Lily PolenchukWith four candidates vying for the University of Alberta Students’ Union‘s (SU) top position in the 2025 SU election, the presidential race was bound to be an eventful. And the first forum at Augustana Campus on February 25 confirmed that. While some shots were taken, Pedro Almeida and Sophie Martel brought real ideas to the forum.
Joseph Sesek kicked the forum off by saying he thinks the SU is doing “a miserable job.” He then made the big promise to cut his salary by $10,000 to reduce student fees. In all reality, cutting his salary — even all of the executive salaries — won’t do a whole lot.
But Sesek didn’t stop the big show there — he took a direct shot at Almeida, asking if he had had office hours at Augustana during his term as vice-president (academic) (VPA) in 2023–24 . And it backfired. Instead of making Almeida look bad, it gave him the perfect opportunity to lean on his experience from his largely successful term as VPA. Almeida noted the regular meetings he had with the Augustana Students’ Association (ASA). Next time Sesek tries to take a shot at someone, he better do his homework first.
Outside of his past experience, Almeida put a huge emphasis on communication between the SU and Augustana students. He also noted his intention for that communication to drive real action. Given his past experience and success, I don’t doubt he can take what he hears and actually act on it.
While Almeida has the right idea and the experience to back him up, Martel, currently the president of the Indigenous Students’ Union (ISU), offered a little more substance. Though her opening statement was lackluster, her ideas shone through when responding to questions. She pointed to specific concerns she’d heard from Augustana students, such as physical accessibility barriers and a lack of gender-neutral washrooms. Not only did this demonstrate real awareness of students’ issues, it also showed real strength in her leadership.
And she framed engagement as more of a community building approach rather than just communication. Better yet, building community wasn’t just a nice sentiment. Martel emphasized using the strength of community to push for real change. That joint effort between campuses and associations to really push for change is much needed.
Martel also didn’t parse words when speaking about the state of the university. “Our current systems aren’t delivering results that we need,” she said. Martel also noted that in building a stronger voice for the U of A community, the SU can shift from asking for short-term solutions to finding long-term ones.
Unfortunately for Ofure Eigbe, her opening statement and answers weren’t anything memorable. While her connection to Augustana was evident, it was also a given seeing as she was an Augustana student. If she wants to be a contender in this race, she’ll have to use the next forums to really show she has real ideas to address students’ needs.
Ultimately, it’s still early in the campaign for all the candidates, but Eigbe and Sesek will need to make some big shifts to keep up. Otherwise, it’s simply a race between Almeida and Martel.
