This year a University of Winnipeg Student Association President has been elected without running against an opponent. Whether or not students chose to vote in the election, they don’t seem entirely satisfied with the current student government.

“I voted in the election because I feel it is important,” says Kaitlyn Kriss, a 21-year-old Stage Management/Theatrical Production major at the UW. “But I am strongly opposed to presidents running uncontested. It gives people a reason to slack off.” 

Megan Fultz, last year’s President was also the only candidate in her category, but she didn’t treat it that way.

“I campaigned like crazy, I wouldn’t have been happy with the result if I didn’t,” she says.

Fultz went on to say that given the way UWSA elections work, she still wasn’t able to relax while the votes were counted. 

“People can vote ‘no,’ so if you’re running uncontested you’re basically running against no, and students have a right to make that choice if they want to.”

While some students say that on campus elections are poorly promoted, Fultz claims otherwise. “There has been a lack of promotion in the past, but we had a mobile polling station this year so we came to the students rather than having them have to come to us.”

For Fultz, benefiting from the UWSA is ultimately a two-way street. “We want to engage, and we welcome criticism. We go to 12-15 orientations around campus at the beginning of the year and say ‘hey, we’re here and we want to hear what you have to say.’”

Addressing the criticism of the election process, she says that votes aren’t the only aspect of student involvement that should be considered. “Young people in general don’t make up a high percentage of voters, it is a chronic issue.” 

English major Eric Reece, 22, has his own reasons for not participating. “I didn’t because I don’t know what they do or really care for that fact. I’m all for school spirit but I’m there to learn.”

Fultz points out that whether students choose to vote or not, they engage with the UWSA on a daily basis. “We’re involved in O-Week, we sell bus passes at the info booth and work at [used book store] Pet Sole, and we’re involved with the student health plan.”

For Reece, lack of interest wasn’t the only reason behind his choice not to vote.

“I’m not even sure what the student body elected can achieve. There are student groups for departments like [the English Literature Students Association] that are organized that are liaisons between students and profs,” he explains.

Fultz however is currently working on a number of projects that she feels will make a big difference in campus life, including a charter to protect and support students in their academic pursuits as well as other aspects of campus life. Fultz describes the document as “hugely impactful” and says that while it may not be finished by her end of term, she is confident that it will make for positive change in the future.

Part of the series: The Urban Issue 2014

Published in Volume 68, Number 25 of The Uniter (March 27, 2014)