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APRIL 9 2O15 • UWINDSORLANCE.CA
Disqualifications and Official Results Ruffle Feathers in Otherwise Successful UWSA Election
JOLENEPERRON
voter misconduct.”
Editor-in-Chief __________________________
“It doesn’t make it a fair and democratic election,” said Adams. “When a group of people are forming together against, obviously, another candidate that doesn’t have the same outreach, it doesn’t become fair anymore and an election is about the people … It was very important for me that the candidate and the voters have a very fair democratic election. I made that very clear at my all candidates meeting, everyone was aware of this new policy, especially the people who were disqualified, they understand the importance of it.”
“I don’t want anyone to judge these candidates because they were disqualified.” April Adams, the chief returning officer for the UWSA had some very last minute disqualifications in the most recent spring elections, resulting in some very pivotal changes to the incoming council. Disqualifications included Mohamad El-Cheikh who ran as the UWSA vice president for student advocacy, Abdi Abdi who ran as the vice president of finance, Farah El-Hajj who ran as the vice president of student services and Grace Bottah who ran as a student senator. All four candidates would have been winners in their respective positions. “Everything was fine and dandy until pretty much close to the end and then I started receiving complaints,” said Adams. “A series of complaints came in which indicated slating and it was done on voting day which was additional to the penalties.” Adams said the students violated two sections of the election policy – section 80.04 which states “candidates may not affiliate with each other in the form of a team, party, loose coalition or slate,” and section 90.02 which states “candidates and campaign team members must allow members to vote without any undue pressure, influence or coercion,” and “the CRO may immediately disqualify any candidate found to be participating in
Adams went on to explain sometimes in the excitement of elections, candidates can forget their path and end goal but that is why the UWSA has rules in place for those candidates to follow to keep the elections as fair as possible. According to Adams, mass Facebook messages were sent on election day as well as mass text messages. In addition, a group of those disqualified had banded together slating their campaigns as one. “This is politics and we all know that there’s no friends in politics,” said Adams. “It is very hard for me because I like all of the students, they all have something unique to offer and they’re all capable of doing things and they just need to believe in themselves that they can do these things.”
The official UWSA election results were posted uwsa.ca Apr. 6 after four disqualifications changed the results drastically. [Photo by // Jolene Perron] Aside from the disqualifications, Adams said the elections went smooth with a 19 per cent voter turnout, up six per cent from last semester. With more improvements still to be made, Adams looks forward to continuing to improve the process and make the
elections a fair race.
not always in a good state,” said Morrell. “We look for students to work in a number of different areas such as Walk Safe, the Womyn’s Centre, Afrofest and Shinerama. It’s a great opportunity to get some experience and coordinators run that service for the year. We also offer administrative positions at the CAW Information desk, as well as the front desk here at the UWSA office. These are all done around the same time in March.”
of the year and are encouraged to contact coordinators directly.
There is something on campus to suit everyone’s needs. Whether with the UWSA, CJAM, or getting involved with different clubs, students need to know what they want to do and go from there.
The UWSA offers different coordinator positions, including Afrofest coordinator, Shinerama coordinator and many other positions for event coordinators. These positions are filled usually around March, but Morrell said these coordinators are always looking for volunteers to help keep events running. According to Morrell, the volunteers are welcome to apply for their positions at any time
During election seasons, which are twice a year, the UWSA also hires regularly for poll clerks during election days. These positions are hired about one month before elections happen; once being in the fall, and once being in spring during the month of March. They look to fill positions such as advertising for elections and helping with the election process.
Disqualified candidates were unable to be reached at this time.
“When I first came here I said that I would have a fair democratic election for all the students,” said Adams. “I also said that this was a learning opportunity so we have to remember that we are in a University, we’re
learning, and this is what it’s all about … University elections are very unique compared to a provincial election and there’s a lot of things that I need to consider and maybe there are going to be some changes for the next election that I want to look at.”
What Can You do on Campus? A Guide to Getting Involved SAMANTHAFERNANDEZ News Editor __________________________ After the UWSA elections, many students are wondering how they can contribute to the University of Windsor campus and while you have the intention of working or volunteering, you may be wondering where exactly these opportunities are hiding. There are many different outlets on campus to help students find employment or volunteer to get involved on campus. UWSA general manager, Nicole Morrell wants students to know the University of Windsor is always looking for volunteers for their largest events. “We hire in March for any coordinator positions we offer because typically in April students are in exams and
“We also look for volunteers for events such as Welcome Week in September and other various events throughout the year,” said Morrell. “We will put you in contact with the coordinators for the services you are interested in volunteering for, or if you are open to anything we will let you know events coming up where we may require volunteers.”
“The students have the autonomy to run their own office in a coordinator position, they can host events at the beginning of their employment if they wish to jump right in,” said Morrell. “What I would really suggest people to do is think about how you want to get involved. Is there something that is of interest to you? We get students interested in social work who want to work with the peer support centre, or students in women’s studies who would like to work with the Womyn’s Centre, so decide what is of interest to you and let that lead you.” Although the UWSA coordinator
positions have already been filled, there are other volunteer options for students as well as jobs on campus. Some of the volunteer positions, as well as coordinator positions, run during the summer and normally begin during May and June. For events such as Shinerama and Welcome Week preparations are done during the summer. These positions, volunteer or hired, are great ways to get involved and meet new people across campus. Whether you are looking for something fun to do around campus, or looking to make a little bit of money, there is something for you on the University of Windsor Campus. All UWSA postings, for employment or for volunteers can be found on their website www.uwsa.ca or visit the University of Windsor website for other options.