Welcome to SUS Election Platforms: 2020-2021
About This Site
POLLING IS OPEN FROM MARCH 12TH, 12AM TO MARCH 17, 5PM TO ALL FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND ARTS & SCIENCE STUDENTS AT ssmu.simplyvoting.com.Hi there!
Really this project was born out my frustration of having to be on Facebook and not having a centralized collection of all the candidates' platforms and the unfairness of having the number of Facebook friends you have determining how many people see your campaign page and many other things.
You can find an overviews of all of the candidates by position below or view one candidate's entire campaign from the sidebar. You can also find online copies of the SUS constitution and Elections By-Laws.
I will try my best to keep this as up-to-date as possible (probably once a day if midterms doesn't murder me). Thanks for stopping by to learn about the SUS executive council, SSMU Representative, and Science Senator candidates for the 2020-2021 academic year. I hope you find it helpful!
-Amanda
Overview
Name |
Running For |
Actionable Proposals in their Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney Merritt | President | Accountability (Rework Conflict of Interest Policy, SUS Accountability by-law, Accountability Committee); Streamline By-Laws; Accessibility of Documents |
| Sneha Shindi | VP Academic | 'Academic Report' on Important Committee Decisions; Academic Calendar; SUS Job Shadowing Program; Regular Polls on New Courses, Policy, Event Themes |
| Gretl Chan | VP Communications | Feedback System; Expand SUS Facebook Page & Social Media Presence; More & Better Advertised SUS General Assembly; Student-Submitted Memes on the Listservs; More Open/Frequent Office Hours |
| Arundhati Nair | VP Communications | Accessible & Streamlined Communications with Departmental Councils and Students; Bigger Role for FUSS; Fix SUS Website; Feedback System; More Open Hours |
| Maddie Avery | VP External | More & Accessible Sponsorship Oppurtunities; Alumni Network and Support for Students; After Hours on Campus |
| Andrew Lewis | VP External | More & Accessible Sponsorship Oppurtunities; Sharing List of Sponsors; Put Clubs in Touch with Businesses; After Hours Promotion |
| Rohan Bhutkar | VP Finance | Set Aside Some SUS Funds for High-Scoring Departments; Financially Internalizing Some Societies; Sharing Departmental Budgets; Going Cashless |
| Kobi Pollard | VP Internal | Sustainability; Accessibility (Financial support & Non-drinking alternatives & Health resources); More Diverse SIC Events; Clarify Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP) |
| Jared Warden-Joseph | VP Internal | Added Consent Training & Non-Drinking alternatives for Frosh; Work with Equity Commissioners on Interview Processes; (Reworking & Enforcement of) Involvement Restriction Policy (IRP); Sustainability; Approachability (Office Hours & Feedback) |
| Phuong Huynh | VP Sustainability | More Collaboration Between & Feedback from Student Groups with Similar Goals; More Sustainable Products throughout the Organization; Centralized Media Platform for Events Promotion; Feedback Form; 24/7 Student Mental Health Hotline |
| Sam Loutet | VP Sustainability | Support Divestment & Other Student Environmental Groups; Create Peer-Support for Mental Health; More Awareness of Local Wellness Advisors; More Sustainable Events (esp. Frosh); Events to Support Diversity in STEM |
| Maxine Wu | VP Sustainability | Ethical Business Practice Policy; Sustainable Workplace Certification; Sustainable Initiative Fund; More Collaboration with SSMU on Other Initiatives |
| Haoyi Qiu | SUS Senator | Open Educational Resources (Low-Cost, Online Course Materials); Improve Student Physical & Mental Health through Assessment & Exam Policies |
| Lorna Fernández | SSMU Representative | Open-Door Policy; Improvement of Facilities & Resources (Study Spaces & Mental Health) |
| Asa Kohn | SSMU Representative | Improving SSMU's Governance; More Democratic SSMU & SUS; Proportional Say for Science in SSMU; Protect Clubs from Food Sale Fees |
| Shivali Sood | SSMU Representative | Personal Growth; Accessible Student Feedback on Multiple Platforms; Poll Students Before Classes on Motions; Transparent Communications |
| Joy Zhang | SSMU Representative | More Welcoming Office Hours; Accessible Feedback Forms |
Election Resources
Chief Returning Officer (CRO)
The CRO is a non-voting member of the organization and reports directly to executive council or President(s). The CRO is responsible for all aspects of elections and referenda, from establishing voting procedures to the ruling on election matters like infractions.
Our current CRO is Matthew McLaughlin and can be reached at cro.sus@mail.mcgill.ca.
Documents
SUS Electoral and Referendum By-Laws
Amended Winter 2018.
Outlines the manner in which official elections of the SUS are conducted.
SUS Constitution
Amended Winter 2018.
Land Acknowledgement
I and all the candidates would like to acknowledge that this event takes place on the traditional territory of the Indigenous People, Kanien'keha:ka, the keepers of the Eastern Door of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The island known as Montreal is known as Tio’tia:ke in the language of the Kanien’kehá:ka, and has historically served as a meeting place for other Indigenous nations. It is not enough to just acknowledge the keepers of this land and McGill’s status as a settler-colonial institution. As such, we should actively resist (neo)-colonialism in the many forms it takes, and in the diversity of forms that resistance can take.
Not Just Acknowledging the Keepers of This Land
(I'm always frustrated by posturing, and so I wanted to link a charity that is doing really great work in Indigenous spaces: Indspire)
One of the many issues that Indigenous communities in Canada face is the lack of accessible higher education, compounded with its high cost. In 2014, it was estimated that fewer than 10% of Indigenous people between the ages of 25 and 64 have a post-secondary degree. Indspire is a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people by providing bursaries, scholarships, mentoring, educator resources, and more. 90% of Indspire students graduate and their work has been highly rated for accountability, transparency, and cost-efficiency by Charity Intelligence Canada and Maclean's. Check them out!
SUS' Mandate
Representation The SUS shall act as organization to represent and promote the welfare and interests of all students in the Faculty of Science and Faculty of Arts and Science at McGill University. It shall serve as the official voice of the undergraduate Science students at McGill and shall always act in the best interests of the members. The SUS shall also act as an umbrella organization to coordinate and support the departments in the Faculty of Science and provide them with the resources to best represent and provide for members in their departments.
Service The SUS shall provide activities and services to enhance the educational, cultural, and social conditions of its members. The Society shall be recognized by its members and the Students' Society, Senate, and Board of Governors of McGill University as representative of all undergraduate science students at McGill University (Downtown campus).