable about the faculty and all levels of government.

We liked Visotski’s understanding that not only are students voting for the platform, but the person behind the platform and his personality impressed our panel.

He has plenty of leadership experience with the YELL Youth Council and has advocated for youth in his community to several levels of government already.

Visotski has a lot of ideas and many plans

but getting them all done would be next to impossible in a one-year term. That being said, he has an incredible level of awareness that plans change and shift and sometimes alterations on the fly are necessary. Once he realizes it won’t all get finished, he is someone who will be able to set priorities and determine which things are doable and which things are most imperative to impacting student life in the Faculty of Arts.

He’s aware that his limited experience with the SU and with the university itself could be seen as a hindrance, but he also recognizes that fresh eyes are beneficial.

He has experience with advocacy and with

taking on new challenges that would be very transferable to a faculty rep role.

Visotski is an impressive candidate — don’t let his first-year status fool you. He comes across as someone able to step right into the role and get things done.

ment and university administration in the face of tuition increases. As far as this engagement goes, she plans to use clubs and student groups to assist her, believing that engaging with them and their events is a good step to reaching the most amount of people in the shortest amount of time. She’s right. Qurishi also understands that face-to-face interaction is the way to go and that e-mails and social media campaigns aren’t always the best way to reach people as too much information online can get lost in the noise.

Qurishi’s number-one issue she would like to work on if elected is engaging students in helping the SU to advocate for them.

She has extensive involvement in campus

clubs and in non-profit work off-campus and has studied up on the SU and its governance structure since her last campaign.

Like most candidates, Qurishi wants to increase the unity in the faculty, recognizing the diversity of disciplines contained within arts.

We would have liked to see some mention or focus on Fine Arts students as they are often forgotten by arts reps.

Overall, Malika would bring passion, focus and fresh thinking to the Faculty of Arts rep position and is a solid choice.

to prevent another rise in tuition. Simply handing money to the university through a different revenue stream is a bizarre economic plan that makes no sense. He also seems unaware that many of the businessess students spend their money at actually belong to the SU, rather than the university.

His plan to “increase the amount of students that partake in physical activity to improve mental wellbeing” displays an attitude of “quick-fix” toward the issue of mental health. A couple of dumbbells in the fitness centre or an extra treadmill will be unlikely to solve any issues people are facing with regard to services and resources for mental health.

Overall, the platform is not well thoughtout, nor does it display an understanding of the issues facing students and lacks knowledge of the role of arts rep.

“You’re committing to the platform, but also to the person.”

Arts - Malika Qurishi This is Malika Qurishi’s second time running for arts rep and this year, her platform is more viable than last year’s. She’s done more research into the specifics and has focused her ideas in a more tangible way.

Qurishi has divided the engagement piece of her platform up into academic and nonacademic engagement. She understands that a robust amount of extracurricular activities is helpful when entering the job market and applying to graduate studies.

As far as advocacy goes, Qurishi wants to make students more aware of the SU and invite students to join in on advocacy efforts. She has a keen understanding of how a united student body is stronger when advocating to govern-

“I want arts students to be more aware of SU intitiatives.”

Arts - Sareen Singh Sareen Singh did not interview with the Gauntlet. Having not spoken with him, a thorough analysis of his platform wasn’t possible and we can only make a judgement based on the platform posted on the SU’s website.

Overall, in looking at Singh’s platform, the information did not impress. He plans to entice students to shop at university businesses by “advertising on boards” and offering incentives to increase revenue for the university in order to prevent tuition increases. We’re unsure why giving money to the university for one thing intead of another is a good idea. The Bookstore would have to sell an awful lot of Dinos hoodies

Medicine - Aria Ahadzadeh Ardebili Aria Ahadzadeh Ardebili has many ideas for what he’d accomplish in the role of medicine representative, but most of them seem to rely on his many “connections” to others.

One of Ahadzadeh Ardebili’s better ideas was to improve parking in the Foothills campus by creating carpool slots with parking passes. He seemed knowledgeable on who to approach to make this happen, though it is still an ambitious goal. As for addressing the constant issue of the summer UPASS for research students, he suggested that he knows someone who knows someone who knows people in public transportation and they would be willing to set up a meeting with him. This suggestion was pretty vague and not very promising.

A troubling theme in Ahadzadeh Ardebili’s interview was the constant mention of his “connections,” — friends he had in different areas that factored into his plans. When asked about issues of stress among med students, he suggested breaking up the school day to have classes from 10–1 and 3–6 rather than from 12–6.

While it’s understandable why the included break would be beneficial for students, it’s unclear how feasible it would be to completely change faculty and student schedules. His other suggestion was to work with his friends who own a bubble tea shop, mass-ordering bubble tea at a discount and having it delivered to Foothills campus. It’s a nice gesture, but probably not the best use of a faculty rep’s time, and does little to actually address

stress and mental health concerns of students.

Ahadzadeh Ardebili emphasized the benefit of his connections, to the point where it became unclear whether these connections would actually be helpful to his position as med rep or if they were simply meant to be impressive on their own.

