The unofficial results of the MSU 2007 presidential election have been tabulated. Your new MSU president for 2007-2008 will be Ryan Moran.
A total of 3638 votes were cast in the election, which also included a referendum question relating to the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.
Votes are calculated using a preferential voting method. All the first choice votes are counted for each candidate, and the candidate with the least amount of first place votes is dropped off the list and the second place choice on his/her ballot is given the votes until one candidate receives at least fifty per cent of the total number of valid votes that chose a candidate plus one. The total number of votes minus abstentions and invalid votes was 3416.
Tyler Andrews: 991
Jax Cavalheiro: 741
Emery Finkelstein: 341
Badar Malik: 580
Drew Mitchell: 430
Ryan Moran: 1777
Spoiled: 193
Abstain: 677
Friday, February 9, 2007
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Rumour Mill
From the MSU website...
Election results still pending.
The elections committee has recessed and no decision on the winner of the MSU Presidential election has been made. The committee will reconvene tomorrow afternoon, Friday, February 9th.
There have been rumours of the election being invalidated. Please share your rumours, thoughts and conspiracy theories...
Election results still pending.
The elections committee has recessed and no decision on the winner of the MSU Presidential election has been made. The committee will reconvene tomorrow afternoon, Friday, February 9th.
There have been rumours of the election being invalidated. Please share your rumours, thoughts and conspiracy theories...
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Monday, February 5, 2007
President George addresses need for more government funding
McMaster Daily News
January 30, 2007
President Peter George made a presentation to the province's Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs in Hamilton yesterday as part of the committee's 2007 pre-budget consultations. He was commenting on the need for more government funding for undergraduate students, reform of the university funding formula and deferred maintenance costs.
"The application numbers show that more and more people want to attend university and an increasing number of students are choosing McMaster," said President George. "The government has been very successful at increasing application numbers, but it's not providing the funding for all of those students. It's putting McMaster and many other universities in an increasingly difficult financial position. The quality of university education and the province's future prosperity are at stake and I wanted the Standing Committee to have a very clear picture of the problem and what steps need to be taken to find long term solutions."
Ontario universities are grappling with an influx of 14,000 students in 2006/07 who are not being funded by the government. President George said the enrolment increase has resulted in a $100 million funding shortfall in 2006/07 and that will only increase in subsequent years.
Please click here to read President George's presentation to the committee.
January 30, 2007
President Peter George made a presentation to the province's Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs in Hamilton yesterday as part of the committee's 2007 pre-budget consultations. He was commenting on the need for more government funding for undergraduate students, reform of the university funding formula and deferred maintenance costs.
"The application numbers show that more and more people want to attend university and an increasing number of students are choosing McMaster," said President George. "The government has been very successful at increasing application numbers, but it's not providing the funding for all of those students. It's putting McMaster and many other universities in an increasingly difficult financial position. The quality of university education and the province's future prosperity are at stake and I wanted the Standing Committee to have a very clear picture of the problem and what steps need to be taken to find long term solutions."
Ontario universities are grappling with an influx of 14,000 students in 2006/07 who are not being funded by the government. President George said the enrolment increase has resulted in a $100 million funding shortfall in 2006/07 and that will only increase in subsequent years.
Please click here to read President George's presentation to the committee.
Election Predictions
The campaign is over and now its time to vote... how do you think the vote will end up? Closest to the actual results gets a beer from me.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
What questions do you have for the final debate?
The final debate is tomorrow, Monday Feb 5th in the MUSC atrium from 12-3pm. This is the big one supposedly, hopefully some students come out.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Friday, February 2, 2007
Tyler Andrews is The Silhouette's pick
In the long time I have been here, this has always been a contender candidate. How will it work out for Tyler?
Thursday, February 1, 2007
The Silhouette - The world of the MSU President according to Tommy Piribauer
TOMMY PIRIBAUER
FORMER MSU PRESIDENT
Do you care that MSU presidentials are taking place right now? With an average voter turnout of roughly 3000 students, presidential elections, and by extension the position itself, has become less important in the minds of the average undergraduate student.
Candidates come out with their campaign promises, catch phrases (ones that tend to put the MSU with U or You), suggest they’re going to bring back accountability and transparency, campaign ideas that mirror years past, and bring vastly different abilities to lead, advocate, and champion causes.
The Silhouette drafted a list of questions for the candidates to answer. These questions were one-sided at best and biased and self-serving at worst. Take the question “If you are elected, would you commit to stepping down from your position if 80 per cent of your campaign platform goals are not completed by January 2008?
If I were to re-run, I would say that 1) not all campaign promises can be measured equally in terms of their importance or their ability to be completed in 8-months, and 2) campaign promises are not completed one after another. Rather, the summer is for the groundwork, the fall for consultation, and the spring for proper implementation.
The following is background information I think is important for students to judge the candidates’ responses to each of the questions.
The MSU has benefited from surplus funding due to rising enrollment (without a matching increase in MSU spending), increased Union Market revenue, and a decrease in full-time staff wages. The membership should make a philosophical decision as to whether all money contributed in a given year should be spent on student services that year or the next, or whether it is reasonable to save for future years. Bursary contribution has been a popular suggestion. Keep in mind, however, that you need to contribute to a fund to start a bursary, and only the interest can be given out each year. Thus, a $200,000 surplus invested in bursaries would likely only generate $10,000 in bursaries per year at best. Student jobs are perhaps a more immediate and more beneficial option to student financial need.
Some MSU services are in a deficit, not because they are poorly run, but because of other factors. In the case of Quarters, the MSU is still paying off considerable amortization on the amount that was spent to build and furnish the space in the Student Centre. It also makes decisions (such as having a particular event) that are less profitable than a bar night, but that better serves the broad student demographic.
