For the first time in a long time, there’s a lot of interest in higher-level University elections. Five candidates are competing to be your next University Planning Committee undergraduate representative. I find this really exciting. And so should you.
The role of the University Planning Committee in greater University governance is a critical one — but often unknown or underrated by students who are exclusively caught up in McMaster Students Union politics.
What is perhaps unknown to such students is that major academic and financial issues that MSU representatives promise to attend to are all under the ultimate jurisdiction of larger governing bodies. Decisions relating to tuition, academic programs, budgeting, etc. all must be approved by the Senate, the Board of Governers, the University Planning Committee, or all three.
True to its name, the University Planning Committee deals primarily with academic planning and the management of University resources. It also acts as an advisory board to the senior administration of the University.
UPC is a joint committee of the Senate and BoG and is unique to McMaster; other schools with the bicameral system that Mac has do not have the equivalent of UPC.
With such significant issues on the table — and a hefty budget along with it — the one seat that undergraduate students (full-time, part-time and continuing students) are allotted should be filled by the right person.
Undergrads should take the time to inform themselves, and vote accordingly.
Jordan Cole
Honours CMST & Multimedia, and
Political Science, Level II
Why should students care about UPC elections?
I feel students should always be interested in the future of education, and that is what the UPC is. The student voice is what will help shape not only the experiences of future generations, but the school’s atmosphere itself.
Why are you running for UPC Undergrad rep?
I am running for UPC undergrad rep because I have had multiple experiences to not only share the student voice, but to stand up and protect it from interests that do not have it in mind. I want our future to be secured and protected by one of us.
Why are you the best person for the job?
I am the best person for this job for one reason: interest. Without an interest in future university planning we will not have the same environment within our school that we are used to, interest is what drives passion, and that is what I will bring to this position.
Gabriel Cicchi
Honours Commerce
Level IV
Why should students care about UPC elections?
The UPC elections are vital to McMaster students as the committee discusses specific aspects of student life (academics and their allocated resources).
Why are you running for UPC Undergrad rep?
As I enter my fourth year at McMaster, the education I have experienced has given me a clear understanding of what needs to continue, start, and stop happening.
Why are you the best person for the job?
I am a multifaceted student who’s passion, motivation, and achievement oriented persona makes me an ideal candidate for this position.
Chantal Labonté
Honours Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, Level IV
Why should students care about UPC elections?
These elections allow undergraduate students to have a voice in all the planning that the university undergoes, this directly affects their education and experience at McMaster.
Why are you running for UPC Undergrad rep?
The McMaster community has given me so much in my time here, I want to give back and make the experience better for my peers and future students.
Why are you the best person for the job?
As a fourth year student, I have been involved in a variety of things on campus (academic, clubs, faculty societies, residence), these well-rounded experiences will allow me to effectively represent a large amount of students on a variety of important topics.
Rahi Turab
Life Sciences
Level I
Why should students care about UPC elections?
Students should care about UPC elections because the entire undergraduate class only gets one representative to be their voice in the UPC, which makes it even more of a shame when so few people actually vote.
Why are you running for UPC Undergrad rep?
I am running for UPC undergrad rep because I saw the call for candidates in the Silhouette and realized that if no one else was going to run, as an able first year, I have a responsibility to try and represent my undergraduate class.
Why are you the best person for the job?
I believe I am the best person for the job because I have experience working in many clubs and committees along with an interest in how planning and administration works for the students at McMaster.
Ken Seville
Social Sciences
Continuing Education
Why should students care about UPC elections?
UPC decisions affect all aspects of your university experience. As a joint committee of Senate (academic) and the Board of Governors (financial), the UPC is the senior planning body of the university and is responsible for ensuring that academic and financial planning are congruent when recommending McMaster’s nearly $1 billion annual budget.
Why are you running for UPC Undergrad rep?
I have prior experience as an elected representative on both the SRA and MAPS and wish to step up to university wide representation.
Why are you the best person for the job?
The task of representing the diverse interests of all undergrads is too big for one person. To overcome this problem I have developed a web based technology called Democravise, that facilitates university wide consultation with all undergraduate stakeholder groups, including the MSU, SOCS, and MAPS. This unique technology was developed at Mac and ensures all critical questions are asked before decisions are made.
After the springtime primary election period left vacancies on the Senate and University Planning Committee, a secondary round of elections is now underway. Up for representation are the undergraduate and graduate Social Sciences Senate positions, a graduate DeGroote School of Business Senate seat, and an undergraduate student (any faculty) seat for UPC.
McMaster’s Senate, Board of Governors and University Planning Committee are governing bodies that make critical decisions for the academic and financial future of the institution. They are largely comprised of faculty members but all have student seats – seats that are arguably too-frequently left unoccupied given their importance.
“Senate is where all the decisions are ultimately made about your education,” Tamara Bates of the University Secretariat’s office (which facilitates these bodies) said. “That’s where the decisions about new academic programs, changes to academic programs, what is approved and where all the policies are upheld. Senate also approves whether you graduate or not,” she continued.
While Senate actions have the most obvious impact on students, the BoG is critical for its complete trust of McMaster’s finances, while UPC works as a joint Senate-BoG committee for significant long-term big-picture planning.
Despite only one undergraduate and one graduate representative per faculty (Arts & Science only has observer status), electoral rounds are not always successful at getting students in seats; hence, the current autumn secondary election.
“Going back in the records, there will be one or two years where some faculties aren’t represented because no one steps forward,” Bates said. The spring of 2011 was one particularly bad example: half of the eight open seats remained vacant post-election, and two of the four seats that were actually filled were won by acclamation (there was only one eligible candidate).
Student interest in elections “seems to go up and down,” said Bates, despite the Secretariat’s outreach. The call for nominations is advertised in The Silhouette, in the Daily News, on the Secretariat’s website, as a banner on Avenue to Learn, and as a mass email notice to students.
Bates partly attributes student disinterest to the electronic advertising and election processes. “The fact that things can go by email and electronically is great but there’s so much that comes into your inbox that it’s also more easily forgotten about or dismissed,” she said.
“There used to be polling stations in the student centre and all across campus. So as much as electronic balloting and voting are a lot more convenient… they’re not as in your face as they could be.”
In an effort to educate interested students about what to expect, new this year will be an information session for students. “This year I’m having a mandatory session for the approved candidates, which is partly to [act as an] introduction to Senate… and [to go over] campaign rules and how to campaign and things like that,” Bates said.
Nominations opened on Monday, Sept. 16 and will close at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Interest from candidates – and voters – remains to be seen.
Two new Honours B.A. programs are nearing fruition, as the University Senate approved the establishment of the Justice, Political Philosophy and Law (JPPL) and Professional Communication (BPC) majors in a meeting last month.
The new majors have already been passed through both the Undergraduate Council and the University Planning Committee in April and May, respectively.
Peter Smith, McMaster’s Associate Vice-President (Academic), is optimistic on the trajectory of this proposal, as it undergoes additional scrutiny in the near future.
“We still have to get an external review of the proposal, so two outside committees will assess it, and then it will go to the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance for final review,” said Smith.
The programs’ aims are to “foster a sophisticated understanding of the law and legal institutions,” in the case of JPPL, and to “develop leaders in the practice of professional communication” in the latter.
The BPC major will be delivered as a joint initiative with Mohawk College, granting graduating students with additional certification in the form of a Mohawk Diploma in Digital Communication.
“It’s a long process. The hope is that these approvals will be in place and the programs will be ready for September 2013,” said Smith.
The BPC program is expected to admit only 50 students annually, and JPPL will accept no more than 60 in it’s inaugural academic year. These limits will rise in subsequent program years.
