MSU Elections 2018: Connor Wong Platform Critique

Wong’s initial platform was centred around creative ideas of transparency, sustainability and inclusion. His main points reflected upon demonstrating the McMaster Students Union’s usefulness as an organization by making both advocacy work and financial plans conducted by the organization transparent to students, in addition to reviewing the funding behind Light Up the Night.

His adjacent platform initially saw two points, which included the replacement of all walkways on campus with canals and to block all stairways during inclement weather to ensure that other stairways did not feel left out.

Wong has since added six more platform points to his adjacent platform since campaigning began on Jan. 15. These points include suggesting a more modern motto for the university, revisiting the McMaster Student Absence Form policy and changing policies surrounding the length of SRA meetings.

Further, Wong hopes to ensure that students have “thicc” toilet paper across campus, research the logistics behind replacing all university and MSU administration staff with robots and enact a 24/7 monitoring of all microwaves on campus. Wong has also added a suggestions tab to his website in order for students to add their own ideas.

Wong’s changing platform demonstrates that his candidacy could have benefitted from further discussion with the student body.

One point, in particular, raises concerns as to whether Wong had conducted proper research within the undergraduate student population. His “Save Our Lakes” point raises serious concern over student safety.  

Wong’s Save Our Lakes campaign sees the replacement of all walkways on campus with canals. Citing that this action will double as the restoration and preservation of our local environment, Wong and his team believe that it is time for McMaster to cave to the inevitable in light of recent weather trends.

This proposal is arguably a logistical nightmare. Primarily, only 56 per cent of North Americans can perform the main five swimming skills and over the past two decades, there have been over 10,511 accidental drownings in Canada. Wong has not commented on any precautionary measures that the MSU will take to ensure the safety of all students while implementing this platform point.

Further, temperatures have hit record-breaking lows in recent months, which raises concern as to how McMaster’s Facility Services will maintain said canals during winter months. It also raises concerns as to how students will navigate their way to and from classes on these canals during winter months, and in general. Again, Wong has not commented on whether the MSU will provide skates, gondolas or ice picks.

Overall, a major critique of Wong’s campaign is the lack of planning and the ever-changing nature of his platform.

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