Student parking is always on the radar as a hot topic. With the campus unable to expand much more, precedence should be placed on academic buildings when it comes last remaining land. A parking garage has been suggested, but would cost in excess of $30,000-$50,000 per spot to construct. Imagine how much would have to be charged per year to make up that cost plus the interest to finance it, in addition to the question of whether it’s the best use of space.
The idea that “I have been in the MSU, and therefore have much less of a learning curve” has been carbon copied on every campaign run by a Vice-President (admittedly mine included). MSU experience is valuable, but not essential, and certainly not required. The MSU has thirty full-time staff to help the President-elect adapt to their new position. A strong leader with a good understanding of student issues and a proven record of getting the job done is the important part of the resume. The rest can be filled in along the way.
The MSU President is placed in meetings with University Administration, Board of Governors, department managers and community groups, most often as one of only a few student representatives. The President is always at the disadvantage of not knowing past precedence or decisions made to date. The MSU President needs to be able to stand up to pressure, be clear in vocalizing the student opinion, research topics being discussed, and question information and evidence that is put forth. A president that buckles under the pressure or is unprepared will not serve students well.
The MSU President needs to communicate with you. Resources and mediums are in place or can be available to get any message across. Your MSU President needs to have a plan of communication and the willingness to seek out new methods in order to reach students on matters of importance.
The MSU President needs to be able to solicit student opinion. It does no good for the MSU President to advocate a position, if it is not truly the position of the majority of students. New methods for feedback generation and consultation need to be devised to ensure that your student government is representing your interests.
The MSU can easily survive without an MSU President for a year. Electing a president who can simply attend meetings, put out fires and maintain the status quo is no better than electing no one at all. The difference that a President makes is evident in the ideas they bring, the way they lead and motivate others, the positive changes they initiate, and the degree to which student input has been received and implemented. Electing a strong leader will have a lasting impact on your student experience.
FORMER MSU PRESIDENT
Do you care that MSU presidentials are taking place right now? With an average voter turnout of roughly 3000 students, presidential elections, and by extension the position itself, has become less important in the minds of the average undergraduate student.
Candidates come out with their campaign promises, catch phrases (ones that tend to put the MSU with U or You), suggest they’re going to bring back accountability and transparency, campaign ideas that mirror years past, and bring vastly different abilities to lead, advocate, and champion causes.
The Silhouette drafted a list of questions for the candidates to answer. These questions were one-sided at best and biased and self-serving at worst. Take the question “If you are elected, would you commit to stepping down from your position if 80 per cent of your campaign platform goals are not completed by January 2008?
If I were to re-run, I would say that 1) not all campaign promises can be measured equally in terms of their importance or their ability to be completed in 8-months, and 2) campaign promises are not completed one after another. Rather, the summer is for the groundwork, the fall for consultation, and the spring for proper implementation.
The following is background information I think is important for students to judge the candidates’ responses to each of the questions.
The MSU has benefited from surplus funding due to rising enrollment (without a matching increase in MSU spending), increased Union Market revenue, and a decrease in full-time staff wages. The membership should make a philosophical decision as to whether all money contributed in a given year should be spent on student services that year or the next, or whether it is reasonable to save for future years. Bursary contribution has been a popular suggestion. Keep in mind, however, that you need to contribute to a fund to start a bursary, and only the interest can be given out each year. Thus, a $200,000 surplus invested in bursaries would likely only generate $10,000 in bursaries per year at best. Student jobs are perhaps a more immediate and more beneficial option to student financial need.
Some MSU services are in a deficit, not because they are poorly run, but because of other factors. In the case of Quarters, the MSU is still paying off considerable amortization on the amount that was spent to build and furnish the space in the Student Centre. It also makes decisions (such as having a particular event) that are less profitable than a bar night, but that better serves the broad student demographic.
Student parking is always on the radar as a hot topic. With the campus unable to expand much more, precedence should be placed on academic buildings when it comes last remaining land. A parking garage has been suggested, but would cost in excess of $30,000-$50,000 per spot to construct. Imagine how much would have to be charged per year to make up that cost plus the interest to finance it, in addition to the question of whether it’s the best use of space.
The idea that “I have been in the MSU, and therefore have much less of a learning curve” has been carbon copied on every campaign run by a Vice-President (admittedly mine included). MSU experience is valuable, but not essential, and certainly not required. The MSU has thirty full-time staff to help the President-elect adapt to their new position. A strong leader with a good understanding of student issues and a proven record of getting the job done is the important part of the resume. The rest can be filled in along the way.
The MSU President is placed in meetings with University Administration, Board of Governors, department managers and community groups, most often as one of only a few student representatives. The President is always at the disadvantage of not knowing past precedence or decisions made to date. The MSU President needs to be able to stand up to pressure, be clear in vocalizing the student opinion, research topics being discussed, and question information and evidence that is put forth. A president that buckles under the pressure or is unprepared will not serve students well.
The MSU President needs to communicate with you. Resources and mediums are in place or can be available to get any message across. Your MSU President needs to have a plan of communication and the willingness to seek out new methods in order to reach students on matters of importance.
The MSU President needs to be able to solicit student opinion. It does no good for the MSU President to advocate a position, if it is not truly the position of the majority of students. New methods for feedback generation and consultation need to be devised to ensure that your student government is representing your interests.
The MSU can easily survive without an MSU President for a year. Electing a president who can simply attend meetings, put out fires and maintain the status quo is no better than electing no one at all. The difference that a President makes is evident in the ideas they bring, the way they lead and motivate others, the positive changes they initiate, and the degree to which student input has been received and implemented. Electing a strong leader will have a lasting impact on your student experience.
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