SU Elections 2025: Presidential Debate

On March 3, a presidential debate for the University of Alberta Students’ Union (SU) 2025 elections was held at Room at the Top (RATT) in the Students’ Union Building (SUB). 

There are four presidential candidates this year — Pedro Almeida, Ofure Eigbe, Sophie Martel, and Joseph Sesek. The debate was moderated by Gary Godinho, the chief returning officer (CRO). Themes included affordability, Indigenous advocacy, food access, communication, campus safety, and term limits.

Open forum followed the debate, which allowed students to direct their questions to specific candidates. 

A random draw was used to determine the order of speakers for the opening statements and question and answer period. Another random draw was used to determine the order of speakers for the closing statements.

Candidates discuss their key platform points

In his opening statement, Almeida — who was the 2023–24 vice-president (academic) (VPA) — said that he is running because he truly believes that the SU can do more and do better for all students. 

Almeida stated that the SU needs “leadership that has shown [that] they can get things done at this level.”  

“I have been an SU executive and I have seen what successful advocacy in the SU can achieve. My hope, through this election, is to earn your trust to deliver it once again,” he said. 

Martel, current president of the Indigenous Students’ Union (ISU),said that she is from Onion Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 Territory. She stated that she believes that “students deserve an SU that is bold, accountable, and ready to take real action.”

Martel said that, if elected president, she would advocate for campus solidarity, affordability, reconciliation, and safety.  

“The SU must actively push the university to uphold its commitments to Indigenous students and ensure that reconciliation is embedded in everything that we do,” she said. 

Sesek, in his opening statement, promised to lower his salary by $10,000 if elected. If all executives agreed to do the same Sesek said this would immediately lower SU fees for all students by $1.25. 

“It’s not huge, but it’s a solid step in the right direction. Furthermore, it sends a clear message about this SU when dealing with the U of A and the provincial government,” he said. 

In her opening statement, Eigbe said she is running “because of the need for effective planning.”

“I’m not just looking at 2025 to 2026, but the next five years to come,” Eigbe said. 

If elected, Eigbe promised to “be empathic [and] to advocate on our present issues, whether it be affordability, accessibility, safety, inclusivity, or other issues.”

First two questions of presidential debate address affordability and Indigenous advocacy

Godinho asked the candidates how they plan to reduce financial burdens like tuition or SU fees. 

Almeida said that “it’s really important that the SU take[s] different opportunities and ways of addressing affordability in a well-rounded way.” 

He mentioned two strategies for increasing affordability — advocating to both the university and the provincial government for more investment towards open education resources (OER), and working alongside different faculty associations (FA) to advocate to agencies in the provincial government for supports for students in unpaid placements. 

Martel said that she plans to “advocate for external partnerships and scholarships, particularly with Canadian local businesses, to help offset financial burdens for students.” 

She also stated that she will “push for greater institutional support in critical areas, such as mental health services and essential resources, while promoting SU supports in critical areas, such as the cost of external supports.” 

Sesek reiterated his commitment to “immediately taking a salary cut to lower the SU fees.”

He also promised to promote the use of under-utilized SU businesses, such as RATT and the Myer Horowitz Theatre. 

Eigbe said she would advocate for the increase of the university’s operating grant. She added that she will advocate for an increase in bus routes. 

“I’ll specifically ask for attention to be given to minority groups that need it the most and that usually are ignored because of structural racism, like Indigenous students, international students, and student parents,” she said. 

Godinho asked the presidential candidates how they plan to advance decolonization and Indigenous students’ support. 

Almeida stated that he will “ensure the SU works alongside [Indigenous students] to tackle key issues on campus.” 

“I promise to work with you to achieve tangible change that can have lasting impact. It’s ultimately stemming from constant communication and ways of identifying pathways forward together,” he said. 

Martel said that as the ISU president, she has “actively fought against the systemic shortcomings of the SU and university regarding decolonization and Indigenous student support.” 

