Student says Wess’ student centre idea previously brought forward and struck down
On Feb. 7, University of Ottawa student Joachim Finlay raised allegations against Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) presidential candidate Hadi Wess on Facebook.
As part of his platform, Wess is advocating for the development of a new student centre on campus, featuring increased study rooms, lounge space, club rooms, and multi-faith areas.
In his statement, Finlay alleges that he presented a motion for the creation of a committee to work towards a new student centre at the Nov. 6 Board of Administration (BOA) meeting, a motion that Wess voted against.
Finlay included the full text of the motion in his Facebook post, which said that the proposed “University Centre Renewal Committee” would examine the current University Centre to determine its shortcomings and successes, determine the needs for this new centre to fulfill, and examine costs surrounding the centre, among other duties.
According to Finlay, when Wess was asked about this motion during his Jan. 31 election debate, he “pretended” that it was never presented to the board.
“Is this the type of vision we want a President to have? Pale imitation of the ideas of others?” wrote Finlay in the statement.
Voting for the 2017 SFUO election closes on Feb. 10.
Hadi Wess has not responded to multiple requests for a comment as of the date of this publication. Joachim Finlay is a staff contributor at the Fulcrum.