Although his goal of improving parking on the Foothills campus is worth the consideration of any med rep, he should consider if giving his friends business should be one of his priorities as a representative of student interests.

“The other candidates, in my opinion, don’t have the same connections as me.”

2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT | 9

Medicine - Jasleen Brar Jasleen Brar has a feasible and well-constructed platform. Her three pillars “You,” “Your Community” and “Your Future” are thoughtful and show that she’s put time and effort into developing her ideas.

Brar wants to advocate for more resources at the Foothills campus. She plans to ensure that wellness opportunities are available to students at Foothills, recognizing that students in her faculty rarely come to the main campus to access services. When asked how feasible she thought this was, she quickly cited Pet Therapy being offered recently at Foothills campus. Brar believes that with a little more advocacy, more services and resources will be available.

Brar recognizes that there are several different degree programs offered in the Cumming School of Medicine, whose students don’t often interact or work together. As a Health and Society major, she brings a unique perspective to the role but doesn’t have a silo focus on only this degree program.

Her platform would benefit from advocacy surrounding a summer UPASS for students conducting research at Foothills, an issue commonly brought up by students in her faculty. Brar did mention that the bus system was less than ideal at times but said that she didn’t feel she was in a position to tackle the problem and that it fell outside

her jurisdiction.

Brar made a strategic decision to have a smaller platform, saying she didn’t want to promise anything that couldn’t be delivered. She wants to bring CASE competitions to the health sciences, a process that could likely be at least started within a one-year term and would benefit the students in her faculty.

She has leadership experience with committees and clubs and seems more than ready to move into the SU.

“I’m really concerned about wellness and academic supports for students.”

Medicine - Pranav Khosla Pranav Khosla is a very competent candidate for med rep. He’s well-versed in the issues facing all the students in his faculty.

Khosla wants to streamline the process by which students receive information about internship opportunities and events. He thinks he can achieve this by creating a website that students can access. If he uses the right platform and gets in touch with the right people, this is actionable. His first priority is a mentorship program that connects students with MD and graduate students who can help mentor undergraduates who may be considering medical school. Again, this goal is very feasible if he works quickly once elected.

The summer UPASS has long been an issue for

students at Foothills and Khosla plans to advocate for its implementation. He recognizes that many candidates have run on this as a critical piece of their platform and have failed. Khosla’s approach to engage the university’s Eyes High Strategy is a unique one and seems like a plausible way to get them to the table. His maturity and ability to thoroughly explain his point of view makes him a likely candidate to actually get this done.

One of the most interesting pieces of his platform is the desire to expand study abroad opportunities for students in his faculty. He recognizes that a diverse set of experiences can set a student apart in a competitive field.

While Khosla didn’t specifically put mental health in his platform he plans to address the is-

sue in other ways. He didn’t want it to be seen as a buzzword and didn’t want to simply pay lip service to the issue. He certainly has thought about mental health but believes the best way to help students is by alleviating some of the problems that plague them — career decisions, financial challenges and the overall student environment.

Khosla would be able to combine advocacy for not only the Bachelor of Health Sciences program, but also for the Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies.

“Targeting some of the core issues leads to increased wellness.”

Medicine - Labiba Nawar Labiba Nawar would bring some muchneeded diversity of opinion to the Cumming School of Medicine Faculty Representative position. She is a Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies (CRDS) student which has been an under-represented group of students in the SU. She is knowledgeable about the issues facing CRDS students and has a strong desire to represent their interests. Nawar brings a desire to help the CRDS students collaborate and connect with students from other programs in the Cumming School of Medicine and expresses the need to integrate the programs. That being said, she is very focused on CRDS students and some

of her platform points are quite specifically geared towards CRDS-specific programming.

Her platform point of beginning a Cumming School of Medicine Career Fair would show the diversity of work and further study available to students in the faculty and her year-end gala plan would be a great way to get students from diverse programs within Cumming to acknowledge and celebrate one another.

Though it would be great to have someone representing the CRDS students, she is perhaps too focused on their experience and our panel felt she would have a hard time representing students from other pro-

grams. She would overall be a good addition to the SU, provided that someone who represented another program at Cumming is elected alongside her. Nawar is knowledgeable, personable and her platform is well thought-out and actionable.

“I’m here to make changes — even if it’s only one or two, it’s a good start.”

Medicine - Sergio Plazas Student life is at the foreground of Sergio Plazas’ platform as medicine representative.

His top priority is mental health. Though Plazas acknowledges that events such as Pet Therapy cannot be the extent of mental health efforts on campus, he spoke somewhat vaguely about what he would work towards, besides generally being an advocate. He stated in his platform that he feels adding other points to his platform would “weaken the emphasis” he puts on mental health, but he would’ve done well to expand that point more.

Part of his plan for improving student life for med students is to encourage health science clubs to host more events on the

Foothills campus. He cited that such events should be relatively easy to host, as many students have a set schedule and times where most are guaranteed to be free. This would help to improve student engagement, and is a pretty practical goal.

