2015 SSMU ELECTIONS
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It is once again the time of the year when candidates compete for the six executive positions at the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). It is crucial that those elected to these positions, which are paid upward of $27,000 annually, can competently represent students, lobby for student interests, and uphold SSMU’s political mandate on issues of equity and social justice. Disappointingly, the trend of political apathy evident in past years among the student body continues to take its toll, as evidenced by the particularly low number of candidates. Three positions saw their nomination periods extended, and yet still three candidates are running uncontested. Perhaps most tellingly, not a single candidate is running for the VP External position. Carrying great political weight, the VP External position is crucial for mobilizing the McGill population on issues that matter to students, and bridging the chasm between McGill and the rest of Montreal and Quebec. This vacancy is not only symptomatic of a student body that is indifferent to the community that surrounds it, but also especially problematic at a time of increasing province-wide student mobilization against austerity. A by-election to fill the position will be held before the end of the year. The flip side of student apathy is a lack of effective engagement and communication with constituents on behalf of the representatives. This is a problem that each candidate has recognized and plans to improve on. To profile the candidates, The Daily spoke to each of the seven candidates about their relevant experience, their goals for the position, and how they envision SSMU’s political role. The interviews have been condensed and paraphrased to give an overview of each candidate, and the endorsements represent the consensus of The Daily’s editorial board. Take the time to make an informed decision, and do not neglect to vote. The voting
The McGill Daily | SSMU Elections
period runs between March 18 and 20.
PRESIDENT
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VP INTERNAL
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VP CLUBS & SERVICES
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VP UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS
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VP FINANCE AND OPERATIONS
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REFERENDUM ENDORSEMENTS
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PRESS DEBATES
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PRESIDENT
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The SSMU President is the leader of the SSMU executive team. Just as importantly, the President is a key player in interactions with the administration: the role involves coordinating negotiations with the administration, sitting as the only undergraduate representation on the Board of Governors, and sitting on Senate. The portfolio also involves the oversight of Elections SSMU and Human Resources at SSMU, and the coordination of the SSMU handbook, among other tasks.
KAREEM IBRAHIM
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areem Ibrahim is a long-time student politician in the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) and in SSMU. This year, he is an Arts Senator and Senate Caucus Representative to SSMU Council. He is also a floor fellow, an ECOLE board member, and a QPIRG-McGill board member. He was the AUS VP External in 2013-14. Ibrahim has been a vocal presence in defence of students’ interests at Senate on issues like mental health and consent, and has been very active in his Council seats. A centrepiece of Ibrahim’s platform is improving communication with constituents and creating new consultation channels, particularly through social media. He also spoke about fostering dialogue between groups on campus in order to ensure inclusivity and accessibility at SSMU, although his platform remains vague on the concrete implementation of those goals. Perhaps the strongest portion of his platform regards advocating for students in dealing with the administration on issues like budget priorities, Indigenous land acknowledgement, and student-run food operations. Ibrahim emphasized that he sees the President position as a coordinating position informed by listening to students, councillors, executives, and SSMU staff. Nonetheless, he recognized the leadership aspect of the position as well as SSMU’s role as a political actor and a strong advocate for students’ rights. For Ibrahim, SSMU’s responsibility to create accessible forums to engage students in discussion is complemented by students’ responsibility to take advantage of those forums and voice their concerns. He indicated that he would not remain idle in his position if adequate consultation efforts yield little response.
ALEXEI SIMAKOV
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unning as a self-described “typical McGill student,” Alexei Simakov has no experience in SSMU or any other student unions. He is a current member of Conservative McGill, and has been active in conservative causes on campus such as opposition to the 2011 MUNACA strikes and the 2012 tuition strikes through Mod PAC, as well as the PIRG opt-out campaign targeting QPIRG-McGill. Simakov has argued that his lack of experience with SSMU does not make him an unsuitable candidate, pointing to his clearly-defined vision as qualification enough. This vision is to “depoliticize” SSMU, with Simakov telling The Daily that he believes SSMU has been forced to become a political actor in service of only one particular agenda. He has been very vocal about avoiding taking stances on potentially “divisive” issues, such as women-only gym hours. Instead, Simakov said that he will focus on issues that have broad student support, such as how cold the McLennan library is, the ban on SNAX sandwich sales, and the sexual assault policy. For Simakov, the main aspect of the President’s role is to be a credible student representative to the administration. Although he denounced “meaningless” rhetoric around engagement, accountability, and communication, he noted that it’s important for SSMU to communicate its failures to students.
