SU Elections 2021 Q&A: Faculty of Business Students’ Council and GFC Candidates

This article is part one of a seven-part series.

Although the election for Students’ Union executives is over, it’s now time to for students to vote for Students’ Council and General Faculties Council (GFC) representatives.

On March 17 and 18, undergraduate students will be voting for both the Students’ Council councillors and GFC representatives for their respective faculties.

Students’ Council oversees the Students’ Union in terms of its policies, financials, and mandate. It consists of 40 councillors.

GFC is the highest academic decision making body at the university. Out of its 159 members, there are around 40 undergraduate representatives.

To help students get to know the candidates, The Gateway interviewed them to learn more about how they would represent students and what issues they hope to address in these roles.

Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Faculty of Business Candidates

The Gateway reached out to all candidates, but only the following participated. See a full list of candidates here.

• Ghalia Aamer, a second-year commerce student — running for Students’ Council and GFC.

• Levi Flaman, a third-year east Asian business studies student — running for Students’ Council and GFC.

Why are you running for Students’ Council/ GFC?

Ghalia Aamer: I struggled to speak up when I was younger. Joining the debate team in seventh grade changed my life and it drove my mission to be a voice for myself and others. Since then, I have been actively involved in leadership through student governance, entrepreneurship, and community service. I am passionate about advocating for critical issues and helping student. Especially during this difficult time, I want to step up by running for Students’ Council and General Faculties Council so I can make an impact at the university.

Levi Flaman: I am running for Students’ Council to correct some of the issues that have plagued the Students’ Union in recent years. For example, the issue with transparency that arises when both the legislative and executive bodies that run the Students’ Union fail to upload meeting minutes or presentation materials in a timely manner — if they are even uploaded at all — or when committees often fail to submit important motions in time for main agendas, relying instead on using late additions which come out the day of meetings. [This] gives decision-makers inadequate time to read and digest important information prior to making important decisions. Students’ Union members contribute thousands of dollars every term and they deserve to know what the Students’ Union that collects those funds is doing. In addition, the Students’ Union has a habit of bending or at times breaking its own bylaws and has been called out for it numerous times by the student judiciary. Yet despite this, it continues to happen and why it continues to happen needs to be identified so it can be addressed — is it because the rules are unclear and confusing or that they are simply inconvenient and are therefore ignored? Whatever the problem might be, it still needs to be addressed.

Can you explain your platform concisely?

Aamer: My platform rests on three main pillars as simple as ABC: Accessibility, balance, and consultation.

In terms of accessibility, remote learning has come with numerous challenges over the past year. A major one has become the lack of accessibility for students. If remote learning is to continue, I will advocate for removing participation marks wherever possible to increase accessibility, especially for those who are in different time zones or have other commitments. I will also work with the university to improve communication from professors, including setting out clear proctoring requirements before the add/drop deadline and minimizing proctoring as a whole.

In terms of balance, as co-chair of Outrun the Stigma this past year, I had the chance to advocate for mental health on campus. Students need to have balanced lives and mental health is a core component of that. With increasing tuition and remote learning along with other challenges, students are experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety. I will work with the university to advocate for improved mental health initiatives as well as addressing core issues like increased tuition that are causing stress.

For consultation, direct engagement from representatives with students is absolutely necessary to truly understand concerns. Nothing beats one-on-one communication. Greater transparency requires open communication, especially when everything is virtual. I will make consultation a top priority.

Flaman: If elected to Students’ Council, I would push for a one-time external compliance audit to be performed by the same firm the Students’ Union hires to conduct its annual auditing of its financial statements, which I believe would serve to pinpoint why there are issues with following the rules both on the operations and governance side. Once these issues are known, steps can then be taken to address them. In addition, I would push for an amendment to bylaw 4000 to require a regular external performance audit be done prior to the renewal of the Strategic Plan every few years so the results of this audit can be used when drafting the principles of the Strategic Plan renewal. Further, I would look into expanding the scope or mandate of the Audit Committee beyond what amounts to just looking over financial records or credit card statements to include auditing the compliance and performance of the organization in addition to simply the financials.

For Students’ Council candidates: what is the biggest issue you see facing the Students’ Union and how would you want it addressed?

Aamer: I find that there is a lack of student engagement especially since everything went virtual. I want to address this issue by making student voice a priority. This includes utilizing various strategies to reach students including but not limited to direct one-on-one communication, surveys, and focus groups. As a representative of the business faculty, I would be keen on developing as many relationships as possible and keeping students updated regarding the Students’ Union through various means. I will work with fellow councillors to develop a strategic plan for reaching more students and measuring the impact of a new plan.

Flaman: The biggest issue facing the Students’ Union right now is relevancy. All too often, students complain about the fees they pay, what these fees end up being used for, or question why the Students’ Union exists at all. The benefit of having a students’ union is the power that comes with being numerous, since divided we beg while united we bargain. Yet, when only one in five eligible undergraduates typically vote in our executive elections and even less in our council and GFC elections, that power in numbers is diminished. It is essentially a very small faction of students electing our representatives, who then go on to represent the entire undergraduate population whether these students voted for the representatives, voted for their competition or did not vote at all. Worse than low voter turnout is how few candidates are willing to run for important positions; [this year] only eight candidates for six seats [ran] out of 33,000 undergraduates. This is likely a contributing factor as to why the notion of voluntary student unionism has student representatives so spooked as the organization is likely to crumble should that happen here. If as much attention was paid to addressing the reasons why students are not running, are not voting, or are unhappy with the organization as they did in keeping it mandatory, fewer students may have an issue with it being mandatory.

