Get out and vote!

Today is the final day to vote in the UWSA by-elections. You can’t miss the poling station in the Riddell Atrium adorned with festive pink balloons. Nine director positions are open. Clearly (see my article in last week’s Uniter) there are some issues surrounding clarity on what exactly directors do, especially when it comes to the general student body. Basically, they represent different groups of student on the UWSA board of directors, liaise with various groups in the interest of their constituents, and do a bunch of other stuff if they feel like it. This ambiguity may be one reason there are so few positions being filled—6 out of 9 to be exact. Some might say that isn’t so bad, but then again, none of them are contested. There’s something a little unsatisfying about voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on a ballot—you have to be pretty incompetent to get voted down in a ‘yes no’ situation.

Then again, in the case of Sabrina Deforest and Kyle Warnica, who are both running for Education co-director, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Initially planning to run against each other, they thought, ‘why go through the stress?’ and chose to run together instead. So is it better to have contested positions and a race to the finish, with campaigns that really matter due to competition? Or should we appreciate the co-operative spirit these two are embodying? I can see how it might seem futile to go to all the trouble of a competative campaign when it seems so few students care.

At the by-election speeches, which took place outside of Eckhardt Grammate Hall on Oct. 24, there were about 20 spectators. I counted at least 10 to be UWSA staff, election staff or candidates. Ten regular people from the whole student body. Wow.

I can understand why students find it hard to make time to participate in things they don’t see affecting them in a significant way. I was about to write that admittedly, I can’t think of any way I am affected by the actions of directors, but then I remembered the subject of my last blog—the U Pass! This is something near and dear to my heart and I know that Stephanie Chartrand, the enviro ethics director, is directly involved in the campaign to get the U Pass back on the school’s radar. Directors represent students, and that is important, especially when we all pay into the UWSA. The UWSA is ours, and it can’t grow if no one gives it any attention. So go vote!