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he Daily endorses a vote for Kareem Ibrahim due to his substantial experience working in SSMU as well as AUS. Ibrahim’s proven ability to be an effective student politician makes him a good fit for the demanding and bureaucratically complex position of President. In addition to his list of titles, his experience also includes a history of vocal stances in defence of students’ interests. We commend Ibrahim for prioritizing student voices in his advocacy and representation goals, as well as in his attention to inclusion and accessibility. Ibrahim’s support for SSMU’s mandate on equity, safe spaces for marginalized groups, and accessibility is encouraging. Too often, student politicians argue that their job is to represent all students equally, leaving this mandate of equity in the dust; we think that Ibrahim will be able to successfully navigate this tricky terrain. We are, however, disappointed with the vagueness of Ibrahim’s platform, which, although oriented toward the right priorities, lacks actionable policies and does not elaborate on details of implementation. We fully support Ibrahim’s goals and remain confident in his ability to fulfill them, but hope that the ambiguity of his platform does not translate into a failure to take strong stances on clear policies and actions when the time to govern comes.
The McGill Daily | SSMU Elections
ENDORSEMENT: KAREEM IBRAHIM
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VP INTERNAL The VP Internal oversees events and communications for SSMU, such as Frosh events, the 4Floors Halloween party, the SSMU listserv, and the Old McGill yearbook.
LOLA BARALDI
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ola Baraldi has been active in student politics since arriving at McGill. As the current AUS VP External, she sits on the Students’ Society Programming Network (SSPN) – SSMU’s eventplanning committee – as well as on AUS’s community engagement and Grad Ball committees. Baraldi was previously an Arts Representative to SSMU Council and the VP Communications for the Inter-Residence Council (IRC). Baraldi’s campaign platform focuses on a much-needed reinvigoration of the VP Internal portfolio. Proposed changes include using SSMU communications channels for awareness campaigns, collaborating more with other on-campus groups such as the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) office, as well as the re-absorption of the responsibility for francophone affairs (currently under the VP External). She also has concrete ideas for changes to Frosh, including more comprehensive consent training, crisis training, inter-faculty collaboration, and preventative work with the administration and the Milton-Parc community. She also intends to create an event-planning guidebook emphasizing inclusion and accessibility. Baraldi recognized that SSMU has a political mandate and that this includes a leadership role, and also indicated that she intends to reconcile SSMU’s disconnect with the student body through increased consultation and on-the-ground feedback channels. Additionally, she plans to increase transparency by making executive reports more accessible to students.
JOHANNA NIKOLETOS
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The McGill Daily | SSMU Elections
n her current position as AUS VP Social, Johanna Nikoletos has mostly focused on the reworking of Bar des Arts (BDA) and the restructuring of the events mandate. She has been active in student politics since the 2011-12 academic year, when she was VP Communications on the AUS First-Year Events, Academic, and Representative Council (FEARC). She has been a staff member at Gerts since 2013, and was an Arts Frosh Coordinator in 2014. Nikoletos’s platform includes reworking the communications strategy in order to make SSMU more relevant to students’ everyday life, but exact strategies to achieve this goal remain unclear. Nikoletos also aims for more efficient outreach to existing student groups, such as the First Year Council (FYC). This relates to another point on her platform, which is the creation of a student engagement committee, even though a Council committee with that purpose already exists. She intends to foster an overarching common identity for SSMU and McGill. Nikoletos emphasized her background in operations and logistics as necessary for a smooth and successful Frosh, leaving room for others to focus on university-wide efforts for inclusivity and safety. She failed to offer constructive ideas on the latter point in her interview with The Daily. Out of concerns that political stances could potentially alienate students, Nikoletos indicated that SSMU should avoid taking them on, instead building a shared apolitical identity.
