Lily PolenchukThe University of Alberta Students’ Union (SU) election campaign trail made a stop at Campus Saint-Jean (CSJ) on February 26. And while it was a different campus, much stayed the same for the vice-president (operations and finance) (VPOF) candidates. That worked out well for Nathan Thiessen, who carried on with straight-forward, student-focused ideas. For Ryley Bazinet and Levi Flaman, on the other hand, no change meant no improvements. If anything, both looked worse at CSJ.
I do have to give Flaman some credit for giving his opening statement and answering almost all the questions in French. However, speaking in French only goes so far when what he said lacked new vision. Much like at the Augustana forum, Flaman said he wanted to continue doing what he’s done in his past two terms as VPOF.
He made some progress on things like group purchasing organizations (GPO), which will save the SU money, in his last term. But just doing what he has been doing isn’t enough. Especially when Thiessen has been bringing fresh ideas to the race.
Both Flaman and Thiessen mentioned translating Rubric, the new system replacing BearsDen, to French. This would be a good step towards providing more resources and services to CSJ in French, thus reducing language barriers between campuses. But Thiessen once again showed his enthusiasm for student engagement to guide his term.
A student asked candidates who have promised to cut SU fees, which includes Bazinet, what would happen to the Students’ Union Building (SUB) and its services. Bazinet struggled to answer, only saying that he’d be cutting unnecessary spending and utilize SU businesses. He specifically said he’d open Room At The Top (RATT) seven-days a week, instead of the current one-day a week. To me, it seemed like he hadn’t thought about the possible consequences of cutting SU fees by $5. While he may think the fees are too high, that money goes towards keeping SUB running and providing students with services.
Thiessen was quick to point that out. He went even further to explain that RATT isn’t profitable if it’s open seven-days a week. This is largely due to the fact that the SU owns two bars — RATT and Dewey’s. But Thiessen also said the SU could potentially utilize RATT in other ways, like using it as a study space. His response showed not only a strong grasp on the SU’s operations and finances, but also a willingness to explore new ideas.
He continued to bring strong ideas when candidates were asked about the limited space available at CSJ to house new services or office hours. Thiessen made it clear he would prioritize expanding access to services like Safewalk and SUTV which don’t require new spaces. Bazinet seemed to only acknowledge the limits of CSJ’s physical space with no solution.
Flaman, however, brought up a rather random idea from some universities in Nova Scotia. There, he said, some SUs are exploring a student fee to pay for off-campus properties. While those universities’ SUs are focusing on housing, he suggested that the SU here could adapt it to give CSJ more space.
However, the SU already has a dedicated fee unit (DFU) for capital investments — the Sustainability and Capital Fund. While the SU primarily uses it for renovations, other capital projects could include an investment in office space at CSJ. Another driving purpose of the fund is sustainability, which includes social sustainability. A SU space at CSJ space would easily fall under social sustainability for the U of A. Flaman’s interest in duplicating an existing fee makes little sense to me. And suggesting a new fee while his opponent is promising a reduction in SU fees only makes this look worse.
So, for the second forum, Thiessen has shown a better awareness of students’ issues and a greater commitment to listening to students, regardless of what campus they’re from. Meanwhile Bazinet is bogged down in his idea of reducing student fees and Flaman’s ideas are lacking.
