Simon Mills’ MSU presidential platform aims to create a more connected, inclusive and supportive McMaster community
Simon Mills, a candidate for the 2025 McMaster Students Union presidential election, is running with goals of strengthening and building McMaster's student community, improving student life and addressing issues such as mental health support, athletics and student rights.
Mills, who has worked at TwelvEighty Bar and Grill for several years, has a platform focusing on five core pillars, which are student life, athletic events and support, club engagement and on-campus well-being and safety.
Mills' vision for student life at McMaster involves revitalizing popular campus events and spaces. His platform mentions enhancing Light Up the Night, an annual campus event, by bringing in more "dynamic and engaging" performers, improving crowd management and expanding food truck offerings.
Mills also expresses a desire to revitalize TwelvEighty and Union Market, suggesting that they are underutilized spaces on campus. He plans to introduce consistent student events like karaoke, trivia and live music at TwelvEighty and stock Union Market with healthier food options and improve its look with student art.
Mills platform proposes adding additional elements to Homecoming, such as interfaculty games prior to the main football game and beer gardens. He also proposes a four day long "MSU Cup" event, which he describes as being like a "faculty olympics," as students would compete in various sports representing their faculties.
In an effort to boost student engagement with athletics, Mills wants to create more exciting game-day experiences. He wants to introduce giveaways, raffles and tailgating to attract more to sports events. Proposing to collaborate with Athletics and Recreation, he hopes to make game days more engaging with "interactive fan zones" and celebrations for important events.
Mills is also advocating for better support for student-athletes. He proposes organizing opportunities for current student-athletes to network and learn from alumni who were student-athletes. Mills also proposes organizing academic support for athletes specifically, including tutoring and study sessions and workshops to help them balance their schedules.
Mills believes that clubs play a crucial role in student life. He proposes creating a "Club Vision Program," a matchmaking tool to help students connect with clubs that align with their interests. He also calls for more frequent club fairs, two to three per year, to ensure students have ample opportunities to engage with clubs beyond the first semester.
Mills states he wants to streamline the event planning process and simplify the event health and safety approval process, ensuring clubs can organize events more efficiently. Additionally, he indicates in his platform that he wishes to collaborate with Bounce to better the ticketing system for club events.
Mills platform iterates the importance of safety and well-being for students, particularly in terms of mental health and physical safety. His platform calls for more advocacy for increased mental health resources on campus to reduce wait times for appointments with the Student Wellness Centre. He also wants to advocate for better lighting in parking lots and pathways, increased funding and new equipment for the student-run Emergency First Response Team and additional emergency call stations.
Additionally, Mills wants to advocate for online information on parking availability and shuttle bus trackers to make commuting easier for students.
Mills' platform proposes advocating for students on the issues of housing and parking enforcement. He plans to advocate for the permanent implementation of Hamilton's Rental Housing Licensing Pilot Program to increase the quality of rental conditions for students. Mills also wants to advocate against what he claims to be "predatory" and disproportionate parking enforcement in the areas near McMaster.
Mills platform also mentions creating a new service that would be called the "Academic Integrity Guardians," whose role would be to support students accused of inappropriately using AI in their course work.
Mills additionally proposes collaborating with McMaster Library services to enhance library study spaces by increasing the number of power outlets and desktop monitor accessibility.
Finally, he also plans to collaborate with Hamilton Bike Share to establish more bike rack areas outside of and near the university with high numbers of students.
Simon Mills' platform focuses on enhancing student life, supporting athletes, improving campus safety, and advocating for better housing and parking policies.
Along with the approaching McMaster Students Union presidential elections, students will soon vote on three critical referenda that could impact campus life
McMaster students will soon vote on three referenda alongside the McMaster Students Union presidential elections, with the voting period running Jan 28. to 30. Depending on their outcome, these referenda could change the allocation of financial resources within the MSU. These referenda are for the Food Accessibility Initiative, Homecoming and Large Events and funding for Engineers Without Borders.