He mentioned a focus on academic life as well and promised to prioritize it, but wasn’t clear at all on what that looked like. Another vague area of his platform that there wasn’t really a plan for is to “recondition student areas” of the Foothills campus. Plazas has no plan to advocate for students in terms of budget cuts and is naive about the political climate facing health science graduates after their degrees.

Plazas is a very well-intentioned candidate who clearly cares about the well-being of his peers. Overall, however, his ideas aren’t fully fleshed-out. It would’ve made his platform a lot stronger to come up with more clear and achievable goals for improving mental health, similar to what he had done with general student life.

“I think it’s very important to instill a stronger sense of community.”

10 | 2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT

Nursing - Dorsa Zamanpour Dorsa Zamanpour is a very well-intentioned candidate who shows empathy, care and passion for her faculty and the students within it. Her platform is mainly focused on improving the student experience from a social standpoint and lacks depth and understanding of the academic issues facing her faculty.

It’s evident that Zamanpour has put time and plenty of thought into the events she wants to host and was able to tell us exactly why each event would be a beneficial. She has a well thought-out plan to host each one and these range from yoga with baby animals to spa days to a pancake day. She’s aware that mental health is important and believes that these events would go a long way to helping nursing students

de-stress. Her ideas are fun and thoughtful.

She understands that collaboration is important and said that she doesn’t want to be confined to her platform, citing the need to listen to the students in her faculty.

One of the more puzzling ideas in her platform was a nursing-only textbook buy-and-sell platform. She didn’t seem to realize the problem with cannibalizing an existing SU business, Bound and Copied, stating that any lost revenue would be negligible because “it’s just one faculty.” Despite there being many other platforms available to buy and sell textbooks, Zamanpour is very focused on this point.

Zamanpour has done her homework and consulted with students but the solutions she

has come up with are slightly misguided. She’s relatively unaware of the SU’s current structure and function, by her own admission.

It was impossible not to like Zamanpour’s calm demeanor and caring approach. She clearly wants to make positive change within her faculty. She would be someone who passionately listens to the students in her faculty and pours her heart into the role. Unfortunately, she’s naive about the political climate facing nurses upon graduation and lacks the ability to strongly advocate for students.

to show students that there are other opportunities in the field as well, whether that’s by hosting lunch and learns or connecting students with upper-year and graduated mentors.

Feng’s keen observation that the NCLEX practice exams offered to nursing students are no longer free and that some students take these multiple times before sitting the real exam is insightful and he plans to work hard to find an alternative or negotiate competitive pricing.

This is perhaps a lofty goal, but the recognition of the problem shows a good first step to making it happen.

When asked what sets him apart form his competition, he gave a classy and composed answer, complimenting the platform of his competitor.

What does set him apart, however, is how wellrounded he is. Feng not only understands the academic challenges facing nursing students, but is also aware of the need for mental health initiatives and some fun events to bring people together. His knowledge of the political climate facing nurses after graduation and his desire to set students up for success is admirable.

Feng is personable, diplomatic and incredibly knowledgeable. There’s no reason not to cast a vote his way.

“I want to take a strengths-based approach and find out what we’re great at and then build on it.”

Nursing - Jonah Feng Jonah Feng gave a very impressive interview.

It is clear he deeply understands the issues facing not only students in the Faculty of Nursing, but the challenges faced upon graduation.

Feng is well-versed in the culture of nursing at the University of Calgary and has made every effort to connect himself with the undergraduate nursing groups on campus. This experience positions him well to represent students and make an impact on the faculty with the wider platform of the SU behind him. He draws heavily on his own experience in junior years and knows what changes need to be made in order for students to have the best experience possible in the Faculty of Nursing. He is well aware that many people view nursing as an “in-hospital” job and he plans

“I’d really like to become a bigger advocate for my student body especially given the political climate.”

Science - Pragya Chopra Pragya Chopra is organized, well-intentioned and has dilligently crafted her platform.

Chopra’s idea to engage alumni in events is a good one. The University of Calgary alumni network is a strong community that is interested in helping students and taking full advantage of this doesn’t appear on nearly enough candidate’s platforms.

Her idea to incorporate Career Services and alumni to hold regular workshops that include activities such as mock interviews, job searching and networking is a good one and something that can be of practical benefit to science students. That being said, she will need to realize how difficult it can be to get the university’s Career Services

involved in anything the SU reps want to do.

Chopra has grand plans to renovate some parts of the Mathematical Sciences building and while she is aware of the funding available to make renovations happen, she underestimates how difficult it will be to actualize this. She wants to start small by having better, more comfortable chairs and isn’t looking to knock out walls or anything extravagant, but it’s still going to be a challenge.

She believes what sets her apart from the other candidates is her experience with the Faculty of Science as a student ambassador and her involvement with the alumni network.

According to Chopra, the lack of unity in the faculty is one of the biggest challenges facing science students right now. Unfortunately, mental health doesn’t feature prominently in her platform and it’s an issue of great importance to students right now. She also needs a better plan to engage with students and hear their voices.

Overall, Chopra is a safe choice for science rep.