ENDORSEMENT: LOLA BARALDI
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araldi has put forward a strong platform, especially with respect to the much-needed diversification of the portfolio of VP Internal – a position that has, historically, been somewhat static and less active in SSMU’s broader initiatives. She also wants to bring francophone affairs back into the Internal portfolio, demonstrating initiative in the position and recognizing SSMU’s position within Quebec. We commend Baraldi’s desire to integrate SSMU’s political mandate into her portfolio and applaud her commitment to institutionalizing inclusion and accessibility in event planning beyond Frosh, as well as her concrete suggestions regarding transparency. As such, we warmly welcome Baraldi’s refreshed understanding of the VP Internal’s role within SSMU.
VP CLUBS & SERVICES
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The VP Clubs & Services represents, supports, and coordinates SSMU’s many clubs and services. The portfolio also involves managing the Shatner buildin, coordinating Activities Night, and working with staff such as the Interest Group Coordinator and Activities Night Staff.
KIMBER BIALIK
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imber Bialik has extensive experience with the Clubs & Services portfolio, as evidenced by a long list of current positions. With three years of experience as a member on the Interest Group Committee, Bialik is the current SSMU Interest Group Coordinator, working directly under the current VP Clubs & Services. She is the president or co-president of three clubs (Making Waves Montreal, McGill Pre-Law Students’ Society, and Beyond Me), and the president of the International Development Studies Students’ Association (IDSSA). Bialik also sits on the Services Review Committee and the Club Hub Committee. The Club Hub is an online portal for clubs that is currently under development. Bialik’s platform is focused on connecting with students, on matters from advocacy to consultation to representation, and conceptualizes the VP Clubs & Services position as a facilitator for student expression and student life on campus. Her goal of representation ranges from working with the Clubs and Services Representatives, respectively, on Council to working with the VP University Affairs to fight for the right to the McGill name for clubs and services in Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) negotiations. She also places high priority on reconsidering the use of space in the Shatner building, proposing increased storage space for clubs, long-term plans for opening up the fourth floor, and consultation on the reorganization of space after commercial tenants’ leases expire. Increasing consultation with clubs on policies that will affect them is also a priority of Bialik’s, as she believes there is currently low accountability and consultation on such matters. In addition to better communication with clubs on this issue, Bialik wants to improve visibility for clubs and services on the SSMU website and on social media. Bialik also emphasized that she wants to wants to be apolitical in the role, providing space for SSMU clubs and services to be political instead.
ENDORSEMENT: KIMBER BIALIK
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ialik’s wealth of experience with the portfolio – perhaps more with clubs than with services – makes her a good fit for the position, which involves an enormous amount of management and organization. Bialik also wants to increase the online presence of this position to better the management of the myriad of clubs and services. As the position with the most direct impact on student life and experience at McGill, her focus on representing and advocating for students is incredibly important. However, while she has said she will support clubs that have political mandates, we want to emphasize that the VP Clubs & Services is still a member of the SSMU executive and Council, and so should strive to uphold and further SSMU’s directly political mandate.
VP UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS The VP University Affairs represents SSMU and its constituents in interactions with the administration, making this position incredibly important for student advocacy. The VP University Affairs sits on Senate along with the President and other SSMU Senators, oversees the SSMU Library Improvement Fund, and is responsible for SSMU’s mental health-related projects and advocacy.
CHLOE ROURKE
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ENDORSEMENT: CHLOE ROURKE
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ourke has diverse and relevant qualifications for the position obtained through her past work in student government. She has demonstrated an enthusiastic and genuine commitment to the issues that fall under the VP University Affairs portfolio. Even though it lacks innovation, her platform is driven by the continuation of a variety of strong initiatives that The Daily would be happy to see further developed. We encourage Rourke not be hesitant to put forward firm stances on issues relevant to her position, especially in the context of negotiating with the administration – strong positions make for strong advocacy.
