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.
Though policy 713 was introduced in New Brunswick, the debates it has sparked around gender identity and parental rights has implications for all Canadians
Policy 713 was introduced in New Brunswick in 2020 to serve as a legislative basis regarding the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ students in the province. This policy has undergone revisions twice in 2023.
First, in June 2023, the province's government amended a portion of the Self-identification Section 6.3. The section now prefaced that students under the age of 16 would require the consent of parents to be addressed with their preferred pronouns in educational settings. This change in June 2023 sparked much debate about whether or not the policy was in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
These debates prompted another revision in August 2023 which while still maintaing the requirement of parental consent, introduced intervention steps if there were complications in obtaining it.
This change meant that students under 16 would first be referred to a guidance counsellor or school psychologist to determine how to gain consent from their parents. The Government of New Brunswick believes that this change encourages students' exploration of gender identity and ensures support from adults.
Hamilton Community Legal Clinic is a not-for-profit that serves as a legal service for Hamilton residents. HCLC released a statement regarding Policy 713 that acknowledged their stance against the proposed policy and its implementation.
Michael Blashko, staff housing lawyer and the lead on the Queer Justice Project at HCLC, expressed that the primary concern is around the impacts on children under 16. He pointed out that many educators, social workers and psychologists have expressed deep concern.
“The potential impacts [on children under 16] are quite well known and not only professional educators and different associations of educators have come through with comments against this policy change. . .but also just health professionals,” said Blashko.
The potential impacts [on children under 16] are quite well known and not only professional educators and different associations of educators have come through with comments against this policy change. . .but also just health professionals.
Michael Blashko, Queer Justice Project lead, Hamilton Community Legal Clinic
He shared one of the most concerning parts of the policy was the actual lack of consultation that went behind the changes.
“I believe it was first implemented by the party that actually has made the changes now, which raised a lot of eyebrows. My understanding is that there were little to no consultations that occurred with any experts, any interest groups, [or] any students who would be impacted. Nothing like that,” said Blashko.
Moreover, the changes in New Brunswick have guided other provinces to take the same actions. Saskatchewan has followed suit, implementing an almost identical policy. Manitoba's Premier has expressed that the desire to have their province want to follow suit as well.
“I think my general position is just discomfort and disappointment that that's the approach that they– not just New Brunswick– but several different premiers and government seems to be taking,” said Blashko.
Despite the province's changes to 2SLGBTQIA+ student rights, there are many who are challenging the legality of the policies.
Blashko shares that in New Brunswick a lawsuit is being issued by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in opposition to the policy. In Saskatchewan, the same is being done by the UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity.
He shared that Saskatchewan could lose the case due to the potentially unconstitutional nature of their policy. However, he also shared that in the face of such a case, the province could refer to the notwithstanding clause.
The clause allows them to override the violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Blashko feared this will create a precedence for this type of lawmaking.
“If Saskatchewan becomes the first province to invoke the notwithstanding clause as essentially a direct attack on Trans[gender] and Queer human rights. That's certainly a concerning precedent. And if that happens, there's not a lot that can that, you know, people can do to defend against that. It's literally a mechanism to violate rights,” said Blashko.
If Saskatchewan becomes the first province to invoke the notwithstanding clause as essentially a direct attack on Trans[gender] and Queer human rights. That's certainly a concerning precedent. And if that happens, there's not a lot that can that, you know, people can do to defend against that. It's literally a mechanism to violate rights
Michael Blashko, Queer Justice Project lead, Hamilton Community Legal Clinic
Overall, Blashko shared that in the midst of these legal battles, he’s hopeful people all over Canada will show their disapproval of these policies. He hoped that governments and educational entities will step away from these policies and protect the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ students.