“I want students to be able to do more and be more.”

Science - Chaten Jessel Chaten Jessel is undoubtedly passionate about the role and really wants to be the science rep. He has some good ideas but needs to flesh them out and back them with a concrete plan.

Jessel’s desire to foster community in science and unite a diverse faculty is an admirable, if not common thought, yet he doesn’t offer a plan to actually do this.

He feels that the SU does wonderful things, but no one knows about them and his goal is to raise awareness about the organization.

He’s not aware of what the SU does, other than “they offered food one day in the foyer

by Science Theatres.”

As far as mental health goes, Jessel feels

that the SU has done a good job with revamping the SU Wellness Centre. He doesn’t see any need to improve the facilities but rather wants to promise the existing ones. He wants to promote Pet Therapy to more people and believes it’s a great program.

Jessel says what sets him apart is that he is very committed to the idea of being an SU rep, saying he’s excited to try and do something positive.

Jessel’s platform is largely the same as last year, because he feels strongly in his ideas, but he feels his confidence has improved.

He identified the largest problem facing science students as lack of access to wellness resources but thinks this can be resolved by

promoting the things that already happen and that changing the mindset around the SU Wellness Centre to a more positive one would be beneficial.

His platform doesn’t contain any original ideas, but rather focuses on mixers and a few social events as well as increased communication via D2L. Jessel is well-intentioned and his heart is in the right place, but he needs some concrete plans to back it up.

“All I really want to do is help people.”

2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT | 11

Science - Manpreet Sahota Manpreet Sahota is an impressive candidate for the Faculty of Science representative position. Though she’s the incumbent candidate, she hasn’t taken that fact for granted and has crafted a platform that builds on her work last year as well as the things she has learned in the role.

Her platform is well-rounded and includes academic, career, wellness, and student life initiatives. Mental health is important to Sahota and she’s worked to make her goals more specific and concrete, promising to decentralize wellness and mental health support by hosting sciencespecific student wellness events.

Sahota is well-known and well-liked on campus and places a strong focus on student consultation.

Her approachability and caring demeanor as well

as her genuine desire to help students succeed make her someone who can actively listen to student concerns and act on them. She acknowledges the diversity of the Faculty of Science and has been able to advocate for students outside her specific discipline of Plant Biology. She has also been a champion of diversity and inclusion and plans to continue her work in this area.

Sahota is aware of the research and funding opportunities in her faculty but knows that many students are not. She plans to increase awareness of these things and one of her platform points indicates she’ll “support students in writing research proposals.” It’s a little unclear how she’ll do this and we’d like to see a more fully-developed plan to measure success in this area.

Sahota was one of the few candidates for any position that specifically mentioned international students and the tuition increases they’re facing. SLC minutes show Sahota fighting tirelessly for students in her last term and expecting the same from other representatives which makes a measurable impact on the SU. Sahota is a true champion for the Faculty of Science and her achievements in the 77th SLC are impressive.

“Wellness is just a part of equity, diversity and inclusion.”

Science - Stanton Thai Despite this being his first-ever campaign, Stanton Thai presents an impressive and detailed platform with clear, actionable items.

He presents a thoughtful, well-developed plan for his time in office.

Although we reserve our time in the candidate interview to ask them questions to clarify their platform points and ask for specific details on each idea, we had very little to ask about Thai’s already-detailed platform. Seeing a lack of awareness about the resources available to science students, Thai’s platform deals openly with resolving such issues, developing an event calendar and newsletter to inform students of upcoming opportunities and developing a “Science Handbook” to give students in his

faculty a one-stop guide to the programs and services tailored specifically for them — all simple, pragmatic solutions to his identified issues. He also plans to stay on top of student issues in his faculty by creating a feedback form for students to open a line of communication between the student representatives and their electorate, a democratic and laudable goal.

What is missing from Thai’s platform is a wellness-oriented goal — while science students will likely welcome the proposed improvements to their study life and the added resources for their careers later on, they may be left wondering what kinds of events will be hosted to improve their mental well-being and the social aspect of their campus life. Thai’s response to this concern

is that his platform is academically-oriented for a reason — other candidates running for office cite student wellness as a core focus in their platforms, and since two others will be elected into office, he will be able to concentrate solely on improving the academic and working lives of the student population during his term.

Overall, however, Thai’s platform is sound, logical and his solutions to problems set an excellent example for future candidates to follow, with pragmatic, thoughtful ideas on improving student life for science students.

“I’m really passionate about advancing youth potential and giving youth opportunities to be better and better.”

Business - Shagufta Farheen Shagufta Farheen has confidence in spades. Hearing her platform was like hearing a business pitch on Dragon’s Den, which is probably perfect for someone running to be Haskyane rep.

Her focus is on academics, career opportunities and mentorship and while mental health does feature in her platform it comes across as not as important as the other pieces.

The number one issue facing Haskayne students, according to Farheen, is transparency. She feels that business students aren’t kept in the loop regarding the goings-on in her faculty. Her plan for monthly town halls is doable and would go a

long way to incorporating Haskayne into the larger UCalgary community.

