Please click the link below to watch this evening's SRA meeting LIVE:
SRA Meeting - Sunday, March 9, 2014
The fee that undergraduate students pay to the MSU each year will not be going up next year.
The Student Representative Assembly voted, almost unanimously, to freeze the fee at its current level of $122.61 per student after MSU Vice-President (Finance) Jeffrey Doucet presented the freeze to the Assembly.
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Doucet felt that the current amount of money the MSU collects from each student is enough. The SRA agreed.
“I felt it would be inappropriate to ask students for more money than we need,” he said.
He continued, “Essentially, I made the recommendation to the assembly and they voted to pass it.”
The MSU has a substantial cash reserve which, of course, calls into question the student fees charged to every undergraduate. Despite the excess, Doucet said the freeze was still a better option than a cut.
“The freeze allows is to maintain current levels of services. If we were to look into cutting the fee, we would have to determine which services we felt were no longer providing adequate value to McMaster undergrads,” he said.
The 2014 MSU presidential election recently came to a close, and the five presidential platforms covered a wide range of topics, including reduced MSU fees, an expanded frost week, and a program to fund students’ ideas for improving McMaster. Check out the following infographic to see what topics showed up most often in recent presidential platforms at seven Ontario universities.
On a typical night, you won’t find Teddy Saull at a party or a rowdy get-together. He prefers a quiet night in with some ice cream and a few episodes of whatever TV show he’s watching at the time. But on Thursday, Jan. 30 he and a crowd of friends and supporters took to Snooty Fox for a night of celebration.
After three days of voting, and more than 8,300 votes cast, Saull emerged as the victor of a two-week race for next year’s MSU President, defeating early favourite Jacob Brodka by only 102 votes in the final round of voting.
Before mid-September 2013 Saull hadn’t thought much about involvement in MSU politics; he was just an average, self-described nerd.
Growing up
“I was a very late bloomer. I’m quite tall now. I was very short until the summer between Grade 11 and Grade 12,” said Saull of his high school days.
He continued “I had a buzzcut, braces, weighed about a hundred pounds and was about five foot two. And I liked science and math—not the most appealing combination.”
Saull grew up in Ajax—living in the same house for his whole life—as the third in a series of four brothers. His mom is an educational assistant with special needs children and his dad is a business owner in the fasteners industry.
In elementary school, Saull loved to learn and had a particular desire to study science and math, but also enjoyed English. He grew up thinking he would become a medical doctor.
He delved into athletics as well.
“I was part of the all the sports teams in elementary school, when they weren’t as competitive, and then in high school there was no way,” he said.
Despite the drop off in sports participation, high school was still a time of involvement for Saull.
“I did pretty much everything…I was in a lot of clubs: Social Justice Club, I was President of Student Council,” he said. “I was a nerd, it is what it is.”
“I think I even got a few carry-over votes from high school,” he said of this year’s MSU Presidential race.
“When I was campaigning, I talked to someone and they said ‘Yeah, you were President when I was in grade nine, so I already voted for you’.”
University
For university, it came down to McMaster life sciences or Western health sciences, still wanting to be a doctor, but after a tour of the campus, McMaster was secured as his first choice.
“Western seemed fun, but McMaster felt like home, right away. It even had that Hogwarts feel that you can’t replicate,” he said.
He moved into Edwards Hall in September of 2010 and began his life at McMaster.
After a year of life sciences and some time of reflection, Saull decided to switch to the psychology, neuroscience and behavior program.
“I realized that I loved psych, once I was in it. I was very lucky to find what I’m interested in. I am fascinated by the human mind,” he said.
Saull stayed on campus as a Community Advisor in Hedden, and then Bates, before moving off campus for fourth-year.
“I wanted to belong to something. First year was tough—I think it is for most people—I thought I could create an environment that would make people comfortable,” said Saull,
“You get to see people grow. You see people come in as their nervous, shy person, or the super-outgoing person and you watch them evolve into the person that they become.”