“I will continue advocating for meaningful policy changes, increased funding, campus solidarity, and stronger institutional accountability to ensure that Indigenous students receive the support that they deserve,” Martel said. 

Sesek said that, if elected, he would add a permanent Indigenous SU students’ councillor position. 

“There’s no better way of recognizing someone than offering them a permanent seat at your table. I don’t know why this hasn’t occurred yet,” Sesek said.

Eigbe said that as an international student, she found that many international students do not know about Indigenous history in Canada, which “creates structural racism and impacts the accessibility of these students’ resources.” 

“I believe in having events that decolonize Indigenous students’ history and teach newcomers about what they have been through and how we still impact them today,” she said. 

Godinho then invited the candidates to give rebuttals to their opponents’ statements on the first two themes. 

Almeida said that he agrees with earlier statements about the importance of Indigenous students and “representation from different communities” in student governance. 

“I was really proud earlier this year to contribute to the Stride Campaign School and help encourage more women and gender minority folks to get involved in SU executive elections,” Almeida said.

Martel said that the SU has a lot of great programs, but she doesn’t think “it’s enough.” 

“I think that we need to learn and figure out how we can do better to support Indigenous students, but also to make sure that non-indigenous students are learning the proper protocols, proper knowledges, and being able to learn how to carry that through into the rest of [their] career[s] after university,” she said. 

Sesek reiterated his plan to add an Indigenous representative to Students’ Council. He also said that he plans to change Indigenous students’ month to October, instead of June. 

“There’s not enough students around [in June] to fully appreciate Indigenous history. But I think it would provide a really meaningful opportunity to celebrate and honour the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of the Indigenous students here at the U of A,” he said. 

Eigbe said that she wants to ensure that SU services are written in English and French. She added that she wants to use “intersectionality as a tool” to increase the number of Indigenous and international students in student governance.

Third and fourth questions relate to improving food access, communication, and campus safety

Godinho asked the presidential candidates how they plan to improve food access, such as enhancements to the Campus Food Bank (CFB). 

Almeida said that there are “a lot of opportunit[ies] for the SU to build further partnerships and expand on the work that has been carried forward by the vice-president (student life) (VPSL) this year.” 

He also said he believes that “it’s important for student leaders to come together across the province” in order to “advocate to the provincial government that students don’t get left behind when it comes to the conversation of food security.”  

Martel discussed that the ISU — in collaboration with the current Board of Governors (BoG) representative Adrien Lam — has created a food pantry for students. 

“I believe that the SU could take a more proactive role in supporting student groups that wish to establish their own food banks. That way, we can expand across all campuses and ensure that no student is left behind without access to essential resources,” she said. 

Sesek said that “it’s quite immoral for people to be without food in such an affluent country.” He also stated that “as a university community, we need to figure out ways to find solutions.” 

Sesek discussed having two roundtable discussions, one with CFB staff and clients and the other with university administration, the City of Edmonton, and Government of Alberta officials to “come up with a viable action plan.” 

Eigbe discussed her experience volunteering for various homeless shelters and food banks. Her approach to food insecurity “would be consulting with faculties on their needs” and “us[ing] the tool of intersectionality to see which students need the CFB resources the most.”

Godinho then invited the candidates to give rebuttals to their opponents’ statements on the third theme. 

Almeida said that the ideas being discussed require leadership experience. He said that he has “knowledge of how to navigate these systems to make tangible change so that [students’] goals can be achieved.”

Martel said that the SU needs “to look a little bit more externally, but also together as a campus. This is an issue that can be tackled together.” 

“We’ll never solve food insecurity, but we can advocate as a stronger body of students that all suffer from food insecurity,” she said. 

Sesek did not answer the question. 

Eigbe said that she would also aim to provide students information about resources other than the CFB. She said she would want to provide information on rent, bus routes, and emergency rooms.

