By: Natalie Clark
One of Madison Wesley’s largest and most promising platform goals is to introduce a textbook rental service to the McMaster campus store. Although students would likely be fond of the idea, Wesley has failed to assess the challenges associated with this goal.
According to Donna Shapiro, the director of retail services at McMaster, the McMaster campus store explored this idea in the past but was unable to bring it to fruition.
“Each faculty would need to commit to their course material selection for several years in a row to pay off the initial cost of the book,” said Shapiro. “Without this commitment, it is impossible to move forward with a rental program.”
In addition, according to Shapiro, the issue of storage is also a concern.
“For the number of courses at Mac that are not taught on a regular basis, space for storage of the rental textbooks becomes an issue,” said Shapiro.
Wesley also has not consulted with the Student Wellness Centre regarding her promise to improve the mental and physical health of students on campus. The SWC would be an essential service to consult in order to implement the changes she is seeking.
One of Wesley’s main goals is to increase the number of counsellors on campus.
“The SWC has increased the number of counsellors this past year and is currently at capacity space and budget wise for the number of staff that the SWC can hire,” said Taryn Aarssen, a wellness educator at the SWC. “The budget for counsellors comes from student fees.”
Wesley would have to acquire additional funds to hire more counsellors. However, in her platform, it is unclear where specifically this funding would come from.
As for Wesley’s promise to introduce a walk-in clinic to McMaster, according to Aarssen, while the SWC is not exactly a walk-in clinic, it is a place where students can make health clinic and medical appointments on campus.
The SWC currently has a significant number of the same resources as walk-in clinics. In light of this, Aarssen notes that adding a second clinic on campus “would not be a valuable use of space or resources.”
Overall, Wesley’s platform would seem more feasible if she made efforts to consult a number of McMaster’s services prior to the start of campaign season.
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/meet-your-msu-presidential-candidates" color="red"] RETURN TO ALL CANDIDATE PLATFORM OVERVIEWS[/button]
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
By: Ryan Tse, Hannah Walters-Vida, Natalie Clark
Click on the candidates to learn about their platform overviews.
[popup_anything id="36661"]
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/msu-presidentials-2019-madison-wesley-platform-critique" color="red"] MADISON WESLEY PLATFORM CRITIQUE[/button]
[popup_anything id="36659"]
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/msu-elections-2019-jeffrey-campana-platform-critique" color="red"] JEFFREY CAMPANA PLATFORM CRITIQUE[/button]
[popup_anything id="36669"]
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/msu-presidentials-2019-josh-marando-platform-critique" color="red"] JOSH MARANDO PLATFORM CRITIQUE[/button]
[popup_anything id="36662"]
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/msu-elections-2019-justin-lee-platform-critique" color="red"] JUSTIN LEE PLATFORM CRITIQUE[/button]
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
It’s that time of the year where a large majority of students are strategically avoiding the atrium of the McMaster University Student Centre. The campaigning period for the next McMaster Students Union president is currently underway and will continue until the end of polling on Jan. 24.
Elections for MSU president are held annually, and are voted on by the MSU membership. While this sounds fair on paper, this translates into the consistent underrepresentation of co-op and internship students during elections. These students, who are not technically MSU members, are not allowed to support presidential candidates which includes voting or being a member of a presidential campaign team.
This is especially concerning considering co-op and internship students make up a large per cent of McMaster’s undergraduate population, with some programs like the bachelor of technology mandating co-op. If graduating students are afforded the right to vote and influence the MSU, despite not being present to actually experience the changes themselves, it makes little sense to deny returning students the same rights.
The argument in defense of excluding these students is that they do not pay the MSU fee. For the 2018-2019 academic year, this fee was $573.07, paid by each full-time undergraduate student at McMaster University in addition to their tuition and other fees. Note that $230 goes towards the MSU Health and Dental plan where students have the option to opt-out.
While it is true that co-op and internship students do not pay MSU fees or tuition, they still are required to pay co-op fees. For example, students in the faculty of science are required to pay a $3050 co-op fee over three years, which includes a yearly $150 administration fee. Similarly, students from the DeGroote School of Business must pay around $900 to participate in the commerce internship program.
A solution could be to allow these students the option to opt-in to the MSU fee and thus become MSU members with all the rights and privileges afforded with MSU membership, including the right to participate in MSU elections. But should students be forced to pay the full MSU fee in order to be represented?
Other student unions like University of Victoria’s Students’ Society collect partial fees from co-op students. Payment of this partial fee allows these students to only access services that are relevant towards them. This includes access to the health and dental plan, ombudsperson, university bursaries and democratic participation in students’ society elections.
