VPSL candidates’ Campus Saint-Jean shortfalls are an issue

Vice-president (student life) (VPSL) candidates Talia Dixon and Daniela Carbajal were both under fire at the Campus Saint-Jean (CSJ) forum for their platforms.

Up to this point, both candidates have had generally consistent performances at forums. Dixon was criticized by audience questions for inaccurate information in her platform, whereas Carbajal was criticized for poorly translating her platform to French. While they both apologized multiple times for their shortcomings at the forum, this issue cannot be taken lightly.

Let it be known that at last year’s election, a total of 169 people from CSJ voted. This statistic should be a reminder to all candidates — they need to put significantly more effort into their platforms in order to secure votes.

The error in Dixon’s platform pertained to not knowing about the gender neutral bathrooms that had already been created at CSJ. Dixon took full responsibility for the false statements, and for not paying attention to specific CSJ issues.

Dixon also admitted the mistake of not consulting with the Association des universitaires de la Faculté Saint-Jean (AUFSJ) about their platform. They felt that their consultations with AUFSJ for last year’s VPSL run felt like a compulsory campaign goal, rather than authentic. This year, Dixon instead only consulted with former AUFSJ president and current councillor Eric Einarson and abided with feedback to create a separate CSJ platform document.

This is certainly an aspect of Dixon’s campaign where not enough due diligence was done. The only way to make certain campaign tasks authentic is to direct enough attention to them. And as it is a part of the University of Alberta, CSJ should have received as much notice as other campuses and causes.

Carbajal stated that she is getting assistance from CSJ students in revising her platform. Although CSJ students had every right to criticize, it must be acknowledged that Carbajal is running her campaign by herself with no volunteer assistance or campaign managers. This is definitely an obstacle that just shows how many tasks need to be completed in order to run a competent campaign.

Additionally, Carbajal started consulting with the AUFSJ about her platform prior to campaigning. While this does not guarantee how Carbajal would perform in office, it is a good indicator of how she builds connections.

Future Students’ Union Executive candidates must take the needs of CSJ seriously. They should take inspiration from Eric Einarson’s vice-president (academic) campaign last year to see how a CSJ student treats their campaigning. Otherwise, the SU will never win CSJ’s trust.