Journey to MSU President
Sept. 2013 is when Saull decided he might make a good MSU President. His team worked throughout the year to construct a platform that could improve student life and a campaign that could convince them of its merits.
Coming from outside of the MSU was a challenge that the team knew could be a deterrent to winning the election.
“It was close. The success for us was that it was close—even if we had lost by a hundred votes, that would have been a success because of where we were coming from,” he said.
“Nobody expected that we would have a strong campaign because it was so clear that we did not have an overwhelming amount of MSU experience.”
“I was very thrown off, personally at times, at all of the negativity,” he said. “I had never been a part of politics before, except for watching The Ides of March.”
His campaign attempted to use this lack of experience as an advantage.
“Not having that experience means that you can come at things as a student, and as a learner. Then you can provide insight where you think it’s best. People respond well to that,” he said.
When voting begun on Jan. 28, Saull and his team were unsure if his message had connected with enough voters to win. By the time the polls were closing on Jan 30, the doubts were even stronger.
“I genuinely had no idea. I had a feeling on Thursday night [Jan.30] that we had lost, but there was no way to tell,” said Saull.
“I had no idea if we were winning, or if we were in dead last.”
When all the votes were tallied, Saull had emerged the victor.
He was sitting at home, trying to catch up on homework and preparing a Facebook post to address what he thought would be an election loss, when his phone rang with a call coming from current MSU President David Campbell.
Campbell informed him that he had won and Saull joined his team to celebrate.
Going forward
“The transition really starts now. I’ll start working with the Board [of Directors] and getting to know the role and preparing to start in the summer,” said Saull.
Barring any successful appeals from other candidates, Teddy Saull’s term as MSU President will begin on May 1.
“I will say this: I will not run for elected office ever again,” said Saull.
Ahbi Mukherjee
The Silhouette
A new pilot program, Spark, will be a student-led, student-run service of the MSU devoted to setting the stage for student success at the University. The service was proposed by the MSU’s vice-president (education) Spencer Graham and will specifically cater to incoming first-year students at no extra cost.
Spark will begin at the start of the coming fall term and will be designed to provide students with small group environments that facilitate first-year growth and build personal development and reflection skills for undergraduate career. It will introduce students to campus services, clubs and leadership opportunities and encourage extracurricular participation. It will also connect students to their peers and upper-year students to promote increased support on academic issues and associated first-year challenges.
The program will be comprised of weekly sessions that will consist of small groups of participating first-year students and be led by two undergraduate Success Facilitators. Each session will be between 1-2 hours long and will take place throughout the entirety of each term. The topics for each week’s sessions will be planned by the Spark coordinator in conjunction with the vice-president (administration) as necessary. A session may involve leadership activities, presentations from speakers, discussions, journaling/reflection periods, games and other activities. A participating first-year student will have completed the program upon the completion of three self-directed activities within the University or broader community of Hamilton. There will be several optional, open study groups at various points throughout the week to promote building inclusive student learning communities.
Online applications will be made available for students and will ask students specific questions, which will help arrange them into groups. These groups will be created with the intention of dividing students according to diversity of goals, personality types, level of comfort and level of prior engagement.
“The idea for Spark came to me when I was running for VP (education) a year ago. I came up with the ideas through some of my old personal experiences and some things that I noticed in the school community in general,” said Graham. “Students nowadays are very much expected to go to university; its an expectation placed on them by their parents, peers and society and throughout their years at university, they have very little time to sit down and think why they are here in the first-place. That is what Spark will be all about, to open up the box.”
“The idea is that first-years come into the university and they will be put under the guidance and leadership of upper year students to be successful," Graham said. "So the program is meant to crack open the box on why you are here and what you can get out of university and what first steps I should be taking as a first-year to get to where I want to be.”
Participant spots are first come first serve for the Spark program. It will be open to students from every faculty. As the first installation of the program is a pilot project, the total number of students to be accepted will be approximately 100 per term, however this number depends on the available resources that will be deduced by the Spark coordinator.