If a system like this was introduced to the MSU, it would allow co-op and internship students the ability to benefit solely from services and activities that pertain to them, while not unnecessarily paying for services which are less relevant to students away on placements like participating in MSU clubs. This could then essentially be a reduced version of the $130.26 MSU operating fee that full-time undergraduate students pay as part of their MSU fee.
Alternatively, the MSU can make it so that returning MSU members are afforded electoral rights without having to pay an additional fee. Co-op and internship students spend the majority of their degree at the university. They have most definitely paid MSU fees in the years preceding their placements and will continue to pay fees upon their return. Why should they be charged additional monies during their short term away just to be represented?
Students on co-op or internships are still returning students that deserve to have an input on their union’s representation. Whatever change is made for future elections, it stands that the current unfair treatment of co-op and internship students by the MSU is a disservice to us all.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
Josh Marando is a Level IV arts and science student with a combined honours in Biochemistry. Marando has held a number of leadership positions within the McMaster Students Union, including MSU advocacy coordinator and welcome week faculty societies coordinator. He has also held executive positions with MSU Spark, the Creating Leadership Amongst Youth conference and the society of arts and science students.
The 12 pillars of Marando’s platform highlight a wide range of priority areas all tied to supporting students, strengthening community and improving space on campus.
Marando’s first pillar aims to revitalize the McMaster University Student Centre. He plans to create more lounge areas by renovating the third floor terrace and clubspace. He also plans to add an additional food court.
The second pillar aims to reduce the costs of education. Marando plans to advocate for tuition freezes, upfront grants and program based Ontario Student Assistance Program funding.
He also plans to work with the university to eliminate late fees on tuition payments.
Marando’s third pillar aims to reform teaching and assessment strategies in order to better support students’ academic needs.
He plans to allow students to opt out of exams if they have two in 12 hours, implement a deferred exam period at the end of the exam period, introduce podcasting in more courses, work toward open education resources and extend the add/drop deadline.
Pillar four focuses on improving campus infrastructure such as lecture halls and study spaces. Marando aims to accomplish this by increasing the deferred maintenance budget by $12 million per year and implementing a campus accessibility audit and advisory committee.
Pillar five stresses the need to expand the student wellness centre space and hire more primary care physicians, counselors and psychiatrists.
Marando’s sixth pillar includes the promise to hire an additional sexual violence response coordinator.
Pillar seven focuses on supporting international students by lobbying for tuition freezes and allowing international students to access the Ontario health insurance plan.
Marando also aims to shift the responsibility of sidewalk snow removal to the city.
Marando’s eighth pillar looks at shifting the responsibility of sidewalk snow removal to the city.
In his ninth pillar, Marando outlines strategies to support student leaders by reducing the amount of money that they are expected to pay out of pocket and by streamlining processes for room booking and event planning.
Marando also aims to strengthen student-led arts based initiatives by providing financial support and improving access to performance and practice spaces.
Marando’s last pillar focuses on improving MSU operations, specifically through the creation of a human resources coordinator position.
More information about Marando’s platform can be found at Josh2019.com.
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/meet-your-msu-presidential-candidates" color="red"] RETURN TO ALL CANDIDATE PLATFORM OVERVIEWS[/button]
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
By: Natalie Clark
Madison Wesley is a second year political science student involved with several art clubs at McMaster, including the starving artist society. She is also actively involved with community outreach programs, such as the Give n' Get store in Barrie, Ontario.
Wesley’s platform promises to improve physical and mental health on campus, introduce a textbook renting program for students, increase the amount of study spaces on campus and ensure that teaching assistants are required to complete a mandatory training program before stepping into a classroom environment.
Wesley’s most ambitious promise to students is to make the physical and mental health of students her priority. She promises to increase the number of counsellors and psychiatrists on campus and make them more accessible to students.
Wesley also hopes to increase the number of student group therapy sessions available.
In addition to improving the number of available counsellors on campus, Wesley wishes to introduce a student walk-in clinic on campus.
Another aspect of Wesley’s platform includes the plan to introduce a “Rent-a-Text” program for students purchasing books at the McMaster campus store. This program would allow students to rent textbooks for a period of four months, with a 25 per cent deposit.
After the four-month period comes to a halt, students would return their textbook in good condition and receive back their deposit in return.
Wesley also aims to increase the number of accessible study spaces on campus.
She believes that there are large areas of space all around campus that can easily be converted into effective student study spaces.
