Who and what is on the ballot this year?
The University of Ottawa Student Union (UOSU) general elections are set to take place from Feb. 4 to Feb. 8. General elections take place every spring and aim to fill every seat on the UOSU’s board of directors and executive committee while also electing student members to the University Senate and the University Board of Governors (BOG). Successful candidates will take office on May 1.
All undergraduate students at the University of Ottawa are members of UOSU and thus eligible to vote in union elections. Voting can be done both in person and online, with ballots set to be delivered to school email addresses when voting opens.
Seven referendum questions will also be posed to students — scroll down for those.
What do the different positions mean?
Four different types of positions are elected. The first are the positions on the UOSU’s executive committee, which manages the day-to-day operations of UOSU. These are full-time, paid positions.
Next are the Board of Directors (BOD), which governs and provides oversight to UOSU. The board participates in a public board meeting each month, with representatives elected from each faculty and an Indigenous representative elected through the Indigenous Students Association. These are volunteer positions. The executive committee also has seats on the BOD.
Third, are members of the University Senate. The Senate sets academic policy for the university and has one student representative from each faculty. This election, there are two candidates from the faculty of health sciences, two from arts, one from engineering, and four from social sciences.
Finally, are members of the U of O’s BOG. Two students hold seats on the BOG, which is in charge of the university’s finances, policies, and procedures. These students are exempt from paying tuition while they serve a two-year term on the board. There are six students vying for a single position this election.
Who’s on the ballot for executive positions?
This year, there are two contested executive races. In the first contested presidential race since the 2023 by-elections, current UOSU chief of staff and deputy to the president, Jack Coen, faces Suzanne Gruz, who served as Foot Patrol coordinator before that service was closed in the wake of UOSU budget cuts and then became the coordinator of the UOSU’s Feminist Resource Centre.
The second contested executive race is for the role of Francophone affairs commissioner, and pits Yuktha Kowlessur against Ève Tremblay. Alex Stratas, who was elected as advocacy commissioner in the fall by-elections, seeks re-election unopposed.
Two executive candidates were disqualified after receiving ‘Not Satisfactory’ results on their Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) tests, chief electoral officer Ben Cameron told the Fulcrum on Thursday afternoon.
Before the disqualification, Kaitlin Ma, a second-year political science student, was the lone candidate for the position of communications commissioner. Merdi Kapuku was the only candidate for the position of operations commissioner. The positions of communications commissioner and operations commissioner are now set to become vacant on May 1; the union can hire interim commissioners to being them.
No students are running to be student life commissioner or equity commissioner. The process to dissolve the position of equity commissioner and transfer its duties to other portfolios was started by the board in December.
Who’s on the ballot for Board of Directors positions?
Three students are running for three board seats in the faculty of engineering, including Daniel Thorp, who previously served as both the communications commissioner and a board member.
The only contested race on the BOD is for the faculty of social sciences. Nine candidates are contending for five positions: Ezra Pristolic, Lien Huynh, Dominic Williamson, Rhea Kurshumi, Eli Zima Luste, Ryan Chang, Mareme Diongue, Eyinojuoluwa Orolugbagbe, and Matthew Yorke Gambhir. uOVotes is hosting a debate for the faculty of social sciences candidates on Thursday at 7 p.m. in SMD 125.
Not every board position will be filled this election. Zach Lebel is the sole candidate for three faculty of science seats, ditto for Julianne LeBlanc and two faculty of arts seats, and Grace Tongue, for two faculty of health sciences seats.
No candidates sought election for the faculty of law (common or civil), Telfer, or Indigenous seats.
What else is on the ballot?
Also appearing on the ballot will be seven referendum questions. Some are specific to faculties, while others will be posed to the entire student body.
The first three questions have to do with the Engineering Students’ Society. The first calls for its $25-dollar ancillary fee to be increased yearly with the Consumer Price Index, the second calls for the fee to be renamed to the “Engineering Endowment Fund,” while the third asks for its collection from computer science students. The seventh question asks engineering students if they approve the creation of a $5-dollar semesterly fee to fund the Capital Technology Network.
The other three questions are for all undergraduate students. The first asks students to introduce a $3-dollar semesterly levy towards the “Fund for Students With Disabilities.”
The second asks students to introduce a $1.50 semesterly fee, the “Francophonie Ancillary,” which would “launch and support initiatives related to La Francophonie on campus,” which could include a new Francophone Centre.
The third asks for the creation of a $1.50 semesterly fee to fund the Advocacy Fund, citing recent organizing campaigns like the U-Pass petition and “student activism support on and off campus.”
Stay tuned to the Fulcrum’s social media for more information regarding the elections, candidates, and debates.
