2023 STUDENTS’ UNION ELECTION SUPPLEMENT

We seem to be back in motion at the University of Calgary this year, with basically a “backto-normal” election underway.

There have been several issues that have been affecting students, especially this last year. With tuition continuing to rise, budget cuts affecting our institution and students not being able to decide whether to pay for food, housing or their education. Those three issues should not even be a reality for many students in the first place.

With this said, we’ve seen our Students’ Union advocating for our needs by challenging the Board of Governors and protesting against their decisions. We’ve seen greater student engagement through a full return of Clubs Week and Sex Week, and just more people on campus in general.

We’ve stumbled upon the time of the SU General Election, which takes up almost the full month of February in prepar- ation. In the election, students enrolled in the Winter 2023 semester have the opportunity to vote for who they want to see leading us to change. The elected officials and representatives will hold their positions for an entire term, with the vacant positions up for grabs during the by-election in the fall.

During the week before reading break, the Gauntlet conducted interviews with many of the candidates running in the election, both contested and uncontested, to learn about their platforms, why they’re running, and what students can expect from them. We’ve also included our thoughts on their platforms and our endorsements.

We were surprised to see so many vacant and uncontested positions this time around, especially now that things have started returning to the way they were. Although, it’s not surprising many students may feel unmotivated to run and frustrated to see great candidates in the past get shut down by administration and outside organizations so much. However, we do hope that the students running in this election will help turn that around.

Regardless of our honest opinions, we acknowledge that running in the SU General Election takes a lot of courage and hard work, so we wish all the candidates the best of luck.

Voting days are on March 7, 8 and 9. Voting starts at 9 a.m. on March 7 and closes at 4 p.m. on March 9. Students can vote online through their myUofC Student Centre, or at polling stations located at the MacEwan Student Centre, Science Theatres, and the TFDL

— Sophia Lopez, Gauntlet Editorial Board

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The Gauntlet is the official student newspaper of the University of Calgary, published bi-weekly 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. Stories under the Opinions and Voices sections 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 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. The Gauntlet is printed on recycled paper and uses an ink made from the shredded campaign posters. We urge you to recycle the Gauntlet by offering it as a tissue for a losing candidate.

Cover Photo by Megan Koch

Mickail Hendi is a passionate advocate for students, and after serving as the vice-president operations and finance on the 79th SLC, he is eager to come back and face more responsibilities.

One of the main points on his platform is to advocate for students more “pointedly.”

When asked to elaborate, Hendi explained that he wants to form better relationships with organizations that the SU can derive something mutually beneficial from, such as the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), along with organizations that will always be at odds with SU, such as the university administration and the provincial government. Currently, the SU is pushing for more predictable tuition increases and affordability, but Hendi says he hates this idea and wants to push for a

ThepresidentistheleaderoftheStudents’Union.Theyhavethemostflexibleportfolio,butaregenerallyinchargeofsettingthedirectionofthe organization. They also maintain official relations with the university, oversee the work of Students’ Legislative Council and vote on the Board of Governors.