For instance, Wesley uses the Waterfall Room in the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery as an example of a large space that could foster and support a future study atmosphere.
In addition, Wesley promises to work with each faculty at McMaster to create a mandatory training program for TAs.
“As major players in our day-to-day education, they need to be effective in the classroom as instructors,” reads part of Wesley’s platform. “I will hold the university to the standards that we students expect.”
More information about Wesley's platform can be found at https://madisonjw.wixsite.com/2019.
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/meet-your-msu-presidential-candidates" color="red"] RETURN TO ALL CANDIDATE PLATFORM OVERVIEWS[/button]
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
Justin Lee is a second-year political science student who is bringing a platform that aims to help the McMaster Students Union serve students while creating more opportunities for students to get involved with the MSU.
Last year, Lee served as the chair of the MSU First Year Council. This year, he is serving as a social science representative for the Student Representative Assembly and as a representative on the MSU’s university affairs committee.
Lee’s platform consists of 13 objectives aimed collectively at increasing communication between students, the MSU and the university and making students’ lives easier and safer.
A large section of Lee’s platform is focused on supporting clubs at McMaster. One way he plans to do this is by providing fundraising training services for all MSU clubs. He hopes that by decreasing funding and increasing training, most clubs will become fiscally independent.
Lee also aims to host another ClubsFest during the second semester to increase student involvement.
Lowering food prices is another major point in Lee’s platform. To achieve this platform objective, he says he will meet with Hospitality Services to discuss menu items. He also floats the idea of an after-hours takeout service, which he says will aid students living on campus.
Another platform point is the provision of free menstrual products for single use washrooms.
Lee’s other ideas to help students succeed include hosting events to promote mental health and using the funds to invest into MSU mental health services. He also plans to work with the Student Success Centre to create subsidized “life skills” programs, such as first aid training or tax-filing.
Lee’s platform includes an initiative to “increase proactive security efforts with regards to public events.”
Lee wants the MSU to engage students more effectively by bolstering its social media presence.
Regarding campus infrastructure and rules, Lee says he will enforce the maintenance of emergency poles and will start a discussion with the university administration over the smoking ban, which he says “should either be enforced or more lenient.”
Another platform point is Lee’s “Uber for Buses” project. Lee envisions a sort of digital “dynamic routing system” during late-night times where students on the bus can request a stop by putting it into the software, from which the drivers can plan the most efficient route.
Lee also wants to implement HSR driver accountability by creating a platform that allows students to report drivers and give feedback on their transit experience.
More information about Lee’s platform can be found by reaching out to Lee’s campaign at [email protected].
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/meet-your-msu-presidential-candidates" color="red"] RETURN TO ALL CANDIDATE PLATFORM OVERVIEWS[/button]
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
In his eighth year at McMaster University, Level IV materials engineering student Jeffrey Campana believes his communication skills and experience within and apart from the McMaster Students Union governing body give him the ability to propose a fairly ambitious set of platform points.
His most prominent MSU involvement has been with Union Market, where he has worked for the past four years and is now the manager. He is also an MSU Maroon and serves as the vice president (Promotions) for the McMaster Chess Club.
Campana’s platform is comprised of 15 platform points and three advocacy initiatives focusing on infrastructure, accessibility, student engagement and campus safety.
Campana’s aspires to expand MSU present Ikram Farah’s Tax Free Tuesdays pilot project, what he calls “the best platform point from the past seven MSU elections.”
Campana’s two other advocacy points involve improving Go service and adding incentives to encourage student participation in the newly-released MSU landlord rating system.
Perhaps the most ambitious platform point out of the 15 is Campana’s plan to build an ice rink on campus by January 2020.
Two of Campana’s infrastructure projects involve lighting and wifi. Campana wants to upgrade all lights on campus to white LED lighting. Campana’s “Actually Better Wi-Fi” initiative involves conducting a “Wi-Fi audit” across campus to provide wifi wherever it is currently missing.
Another initiative includes the proposal to distribute free menstrual products to students and every all-genders washroom on campus.
Campana’s “Mac Votes” point outlines his commitment to place a polling station on campus for future elections.
Campana has a few points to make the operations of the “MSU Bubble” more engaging and accessible. He plans to “Break the Bubble” by standardizing different roles and ensuring hiring practices are unbiased.
Regarding the overall vision of the MSU, Campana plans to release an additional annual document on top of the “State of the Union” to outline the long-term goals of the union. His “Easy Reading” point will make the student union website available to be translated into any language.
“Your Bank, No Fees” is the title of Campana’s plan to increase the number of ATMs representing different banks on campus.
