Piper Plavins’ election platform for MSU president is wide ranging, but falls short on details and considering feasibility
Piper Plavins’ platform highlights the need focus on educating students about MSU services, advocating on behalf of students during a food insecurity and housing crisis as well as increasing what the MSU does for students. However, the candidate falls short on considering how to financially make her initiatives happen given the MSU's current fiscal state
Plavins' focus on student experience, especially as most of it relates to expanding old events and creating new ones, is without a concrete plan as to how to fund these events. When asked about this by the Silhouette, she referred to the upcoming Homecoming and Large Events referendum, which is not guaranteed to pass.
Without a clear plan to pay for these events, the current projected deficit in the MSU budget of $415,000 to $500,000 — in part caused by deficit spending on Homecoming 2024 — could be a major obstacle to the further large event spending the platform promises.
According to a December 2024 memo to the Student Representative Assembly from MSU VP Finance Declan Sweeney, the financial situation and deficit of the MSU is unsustainable.
Considering this, Plavins' platform is ambitious. Particularly as it relates to events, Plavins' plans do not align with the recent MSU initiative as outlined by Sweeney in his SRA memo: “considerable discussion about how to better reduce costs through integration of services & potential agreements with partners,” stated Sweeney.
"MSU Week," an event proposed by Plavins to raise awareness about the MSU near the beginning of the academic year, seems particularly fiscally irresponsible.
The first three days, the job fair, services day and advocacy showcase, resemble ClubsFest which nearly all of the MSU’s services already attend. Plavins suggested to the Silhouette that because ClubsFest can be “overwhelming,” having an additional event to promote MSU services would help raise awareness.
The choice of the name "job fair," Plavins admitted, may have been a mistake, as most MSU services hire between the start of the second term and the end of the academic year.
In her platform, Plavins’ promises to “continue the homecoming legacy” and expand the Holiday Market largely lack any details to distinguish her ambitions from current MSU initiatives, a pattern that resonates throughout the rest of the platform.
Plavins’ proposal for an Student Representative Assembly retreat, which she insisted in an interview could not meaningfully be replaced by team building exercises, concludes the first pillar by demonstrating its continued pattern of financial over-ambition.
Plavins’ first campaign pillar, while attempting to accomplish the necessary task of raising student awareness of available MSU services and spaces, risks falling short due to ongoing budget constraints. Considering the event that the Homecoming & Large Events referendum fail, she has not included any specific plans as to how she would otherwise finance her platform promises.
Even if the referendum succeeds, the redundancy of multiple proposals might prove a poor way of managing limited MSU funds.
Improving Student Advocacy
Plavins’ second platform pillar, student advocacy, in attempting to cast a wide net, finds itself lacking specific details in many areas.
When asked, Plavins admitted the lack of detail in some proposals was because she was going to be playing only one part in ongoing initiatives. Plavins’ reasoning here is solid, but in certain instances where the platform hints at larger ideas, her lack of detail is disappointing.
She could not clarify what she meant by “higher level clubs,” nor did she offer details on what advocating for “inherently accessible classrooms” would look like.
Plavins’ most concrete promise, a $5,000 funding increase to the Food Collective Centre, could be one of her most difficult to implement.
Sweeney shed light into how the current budgeting process works for the MSU in an email to the Silhouette: “Any budget adjustments would require careful consideration, as they may involve reorganizing existing allocations, increasing student fees, or making reductions in service operations elsewhere,” stated Sweeney.
The lack of detail about her own advocacy goals, in both her platform and interview answers was disappointing. However her repeated commitment to existing MSU and university level advocacy efforts suggests that Plavins’ could be an effective, if not particularly novel advocate as president.
Plavins’ shortest pillar, MSU excellence, is far less developed than her other two. Her proposal to revamp TwelvEighty was made without consultation with TwelvEighty's manager. Similarly, her parking plans lack the perspective a consultation with Parking Services might have provided.
In an email statement to the Silhouette, Rob Morrallee, director of parking services, confirmed that he had not been consulted by Plavins. He noted that her proposal for a Lot M bus schedule , as the service is already run at consistent intervals, and that her proposed flex passes are already being worked on.
These underdeveloped parking-related plans only serve to draw attention to the platform’s complete silence on assisting transit or cycling commuters.
While Piper Plavins offers students a very long platform full of promises, Plavins’ most developed proposals lack concrete plans to secure funding, while her less detailed statements lack much in terms of substance or consultation.
While Olalere's campaigns aims to address a wide range of student issues, some points lack detailed planning and would benefit from more research and consultation
Olami Olalere's campaign succeeds in highlighting a wide scope of student issues on campus while proposing initiatives to improve the operations of the MSU. However, many of these promises lack clarity, substance and proper consultations with key stakeholders and experts on campus.
In his campaign, Olalere's first pillar focuses on increasing traffic to MSU services by enhancing advertising methods. While Olarere shared with the Silhouette that he consulted full-time MSU staff about student usage of MSU services, his platform fails to include any data or specific details from these consultations to validate the need for this promise.
In his platform point on housing accessibility, Olalere mentioned his intention to create a route of communication between students and the municipal government to improve tenant protections for students. However, this proposal lacks clarity regarding who exactly students would be communicating with or what concrete steps would be taken to implement this communication channel. Olami did not state that he had consulted with any city officials on this point.
