Peris JonesWith the Myer Horowitz forum concluding the election cycle for vice-president (student life) (VPSL), there is a lot to break down. Candidates Brish Goorimoorthee, Nolan Greenwood, Manyu Rathour, and Paige Wall all gave their final, repetitive words. While each candidate had their good and bad moments, none truly stood out as better than the other. But, with a choice to make, there is a candidate who is best suited for the position.
Brish Goorimoorthee
From forum to forum, Goorimoorthee made no real difference in any of his speeches and showed a lack of knowledge in many areas. Each forum gives the chance for student groups on campus to be represented properly. Goorimoorthee displayed time and time again that the only thing he really wanted to expand was ONEcard access. Or start an aura-farming competition. While ONEcard access is a great initiative, it isn’t the most productive use of time. It should also be mentioned that expanding ONEcard access has been worked on by the current University of Alberta Students’ Union (SU) executive team.
Overall, it would have been nice to see some new ideas from Goorimoorthee, but unfortunately, that was not the case. While it’s very clear he wants to do a good job, it’s also clear he doesn’t know how to.
Nolan Greenwood
Greenwood proved at every forum that he will only talk about what he knows. In some ways, it’s good that he doesn’t rant about things he is unaware of. But it would also be nice if more thought were put behind answers. From beginning to end, Greenwood has stood firmly on his three pillars: residence, the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) task force, and outreach and communication. It is definitely a win-lose scenario with these platform points. On one end of the spectrum, they are solid ideas, but they also seem to lack any real substance for change.
He continued to emphasize consultation as a core piece of the work he’d do in his role. Even when asked to go beyond just saying he’ll consult people. In a lot of the forums, he got stuck in this promise to consult. But one of his strongest points was to review rent rationalization in residence. All of the candidates spoke about this to some degree. But his experience with the Lister Hall Students’ Association (LHSA) means he has a relationship and familiarity with Residence Services. This can give him an upper-hand in making real change in residence.
In other areas, however, his ideas remained abstract. I don’t dislike Greenwood’s platform, but I wish some of his platform points had a bit more precise language. It’s good, though, to know he has experience in student politics, being the LHSA.
Manyu Rathour
It’s very believable to understand that Rathour cares deeply about the U of A. But it’s just as believable to know that he is not suited for the job. Rathour is involved with many different associations on campus, but I am not confident he would be fit for the VPSL position. His platform was only available after the last forum, so it’s hard to know for sure what is and isn’t important to him. But, of what he talks about during forums, he has a lot he would want to accomplish. So much, in fact, that it doesn’t feel feasible.
He tends to list off issues without explaining how exactly he would address them. An awareness of the problems facing students is key to this role. But so is having a clear path to execution. Without both, Rathour lands himself with a weak campaign.
Focus was also an issue at times. U of A will always need people like Rathour to be passionate about this campus, but his passion feels misplaced and misguided at times. While introducing a shuttle bus for the Campus Food Bank is a great idea, a SU prom or U of A’s Got Talent is less so. It was a specific topic he continually pushed on, despite having limited time to communicate his ideas, and it still fell flat every time.
Paige Wall
It did feel like Wall was the voice of reason throughout the forums, while being quite static in her platform ideas. Everything she said while at the forums came from a good place, but had little to no substance. Much of her platform is built upon improving the existing initiatives rather than making new ones. I can appreciate a good, more steady approach to the VPSL position, but the fact is that the role demands continuous change.
Her idea to work within the systems that exist to find ways to improve student life isn’t without merit. But at times, it didn’t offer a clear path forward. Especially when it came to mental health and address the barriers student groups run into.
Listening to Wall made it obvious she cares about campus, but the role is simply not suited for her. The position requires a strong footing in what needs to be done and doesn’t need to be done. With this being said, it’s not clear whether or not she would be able to do that.
Who should win?
To begin here, it is worth noting that all the candidates have their strong and weak points. Greenwood, though, stands out as the best for the role. His three pillars, while at times feel repetitive to listen to, are strong enough for the role. He also has good experience with the LHSA and has a good record of advocating for the students of Lister Hall. Having only a few strong things to accomplish is much better than having a million different scattered ideas. Overall, Greenwood would do well in the position. He has a great possibility of bringing meaningful change to campus.