Campana has also dedicated two platform points to improving the Welcome Week experience for reps and incoming first year students. He plans to continue subsidizing meals at TwelvEighty for reps and extend it from two days to one week.
More information about Campana’s platform can be found at www.jeffreymichael2019.com.
[button link="https://www.thesil.ca/meet-your-msu-presidential-candidates" color="red"] RETURN TO ALL CANDIDATE PLATFORM OVERVIEWS[/button]
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
On Oct. 22, McMaster students headed to the polls, voting in their respective wards for councillor, mayoral and trustee candidates, respectively. Despite improvements overall for the city, the numbers suggest that student turnout continues to falter.
Overall turnout this year for the city was up from the 2014 municipal election turnout, with 38.6 per cent of eligible voters compared to 34.02 per cent casting a ballot.
Ward 1 also saw an increase in turnout with 8,944 ballots cast, resulting in a 42.52 per cent turnout. This is an improvement from 2014 and 2010, when turnout was at 40.74 per cent and 40.70 per cent, respectively.
Age and McMaster-specific voting stats are not available, but city-wide and poll-by-poll results in Ward 1 offer a glimpse into how many McMaster students voted.
Binkley United Church, Dalewood Elementary School and Temple Anshe Sholom are three of the closest polling stations to campus. In 2014, these three stations counted 1,725 combined votes. This election, that number was at 1,784.
However, this year, a new polling station at the Church of God Hamilton also registered 312 ballots.
McMaster has around 31,000 students. Even if all the votes at the four closest stations were students, the combined 2,096 votes cast at those polls is under 10 per cent of the student population. If only 10,000 Mac students live on campus or in student housing, 2,096 votes would still fall well short of 30 per cent turnout.
Because many students live in other wards and may have voted there, it is hard to measure student turnout completely accurately. However, the polling numbers seem to indicate that student turnout still remains low in student housing areas, with small to modest improvement from 2014 to 2018.
Before the election, the McMaster Students Union ran a MacVotes campaign to encourage students to head to the polls. On the day of, MacVotes continued tabling and walked students to the polling stations.
MSU vice president (Education) Stephanie Bertolo said that candidate campaign staff told MacVotes that a large number of voters at Dalewood Recreation Centre and Binkley United Church registered on the day of the election. Many of these were likely students who had never voted in Hamilton at their current address.
“Overall, I believe we ran a very successful campaign,” said Bertolo. “Many students engaged with the campaign both online and at our table, asking us questions about how to get out to vote.”
Nonetheless, the city-reported polling numbers suggest that the campaign was only somewhat successful in increasing student turnout, at least for this election. One way to potentially improve student turnout is to have more convenient polling stations for students.
During the 2006 municipal election, there was a polling station on campus. However, the station was pulled in 2010 and has not been reinstated since.
Newly elected Ward 1 Councillor Maureen Wilson said in a statement after the election that she supports a McMaster polling station.
“Not having a voting poll at McMaster University campus is not in the best interest of our city, our nation or our democracy,” Wilson said. “We must normalize voting and make it easier, not more difficult.”
Despite the MacVotes team’s increased push to promote voting, it appears many students still opted not to vote. While the underlying factors and reasons for not voting are unclear, is is fair to say there is a lot of work still to be done to motivate students to get civically engaged.
[spacer height="20px"][thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
In the Oct. 22 Hamilton municipal election, Ward 1 was wide-open with 13 candidates looking to be councillors for the first time, while the mayoral race was largely a contest between pro-LRT Fred Eisenberger and anti-LRT Vito Sgro.
Maureen Wilson captured 42 per cent of the of the almost 9,000 votes cast. Jason Allen, Carol Lazich and Sophie Geffros followed with 17, 12 and 10 per cent, respectively. Sharon Anderson, Ela Eroglu and Sharon Cole came last in the results.
Wilson has been involved at various levels in the Hamilton municipal government and local groups. She had also served as chief of staff to the Hamilton mayor from 2000 to 2002.
Wilson’s main campaign focuses were safer streets, affordable housing and improved transit. She is also a staunch supporter of the LRT project.
Specific steps Wilson has proposed to take in order to address housing issues include promoting purpose-built student housing and calling for the government to waive development charges on affordable units. She also believes that the government needs to invest more in public transit.
In a statement released following the election, Wilson said that accountability and unity are key for Hamilton to continue moving forward.
“It is time for Hamilton to move forward with a progressive urban agenda,” Wilson said. “A failure to do so will mean that Hamilton risks falling further behind on issues directly related to economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, inclusivity and our efforts to make sure Hamilton the best place to raise a child and age successfully.”
