Undergraduate students have until Oct. 17 to cast their ballot via email and dictate the future of their union.
The University of Ottawa Students’ Union’s (UOSU) fall by-election is almost over, with paid positions on the executive and volunteer roles on the Board of Directors (BOD) and U of O Senate available. Elected candidates begin their term following ratification at the General Assembly (GA) on Nov. 8, and maintain their positions until the spring general election.
This year’s executive slate includes the advocacy commissioner and commissioner of francophone affairs. Following a spring election where numerous candidates were disqualified based on their bilingualism test results, these positions were then filled by interim hires Norah Bello and Dan Ngenzi Ya Ruty. Both of whom are running for re-election in contested races.
Who’s Running?
Interim advocacy commissioner Norah Bello is challenged in this by-election by psychology undergraduate Arman E. Bello has been at the forefront of UOSU’s collaborations across various levels of government. Most notably, a summer collaboration with Marit Stiles and the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) to sponsor Ottawa Centre MPP Catherine McKinney’s Bill 218, the Hot Days, Cool Homes Act.
Arman E is a newcomer to the UOSU space; however, he currently serves as a council member on the Psychology Students Association. Arman has been quick to make an impression during his campaign, speaking before a number of different classes to promote his plans to carry out “artistic initiatives” and to “increase safety and cleanliness measures” on campus.
Interim francophone affairs commissioner Dan Ngenzi Da Ruty has continued initiatives such as Espresso Yourself and led Francophone Month events across all three U of O campuses. He also serves as the co-president of the Rwandan Students Association.
His opponent, Jacob Pilon, brings experience championing francophone students in his capacity as the director of francophone affairs of the International, Political & Policy Students Association (AÉÉIPPSSA). Before university life, Pilon was a prominent francophone advocate in Cornwall, Ontario, who led efforts towards building a new French-language Catholic school in the city.
The U of O Senate is the branch of the university responsible for academic decision-making related to courses and programs. Student representatives are elected to ensure the voices of students and faculties are heard in Senate proceedings. Senate representatives are volunteers who negotiate with the university and various stakeholders, such as graduate student representatives and other Senate faculty members, to pursue the academic interests of their faculty.
Four of these positions are available this by-election; Adam Chambers and Huy Nguyen run uncontested in the races for the faculty of arts and medicine, respectively. However, each of the faculty of health sciences and science has three candidates, with Tristan Bazinet, Grace Tongue, and Patricia Defo running for the health sciences seat, and Gabrielle Izami, John Surette, and Vani Mahajan running for the faculty of science seat.
The BOD, who are elected members responsible for representing student faculties, has five positions up for grabs, with the faculty of law, medicine, engineering, social science, and Telfer all requiring new union representatives. The positions are part-time volunteer roles that involve attending UOSU committee meetings and collaborating with other board members to advance the demands of their individual faculties.
Kaitlin Ma, Christabel Ugolo, Brentan Lam, Evan Hong, Jacques Sango, and Reneta Lobb face no opposition in the races for the faculty of social sciences, law, medicine, engineering, and Telfer, respectively. Thus, students will be presented with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the ratification of the candidates.
There is some continuity with current Faculty of Science BOD member Evan Hong now running unopposed for the Faculty of Medicine seat. However, students hesitate to run despite the experiential and financial benefits of the roles, pointing to a larger engagement issue on campus.
During last spring’s GA, former UOSU president Jack Coen acknowledged this issue, saying, “We need to do a better job going forward of communicating what the Board of Directors actually does.” Adding, “It isn’t actually as intense as people think it’s going to be.”