A first-year mentorship program is one of the primary things she wants to accomplish in her term and she has the personality to convince senior students, faculty and alumni to participate. It isn’t just an idea for Farheen — she actually has a solid plan for how to get this done.

Farheen’s platform is actionable and achievable — she isn’t promising anything she can’t deliver. She’s not very familiar with the structure of the SU but would be a quick learner and would be very capable of increasing awareness in Haskayne of what the SU actually does.

Overall, Farheen is boisterous, personable and can make her voice heard. She comes across as someone who can get things done quickly and efficiently and would be a good choice for Haskayne rep if academics and networking opportunities are important to you.

“I can be a strong advocate and represent the students in Haskyane.”

Business - Muhammad Khandwalla Muhammad Khandwalla shows a lack of understanding of the Students’ Union and the position he is running for. Khandwalla’s campaign is lacking significantly in the sense that it is entirely focused on the fact that, according to him, “students just want to finish up work and go home. Everyone just wants to finish class, get good GPAs, and leave, and that’s really annoying.”

Yeah, that’s kind of what happens in an academic institution.

Khandwalla, who has admitted to having no knowledge of his competitors’ platforms, inaccurately stated that he thinks “the SU is just a committee you can get student loans and bursaries from” and is setting out to vaguely create “awareness” about that. When asked about

what makes his platform unique, Khandwalla directs it to the fact that he “loves to learn” and is taking a First-Aid course, because yes, apparently the most pressing issue at Haskayne is the overwhelming amount of choking hazards.

I’m having difficulty figuring out whether I dislike Khandwalla’s campaign because of his lack of consideration of legitimate student struggles, or the fact that he was being completely serious when he said, “I am very competitive, I look at other people and it’s like I want to be at the top and I want to create some kind of distinction between myself and others.”

Other painfully cringeworthy instances like this made it evident that Khandwalla mostly has no clue about what he represents, but is only

concerned with holding a position of office for the sake of holding power. Instead of detailing a coherent plan as to how he plans to work for students in the Haskayne School of Business, Khandwalla’s platform is a 300-word essay, limited to Pet Therapy, his days a national-level swimmer, and “fighting to end poverty and hunger back in Kenya.”

While Khandwalla has a lot of passion for engaging the student body, he, unfortunately, lacks the platform necessary to be considered a compelling candidate for this position.

“I want to be at the top and I want to create some kind of distinction between myself and others.”

12 | 2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT

Business - Aly Samji When Aly Samji started telling us about his platform, we were blown away. Our panel could have listened to him speak all day. His calm and rational demeanor gave way to a passion for advocacy and the student experience.

Samji has a robust understanding of the specific pressures facing students at Haskayne and wants to help integrate them into the larger campus community and help fight against the alienation that plagues many students in the business school. His plan to implement monthly town halls to keep communication going between Haskayne and the SU is very doable and would assist in alleviating some of the isolation. He is realistic that attendance to some of these town halls may be limited at first and he understands

that making time to chat with students and start a conversation is the first step.

Mental health features prominently in Samji’s plans. He identified that many students in Haskayne are reluctant to discuss mental wellbeing because of the nature of business school and the preconceived notions of how a successful businessperson should behave. Samji wants to create a culture and a conversation that’s more accepting of mental health in business.

Samji’s platform is realistic. While it doesn’t promise the world and may even look a little bland, all of the items are actionable and would make a positive impact to Haskayne students.

What sets him apart from the other candidates in the field is his experience advocating

specifically for Haskayne students. Samji has been very involved with student groups at Haskayne and despite being a second-year business student he is well-equipped to move onto a bigger stage like the SU. Don’t let Samji’s soft-spoken nature fool you — he would be an incredible advocate for student interests that fellow students, faculty, administration and even government officials would take seriously. Samji is an incredible candidate and one that certainly deserves your vote.

“I need Haskayne to know that they will be listened to and fought for if I am elected as their representative.”

Engineering - Nabeel Amjad Nabeel Amjad did not interview with the Gauntlet. Having not spoken with him, a thorough analysis of his platform wasn’t possible and we can only make a judgement based on the platform posted on the SU’s website.

While Amjad’s platform contains very good starting points, the ideas aren’t fully fleshed out.

He has all the trappings of a student representative, including buzzwordy concepts like transparent communication and encouraging mental health initiatives. What specifically is lacking from his platform are deliverables. He mentions making more destress events as a means to tackle mental

health initiatives as well as working with the Engineering Student Society to expand a database on research opportunities — ­ nay, look to expand. What does that even mean?

Most of all, Amjad’s platform lacks a tenacity that is needed to balance faculty, student and SU needs since this sort of representative role tends to work on the precipice of all three simultaneously. The platform, though a good effort, feels recycled and without a comprehension for how to accomplish these goals.

This platform is a good launching point, but it isn’t fully realized and that’s the issue.

If tweaked slightly, perhaps including more actionable items and being clear with what

the platform will do, it has a fighting chance in the election. The parts are there, the execution needs work.