An inspiring part of the Ward 1 race was the presence of two relatively young candidates: Sophie Geffros and Harrison White.
“We are losing the confidence and attention of our youngest residents,” Wilson said. “Sophie Geffros and Harrison White ran outstanding campaigns and it is the city’s best interest to ensure that they and other like them stay involved and are encouraged to participate.”
In the mayoral race, Fred Eisenberger was re-elected for a second term as mayor with a 54 per cent majority, defeating main challenger, Vito Sgro. Sgro gathered 38 per cent of the votes. No other challenger finished with more than 2 per cent of the 139,000 ballots cast.
Despite Sgro’s momentum, Eisenberger actually finished with a higher percentage of votes than he did in 2014, when he won with just 39 per cent of votes.
Eisenberger’s campaign was largely focused on sustaining progress in Hamilton. His priorities are economic development, affordable housing and infrastructure renewal.
During his term, Eisenberger started a 10-year anti-poverty plan to increase affordable housing. Homelessness dropped 25 per cent from 2016 to 2017 on Eisenberger’s watch, according to a city survey. Nevertheless, many of the problems associated with gentrification, such as poverty and income polarization, have continued intensively.
Nevertheless, as the campaign wore on and the field narrowed to Eisenberger and Sgro, the LRT project became the one defining issue.
“For those that wanted to create a referendum, they actually got one,” Eisenberger said. “And the referendum is pretty clear. It’s 70,000 plus majority of people saying we want to move forward on LRT. I think city councillors need to listen to that.”
While he faces a city council that remains divided on the LRT project, Eisenberger is confident that councillors can work together.
“I’ve always worked together with council. Always have and always will,” said Eisenberger. “We will continue to do the great and important work the city of Hamilton needs to get done.”
Important times lie ahead as LRT and affordable housing projects promise to reshape our growing city.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
In only four days from now, McMaster students with a Hamilton address will have the opportunity to vote in the 2018 Hamilton municipal election. Here is a guide to the day of to help you find your way to a voting station and come armed with all the information you need to successfully cast your ballot.
The municipal election will take place on Oct. 22.
You have the chance to vote for the next mayor, Ward 1 city councillor and Ward 1 and 2 school board trustee.
If you are a Canadian citizen 18 or older and have a Hamilton address, you are eligible to vote in Hamilton.
As a student, you are eligible to vote both in your “home” municipality, if it is not Hamilton, and in the Hamilton municipality where you live. The bottom line is, if you have an address in Ward 1, temporary or permanent, you can vote in Ward 1. All you need is some ID that shows you live there.
Near McMaster and in the surrounding area. If you are in Ward 1, you have 11 polling stations. The closest station to McMaster is Church of God Hamilton at 265 Bowman Street. If you are coming from either the east or west side of Main Street, you can take the 5 to Main Street West and Emerson Street and walk from there or hop on the 51 to Whitney Avenue and Emerson Street.
[google_maps id="35383"]
The polling station will be open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
The nearest polling station to campus is a 25-minute walk from the McMaster University Student Centre. If you choose to bus from campus, you can take the 51 at Sterling Street and University Avenue to Whitney Avenue and Emerson Street. From there, it is a few minutes to Bowman Street and Willowcrest Avenue, where the church is located.
You will need to bring a document that shows your name and Ward 1 address.
Possible documents include:
A full list of documents can be found on the City of Hamilton website.
It is ultimately up to you. Below, you can find a list of online sources that highlight information on candidates and feature their respective platforms.
Ward 1:
- The Silhouette: www.thesil.ca/meet-your-ward-1-councillor-candidates
- The Hamilton Spectator: www.thespec.com/news-story/8891703-ward-1-information-for-hamilton-voters/
- The McMaster Students Union’s MacVotes campaign: www.msumcmaster.ca/macvotes/macvotes-municipal-elections-2018/ward-1-candidates
Mayor:
- The Hamilton Spectator: www.thespec.com/news-story/8894782-mayor-race-information-for-hamilton-voters/
- The McMaster Students Union’s MacVotes campaign: www.msumcmaster.ca/macvotes/macvotes-municipal-elections-2018/mayoral-candidates
Because you can and you should. Voting gives you an opportunity to exercise your democratic right and have the potential to impact what Hamilton will look today, tomorrow and in many years in the future. So do some research, get to the polling station, warm-up your ballot-checking fingers and cast a vote.
[spacer height="20px"][thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