Food Accessibility Initiative
The Food Accessibility Initiative, proposed by current MSU President Jovan Popovic, seeks to combat food insecurity on campus by delivering a free soup and bread meal program to students. Initially presented in February 2024 with a proposed $5.00 increase to the MSU organizational fee to fund it, the first attempt at the referendum fell short of the quorum of 10 per cent, with voter turnout reaching 9.4%.
The updated proposal now requests a $6.50 increase, adjusted for the Consumer Price Index. If approved, the fee would fund the Soup & Bread Initiative, which would provide free soup and bread for two hours a day, four days a week, throughout the academic year in an effort to increase accessibility to food on campus.
The Food Accessibility Initiative, proposed by MSU President Jovan Popovic, seeks to combat food insecurity on campus . . . The updated proposal now requests a $6.50 increase, adjusted for the Consumer Price Index.
This initiative, modelled after the Loaded Ladle program at Dalhousie University, is projected to serve over 75,000 portions annually. When reintroducing the motion on Nov. 17, 2024, Popovic emphasized that the fee would be mandatory, with no opt-out option, to ensure the program's sustainability and maximize its benefits for students in need.
Kooper Zacharczuk is leading the campaign for the Food Accessibility Initiative. After learning about the proposal from Popovic last year, Zacharczuk became committed to addressing food insecurity. He emphasized the program’s affordability and universal benefit, pointing out that the one-time cost is less than the cost of a regular meal on campus.
Zacharczuk emphasized that supporting the initiative is a straightforward choice, describing it as "common sense" to vote yes. "We're just feeding students in need," said Zacharczuk, stressing that the program’s affordability and potential impact as a free meal service make it a solution to address food insecurity on campus.
Homecoming & Large Events
The referendum on Homecoming and Large Events proposes a $20.00 increase to the MSU organizational fee, also subject to Consumer Price Index adjustments. If approved, the fee is expected to generate over $500,000 in additional revenue annually, which would enable MSU to continue hosting large-scale campus events, such as homecoming which returned to campus in 2024 for the first time since 2019.
The referendum on Homecoming and Large Events proposes a $20 increase to the MSU organizational fee, also subject to Consumer Price Index adjustments.
The MSU aims to use the additional funding to maintain these events while ensuring affordability for students.
If passed, 50 per cent of homecoming tickets will be priced between $10.00 and $20.00, starting in Fall 2025 and continuing through Fall 2027. Popovic noted that the current $43,000 event allocation is insufficient to sustain the growing demand for such events.
McMaster Engineers without Borders
The third referendum concerns Engineers Without Borders' annual fee of $0.44. This fee supports Engineers Without Borders McMaster, which contributes $12,500 annually to EWB Canada's fellowship program. However, concerns over financial accountability have prompted the referendum. A November 2024 Student Representative Assembly review revealed that EWB McMaster's budget lacked clarity and did not include their actual spending from the previous fiscal year.
The third referendum focuses on the Engineers Without Borders' annual fee of $0.44 . . . A recent SRA review revealed that EWB McMaster's budget lacked clarity and did not include their actual spending from the previous fiscal year.
Additionally, funds allocated to the fellowship program are used to support students from other universities if no McMaster students are selected. While EWB representatives assured the SRA that financial oversight issues have been resolved, some members expressed their concerns about fees collected from McMaster students going to fund a fellowship program that does not always accept a McMaster student.
Jialiang (Kevin) Hu, leading the campaign to cancel the fee, emphasized these concerns, pointing out that EWB’s financial oversight issues include losing access to bank accounts and cancelled trips due to organizational restructuring. “This referendum sends a message that students will not tolerate the misuse of their money,” stated Hu to The Silhouette.
He argued that EWB McMaster could continue its activities, such as workshops and team-building events, through alternative funding sources like grants, sponsorships, or support from the McMaster Engineering Society, rather than relying on student fees.
Students will have the opportunity to cast their votes during the 2025 MSU presidential election period, deciding the outcome of these initiatives and their implementation on campus. Voting will occur online via the SimplyVoting platform from Jan. 28 to 30, 2025.