Engineering - Juan Sanchez Higuerey Juan Sanchez Higuerey’s platform is mostly rooted in advocacy in minimizing damage caused by budget cuts.

Sanchez Higuerey’s platform focuses on the budget cuts primarily because of the steep 10 per cent tuition increase faced by new engineering students, as well as staffing cuts to the Maker Multiplex labs. He said he was involved with the campus club Students for Direct Action informing students on budget cuts and tuition increases and is wanting to take the next step, using the representative position to further organize against tuition increases.

Securing staffing in the Maker Multiplex labs is Sanchez Higuerey’s main goal, citing

the significance of experiential learning to engineering students. Though he acknowledges it would be a hard ask, considering staffing has already been cut, he hopes to work closely with the Dean to do their best to find a way to staff the space since they are so important to students.

Sanchez Higuerey also hopes to mitigate the loss of mandatory fees to the Engineering Students’ Society through the SU, as any help would “enrich the engineering student experience.”

Sanchez Higuerey said he’ll be a fierce voice against upcoming tuition increases and budget cuts, and is ready to stand up for students. Overall, he’d be a competent

choice for engineering rep owing to his past work in student advocacy and his knowledge of the issues that are impacting students at Schulich.

“I care deeply about making the student experience a great one.”

Engineering - Bharat Uppal Bharat Uppal did not interview with the Gauntlet. Having not spoken with him, a thorough analysis of his platform wasn’t possible and we can only make a judgement based on the platform posted on the SU’s website.

Mental health features prominently in Uppal’s platform and his plan to work with the Engineering Students’ Society to bring wellness workshops and resources to Schulich.

Networking with industry players and making connections is an often overlooked part of the student experience and a welcome addition to Uppal’s platform.

We wish he’d addressed a plan for staff-

ing the MakerSpace, because it’s an area that engineering students are clearly concerned about. We also wish he would have addressed tuition increases and budget cuts in some way.

Uppal has pledged to be available to students via multiple forms of communication, a commendable. He has experience in communications and seems like an approachable candidate who will put the work into this role. He has demonstrated in past roles that, at least communicatively, he tried to get information out to engineering students.

Overall, his platform seems doable and crafted with care. Focusing on immediate,

actionable items shows an understanding on what he can realistically accomplish in a one-year term. He makes his case as a passionate candidate to represent engineering students.

2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT | 13

The Gauntlet’s annual poster critique

Less offensive than his last signage debacle.

No thanks, we prefer Sriracha.

“I have the premium subscription to Canva.”

Semhar Abraha: Live in concert, March 5!

When you format your campaign poster and essay in the same doc.

Recycled from her high school student council run.

Zzzzzzzzzz.....

VP “external” doesn’t mean don’t go inside the buildings...

Call me to work at your kid’s birthday party!

Protect the pack? Protect my eyes!

He knows Reddit trolls don’t vote right?!

“I have the free subscription to Canva.”

East? These posters are directionless.

This is the Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn/Tinder challenge all wrapped in one. Truly horrifying.

14 | 2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT

Endorsements E

very year, the Gauntlet Students’ Union election supplement panelists individually compile a list of endorsements for candidates. While we take pride in the work we do on this supplement, please don’t take it as gospel — do your research on candidates by reading their platforms online, engaging with them during the campaign period and attending forums and debates. Not all panelists endorsed candidates in all faculties, but did where there were people they felt passionate about. Vote for candidates whose platforms you believe in. Voting runs from March 3–5 and can be done through your my.ucalgary.ca. student centre.

Cristina Paolozzi

Kristy Koehler

Aymen Sherwani

Editor-in-Chief

Columnist

Opinions Editor

President: Abstaining.

I’ll be moderating the presidential debate and will be abstaining from endorsements in the interest of fairness to the candidates.

President: Quinn Stevenson.

It is really clear that Stevenson leads his campaign with his heart. When combined with his simple yet coherent platform, his genuineness to do better for the student body, reflected through his previous personal experiences, make him an exceptional candidate.

President: Abstaining I’m declaring a conflict of interest in this race and abstaining from an endorsement.

Academic: Semhar Abraha.

Abraha’s platform is more well-rounded.

External: Colson Buchanan.

This was an incredibly tough decision. You can’t go wrong with either candidate. Gillies is well-suited to walk into the position with no real transition needed, but Buchanan’s tenacity won me over.

Student Life: Assad Ali Bik. Another tough choice. Georgia East’s desire for a multi-sensory room was the best idea I heard all day, but Ali Bik’s platform is more broad and far-reaching.

Arts Rep.: Justin Gotta, Rody Visotski and Caitlin Hornbeck.

Gotta represents a wide variety of voices on campus and a lot this year. He’s poised to be a fantastic leader on campus and deserves a second term to continue his excellent representation of arts students. Hornbeck and Visotski both bring passion and well-researched platforms and are worth a vote as well.

Medicine Rep.: Pranav Khosla and Jasleen Brar.

Khosla is easily the most qualified and Brar’s platform was actionable and well thought-out.