The McGill Daily | SSMU Elections
hloe Rourke has demonstrated considerable involvement with student government and advocacy. As the current Arts and Science Senator, she has been part of this year’s very vocal Senate caucus, and sits on the academic policy and student services committees. She is also a Senate Caucus Representative to SSMU Council and sits on the SSMU Mental Health Committee. Rourke was previously the VP Student Affairs of the First Year Council (FYC), and has training in active listening, equity, and sexual assault survivor support. Rourke’s platform largely rests on the continuation of initiatives from this year. She has emphasized a desire to maintain this year’s strong student presence in the Senate caucus so as to continue pressuring the administration on issues of mental health, equity, and the development of the sexual assault policy. She also wants to further the development of SSMU mental health resources, building on groundwork laid this year. Rourke values transparency in negotiations with the administration and wants to make the work of student senators more accessible to the student body. While she recognizes SSMU’s political mandate, Rourke also says that some students’ negative perception of SSMU stems from the use of this mandate to take “controversial stances.” She is an advocate for broad student consultation, which she says is necessary to take meaningful stances and lobby the administration according to students’ interests.
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VP FINANCE AND OPERATIONS The VP Finance and Operations is responsible for SSMU’s annual budget, revenue-generating operations, such as the Nest, and other financial decisions within the society. The VP Finance and Operations is the go-to person for financial matters, and works closely with the General Manager and the other executives to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
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ZACHERIAH HOUSTON
acheriah Houston is currently a Science Representative to SSMU Council and a member of the SSMU Board of Directors. For the past two years, Houston has sat on the SSMU Funding Committee, and is also acquainted with the operations side of the portfolio through his work at the Nest since its opening in January 2014. He was also active on the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) Financial Committee in 2013-14, and was a member of the SUS General Council the following year. While Houston has not yet managed budgets as large as SSMU’s, he is currently the VP Finance for McGill Huntington’s Awareness Students’ Association (MHASA), and was the VP Finance on the First Year Council (FYC) in his first year. Houston’s platform includes increasing transparency of SSMU’s finances by continuing current VP Finance and Operations Kathleen Bradley’s efforts to present the budget to the student body in an accessible and relevant way. He also intends to work with the Funding Coordinator and the VP Clubs & Services to increase funding accessibility at SSMU and simplify the process. Additionally, Houston wants the position of VP Finance and Operations to serve more as a support and information role for students as well as other executive members. He hopes to provide greater assistance to clubs and improve the club audits by clarifying the instructions. A significant aspect of Houston’s platform is the development and long-term sustainability of the Nest, the student-run cafe. In addition to his plans to make the Nest’s budget break even, Houston is committed to working toward making the cafe a space run by students for students, as opposed to a space shared with commercial tenants. While the position of VP Finance and Operations is rather apolitical, Houston does see the role of SSMU as an institution to be political in accordance with its history and policies.
ENDORSEMENT: ZACHERIAH HOUSTON
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ouston’s diverse experiences in clubs, operations, and finance make him a solid candidate for this position. He has shown strong engagement with financial roles at McGill since his first year, and active involvement with SSMU and its operations. His platform builds on the work of his predecessors, further developing the accessibility and transparency of SSMU’s finances. We also commend Houston’s dedication to student-run spaces such as the Nest. He has concrete ideas regarding the improvement of the cafe’s role on campus, as well as the experience necessary to effectively engage with the space.
REFERENDUM ENDORSEMENTS ECOLE Project Fee – YES
The McGill Daily | SSMU Elections
The Daily advises its readers to vote “yes” to the creation of a student levy for the Educational Community Living Environment (ECOLE) Project, which would create an opt-outable fee of $2 per semester for all undergraduate students for three years. With its pilot year over, the ECOLE Project’s funding from the Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) has expired. ECOLE has proven in the short space of a year to be an invaluable space on campus: from its student-initiated and student-run model; to its community-based learning space; to the wealth of workshops, skill-shares, and other events and resources it offers.
Renewal of the SSMU Access Bursary Fund – YES The Daily endorses a “yes” vote on the renewal of the SSMU Access Bursary Fund for the 2015-16 year. The opt-outable fee is $8.50 per semester for full-time undergraduate students and $4.25 per semester for part-time undergraduate students, and is matched by the University and alumni. The Access Bursary Fund is an important part of SSMU’s commitment to supporting accessible education at McGill, which The Daily wholly supports.
