2021 Board of Directors Forum
Written by Payton McPhee
Photo by Startaê Team on Unsplash
Photo by Startaê Team on Unsplash
On March, 1st 2021, SMUSA held its Board of Director’s forum from 6 pm to 8 pm. Although the venue looked different this year since the forum was held virtually, the content of this forum did not let us down. With nearly 30 people in attendance, including candidates, students and staff, Yasmine Love (Chief Returning Officer) began the forum with a warm and upbeat welcome, as well as an introduction to the guest speaker of the evening, Danny Graham. Graham kicked off the forum with a discussion about his background as well as his previous experience with school politics. Mr. Graham went onto discuss a project he is currently working on with Engage Nova Scotia that is researching the quality of life in Nova Scotia. Graham notes that this study has the largest dataset focused on the quality of life in North America, and has shown interesting results thus far. One interesting concept that Mr. Graham discussed was the strong correlation between inclusive economies and life satisfaction. That is, when the economy is interested in not leaving anyone behind, people rate their life satisfaction higher. In Mr. Graham’s words, “Life is more than about dollars and cents, but it is also still about dollars and cents.”
The five candidates running for a seat on the SMUSA Board of Directors this year are Miyah Basden, Josh Lafond, Mihika Mihika, Adam Snow and Alex Wilson. Each candidate has strong views that are all unique in their own way and this was evident after their introductions. For example, Mihika Mihika is running on a mental health-based platform, Alex Wilson is interested in recovering and coming back strong from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Josh Lafond says he is just hoping to do everything he can to help the student body. Miyah Basden is focusing on developing personal leadership skills and Adam Snow is hoping to continue working within an area that he loves: governance and policy.
The forum continued with an introduction by Paula Minnikin, the moderator, who explained how the rest of the night will proceed. Each of the five candidates was given 3 minutes to introduce themselves and would then be asked 6 questions that were prescripted by Paula. Following this, questions would be open to the audience to ask questions directly to a specific candidate or to all five.
As mentioned above, the candidates were asked six questions that were prescripted by the moderator, Paula Minnikin. These questions addressed important topics such as the impact of COVID-19 on students, why they want to serve on the SMUSA Board of Directors, and what they can contribute to Board culture. Other questions that were asked addressed the candidates’ individual philosophies on governance and encouraged candidates to illustrate experiential examples of what has prepared them to sit on the SMUSA Board of Directors. Candidates were also questioned about an example of a time when they helped create an environment where differences were valued and supported.
Many key topics were discussed by the candidates which allowed for the audience to understand their views on certain important issues. These topics included issues such as sustainability, gender diversity, racial diversity, inclusion, awareness. These topics are sometimes uncomfortable to talk about because it is not easy to discuss our downfalls and weaknesses. However, each candidate explained their views passionately on these subjects.
One of the biggest issues that was discussed was the gap between the student body and the SMUSA Board of Directors. Adam Snow described this gap by using an analogy of an oil rig. Adam says that the Board of Directors is similar to an oil rig being that they are the ones who produce the oil (or the policies) and it is the executive teams’ job to distribute the “oil” to the student body. In this sense, Adam believes that the Board of Directors should not be “in the faces of the student body” but should serve the students in a more behind-the-scenes role. In contrast, Alex Wilson believes that the SMUSA Board of Directors should, in fact, work to bridge the gap between students and the Board. Alex suggested creating a town-hall-like meeting each semester where students would be able to voice their opinions and concerns directly to the Board to create a more unified dynamic.
To conclude the question period, each candidate was asked to describe themselves using one word in order for the audience to better understand their character. Alex Wilson says he is dedicated, Mihika Mihika says she is passionate, and Miyah Basden says she is determined. Josh Lafond described himself as judicious and Adam Snow described himself using solely the word “governance.”
Danielle Steele (Deputy Returning Officer) gave the closing statements and concluded the forum with a kind acknowledgement and appreciation to the candidates and audience members.
Good luck to each of the candidates running for the SMUSA Board of Directors. Voting students can find out more about the elections at https://www.smusa.ca/get-involved/elections/ or by emailing elections.smusa@smu.ca. You can also find out more about the guest speaker, Danny Graham, by visiting engagenovascotia.ca.