Last week, the majority of students who casted ballots voted against adopting any of the potential MSU healthcare plan add-ons. The failure of all three referendum options is incredibly disappointing and disheartening. The add-ons were, in short, an incredible deal for students. For very low prices (a total of 77 dollars), they would cover most of the costs of vision care, prescription contraception and a variety of other medical services.
The last two add-ons could have been viewed by some students as “controversial,” however I find it hard to believe that the average student voter does not understand the impact of vision coverage on someone’s health, performance, and success.
This tells me that this was a decision made by an uninformed student vote. I think, in this case, the combination of lack of communication from the MSU, voter apathy, and some other factors are to blame. Of course, there is only so much the MSU can do to engage students if they are not willing to participate in the exchange of information. But there were several shortcomings of the MSU in this process that have to be discussed.
Although it is not the responsibility of the MSU to actively campaign for a side of a referendum, it is the job of the MSU to accurately communicate important information to students. David Campbell told the Silhouette last week that “doing more to communicate what we do” is one of the MSU President’s main priorities throughout the year. I will not deny that the MSU effectively reached out to students about the existence of referendum questions on the presidential ballot, however it did not communicate to students the substance of these questions. The weeks before the election period saw various instances of poorly and often inaccurately communicated information.
Additionally, the proposed HSR questions were often presented in a positive light, covered in at least two stories by the Silhouette, and shared with enthusiasm on an HSR referendum video posted on the MSU's website. The health care video that was posted, on the other hand, used neutral language and expressions.
The issue wasn’t solely the MSU’s lack of communication. Even an engaged student willing to learn more about the referendum questions would have hit a brick wall upon arriving on the MSU website’s referendum page. The information provided in the section is limited to the questions that were going to be included in the ballot. In the case of the HSR referendum, the proposed changes were self-explanatory, but the same was not the case for the health care questions. In addition to using the terms “oral” and “prescription” contraceptives interchangeably, information was lacking on the third option. The extent of the coverage offered was not adequately explained and some of the wording was ambiguous. Documents outlining the potential plans in detail and the implications of their implementation didn’t exist, and even the explanations for the plans in the existing questions appeared incomplete.
There is a difference between promoting one side of the referendum and providing the student body with substantial information on the issue. Much more could have been done to inform the students. Providing us with health plan comparisons, explanations, and engaging graphics are just a few possibilities.
Another source of confusion could have been the students’ ability to opt-out of the plan if these options were passed. As it currently states on the MSU website, students can only opt-out if they have “comparable” coverage. Once again, the wording is vague, leads to misinformation, and no explanation of how the implementation of the add-on would affect students’ ability to opt-out was provided.
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think the MSU alone is to blame for the failure of the health care referendum. Despite having the highest voter turnout so far, we’re still at only 40.5% of the student membership population.
It is very likely that many students did not think beyond their own health care insurance when answering the question. A student covered under their family’s insurance, could have seen the add-ons as entirely useless to their own well-being.
Seeing as the majority of the students were motivated to cast of ballot so they could vote for a presidential candidate, it’s also important to examine how the candidates talked about the health care referendum.
Several candidates said that they supported most or all of the add-ons, while a few held that students could make their own decisions. None of the candidates promoted or discussed the health care referendum as much as they could have. I think the lack of promotion from the candidates is also partially responsible for the outcome of this year’s referendum. Yes, the students can make their own decision, but that’s assuming that the students are informed.
The MSU could have done much more to promote this referendum and educate students. The candidates, too, should have taken more proactive roles.
This plan could have been a great opportunity for low-income students and those without coverage.
Many students are disappointed with the outcome, and rather than denying them the option to make an educated decision, I think the MSU should consider bringing the questions to the SRA and the student body for a vote again.
When I walked into the MSU Charity Ball, I didn’t exactly hold my breath. Instead I staggered in, put my hands into my pant pockets, and whispered to no one at all, “Here we go again.”
