MSU presidential candidate platform overview: Piper Plavins
In the race for MSU presidency, McMaster socialite Piper Plavins hopes to improve student advocacy, resource awareness and implement practical reform
McMaster Students Union 2025 presidential candidate Piper Plavins' platform is focused on three major pillars: improving the everyday experience of students, improving the student voice through advocacy and increased student involvement in campus politics, and improving the services of the MSU.
Enhancing Access and Awareness of Student Resources and Services
Recognizing the importance of student involvement and believing it important to address a lack of student awareness surrounding extracurricular opportunities and MSU services, Plavins proposes to create and implement an event called "MSU Week" to promote the services and events offered by the establishment.
The week would consist of five days of activities designed to highlight the various services, clubs and resources available through the MSU. Each day will focus on a specific theme. Plavins proposes that the first day would be a job fair for students to learn about MSU job opportunities, with the other days dedicated to MSU services and initiatives, student advocacy opportunities, financial management and the various support and resources available to students.
Plavin also wants to improve campus events and further utilize campus resources to improve campus life and student experience. These include ideas such as comedy nights and maintaining a commitment to Homecoming.
Her platform also proposes an expansion of the Holiday Market expansion, with the intention of having an artificial skating rink at the market and a focus on student-run small businesses and "a diverse range of cultural vendors."
Plavins' final point of her first platform pillar is to build a sense of community in the Student Representative Assembly. Plavins proposes an SRA exclusive retreat to encourage a more collaborative form of student governance. She believes an SRA with a stronger sense of community will foster a more positive atmosphere and greater cooperation within the assembly and the MSU.
Improving Student Advocacy
Plavins' platform proposes a restructuring of club policy aimed at enabling students to create "higher-level clubs" and encouraging student-run clubs to become more self-sufficient by implementing training to find sponsors.
Her platform also voices support for current McMaster MSU President Jovan Popovic’s Soup and Bread Initiative. In addition, she has indicated the program should offer different traditional options from various backgrounds to make the program more inclusive.
Her platform on food insecurity proposes an increase in the Food Collective Centre budget by $5,000. The FCC is the MSU's student-run food security resource, committed to alleviating food insecurity among students.
Advocating for accessibility is another component of her advocacy promises. Her platform includes advocating for classrooms to be made to be more accessible to all students. She suggests this would minimize the need for individual accommodations and foster a more inclusive learning environment for everyone.
Plavins' platform also advocates for continued support from the MSU regarding housing. She claims she recognizes the work of the MSU on this issue, but says in her platform she thinks the MSU needs to provide further support for students finding housing.
Operational Excellence of the MSU
Plavins claims the Lot M bus schedule is unreliable, so she proposes to collaborate with Parking Services to establish a consistent and reliable bus schedule. For those commuting to campus and in need of parking, Plavins proposes a more affordable parking pass option with a proposed student "flex pass" so that students can pay for a set number of hours to park in different locations. She indicates these platform points are aimed at improving life for commuter students.
The platform also suggests that the design and image of TwelvEighty Bar & Grill should be changed to reflect what she says is The Grind's more casual atmosphere.
In the final aspect of her platform, Plavins proposes a new program pairing 2SLGBTQIA+ first-year students with upper-year mentors. She proposes this would be run through the Pride Community Centre. It would aim to address unique challenges faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ students, such as issues in transitioning to university and feeling less connected to school and experiencing discrimination.
Overall, Piper Plavins' platform focuses on enhancing student life through increasing the MSU's advocacy efforts, student advocacy, along with proposals to expand and support student clubs and certain MSU services.