Student Engagement
In the second pillar of his campaign, Olalere envisions creating a “Maroon Wall”, a dedicated space for students to express themselves, share stories and engage with peers. Yet, key details about the initiative remain undefined, such as where the wall would be located.
Olalere intends to work with McMaster Athletics to create a student-only stand for sports games on campus to encourage student engagement in sports and to foster school spirit.
“I go to almost all the basketball games, almost all the football games, soccer games, men, women, volleyball games. I support the team, physically in all these aspects. I enjoy watching the team . . . and I go to these [games]. I am seeing the attendance. It is low,” said Olarere.
Olalere did consult with Director of McMaster Athletics and Recreation Keenan Jeppesen, and both agreed this was a worthwhile initiative to explore.
One of Olalere's proposals involves arranging monthly meetings with students in the McMaster University Students Centre, where, if elected as MSU president, he would provide a space for students to voice their concerns.
When speaking to the Silhouette, he was asked how he would handle students raising controversial topics and ensuring that such public discussions are respectful. Olalere acknowledged the potential for these issues but ultimately stated that students' voices should be heard. More consideration into the safety and security of this event could help to strengthen this platform point.
He further suggested that the meetings would be reassessed halfway through, though this response lacked clarity on how potential conflicts would be managed effectively and whether any concrete actions or protocols would be implemented to ensure fair representation and productive dialogue.
Student Expression
The third pillar of Olalere's campaign includes implementing a new MSU service called “MSUTV”. This student-run media outlet would aim to showcase life and events on campus.
However, there are already two existing student-run MSU services. The Silhouette, McMaster's student-led newspaper established in 1930, and 93.3 CFMU, McMaster's campus radio station established in 1963, similarly cover campus events, news and sports.
As of May 1, 2025, both departments will be funded by the CFMU Radio Inc. student fee to enable greater cross-collaboration, including more joint video initiatives.
Olalere's platform does not acknowledge these established services or indicate whether he consulted on the creation of a new campus media outlet. Olalere did not consult with the Silhouette or CFMU about what exactly his "MSUTV" would cover and how the two services might overlap.
When questioned in an interview, Olalere elaborated on his idea, including plans for post-game interviews and opportunities for students to interview athletes, with these segments and games being broadcasted on television. This would bridge the gap between the athletics and student sides of campus life, according to Olalere.
The current campus screen network that the MSU owns were replaced through a capital-expenditure request to the SRA in 2022. They currently run paid advertising and the Silhouette news ticker. There has been no clarification from the candidate if he proposes to still have this remain in addition to the "MSUTV" content.
However, he still did not clarify how his new proposed media service would fit alongside and be distinguished from the two already existing campus media services.
Finally, when being interviewed by the Silhouette, Olalere walked back one of his points in his original campaign platform that he provided. When discussing his proposed housing fair, he admitted he thought the idea was infeasible.
Overall, Olalere's campaign succeeds in presenting himself as a candidate eager to empower student voices.
It is also worth noting that Olalere is the only candidate running for MSU President from outside of the "MSU Bubble," showcasing the want for students to get involved to make a difference on campus.
Nevertheless, it ultimately falls short due to lack of clarity in his proposals and a failure to provide details on how he plans to implement his ideas effectively.
For the MSU, paper balloting is a thing of the past.
It’s been that way since 2011, and the students union intends to keep using Simply Voting, a digital balloting software that the MSU used in the last presidential election.
“We’ve seen an increase in voter turnout over the past couple of years,” said Steven Thompson, chief returning officer for the MSU’s elections department. “Online voting helps with that. It’s more convenient since there are no crazy line-ups. It also saves [the MSU] money and is more secure.”
Voter turnout at McMaster was at an all-time low in 2009. Only about 13 per cent of the student body casted ballots that year. The number nearly doubled the following year, reaching 22 per cent.
Voter apathy among students has been a long-standing challenge in universities across the country. At the University of Manitoba, voter turnout has averaged about 10 per cent. Queen’s University, with some of the higher turnouts in Ontario, has had more than 30 per cent of its student body vote in each of the past five years.
The MSU hoped to engage more students when it introduced online voting in its 2011 election, using UTS’s MacVote software. They switched to Simply Voting last year, and turnout rose to 33.4 per cent – the highest in a decade.
But online voting doesn’t always run smoothly.
Some McMaster students didn’t receive e-mails with voting passwords last election, even with multiple emails sent.
“I believe there were about a couple hundred e-mails that bounced last year,” said Thompson. “We re-sent e-mails to those who may not have received them, but some people just had full inboxes.”
Although 200 people doesn’t seem like a huge number, it’s worth noting that David Campbell, who’s running again this year, lost by only 47 votes to Siobhan Stewart in 2012.
That election took place before the mass Mac email system switchover from MUSS to Gmail. Thompson explained that limited storage space was the main cause of some technical glitches, adding that the MSU doesn’t anticipate any this year.
A more serious online voting malfunction happened earlier this week at the University of British Columbia, whose students union also use Simply Voting.
An overloaded e-mail server on the voting system resulted in 1,171 students not being able to vote for their board of governors and senate for more than 24 hours. A makeup ballot has since been made available.
At McMaster, online polling will open on Jan. 29 at 9 a.m., about three hours before the all-candidates debate hosted by the MSU.
While there will be no voting booths, laptops will be stationed in the Student Centre from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Jan. 29 to 31.