Maybe it was the jumbling together of the decay and life of the city that branded me with a smug weariness. Right near Jackson Square with the wet-smog of a sewer filling my nostrils, I was asked for change by a homeless man. I, donned in my suit and tie, probably seemed insulting in my fumbling reply: don’t have any.
Or maybe it was because I felt the night would be like all others. Loud music would drum through my ears. I’d bounce. I’d teeter. I’d repeat in that order. I’d dance this way then that way then this way again, painfully aware of how bad I am at shuffling around. Photos would be taken. I’d smile, be told I blinked, I’d smile again, be told I wasn’t smiling, I’d smile one more time, and a grumble of forced satisfaction would answer how I looked. I’d talk to people who I don’t know for no other reason besides close proximity. I’d have dressed up myself in every way, laughing at jokes that I don’t find funny and doing things I probably wouldn’t do otherwise. Most of all, I’d probably be drunk – poisoned at any cost in order to have fun.
But unlike my brain-grinding first year formal events where being zonked was a requirement, not a necessity, the Charity Ball was different. I was surprised. For the first time a party’s mould wasn’t forced onto the attendants. Rather than everyone having to dance to music that a select number of people liked, there were videogame consoles, silent auctions, rooms playing alternate music like Motown, and rooms filled with various hor d'oeuvres, from vegetarian poutine to cotton candy, where one could just sit and socialize with friends.
This variety was enlivening. Though I have been critical of the MSU in the past – an inevitability that comes with power – I saw that this less like a ball and more of a gathering of many different people with many different interests. More than glitter on the dresses or the lasers that pulsed through the darkness, what shined through was the attempt to be inclusive for all those in the diverse McMaster community.
If you pardon the poor play-on words, this inclusivity was magical.
Teddy Saull is the MSU president-elect.
After 8,364 votes were cast and counted, Saull narrowly beat out Jacob Brodka by 102 votes. In the third-round tally, Brodka and Saull were separated by just 11 votes.
“My housemates are now surrounding me but I was alone when David [Campbell] called me,” Saull told the Silhouette minutes after finding out he won the election.
“It’s interesting – he called me when I was writing a Facebook post about losing. That’s how I was going to break it to my team. So I did not expect to win."
Jyssika Russell came in third, followed by Israa Ali. Russell had just 48 votes more than Ali in the first round. Jason Wolwowicz was eliminated in the first round with 396 first-preference votes.
Voter turnout for this year's election was one of the highest in MSU history, with 40.5 percent turnout.
Saull ran a campaign on building community. He proposed a participatory budget program with a $100K fund and has plans to freeze the MSU fee. Saull said he would establish a bigger frost week, a peer tutoring network, a 'Clubza' website and exam period upgrades.
“I wasn’t sure where we stood and I was preparing for that reality [of losing], but here we are," Saull said.
Saull will start his term as MSU president on May 1.
In addition to voting for the next MSU president, students also voted on a MSU healthcare coverage referendum and HSR bus pass referendum.
All three healthcare options failed, so the current MSU health plan will stay the same and cost $57.50 per student. The 12-month bus pass and expanded service option passed, which means students will pay $12.50 more per year to add those features to the HSR bus pass, starting in the 2014-15 year.
Five students are in the running to become the next president and CEO of the McMaster Students Union. Initially, six candidates were announced at a meeting on Jan. 17 in Council Chambers. One candidate, Thualshini Sooriyadas, pulled out of the race on Sunday, Jan. 19, the first day of campaigning.
Israa Ali is a fourth-year life science student and the MSU Diversity Services director. She is a co-chair of the McMaster President's Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community.
Jacob Brodka, a third-year life science student, is running for a second consecutive time. Brodka is a 2013-14 SRA science representative and services commissioner for the MSU. He is the transition program coordinator for the Student Success Centre.
Jyssika Russell is a fourth-year biology student and the director of the Queer Students Community Centre (QSCC) on campus.