“We have enough students to find a way to have a charity event to show that our students have creative skills. For example, having a charity event where students are showing off their art to affluent people in Edmonton and getting them to buy them,” Eigbe said. 

Godinho then asked the presidential candidates how they plan to strengthen SU-led student dialogue and campus safety. 

Almeida said that “there’s a lot more that the SU can do to expand the awareness on campus around consent culture to improve safety.” 

”I commit to working with the Sexual Assault Centre (UASAC) to expand the collaboration that we have on shared programming to increase awareness of the supports available,” he said. 

Martel said that she plans to “continue the work that [she’s] already started regarding campus safety at the faculty, council, and Student Representative Association (SRA) levels.” 

“By showing solidarity that we’ve been able to create in the form of ongoing discussions and letters to higher governing bodies, we can show that the demand that students want is for change,” she said. 

Sesek said that, if elected, he would use his seat on BoG to advocate for greater lighting on campus, more monitored CCTV cameras, and “mak[ing] access to all U of A buildings and residence[s] to be restricted to ONEcard holders in the later hours.” 

“I want to have official and advertised office hours here at SUB, Augustana, Campus Saint-Jean (CSJ), and two round tables.”

Eigbe said that she didn’t know that the U of A had a security service until she became a Residence Assistant (RA). 

She said that in terms of campus safety, “residence hold[s] a lot of responsibility” and “having information is important.” 

Godinho then invited the candidates to give rebuttals to their opponents’ statements on the fourth theme.

Almeida did not give a rebuttal. 

Martel said that she wants to “focus more on holding the university account[able] when it comes to these issues.” 

Sesek did not give a rebuttal. 

Eigbe said that she believes in “bridging that gap between communication with RAs and their students” to protect students’ safety.

Fifth question asks about term limits for SU executives and student councillors

Godinho asked the candidates if SU councillors and executives should have term limits and, if so, what term limits should be. 

Almeida stated that he does not think that SU executives should have term limits because he is “a big believer in leaving as much choice to the students as possible.” 

“If someone wants to run several times over and get elected, and students choose to elect them several times over, then that is the students’ choice. We shouldn’t infringe regulations to prevent students from choosing that person over and over again,” he said. 

Martel said she also does not believe in a term limit for SU executives or councillors. 

“Great ideas can be continued by incoming executives, but I also think that they need to remain adaptable,” Martel said. 

“I think our priority should be increasing student engagement and encouraging greater participation in governance, particularly with Indigenous and international students,” Martel said. 

Sesek said that he “sincerely believe[s] that there should be a one-year term limit for executive positions.” 

He said that each year, there should be “a new slate of SU executives with fresh ideas and enthusiasm, not folks who have made SU executive a career.”

Eigbe said that she does not believe in term limits for SU executives or councillors. She said that having experience is an advantage and she believes in “supporting the inclusivity of people that might not run.” 

She said that the SU “should look for a way to have intersectionality and show that the SU is open for other people that want to run for governance, because it’s not just one kind of candidate we’re looking for.” 

Godinho then invited the candidates to give rebuttals to their opponents’ statements on the fifth theme. 

Almeida said that he is currently in his fifth year of undergraduate studies largely because he “dedicated a year of [his] student experience to fight for students when [he] was elected as the VPA.”

Martel said that “when someone is really good at their job … there’s a way to continue and adapt those [ideas].” 

“I think restricting [executives and councillors] is wrong when you have students that are ever so passionate about being here and building up the passion for other students to be in these spaces,” she said. 

Sesek said that although he “cannot deny the merit that experience carries,” he believes “if we want to increase student participation in elections, it would benefit greatly from having lower term limits.”

Eigbe said the SU needs “fresh faces [and] someone that has had more time being an average student, facing average student problems, like needing bursaries.” 

Presidential candidates discuss maintaining relationships, inclusivity, infrastructure, priorities, term limits, and transition from EDI

SU staff asked the candidates, if they were elected and had to adopt one goal from an opponent’s platform, what they would add to their own goals for the year.

