Candidate Profiles: 2021 SMUSA Elections
Platform Information Submitted by Respective Candidates
Compiled by Gena Dufour on behalf of the SMU Journal
Thumbnail and Header Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the authors, and may not necessarily reflect those of the SMU Journal.
This article is intended to serve as a stable source of information regarding candidate platforms. This year, there are five individuals running for the board of directors positions, and one candidate running for the position of SMUSA president. The SMU Journal has reached out to all six candidates and has given them all equal chances to publish a campaign platform in this article.
Photo by Franklyn Southwell
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Greetings! My name is Franklyn Southwell, and I am running to be your next SMUSA President. I am a fourth-year undergrad student majoring in Political Science and Economics. I was born and raised in Antigua and Barbuda; I have always been passionate about student leadership, politics, and making a difference through charity work.
Throughout my tenure at SMU, I have held various student governance & leadership positions, to include being on the board of directors in my first year, where I served as chair for the first society committee. I also served two terms as President of the Friends of halo society, which is a charitable society at SMU that I founded.
I can say I have become engrossed in the multifaceted cultures here at Saint Mary’s University. I have attended every society and residence Gala throughout my tenure at SMU. My previous leadership roles have afforded me competent experience in communicating with colleagues from work and my peers alike. These skills have also facilitated me to develop advocacy skills and grow relationships. I want to be your President because I am determined to fill the gaps of discord between our student body and the university’s executive administration through advocacy of all student related matters, and mainly through engagement with our students on what are some of the most prominent issues they are undertaking. If granted the position, I guarantee my full commitment to the job, and full commitment to creating a team that will be working as a cohesive unit, united on behalf of the students.
The major themes for my platform this year will include:
Photo by Miyah Basden
Engagement
Advancement
Accessibility
Throughout this week, I will be elaborating on these themes, and what my goals are as President for the upcoming year. As your President I promise to always be the voice of the people.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS CANDIDATES (Alphabetical order by last name)
I am a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student from The Bahamas. In my free time, you can find me re-reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, binging a Netflix series, or listening to Ariana Grande on repeat. I am passionate about personal development through lifelong learning. For the better part of three years, I have been doing that by attending business workshops and reading business literature.
Photo by Joshua Lafond
During the pandemic, I have seen how difficult it can be to gain access to resources that were once readily available. Therefore, I would like to advocate ensuring that all students continue to have access to the resources that the university provides despite our current situation.
Hi there, my name is Joshua Lafond. I am a third-year geography and economics student from the island of Barbados. I am a current member of the Board of Directors, and the Boards representative to the Universities Board of Governors, a position I have held for the better part of the last 2 years. I am running for re-election as I deeply believe that we have done great work over the last 2 years, but we still have further to go. I wish to continue my open-door policy where students can come and talk to me about issues they have. These are turbulent times for everyone, it is important that we recognise our strength lies in our diversity and the only authority the Board has is that which is granted to us by the students. Therefore, we must always seek to serve. SMUSA is a great student association but there is room for improvement, let’s do it together! Feel free to get in tough I’m always happy to discuss the role of the Board of Directors and the work which we have done over the past 2 years. My platform is based on transparency, accessibility and gender equity.
Photo by Mihika Mihika
My name is Mihika and I am contesting to be one of your SMUSA Board of Directors representatives in this year’s election. I am a third-year international student from India, who is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Biology and Psychology at Saint Mary’s University. Upon the completion of my degree, my hope is to then be admitted into medical school.
During my time here at SMU, I have been involved with the SMU Biology and Chemistry Societies as well as the SMU Cheerleading Team. I am also proud to have also volunteered to assist Cancer patients at QE-II and have been part of other volunteer services and events at SMU. From my involvement in the aforementioned activities, it gradually became clear to me that I am passionate about service and people. I love to know that I am adding value to my team and that by doing so, I am making a positive and meaningful contribution to society and my environment.
From the time I heard about SMUSA’s Board of Directors, I’ve had a vested interest in it and knew that I would run to be a part of that team someday. Being an international student has its challenges and being on the Board affords me the opportunity to effect change in the long term to make life easier for students on a whole. Something as simple as translating the archaic and long-winded language of Policy into plain English has benefitted international students greatly, as it is now easier for students to understand how SMUSA operates and how the organization could be used to benefit students.
Photo by Adam Snow
As we all are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has made life as a student extremely difficult and has caused organizations to operate in ways that would have been unimaginable five years ago. The pandemic has also exposed the gaps within current SMUSA policies, as we now live in a completely different world. This means this year should be an extremely active year for the Board and I am excited to work on the amendments and perhaps the establishment of new policies to pave the way for future directors and SMUSA executive members should I be elected.
I encourage you all to vote in this year’s SMUSA Elections! See you at the polls!
Reflecting back on these past 2 years, being the chair of the Human Resources and governance committee has really opened my eyes to key elements that are missing within our association. The work of any board of directors is never over, it is an ongoing development and you can be tasked with incredible responsibility at any given moment. With all the work we have done, there is still so much left we can do which is why I have decided to run for a second term for SMUSA’s board of directors.
My name is Alex Wilson, I am a political science student and I am running for the Board of Directors for a second time, as some of you may remember last year I unfortunately lost by one vote. The experience last year has allowed me to reflect on what I could do differently, the loss also gave me a stronger motivation to pay more attention to SMUSA to be able to better understand the role of the board of directors and some of the issues I believe we need to address.
Photo by Alex Wilson
One thing that stands out to me was when the University did not implement a Pass / No credit system in the fall. Many students struggled with adapting to online university, having that as a safety net to fall back on making things less stressful for students during an unprecedented time.I believe SMUSA has an obligation to its members and should have pushed harder to implement this policy.
Another Issue I see is why do we not have strong political campus clubs? If you look across the country at any of the top universities you will find campus clubs, Liberal Conservaite, NDP and green all strong campus clubs. These clubs push for more political involvement creating a strong level of engagement to the political process that will increase interest for years to come.
With this being an unprecedented year with many of our activities being canceled and access to campus being miniscule we must be prepared to build back stronger, when we return to classes whenever that may be we must be prepared to put our best foot forward and show that as a union we are stronger than ever.
The voting period starts on March 8th-9th. It will be a cluster yes/no vote for all five Board of Director candidates at once. A 51% collective 'yes' vote will be required. The presidential candidate will also be elected through a yes/no vote where Franklyn will need to acquire a 2/3 majority vote in their favour.
The Journal encourages everyone to vote in this year’s election. SMUSA is OUR student union, and it should appropriately represent students in the coming year. It’s up to students to make that happen.