A summer UPASS needs to be brought to the students who do research on the Foothills campus and Khosla is the one to get it done if anyone can.

Brar brings representation of an underrepresented degree program yet has plans to integrate the whole faculty.

Science Rep.: Manpreet Sahota and Stanton Thai.

Sahota is easily one of the best reps to ever sit on SLC and deserves a second term. Her passion for her faculty and her tireless work never cease to amaze. Thai’s platform and demeanor impressed me.

Business Rep.: Aly Samji and Shagufta Farheen.

Samji gave an incredible interview — I’m absolutely buying what he’s selling. I believe he’d make an impactful difference in Haskayne. Farheen would be a good complement.

Nursing Rep.: Jonah Feng.

Feng provided one of the most impressive interviews out of any candidate in any position.

His understanding of the issues, experience and his well-researched plans blew me away.

He’s as close to a perfect candidate as you can get.

Academic: Semhar Abraha.

It was hard to make a decision here. Abraha has a robustly written platform. It is more representative of the student body as a whole, in contrast to that brought forward by her Haskayne-centric competitor.

Academic: Semhar Abraha Abraha clearly understands the role of VP academic, as she is the only candidate in this category who specifically mentions the use of Open Educational Resources and the maintained support of undergraduate research in their platform.

External: Abstaining.

I’m also abstaining from endorsing this race due to a conflict of interest.

External: Colson Buchanan.

Buchanan has a comprehensive plan to take action in continuing the ongoing advocacy against issues like tuition hikes and mental health.

Student Life: Georgia East.

East is the only candidate here with past SU experience which I think is crucial coming into a new school year navigating the recent tuition and fee increases.

Student Life: Georgia East.

East’s pre-existing work for multi-sensory rooms proves that she is a candidate who walks the walk, and is passionate about bettering student life on campus. It’s not every day you see a platform that isn’t simply talking points.

Arts Rep.: Caitlin Hornbeck, Brandon Eby Rody Visotski and Malika Qurishi.

What I like about all of these candidates is that they have provided key focuses in their platforms that are relatively attainable for the upcoming school year. Hornbeck’s emphasis on sustainability is a platform point that often gets neglected in these faculty rep positions.

Medicine Rep.: Pranav Khosla.

Khosla amalgamates the individual issues brought forward by other candidates running against him and details a reasonable course of action to execute them, which is why I believe he’s the most competent candidate for this role. He also kind of reminds me of a baby version of Naheed Nenshi, so I guess that means something right?

Business Rep.: Aly Samji.

Business gets a bad reputation for being cut-throat, power-hungry and a little in your face. That was evident in the other two candidates, but not Samji, who has placed an emphasis on first-year mentorship programs, and proper access to mental health resources for struggling business students. He was the only candidate who won me over with both his platform and his exceptionally considerate aptitude.

Nursing Rep.: Jonah Feng.

Feng understands the collective struggles of Nursing students and actually has a platform that goes above and beyond mental health days which his competitor is limited to. Don’t get me wrong, yoga with baby animals is great, but I don’t think it’ll offset the cost of NCLEX practice exams, which Feng is advocating to subsidize.

Medicine Rep.: Pranav Khosla and Labiba Nawar.

I was so impressed with Khosla’s campaign during the by-election, and I’m so happy to see him back in the general election! Khosla’s platform suggests a summer UPASS for students in CSM who are engaged in research, which is intriguing.

Nawar’s point to introduce a career fair is also a great opportunity for students looking for specific jobs within their field, and she also serves as a great representative for CRDS. Science Rep.: Manpreet Sahota, Pragya Chopra and Stanton Thai.

These three candidates for science rep are focused and determined for the year ahead.

Business Rep.: Aly Samji and Shagufta Farheen.

Fareen has a detailed platform which speaks to mental health advocacy and mentorship programs. Samji would do a good job advocating to students regarding the recent tuition increases.

Engineering Rep.: Bharat Uppal and Juan Sanchez Higuerey.

Out of all of the candidates, Sanchez is the only one who addresses a plan for open communication and advocacy regarding the tuition increases. Uppal has previous experience in the Engineering Students’ Society, which is a positive thing for his focus points on mental health.

2020 SU ELECTION SUPPLEMENT | 15

Humour // Election Horoscopes

T

here seems to be a surge of interest in astrology lately, with the rise of astrology apps and horoscopethemed Instagram pages. We gathered the birth charts of the three candidates for Students’ Union president and will see who the stars endorse, based on horoscopes alone.

Frank Finley: Finley’s sun sign is in Leo, which means he’s bold and a little bit prideful. Leos crave attention, but are able to cheer people up easily. Leos also know exactly what they do and do not like — they know exactly what they’re good at and how to make their dreams into a reality. Leos are also considered natural-born leaders, which is a handy trait for a would-be SU president. However, Leos are also known to be annoyingly full of themselves. At least Finley doesn’t appear to have any quirky, Jennifer Lawrence-isms. If he’s elected, he better not trip on his way to make a speech.