Eigbe said that she would take the inclusivity of people from minority groups from Martel’s platform. 

“I believe in inclusivity for people that you might think are being heard, but they are just being seen,” she said. 

Sesek mentioned that he does “like to take notes of all the things” his fellow candidates say, especially as it relates to “sensitive topics that [he is] not too well-versed in.”

Martel said that she would take the idea to “[expand] the food bank” to CSJ and Augustana from Eigbe’s platform. 

Almeida said that he likes Eigbe’s “comments around connecting with Augustana students,” Sesek’s ideas around “advocating for expanded library hours,” and “[Martel’s] march for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and [Girls] (MMIWG).” 

Current SU President Lisa Glock asked the candidates how they will build relationships and work with campus interest holders such as the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA), the Association of Academic Staff of the U of A (AASUA), Post Doctoral Fellows Association (PDFA), and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), and how they will leverage these relationships. 

Eigbe said that she plans to be “open-minded” and “positive” when building relationships. She said that she believes in “being an open-minded president — someone that is open to learn new things and be welcoming, excited, and positive.” 

Sesek said that he is going to use “constant communication” to maintain and keep relationships. He said that “at the end of the day, we all [have] to work together.” 

Martel said that she would focus on maintaining the SU’s relationship “when it comes to transitional work.” 

“I can speak on my own experience from the great relationship that ISU has with the Indigenous Students’ Graduate Association (IGSA) and how we work together on so many different advocacy points.”

Almeida said that “there’s a lot that [the SU] can do working alongside AASUA, NASA, [and] the GSA.” 

“Leveraging the relationships that have been further fostered this year will be key moving forward so that we can continue to make sure that student interest is at the forefront,” he said. 

An audience member asked the presidential candidates how they will help rebuild the relationship between the university administration and SU, given the recent actions that have been happening on campus. 

Eigbe referred to student safety concerns following the encampment removal in 2024 and said she believes in addressing such concerns.

Sesek said that “a couple of fresh individuals into office would help.”

Martel said that “there is a lot to be critical of, and I think that we can’t be too afraid of being too critical.”

“The university, again, needs to be held accountable, and they need to learn how to work with students rather than against them,” Martel said. 

Almeida said that the SU can “be a bridge between administration and students to hopefully help increase trust.” 

An audience member asked the candidates what they would do to advocate for investments in infrastructure.

Eigbe said that the SU needs to advocate to the provincial government for an increase in the university operating grant. 

Sesek did not answer the question. 

Martel said that the SU needs “to be a little bit more proactive when it comes to pest control, when it comes to asbestos, and how we can be better [at] cleaning our spaces.” 

Almeida said it is important for the university and the SU to “work together when advocating to the provincial government around capital project investments.” 

A member of the U of A Debate Society and volunteer on Nathan Thiessen’s campaign, asked the candidates what they will be prioritizing immediately, if they are elected. 

Eigbe said she would advocate for more bursaries, increasing the university’s operating grants, and increasing communication between faculties.

Sesek reiterated his main focus of lowering SU fees. 

“That does not mean cutting grants and money to the clubs and students here. It means utilizing the beautiful businesses we have at SUB.” 

Martel said that her biggest platform points right now are “transparency and adaptability.” 

“I think it is really important that [students] know right away exactly what [the] SU is doing and how we can contribute to helping each other and supporting each other’s initiatives,” she said. 

Almeida said that his key focuses are expanding OneCard access, ensuring student groups have better support, and continuing the work he did as VPA “around conversations on academic deferral policies.”

“But in all honesty, the reality is that I actually wouldn’t prioritize any of these from the get-go. What I would prioritize are the goals that my vice presidents bring forward, because ultimately, what I think makes for a successful president is empowering and helping their coworkers achieve their goals,” Almeida said. 

An executive on the Alberta Pharmacy Students’ Association (APSA) asked how they will ensure that their advocacy includes faculties that historically have a lower election turnout and less representation at the BoG, and empower them to get involved beyond the current programs that don’t usually reach these faculties. 

