Welcome guest writer Henry Whitfield. Henry is a generally respected commenter on punditry, very experienced with residence life on campus, and was under the microscope last year as a candidate in the DSU Elections.
It’s a shame that each and every year, the Punditry comment section turns into a cesspool of anonymous complainers, attacks and bashing of candidates or other commenters.
Often the commenters and pundits lose track of the reasons why these students put themselves out there in an election and focus on the negatives.
These students are putting themselves out there, pushing aside their studies and playing politics to help bring about positive change to our student union.
While some are openly ridiculed, others are popularly supported and some disappear after elections, it’s important to remember that without these candidates we wouldn’t have a democratically elected executive to represent the student body.
With that being said, I took the time to read through each candidate’s platform and have put together the highlights of some of the best ideas put forth this election.
I am always wary of candidates who throw out a hundred promises, but fail to put the ‘how’ in their platform. Without providing how they are going to identify or fix the issues and implement changes, candidates might as well promise to eliminate winter and have 365 days of summer.
Now, these are ‘highlights’ in my opinion only and I actively encourage others to post their own in the comment section.
So without further adieu, here’s my Top 10 Platform Ideas of the 2011 DSU Elections:
10. Transparency, Presidential Candidate Sebastian Fiszman
- Many students, myself included, are unaware of what their DSU Member fees actually go towards and as Fiszman points out in his platform, he had to inquire to find a copy of the current budget. He promises to “to modernize the website to enable the easy, rapid, secure and reliable upload of financial records and other important documents that pertain to student issues.“
9. Academic & External Commissioner, A&E Candidate Sarah Bouchard
- Sarah puts forth the idea of a A&E Commissioner, “The A&E Commissioner will act as a year-round ANSSA liaison to our student population to foster greater input and dialogue.”
8. Grawood House Band, VP Student Life Candidates Jamie Arron and Adam Reid
- A blast from the past maybe, but being able to offer something consistent to the Grawood would help create an identity for a bar that sometimes doesn’t seem to know whether it is a wing house, pub, bar or club.
7. Accessibility Council Rep, A&E Candidate Karl Dempsey
- Another one of those ‘buzz words’ that seem to be very popular during election periods, but are often forgotten throughout the rest of the year. Adding a representative to council to help push these issues and bring them to council can only help moving forward.
6. Opening up the Union, Presidential Candidate John Hillman
- At times Hillman comes across a little ‘unconventional’ but his ideas come from experience and are often founded in common sense. Opening up the Union as he puts it, is something that needs to be done to get more involvement. He writes, “I will post a ridiculous number of signs leading the way to council meetings on the nights that they are occurring. I‘m talking one every ten feet or so, with giant arrows on them. I will also actively remind students that council meetings are open to the public.”
He also promises to read student emails out at each council meeting, more input on issues can’t hurt the process.
5. Co-Curricular Transcripts, PresEdential Candidate Chris Saulnier
- This is a no brainer to me and to many out there that the extra involvement students put in during their years of study should be recognized in an official capacity. Saulnier points out that he has been actively involved in the process and pledges to have it implemented by September; he also points out that the steering committee will be chaired by the President-elect.
4. Getting Council Minutes online, Presidential Candidate John Hillman
- Another idea born out of common sense, it’s something that is brought up in council and elections year after year. He promises the following, “Put a record of every friggin’ council meeting online. I‘ll bring my own camera if need be. Whatever it takes, I will end the executive minutes curse.”
3. Grawood VIP System, VP Student Life Candidate Tom Dobbyne
- How do you get students to go to the campus bar? Offer them something that isn’t offered downtown already. Dobbyne writes, “offering students the chance to receive rewards for coming to the bar on a regular basis, be that cheaper specials, free coat check, reserved tables at big events such as Dal’s Got Talent and the Superbowl and being able to skip the line during busy periods.”
2. Keeping DSU Website Updated, VP Internal Candidate Chris Connors
- I can count on one hand how many times I’ve visited the DSU website this year, and when asking friends, some have never been. The problem? There is very little on the site you can’t get elsewhere, better updated. It has improved ten-fold this year, but it still needs improvement. Connors’ promise is simple, but if executed can bring purpose to a website that has been the bane of many an executive.
1. Earlier Election Period, PresEdential Candidate Chris Saulnier
- This may not seem important right off the bat, but the election period and process is crucial to each and every executive we elect year after year. An earlier period for elections helps newly elected candidates gain even more on the job training. I’ve also got my fingers crossed this includes better support for the CRO when they are elected, it’s a big job.
** While I read all platforms, if I missed crediting you above, please let us know and we’ll update the post **
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