Teddy Saull is a fourth-year psychology, neuroscience and behaviour student. He is an IntroPsych teaching assistant and an academic experience advisor.
Thulashini Sooriyadas, a third-year geography student, pulled out of the race on Jan. 19, the first day of campaigning. She is an event coordinator for Free the Children at McMaster and an executive on the McMaster Creative Arts Dance Team.
Jason Wolwowicz is a fourth-year French and political science student. He is a 2013-14 SRA humanities representative, sits on the MSU executive board, and is the vice-president of McMaster Musical Theatre.
Each candidate has a $600 budget for campaigning funded by the MSU. According to election rules, candidates are not allowed to campaign door-to-door or post campaign material on Avenue2Learn or LearnLink. Candidates who campaign on Facebook will be restricted to doing so on their own page dedicated to the election. Voting, to take place online, will begin on Jan. 28 at 12 p.m. and end Jan. 30 at 5 p.m.
Photos by Tyler Welch / Senior News Editor
TheSil.ca will be home to continuing coverage of the election leading up to the voting results on Jan. 30. Follow us @theSilhouette and use #MSUpres14 to join the discussion on Twitter.
Being a student at McMaster allows for an education in diversity.
A wide range of faculties and specializations, a campus with century-old architecture, and a central location in a popular city lend McMaster the potential to provide their students with a diverse knowledge of people, places and careers. But what resources are available to ensure that our students are well informed on modern diversity issues? What type of diversity is protected and promoted in our community?
“Diversity Week [is an] opportunity for dialogue, engagement, entertainment, equity, and ensuring that students feel like their different needs are being met,” explains Israa Ali, Director of Diversity Services.
Diversity Week is a series of events hosted by the MSU Diversity Services during the week of Jan. 13 - 17. The weeklong event has been on hiatus since 2007 when they were struck with the obstacle of downsizing. But with the organization’s 10 anniversary coming up this March, it seemed fitting to resurrect the tradition.
The student-run organization Diversity Services describes themselves as an “advocate for an inclusive environment in which all students feel welcome and free to embrace their identity,” according to their online mantra.
Abilities, Gender Equity, Indigenous Affairs, Interfaith, and Multiculturalism are the five pillars that unite Diversity into one unique term, according to the campus organization.
“The five pillars cover the different identities of students. By sharing those and shedding light on them, we’re allowing them to embrace their identity through that approach,” adds Ali.
Diversity Week has assigned each day of the week one of the five pillars, starting with Abilities on Monday, and ending with Multiculturalism on Friday.
Diversity seems to be an issue rooted in McMaster’s student body and current location, but encompassing ideas of equity and inclusivity may not always be at the forefront.
“This year we are trying to define what our partnership is with hospitality services over [Bridges] café,” says Ali.
Their first step in re-establishing a visible connection with the restaurant includes changing the current selection of posters.
“Although nice… they don’t really foster the inclusiveness and diversity, that the space is meant to promote,” she explains.
The vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurant-café is labeled as a collaboration between Hospitality Services and Diversity Services. But aside from the Diversity office in the basement, there is no visible connection between the two. The organization is also looking to promote the diverse cuisine, including the selection of kosher foods, making it one of the only kosher-serving restaurants in Hamilton.
After Diversity Services’s full-time staff was eliminated a few years ago, their new part-time team has been working hard to ensure that the organization is well represented and making the most of their position.
Although a wide range of faculties and access to a popular city may emphasize a certain type of diversity, Diversity Services would like to see McMaster take a more serious step towards truly embracing the variety of identities and students on campus.
“We need to understand that diversity services, and anything related to equity and inclusiveness, really needs to have a bigger space on campus,” says Ali.
Diversity Week is the first step the organization is taking to create a larger space for equity issues. With a variety of events happening this week, hopefully our student community will take advantage of its diverse identities and work to embrace a new definition of diversity.
Photo by Eliza Pope / Assistant Photo Editor
