Noor ChaudhryThe Students’ Union (SU) vice-president (operations and finance) (VPOF) race can be best described by the major differences in campaign ideas, structure, and connection to students. This year, the two candidates are Joachim Bony and Levi Flaman.
Flaman’s focus has been on the numbers, and how to optimize the SU’s operations. Meanwhile, Bony’s vision for change has been focused on ensuring that the SU is addressing students’ needs.
Levi Flaman
Flaman has a history of working in executive positions at the SU, and is running for re-election as the VPOF incumbent.
Much of Flaman’s platform and campaign revolved around increasing the efficiency of the internal operations at the SU. He has mentioned the upcoming renewal of the U-Pass contract and Single Source Cold Beverage Policy in multiple forums and his platform. However, how he will approach these negotiations and what he would like to see changed with these agreements isn’t specified. It isn’t enough to simply say he would be a part of these negotiations. Anyone in the VPOF role would be.
As well, Flaman has brought up the idea of a housing commission to explore the possibility of a new SU-run residence. As appealing as this is at first glance, his proposed housing commission has no guarantees. Likely, it would hit a dead end, like what happened with HUB mall. I think his efforts could be better spent elsewhere, rather than something that isn’t likely to see real results.
The ifs and maybes continue with his other platform points, such as reducing operational expenses and sustainability. Another significant platform point from Flaman is an external audit to evaluate both spending, and equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within the SU. Flaman doesn’t have a clear path forward for either of these, leaving what he will do if re-elected to be decided later.
Consultation with students should have started before the elections began and should continue throughout the VPOF’s term. Flaman didn’t do this, and hasn’t done this in his past campaigns or terms as a SU executive. This raises a lot of concerns for me. Old habits die hard, and I worry that this wouldn’t change if Flaman were re-elected.
Worse yet, Flaman’s responses in the debate period of the Myer Horowitz forum showed where his loyalties lie. Spoiler alert: it’s not with students. Instead of addressing the concerns raised, Flaman spent his time defending the SU. Students need to come first for any and all positions in this election. It’s clear to me that Flaman is far more concerned with the SU than the students it’s meant to serve.
Joachim Bony
Bony has served as the VPOF for L’Association des Universitaires de la Faculté Saint-Jean (AUFSJ) for the last two years.
It has been clear from the beginning of Bony’s campaign that his priorities lie with students. He hasn’t wavered on this, either. If anything, this strengthened as his campaign progressed. A major platform point for Bony has been the creation of permanent liaisons between Faculty Associations (FA) and Student Representative Associations (SRA), and the SU. This direct line of communication would not only help with making sure students’ concerns are heard. It also ensures that the SU is held accountable. While this seems achievable and beneficial to students, the execution of this is still unclear.
Other priorities for Bony include creating a simplified financial report and increasing outreach to students. The outreach efforts Bony proposes — which include increased social media posts and postering — would inform students of the services available to them. If students don’t know how to access services — or that they even exist — students can’t use the services they pay for. Additionally, the simplified report would make it easier for students to understand where their fees are going. I think these ideas are very important, speaking as a student who wasn’t aware of half of the SU’s services until recently. Additionally, I feel that they are realistic goals to achieve and maintain throughout the VPOF’s year long term.
Regarding the services the SU provides, Bony wants to optimize their impact. Specifically, he wants to improve the Jobkin Job Registry to help students find employment. This would be a necessary improvement, especially in a time where students are seeking employment to keep up with the cost-of- living. Additionally, Bony emphasized keeping up with SUB maintenance to avoid expenses piling up. These are both manageable goals and would undoubtedly benefit students. Bony managed to meet students’ concerns with simple, achievable ideas that could have a real impact.
Who should win, and who will win?
Ultimately, I think Bony will win the VPOF race. He did a better job appealing to students, and his entire campaign centered around students’ needs and concerns — something that lacked in Flaman’s campaign. Bony brings a breath of fresh air to the VPOF role, while Flaman’s view is confined to internal operations, with little regard for the students he’s meant to be serving. Flaman’s approach isn’t nearly as appealing to students as Bony’s has been and because of that, Bony will win.
Bony’s platform wasn’t available until late in the race. But, it was far simpler than Flaman’s and reflected students’ interests. Better yet, Bony presented straight-forward ideas that are achievable within the one-year term. Flaman’s platform, on the other hand, focuses on larger projects that aren’t likely to see success. All of Bony’s ideas are in the interest of making sure the SU is serving students the best that they possibly can. His priorities are in the right place and he has clearly taken the time to listen to students. Bony isn’t just focused on the SU’s bank account. He’s focused on improving the experience of students. This is something students need from a VPOF, and I think Bony will be the one to give it to them.