Eigbe said she believes in making the SU and its work more visible to different faculties. 

Sesek did not answer the question. 

Martel said that she seeks to expand the SU’s social media presence to different campuses and make it available in different languages. She also mentioned wanting to expand programs like the Stride Campaign School. 

Almeida said that he is committed to “reaching out to different groups so that they can come to council to express their concerns earlier on.” 

An audience member asked how the candidates plan to advocate for liberal-leaning programs, specifically in the arts, amidst a rise in the anti-liberal, right-leaning politics around the world. 

Eigbe said that she believes in “consulting with different faculties that specialize in liberal arts” to learn more about these students can be better supported. 

Sesek did not answer the question. 

Martel said that one thing that the SU can do is look into “more liberal arts programs, especially for faculties that don’t really have a lot of engagement with it.” 

Almeida said that it is important for the SU to help the university and AASUA in its fight for academic freedom. He added that the SU can “emphasize academic freedom” for liberal arts students. 

An audience member asked Sesek if he thinks a term limit of two or three years, as opposed to one year, would address some of the concerns that he raised with SU executives not having term limits. 

Sesek said that a “one year term limit might be a bit severe,” but he still thinks “there needs to be term limits.” 

Logan West, VPSL candidate, asked Sesek why he is positioning himself in opposition to his fellow candidates who are also running in this election, as opposed to positioning himself as future teammates. 

Sesek said that he is “a student who wants to represent students.” He also said that, if elected, he is going to “work hard with the other VPs, regardless of [their] ideologies.” 

Nate Goetz, vice-president (external) (VPX) candidate, asked the candidates’ thoughts on the university’s transition from equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to access, community, and belonging (ACB), and how that might affect their potential advocacy. 

Almeida said that “it is important for the SU to focus on the measures that the EDI policies reached for.” 

“We can call it whatever it is, but the goal is the objectives there,” he added. 

Martel said that “it really counteracts a lot of what the university was supposed to be.” She said that she wants to take a “student-centered approach” to “go out and see where this affects people.” 

Sesek did not answer the question. 

Eigbe said that she does not think the name change reflects “a huge difference” in the objectives of ACB compared to EDI. 

“I believe that the university should actually stick to their objectives, and it doesn’t really matter if we change the names, if we don’t change our actions, then it’s just a name we’re changing,” Eigbe said. 

The Gateway asked Sesek, if elected, how he plans to make sure that he fulfills his promise of a $10,000 salary cut in the face of possible pushback from within the SU and any other red tape. 

Sesek said that “at the end of the day … [he] did make a promise” to take a $10,000 salary cut. 

“I’m taking a personal $10,000 cut, no matter how I have to. If I have to pay it out flat and give it back to the SU, that’s how I’ll do it,” he said.

Candidates discuss advocating for change for students during closing statements  

In his closing statement, Almeida said that he is hoping to bring his experience from his roles as former VPA and president of the Interdepartmental Science Students’ Society (ISSS). 

“I have achieved change for students across different roles, and I hope to bring that experience to achieve change for students in the SU,” Almeida said. 

Sesek said that he has “been the only presidential candidate that presented a substantial platform with real points to help students.” 

“If I get even half of [my promises] done, I will have done more than the miserable job that has been done in the last two years,” he said. 

Martel said that “students need an SU that’s not just going to acknowledge the affordability crisis, but actively fight for real, long-term solutions.” 

“The SU needs to do more than just acknowledge these issues. It needs to lead the fight to solve them, and it needs to do it together with the rest of our campus associations,” she said. 

Eigbe said that she offers the SU “a fresh face, a passionate volunteer, and not-so-average student who comes with no bias with the UASU.”

“I bring you a bundle of positivity who projects our plans to the future to ensure that the next SU executives thank their predecessors for giving them a soft landing on SU,” Eigbe said.