Finley’s moon sign, which reflects the more emotional side of an individual, is in Aquarius. This means that Finley can be described as observational and more rational.

This also means that Finley could be feeling detached and not really in tune with his true feelings. That’s a bit heavy, but could be insightful, as making keen observations regarding what the SU needs to do for students this upcoming year is definitely a good thing. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come at the cost of Finley needing to “conceal, don’t feel” to the extent of running away to shut himself into a giant ice castle made using his magical ice powers. Or something like that.

Lastly, Finley’s rising sign, which can be described as the façade someone usually shows to the outside world, is in Gemini. This means the stars describe Finley as chatty, talkative and quick-witted. However,

this also means Finley can come across as inconsistent sometimes. Consistency is key, especially when campaigning. A talkative nature probably won’t be too much of an issue. Spending half an hour giving a classroom talk could be a blessing or a curse.

Mercury will be in retrograde in Pisces until Mar. 10. Its effect on Leos specifically is that it will make them a bit lazier than ambitious Leos are normally used to. This could be a problem, as SU campaign season is usually hectic and chaotic. If you catch Finley napping on a couch on the third floor of MacHall, he is theoretically in his right to blame it on Mercury being in retrograde.

This opportunity doesn’t come often.

Leam Dunn: Dunn is interesting as both of his sun and moon signs are in Aquarius. Someone with both their sun and moon signs in Aquarius embodies marching to the beat of their own drum and is comfortable with rebelling against the norm while also feeling as though they are inhabiting their own world. This creates a certain underdog spirit within Dunn, as his signs indicate he has a tendency to carry a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. Theoretically, this would be beneficial for a possible SU president, but based on his campaign, this may not necessarily be Dunn’s goal. Aquarians also have a reputation for being “kinda quirky” — one notable Aquarius being Yoko Ono. You never know, maybe at the end of his campaign, Dunn will reveal that the whole thing was an interactive theatrical performance. That could make a lot of things make more sense, actually.

Dunn’s rising sign is in Sagittarius, which means he comes off as an independent spirit that is confident but can sometimes be blunt and critical. This could spell trouble

as being tactful is key for an SU president.

However, as he’s running a joke campaign, maybe it just means he’ll campaign by riding into MacHall on a horse, shooting people with toy arrows. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what the stars are trying to say.

This Mercury retrograde will negatively affect Dunn twice over as a double Aquarius.

He will be dissatisfied with everything and remain sulky, finding a hard time being satisfied with himself and others. This could be an issue for a presidential campaign, but if he taps into his Sagittarius rising he might be able to overcome this hurdle. You know what else could overcome a hurdle? Horses.

If you’re reading this, Dunn, you might want to consider the stars’ advice on riding into MacHall on a gallant steed.

Quinn Stevenson: Stevenson’s sun sign is in Libra, which is a sign stereotypically associated with justice and being fair — the scales of justice are this sign’s astrological symbol. Libras are often praised for being able to see both sides of an issue, which could be useful as a future leader. Libras are usually thinking and rethinking the way they see the world and are extremely impressionable. This sign is also associated with indecision and insecurity, which could be a problem. Libras can find themselves being fake out of fear of being disliked. Thankfully, it seems unlikely that Stevenson would use the position of SU president to put out a survey asking, “Do you like me? Yes or no.”

Stevenson’s moon sign is in Cancer, which generally indicates sensitivity and empathy. Cancer moons can also have a hard time letting things go and secretly feel like they’ll be abandoned. Damn — that’s rough.

However, it’s a good quality to be sensitive towards students, as a future SU president

needs to be understanding towards student issues and what is affecting them the most.

Cancer signs are also known for dealing with criticism poorly. Well, if he’s reading this, hopefully he’s not too “crabby” about it.

Haha, get it? Crab.

Stevenson’s rising sign is in Taurus, which suggests he comes off as more in tune with the material or practical needs. This sign also suggests stability and reliability, which are great qualities to have in a possible leader. A Taurus rising can also give off an impression of stubbornness — it is a bull, after all. If you see Stevenson winding up to charge at one of Finley’s posters, just know it isn’t personal, or even related to the presidential race. It’s simply the bright red background.

With Mercury retrograde in Pisces, Stevenson should be aware that connection and communication will be spotty. Contracts or agreements may be thrown off, which is not great news for someone waiting on election results. Old friends or co-workers may pop up, which could be good or bad, depending on how Stevenson handles things. If he knows how to handle a note saying, “I know what you did last summer” suddenly appearing, then he would surely be able to handle the role of SU president.

Depending on what the candidates do with the evidence and advice the stars present, it really could be anybody’s race. All three candidates have something unique to bring to the table, and all have different attributes that could help or hinder them this election season. Finley and Stevenson present reliable characteristics that could be beneficial to the University of Calgary community. The main message we’ve received from the stars regarding Dunn’s campaign is that he would greatly benefit from incorporating more horses into his platform and campaign — maybe just in his life in general.

Check out your candidates and their platforms at

www.su.ucalgary.ca

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Voting days: March 3 - 5, 2020 www.su.ucalgary.ca/elections