Every year The Gateway hosts a panel to determine who should and who will win in each race for the Students’ Union elections to assist those undecided on who to vote for. Our election dissection panel is here with their insights on student politics and their takes on this year’s candidates.

Opinions expressed by the panellists do not reflect those of The Gateway.

The Panel

This year’s panel for election dissection included:

• Tom Ndekezi: U of A alumni, former arts and culture editor at The Gateway

• Kyle Monda: U of A alumni, past Gateway contributor, GFC and Students’ Council councillor, past candidate for Students’ Union vice-president (student life) 

• Alyssa Stoddard: third-year political science and English student, previous caucus researcher for the Government of Alberta (2019 – 2021)

The Candidate

• Julia Villoso, third-year anthropology student and current Students’ Union arts councillor.

The panel liked vice-president (operations and finance) (VP Ops Fi) candidate Villoso’s platform, noting that all her promises in her platform was very achievable. 

Monda mentioned that things he liked in Villoso’s platform were “total no-brainer[s]” like bringing delivery services on campus as a source of revenue, as well as using funds to purchase new furniture in the Students’ Union Building (SUB).

“I was very impressed by her campaign materials, especially given that she’s uncontested,” Monda said. “Everything in her platform seemed very common sense and achievable in the scope of the position and the time she has and it seems like she has very realistic goals and enough governance experience that I’m confident that she knows how to do them.” 

Ndekezi agreed that Villoso’s platform was comprehensive for someone who wasn’t contested, and voiced that her platform points were timely and thoughtful.

“It seems like a pretty comprehensive platform just in terms of the things that are typically in the VP Ops Fi portfolio,” Ndekezi said. “There’s even some things about reconciliation about continuing to commemorate residential schools and changing room names in SUB to Cree. Like [Monda] said, those are meaningful things you can do that also aren’t insurmountable tasks. You could easily get it done within your term.”

“It’s just good to see her running again … you can’t really tell she’s running an uncontested race; it’s very solid; thumbs up overall.” 

Stoddard noted that she was “impressed” with Villoso’s campaign, specifically Villoso’s social media presence. 

“She has such a great energy about her that I’ve noticed,” she said. “She has a personality. I think for a finance-type of role you don’t necessarily get that … and I think she’s definitely, especially with her platform, making it more about the university experience for students, which I think is great.”

“I also think that considering that she is uncontested for this, her dedication to the role and her campaign, just makes her an excellent addition to the Students’ Union.”

Stoddard also noted that she was “so excited” for the new furniture planned to be in SUB as a part of Villoso’s SUB revitalization campaign, and that other parts of Villoso’s campaign like her ideas on Augustana, Campus Saint-Jean (CSJ), and reconciliation were very well done.

Monda commented that “it’s great” Villoso planned to highlight resources like Empower Me and other specific services for Augustana and CSJ, so that students have the most variety possible.

Overall the panel unanimously agreed that Villoso’s platform was very achievable.

Who will win: three votes for Julia Villoso

Who should win: three votes for Julia Villoso