Addition of an MSE Representative on SSMU’s Legislative Council – YES The McGill School of Environment (MSE) was created in 2004, but it has no representative on SSMU’s Legislative Council despite having an enrollment of over 500 students; faculties and schools with fewer students are represented. Larger representation for students, especially those at faculties and schools with unique needs like the MSE, is important on Council. The Daily thus endorses a “yes” vote on this question.
Referral Services Fee Renewal – YES The Daily encourages its readers to vote “yes” on the renewal of the Referral Services fee. This opt-outable fee is $1.75 per student per semester, and funds Queer McGill (which gets $1), Nightline (which gets $0.40), and the Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) (which gets $0.35). All three are crucial services for the student body: Queer McGill is a space for resources and support for queer students and allies; Nightline offers an anonymous, volunteer-staffed phone service that provides information and support to students; and the UGE is a trans-positive feminist space that organizes anti-oppression projects and provides resources such as a library, zines, and a co-op with affordable sex toys and feminine hygiene products.
SSMU CANDIDATES DISCUSS PLATFORMS IN FIRST ROUND OF DEBATES
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SSMU executive hopefuls answer questions from the press, audience JILL BACHELDER AND EMILY SAUL
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ast Thursday, the candidates for the upcoming SSMU executive elections convened at the Carrefour ballroom to participate in this year’s SSMU Press Debates. Candidates were invited to give an opening statement, after which they answered questions from student press and audience members.
VP CANDIDATES
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES The presidential debates began with opening statements from each of the two candidates, Kareem Ibrahim and Alexei Simakov. The statements were followed by general questions from the press and from each of the candidates, and ended with audience questions and closing remarks. Ibrahim went first, highlighting “strong advocacy on issues students care about” as important to him, especially in light of impending austerity cuts that might harm student services. “I really want to prioritize student interests,” Ibrahim said. Simakov asserted that he will go against the grain and take a different approach to SSMU presidency. “If you want a student government that is beyond an Orwellian micro-aggression enforcement policy, then I want to be your president. If you want a student government that focuses on services, on fiscal responsibility [...] then I want to be your president,” he said. The ensuing portions of the debate focused on a number of issues, including addressing budget cuts and student needs, increasing communication with students, and representing student opinion in the case of a student body as large and diverse as McGill’s. Audience questioning was heated, with spectators leveling questions at both candidates. In one instance, SNAX employee Vivian Feldblyum approached the mic and accused Simakov of “piggybacking” on the efforts of others and of having a superficial understanding of the situation at hand. Another student asked if their strong personal stances could affect the policies they choose to pursue as president. Both candidates emphatically declared that their personal opinions would not impact their decisions as president. “I know that what I believe in is not going to be what the student body believes in,” said Simakov. “I swear to God, I will spend the next year as president, you guys will not know my opinion on anything. I will have that on
top secret [...] That’s the kind of president I want to be for you.” Ibrahim also noted that, when it comes to political stances, he would make sure these are informed by student opinion and not his own. “I think all students’ opinions should be considered, and when it comes to SSMU taking stances, that is something that we should make sure represents the majority of the student body,” he said. In regard to how he would do this given the “inclusion and accessibility” portion of his platform, Ibrahim said that some of the changes he would make as president would not necessarily be informed by majority opinion. For example, the accessibility changes he has proposed to the SSMU website would not affect the students who are not visually- or hearing-impaired, but would make the website more accessible for those who are. Closing statements were brief, with Ibrahim saying, “I genuinely care about student life. I’ve found my passion, this is my passion. [...] I have the experience, I have the drive, and I am not dedicated to my opinion, but yours, and I know I can do so because I am experienced in that field.” Simakov reiterated the ways in which he is different from a typical SSMU president. “I’m going to answer your questions, I’m going to expose myself, my values, my beliefs. Look at my page, and it’s going upset some of you, and some of you will think I’m wrong, but I’m going to show my opinions and my beliefs. I have principles and I have stands, and I have very clear core positions that go beyond empty rhetoric.” Following the debate, Nicholas Renzetti, U3 Arts student and member of Simakov’s campaign staff, said he felt the event went well. “I feel that Alex demonstrated strongly the positions that he wanted to make on fiscal responsibility, on political neutrality, and what he thinks he would be able to do as a the president,” Renzetti told the Daily. He continued, “Despite the fact that people claim he has not had the experience his opponent has, that he is still a strong presidential candidate. That the experience that Ibrahim has is not the most constructive or helpful in representing all of the students’ views equally.” Francesca Humi, a member of Ibrahim’s election committee, felt differently. Humi stated, “I think in [Simakov’s] concluding remarks, a lot of the irregularities and a lot of the fallacies of his platform were made evident.” Amy Miller, a U2 Arts student, told The Daily, “One of the candidates seemed incredibly condescending, which is not in the spirit of what you’d want to see from this kind of debate, but overall I found it incredibly informative for that reason.” One student, who prefered to remain anonymous, told The Daily that instead of crystallizing his vote, the debates had left him undecided. “I don’t know who I’m going to support at this time. I’m torn in between. That being said, for me, the most important thing is that they will be neutral in the sense of not letting their own opinions affect the policy that is made by SSMU.” The next series of debates will be held March 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and will be catered by the Nest.
