An ode to those who give their time in these difficult times
On Sunday, the University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU) officially released its list of candidates for its upcoming elections. The first outstanding thing from the list was the number of students that decided to volunteer their time and run for an unpaid student government position.
In total, 43 students submitted their nomination to serve their faculties on the Board of Directors (BOD) and the University of Ottawa’s Senate or serve their fellow students on the U of O’s Board of Governors (BOG).
This means that barring any disqualifications or rejection of candidatures, 16 of 22 seats on the BOD will be filled, 7 of 9 seats will be filled on Senate and the one available seat on the BOG will be filled.
Although there will remain some empty seats, this large number of candidatures is a welcoming sight and one to celebrate.
he Fulcrum fully endorses the will of all the candidates who wish to serve their fellow students and represent their interests within student government on a voluntary basis.
For our part, the Fulcrum promises to do our best to shine a spotlight on all candidates running for student government office. Over the next two weeks, we will be publishing pieces detailing the intricacies of all the races and presenting every candidate to our readers in order for them to make an informed decision from March 24-27 — the UOSU’s official voting period.
With that being said, student government is not the only avenue for students to volunteer their time. A number of services exist on campus that survive almost exclusively on regular contributors who volunteer their time to help their fellow students. This includes the Food Bank, Foot Patrol, the Peer Help Centre, the International House, the Pride Centre and many more.
We recognize that these are extremely difficult times, and adding the roles and responsibilities required for student government may not be an option for all. We are extremely grateful for all who take time out of their days to volunteer but we need to recognize that this is not a possibility for everyone — nobody should be shamed for not being able to volunteer their time.
While the application period for the UOSU elections has closed, if you are a student who can spare some time, multiple U of O services are all in need of volunteers and we cannot think of a better way to dedicate free time.
Finally, for those who do volunteer, we sincerely thank you.
Editorials are written by the Fulcrum’s 13-person editorial board and express the shared views and opinions of the Fulcrum’s editorial staff. To share your own views, email [email protected].
