Require a Fair RSU Election
Require a Fair RSU Election
The Issue
The RSU has broken multiple by-laws and the election is, as a result unfair, and the university needs to step in.
CRO Applying Rules Unfairly to Help Incumbent Team
The CRO expressly forbids campaigning in residence and has for years. Last year a team received the following warning after being accused of going door to door in residence:
"A student has come forward as a witness, who claims that a few members from your team were campaigning in the Daphne complex. According to the complaint you folks went door to door to campaign and waited at people's doors for them to vote. This is EXTREMELY concerning... The other team very respectfully sent in a request in the beginning of the campaigning period to make the rounds at the Residence buildings, and I vehemently denied their request because of the above stated concerns.
You have put me in a very very difficult position, and I have no choice but to investigate the matter. I sincerely hope there is no merit to this claim. But if any of their claims are true, your team is in serious trouble."
This year however, despite the rules being the same on both RSU's end and residence's, the CRO has ruled that the Vote Forward team did not break any rules despite the fact they did the exact thing that used to be "extremely concerning" and blatantly against the rules.
The CRO has also ignored complaints from scores of students who's numbers or DMs were spammed with texts telling them to vote for Forward.
CRO Approving Misleading Content
The CRO has approved the incumbent team to DM and have on their website the phrase "register to vote here" which leads to a google form that requires your phone number. There is a consent question but since the form is presented as required to register to vote, the election content is very misleading to students who know nothing of the election.
Number of positions not determined on time
Despite the same CRO being re-hired from last year who would be aware of this rule because it was brought up last year, this rule was ignored again this year.
6.8 The Chief Returning Officer shall determine the number of Student Faculty Directors and their distribution at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the election.
Not enough election notice
Right from the start, the incumbents were guaranteed an advantage. The earliest the RSU advertised the election was on January 21st via RSU newsletter. Nominations opened 3 days later on the 24th in blatant violation of RSU By-Laws:
6.1 The Directors shall be elected by and from the members of the Students’ Union during the winter semester of each academic year. General Elections shall take place before the first week of April, and notice of the date of the election and the nomination procedures shall be given to members at least fourteen (14) days prior to the start of the nomination period.
6.49 The advertising of vacancies for these positions listed in bylaw 6.48 shall occur at least two (2) weeks prior to the opening of nominations. The nomination forms will be available on the date of opening of nominations and shall continue to be available until the date of the closing of nominations.
Election appeal committee appointed at illegitimate RSU meeting
The election appeal committee was voted in at an RSU meeting that only had 10 of 21 members present, therefore not meeting quorum.
The CRO did not appoint the election appeal committee in time
6.41 The first meeting of the Election Appeals Committee shall be held no less
than one week prior to the campaign period
And so much more...
These election issues are only the most recent examples of RSU ignoring their policies. RSU has been breaking their own policies for years and students are unable to participate in their own students' union.
The university must step in and require the rules be applied fairly. Candidates have been caught committing multiple violations that are disqualification worthy in our eyes and based on previous year CRO decisions. X University should appoint an impartial CRO to moderate this election and require the RSU to follow their policies.
News articles as sources:
https://ontherecordnews.ca/rsu-elections-inaccessible-criticize-candidates-and-students/
https://theeyeopener.com/2022/02/editorial-eye-anti-endorses-forward-slate/
The Issue
The RSU has broken multiple by-laws and the election is, as a result unfair, and the university needs to step in.
CRO Applying Rules Unfairly to Help Incumbent Team
The CRO expressly forbids campaigning in residence and has for years. Last year a team received the following warning after being accused of going door to door in residence:
"A student has come forward as a witness, who claims that a few members from your team were campaigning in the Daphne complex. According to the complaint you folks went door to door to campaign and waited at people's doors for them to vote. This is EXTREMELY concerning... The other team very respectfully sent in a request in the beginning of the campaigning period to make the rounds at the Residence buildings, and I vehemently denied their request because of the above stated concerns.
You have put me in a very very difficult position, and I have no choice but to investigate the matter. I sincerely hope there is no merit to this claim. But if any of their claims are true, your team is in serious trouble."
This year however, despite the rules being the same on both RSU's end and residence's, the CRO has ruled that the Vote Forward team did not break any rules despite the fact they did the exact thing that used to be "extremely concerning" and blatantly against the rules.
The CRO has also ignored complaints from scores of students who's numbers or DMs were spammed with texts telling them to vote for Forward.
CRO Approving Misleading Content
The CRO has approved the incumbent team to DM and have on their website the phrase "register to vote here" which leads to a google form that requires your phone number. There is a consent question but since the form is presented as required to register to vote, the election content is very misleading to students who know nothing of the election.
Number of positions not determined on time
Despite the same CRO being re-hired from last year who would be aware of this rule because it was brought up last year, this rule was ignored again this year.
6.8 The Chief Returning Officer shall determine the number of Student Faculty Directors and their distribution at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the election.
Not enough election notice
Right from the start, the incumbents were guaranteed an advantage. The earliest the RSU advertised the election was on January 21st via RSU newsletter. Nominations opened 3 days later on the 24th in blatant violation of RSU By-Laws:
6.1 The Directors shall be elected by and from the members of the Students’ Union during the winter semester of each academic year. General Elections shall take place before the first week of April, and notice of the date of the election and the nomination procedures shall be given to members at least fourteen (14) days prior to the start of the nomination period.
6.49 The advertising of vacancies for these positions listed in bylaw 6.48 shall occur at least two (2) weeks prior to the opening of nominations. The nomination forms will be available on the date of opening of nominations and shall continue to be available until the date of the closing of nominations.
Election appeal committee appointed at illegitimate RSU meeting
The election appeal committee was voted in at an RSU meeting that only had 10 of 21 members present, therefore not meeting quorum.
The CRO did not appoint the election appeal committee in time
6.41 The first meeting of the Election Appeals Committee shall be held no less
than one week prior to the campaign period
And so much more...
These election issues are only the most recent examples of RSU ignoring their policies. RSU has been breaking their own policies for years and students are unable to participate in their own students' union.
The university must step in and require the rules be applied fairly. Candidates have been caught committing multiple violations that are disqualification worthy in our eyes and based on previous year CRO decisions. X University should appoint an impartial CRO to moderate this election and require the RSU to follow their policies.
News articles as sources:
https://ontherecordnews.ca/rsu-elections-inaccessible-criticize-candidates-and-students/
https://theeyeopener.com/2022/02/editorial-eye-anti-endorses-forward-slate/
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Petition created on January 17, 2022