All of our elections have the same general process but, for each election, the time frames are a little bit different. For a general rundown, we have a nomination period that is open for a certain number of days. At the end of the nomination period, we'll have a meeting with all the candidates to go over the election roles, important dates and the timeline. After this meeting, the candidates start campaigning. We will just be monitoring the candidates' campaigns. Then, students can vote for the candidate that they feel would best represent them in the election.
What do you do?
I'm in charge of managing the elections department's administrative side. The Deputy Returning Officer works on all the promotions and social media. We both work together to make sure that the elections department runs smoothly and that elections are held fairly and equitably.
What drew you to your position?
I was the previous Chief Returning Officer for the McMaster Science Society. Through that position, I got a sense of why this work is important. You have a lot of power to promote and show the importance of running for elections and supporting the candidates who are passionate about running for a position. Student governance is really important and I feel like a lot of people don't recognize the work that many people who participate in student government do because a lot of the stuff that they do is behind the scenes. At the same time, it's the behind the scenes stuff that keeps everything running.
Student governance is really important and I feel like a lot of people don't recognize the work that many people who participate in student government do because a lot of the stuff that they do is behind the scenes. At the same time, it's the behind the scenes stuff that keeps everything running.
Brenda Lin, Chief Returning Officer, McMaster Students Union Elections Department
Can you elaborate on why student government is important to you?
Student government is a really good opportunity for people to get involved in the school and actually make decisions that are important to the students. It's a really good way for students' voices to be heard. Even if some of the things that we want may not be well respected by the school or may not be immediately enacted, even having the chance to voice your opinions is important. If you think about it in the sense that, “I don't think McMaster [University] would listen to me about my opinion, so I'm just not going to voice it,” then who is going to talk about what's important to the students? It's really important that students are advocating for themselves and, even if one person doesn't want to explicitly talk to the McMaster administration about something, they have representatives who are there to represent them in front of the school. Through these student governance opportunities, students have the opportunity to actually bring forward their concerns and actually make changes to see what they want in the school.
If you think about it in the sense that, “I don't think McMaster [University] would listen to me about my opinion, so I'm just not going to voice it,” then who is going to talk about what's important to the students?
Brenda Lin, Chief Returning Officer, McMaster Students Union Elections Department
What would you want others to know about the elections department and running for election?
Even though running for an election may seem daunting at first, we try to make the process as easy as possible by putting up resources and giving students as much of an opportunity as possible to ask questions and be an active participant. The elections department is always there to support candidates and answer any questions about running. Running for elections could be scary, especially if you're doing it for the first time, because you have to make a whole campaign and there are all these rules that you have to follow. But, I think it's also a really good opportunity for students to learn from the experience and put themselves out there.
We always welcome people to set up a chat to help walk them through the process if they feel that anything is unclear. We also want students to know the importance of voting in elections and how important it is to have their voice heard in the voting process, even if it just seems like a checkbox on a ballot. You may feel like your vote doesn't matter in the election. Each and every person who does end up voting, your vote definitely counts towards the result. While students may not have to be a super active member of the McMaster community, just casting your vote on polling day is really important.
We also want students to know the importance of voting in elections and how important it is to have their voice heard in the voting process, even if it just seems like a checkbox on a ballot. You may feel like your vote doesn't matter in the election. Each and every person who does end up voting, your vote definitely counts towards the result.
Brenda Lin, Chief Returning Officer, McMaster Students Union Elections Department
Photo C/O Kyle West
Here’s a look at five major provincial, Hamilton and McMaster stories that hit the newscycle last week.
1. Provincial government releases sexual assault survey results
The survey, which was sent out last year, asked students to outline their experiences with sexual violence at their post-secondary institution.
The results of the survey, released on March 19, also describe the experiences of sexual assault and violence McMaster students have had while completing their degrees. Here are some of the report’s key findings:
According to the report, 63.7 per cent of McMaster students disclosed at least one experience of sexual harassment.
21.1 per cent disclosed at least one stalking experience.
22.0 per cent disclosed at least one non-consensual sexual experience.
58.7 per cent of students indicated they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the university’s institutional response to sexual violence.
31.4 per cent of respondents witnessed sexual violence, but did not intervene.
60.9 per cent “disagree’ or “strongly disagree” with the statement that they have knowledge about McMaster’s sexual violence supports, services and reporting procedures.
More information about the results of the survey, including McMaster University and McMaster Students Union’s response to them, will be included in the Silhouette’s April 4 issue.
2. New study suggests ‘clear relationship” between mental health and precarious employment
A new McMaster-affiliated study underscores the strong link between precarious employment and mental health, offering a snapshot into the mental health of precariously employed millennials in Hamilton.
The comprehensive 103-page study reveals the results of the 89-question online Hamilton Millennial Survey, which surveyed nearly 1,200 employed millennials living in Hamilton last year.
According to the study, only 44 per cent of millennials have been able to secure full-time employment in Hamilton.
One in four Hamilton millennials reported their health was either “poor” or “fair.”
About 50 per cent of millennials in precarious employment noted being depressed often.
Female-identifying millennials are 30 per cent more likely than their male-identifying counterparts to report being depressed because of work.
“The high levels of poorer mental health, depression and anger among millennials should be viewed as a red flag warning as they pose serious consequences for the millennial generation’s future,” reads part of the report.
3. Hamilton-based white supremacist Paul Fromm under investigation for ties to New Zealand manifesto
Fromm is under investigation for his affiliation with the Canadian Association for Free Expression, a far-right website that re-posted the published white supremacist manifesto attributed to the perpetrator of the New Zealand terror attack.
HPS is specifically investigating whether or not Fromm’s re-posting constitutes a hate crime under the ‘wilful promotion of hatred’ statue in Canadian Criminal Code.
4. Hamilton declares state of climate change emergency
As part of a global push to confront climate change, Hamilton has joined hundreds of other municipalities, voting to declare a climate emergency last Monday.
The first to champion the cause in front of city council, Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann brought forward an amendment of a Climate Change Task Force motion to formally declare a climate change emergency in Hamilton.
The amendment characterizes climate change as an existential crisis.
It also asks city council to launch a multi-departmental task force in hopes of smoothing the path to net zero carbon emissions, which council projects to be reality by 2050.
Nann, Matthew Green, former Ward 3 Councillor and community activist Sarah Jama will also be meeting on April 2to discuss the implications of a Green New Deal in Hamilton.
5. McMaster students call for sweeping changes to education
On March 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., students marched through the McMaster University Student Centre and protested outside of the building’s courtyard, demanding radical changes to the post-secondary education system.
The protest was part of the Red Spring campaign and launched by the Revolutionary Student Movement, an anti-capitalist organization on campus.
Some of the demands of the protest include:
‘Education in service of the people, not for profit’ and universal access to education
Abolishing tuition and debt cancellation at all levels of education
Barrier-free education for Indigenous students and a bolstered ‘anti-colonial’ approach to education
The democratization of post-secondary institutions’ boards and committees
Dismantling unpaid internship programs
“Be sure not to water down our politics. We’re fighting for radical, revolutionary change. We’re not just fighting for better [Ontario Student Assistance Program], we’re fighting for free tuition, for systemic, institutional changes in the way our post-secondary schools operate,” said Zainab Khan, one of the organizers of the protest.
While there are no definitive plans for another protest, Khan notes that the campaign will not end anytime soon.