The McGill Daily | SSMU Elections
The two candidates for the VP Internal position, Lola Baraldi and Johanna Nikoletos, both demonstrated an interest in accessibility and student awareness of events. In a statement read on behalf of Baraldi, who was unable to attend due to a personal crisis, the candidate expressed an interest in increasing the general awareness of what SSMU is doing, making information needed for event planning more accessible, and working with other non-francophone campus groups to expand the impact of the Francophone Affairs Commission (FAC) beyond the French-speaking community. “I want to breathe new life into this portfolio, revive communications and outreach, propose dynamic initiatives, and institutionalize sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity within event planning at McGill,” she wrote in her statement. As VP Internal, Nikoletos said she would hold events accessible to everyone by increasing accommodations for non-drinking students at larger SSMU events, as well as creating smaller events targeted at smaller groups, to create a “common student identity.” “We all do have one thing in common, and that is the fact that we are students,” stated Nikoletos. She also plans to implement a “Frosh scholarship” to combat the financial inaccessibility of Frosh, as well as discuss with the FAC possibilities for making Frosh more accessible to francophones. Regarding off-campus students, she expressed an interest in providing bus services for students who live far away from downtown, so that they don’t have to worry about transportation during Orientation Week. She also suggested that Rez Project be present in events such as Discover McGill for students who live off campus. Nikoletos noted that she supports current VP Internal Daniel Chaim’s proposal for a fee levy to fund SSMU publications, and would be interested in putting together a SSMU publication to better communicate with students. VP Clubs & Services candidate Kimber Bialik cited consultation of clubs before policies are implemented as a top priority, and that if elected, she will continue to work on expanding Club Hub to be a resource for students organizing clubs. She said she hopes to liaise with the VP University Affairs and the President to make sure that clubs and services are not overlooked in negotiations over SSMU’s Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the University, especially considering the loss of the use of McGill’s name in SSMU club names. VP Finance and Operations candidate Zacheriah Houston made it clear that financial stability of the Nest, the student-run cafe, is one of his top priorities. He further stated that he intends to achieve this by increasing catering at events within the SSMU building, exploring the possibility of catering outside the building – currently prohibited
by SSMU’s MOA – and increasing food offerings. He voiced strong support for creating a campaign with the other executives to raise awareness about how student fees are used, thus increasing transparency. He also stated that he will do as much as possible to make the budget more comprehensible to students by holding office hours and making the documents more accessible on the SSMU website. Chloe Rourke, the candidate for VP University Affairs, said that mental health will be a priority for her, as she finds the current lack of resources at McGill compared to the huge demand for mental health services disturbing. “That is an indication to me that there is a much bigger conversation that needs to happen on why that demand [for mental health services] is increasing so quickly and what can we do as a community to address it,” she said. Rourke also said that she will take hard line stances in her negotiations on issues that, in her opinion, overwhelmingly benefit students, and that for other issues that are controversial or political, she will go through many consultation processes before adopting a stance.