Union election slated for March

Proposed two tier system has higher turnout, less acclamation – maybe

By Kenny Sharpe

The last Board of Directors meeting for the MUN Students’ Union (MUSNU) was held on Jan. 27 in Council Chambers.

As you are beginning to get a handle on the cold and sluggish winter semester, things are starting to heat up on the Students’ Union side.

With a general election date in sight, light begins to shine on executive credit card statements; Memorial is to become more accessible to the tune of $300,000; and the ball is finally rolling on the bar tab investigation. All that and little more inside this week’s beat.

Normal work summaries by executive members were kept short this week, as MUNSU executive directors of advocacy, finance and services, and external affairs – Ryan Marshall, Travis Collins, and Cameron Campbell, respectively – were absent from the meeting, attending the Atlantic Canada Student Summit in Antigonish, NS.

Executive Director of Campaigns, Becky Winsor, was present to give her summary of what had been occupying her time. Winsor informed those present that the Haiti relief benefit, held at the Breezeway the previous week, had raised more than $10,000, with about a quarter of that money coming from the silent auction.

Meeting chairperson and Canadian Federation of Students Organizer, Keith Dunne, said that the federal government would match the amount raised at the From One Island to Another benefit. Essentially, “Students raised more than $20,000 in less than 24 hours.”

Students with Disabilities representative with MUNSU, Carrie-Ann Bugden, took the floor next and informed her union mates that a disabilities audit for Memorial would be held sometime during the middle of February to possibly discuss the state of accessibility at Memorial for persons living with disabilities.

She also informed that the campus would play host to the second annual Disability Awareness Day sometime later this term.

Director at Large, Christopher Bruce, indicated that he and Daniel Bennett, who is the Aboriginal students’ representative, had almost finished compiling credit card spending information on the executive directors.

Bruce said that statements for all but one executive director had been looked at for the last year, and that he and Bennett have spent their time “Checking corresponding receipts to make sure they are all there.”

Arts Students’ Representative, Chris Wass, the chair of the investigative committee looking into the possible abuse of union finances through bar tabs and other avenues, said that up until this point the investigation had been slow starting and that things should begin to gain momentum this week saying that now, after the delay, he and his investigative committee have “Clarity in where [they] are going.”

The committee previously stated that the findings of their investigation would be available by the end of January or sometime early February.

Next, the date was set for the upcoming MUNSU general election. Jordan Lester, who is a director at large, proposed to the Board of Directors that the election this year be held based on a two tier system, versus the standing one tier system.

Lester suggested that executive director positions should be voted on first within the first tier, while Board of Directors positions, such as faculty representatives, should be elected afterwards, in the second tier.

Currently, all positions are elected at the same time. Lester indicated that holding the elections in two stages could mean that there would be more names on ballots, higher voter turnout, and less acclamations.

He also suggested that should an executive director candidate lose during the first tier, then they could possibly run in the second tier for a Board position. The two tier election proposal will resurface in the coming weeks, after discussion, while the original way of voting still stands.

The tentative date for the 2010 MUNSU general election is scheduled for March 16 and 17. For information about how you can get involved with your Students’ Union, and how to become a candidate for the upcoming election, visit the MUNSU general office, UC 2000.

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