For Students’ Council candidates: what is an issue you see facing business students specifically and how would you want the SU to address it?

Aamer: A key issue I have observed at the Alberta School of Business is the lack of connections to other faculties. This stems from the issue of student engagement. In my experience with student groups and organizations within the business faculty such as Enactus or eHUB, I have noticed that the majority of students are studying business. This limits interdisciplinary interaction. By engaging with students of other disciplines such as computer engineering, I feel that business students will be able to maximize their potential. I want the Students’ Union to take active steps toward encouraging interdisciplinary connections through collaboration between faculties, specific events to engage students, and networking platforms.

Flaman: In the era of COVID-induced online learning, there are few if any pressing issues that affect business students specifically that don’t also affect the remainder of the student population at large. Nothing immediately springs to mind. However, this is where working with my peers on the Business Students’ Association would prove important. By utilizing my position within Students’ Council and/or General Faculties Council, I could help provide the faculty association with another avenue to achieve goals they are working towards for the upcoming school year.

For Students’ Council candidates: how will you make sure to represent the needs and concerns of your faculty to Students’ Council?

Aamer: Consultation is a key component of my platform. I believe in the importance of regularly communicating with students to understand their changing needs. I will utilize various forms of communication such as social media, surveys, one-on-one conversations, and focus groups to reach a wider audience within the school of business. On a regular basis, I will revisit the major issues that require student input and ensure that I set clear goals to gain an understanding of students’ views. Furthermore, I will actively engage in all Students’ Council meetings as well as additional committees wherever possible to ensure that there is a voice representing business students in every discussion.

Flaman: [I will represent my faculty’s concerns] by going over the meeting materials well in advance, preparing well thought-out and relevant questions when needed and meeting with the student caucus to ensure everyone is on the same page and there is a game plan when it comes to student advocacy. When student representatives do not take the job seriously and come across as unprepared, the staff and faculty members on GFC will often dismiss the opinions and arguments of the student members

For Students’ Council candidates: how will you ensure SU executives remain accountable?

Aamer: The most important factor in ensuring accountability is first and foremost understanding the executive’s mandate and goals. If elected, one of my first priorities will be to gain a clear understanding of the work plan of the executives as well as the change they expect to see. Over the year, I will collaborate with other stakeholders within the Students’ Union to review the work plan and determine if progress is on track. I will not be afraid to call out any executives on breaking promises or diverting attention from important issues. Accountability at its core is about transparency and commitment.

Flaman: By reinforcing the notion that Students’ Council is the highest authority within the students’ association and not the executive committee. All too often, student councillors foist the executives onto a marble pedestal and take everything they say as law which in turn inhibits the councillors from commenting on or questioning proposals being put forth by the executives.

For GFC candidates: what do you see as the largest academic issue facing students right now and how would you like GFC to address it? 

Aamer: By far the largest academic issue facing students right now involves issues with accessibility within the virtual learning environment. This is why accessibility is the first key component of my platform. I want General Faculties Council to take prompt action, analyze the issues occurring with online classes, and propose tangible solutions.

For example, students in different time zones or with other commitments are struggling to attend all live classes for participation marks without added stress. Participation marks for every lecture can make it very difficult for some students. Furthermore, proctoring has posed numerous challenges including privacy concerns and technical issues. The GFC needs to take an active role in addressing these problems before the start of the next term. For instance, professors should be aided in improving the organization of their classes and should be required to clearly lay out all class expectations before the add/drop deadline including proctoring requirements

Flaman: The transition to online learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous issues for students. At the outset of the pandemic, the university rushed to transition everyone online and, in some instances, some decisions came across that could have been planned out better. When comparing what we have done here to other institutions around the country, there are some ways we could have improved such as extended withdrawal deadlines or optional credit/no credit (CR/NCR) for example. We often have our head down and focus solely on what is happening within our own bubble, when more effort should be given to exploring if other institutions are doing things better and then attempting to integrate their practices here when feasible.

For GFC candidates: how will you ensure the student voice is heard at GFC?

Aamer: Consultation is a key component of my platform. I believe in the importance of regularly communicating with students to understand their changing needs. I will utilize various forms of communication such as social media, surveys, one-on-one conversations, and focus groups to reach a wider audience within the university. On a regular basis, I will revisit the major issues that require student input and ensure that I make it a goal to gain an understanding of students’ views. Furthermore, I will actively engage in all General Faculties Council meetings as well as additional committees wherever possible to ensure that there is a voice representing students in every discussion.

Flaman: By going over the meeting materials well in advance, preparing well thought-out and relevant questions when needed and meeting with the student caucus to ensure everyone is on the same page and there is a game plan when it comes to student advocacy. When student representatives do not take the job seriously and come across as unprepared, the staff and faculty members on GFC will often dismiss the opinions and arguments of the student members.

For GFC candidates: what does collegial governance mean to you and why is it important for students?

Aamer: Collegial governance involves taking into account various perspectives for decision making. It is essential for students because it allows them to have their voices heard in a way that can make an actual impact at the governance level of the university. I would be honoured to be able to represent students at the General Faculties Council to ensure all voices are heard.

Flaman: Collegial governance is collaborating and compromising with other members of the legislative body, even if that means giving up something to get something else, and not attacking those who you may disagree with. The budget cuts implemented by the university following the funding cuts from the province means we should be working with each other, not against each other.

Fun Question 1: If you had to eat at one SUB vendor for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?

Aamer: Edo.

Flaman: Bar Burrito.

Fun Question 2: What quarantine hobby have you picked up?

Aamer: I’ve started journaling regularly!

Flaman: Cooking and meal prep.