Tania Smart
Studying: Accounting, third year
What’s your elevator pitch for students on why they should vote for you?
I genuinely do believe I’m the best qualified person for the job. Essentially right now I’m already writing policies and procedures at SUS, just for internal and financial. I spend a lot of time going over our policies and procedures and I really do understand what the position entails. I believe that I am capable of getting 12 months of work done in [the] six months that we have to hold this position before the next election. I’ve got a lot of plans of things I want to do, and they really do have the students’ best interests at heart, and I’m willing to hold myself, SUS, and students to a higher standard because of that.
Considering that VPI is mostly an internal role, how would you go about improving the communication between SUS and the student body about the work that you would be doing?
I would like to make it like a regular thing. SUS currently communicates at the end, so once a decision has been made, then they kind of make students aware of it. I’d like to move to more of a “This is where we’re wanting to go with this,” where students’ thoughts are [reached out for] before the decision has been finalized.
I do believe a lot of the policies and procedures are out of date. C&A [Clubs and Associations] has been changed and not updated. I think that should be more of a conversation rather than just like a monologue. There’s a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding, especially with the C&A. Students don’t necessarily understand it [what the system is] because it hasn’t been communicated properly. From the voices I’ve heard, it doesn’t line up with what students want. So let’s actually have a conversation and determine if that’s a possibility.
How do you feel about the way Clubs and Associations are currently run?
From the VPI perspective, you shouldn’t update the policy and not update procedure, and it needs to get cleaned up.
I do think there should be a dialogue and I’d like to push for, at the very least, a Q&A session between VP students, VPI, [and students], whether or not I’m elected. First let’s communicate what the system actually is. Because, from students that I’ve talked to, most of them are unaware of what the system actually is. Then clean it up so it’s in line with what they want. To a certain extent, there are things that students want that aren’t necessarily realistic. But at the same time at least then have that dialogue.
I think it’s unacceptable that we updated the policy and didn’t update the procedure and didn’t update any of the information on the website and didn’t communicate it to students when it happened until six months after it happened. And that was still not an official communication.
Are there any current SUS bylaws or policies that you would want to change and why?
I started going through the policies and procedures with a notebook when I first decided to run for VPI. There’s not a single one that doesn’t need at least one update of some sort.
Specifically the one that I had the most issues with is the student fees. I think a lot of students still feel like they have questions regarding their student fees. Especially, specifically with the SUS fees one, none of the links work. It’ll direct you to go and see this UFV policy and it just gets you 404 error. Again, that’s not okay.
I’d like a more uniform layout for all of them. SUS updated their marketing, so that needs to get updated, and again, it should be the same across the board in a professional looking manner, so it’s easy to read and quick to find what you’re looking for.
Is there anything in the past that SUS has done that you would’ve done differently or believe could have been done differently?
I think it comes down to communication. I believe that students should find out about things happening before it’s a final decision. There should be an opportunity for students to say, “Hey, that’s not in line with what we were wanting to do.” And I think there have been some big decisions made that it doesn’t come out until it’s already been finalized. I don’t necessarily think that students should vote on [everything] but at least should have the opportunity to email someone and be like, “Hey, this isn’t okay with me and I need you to have it on record that at least one student [disagrees].” I just feel like there’s been a lot of big decisions that don’t come out until the last minute. Whether or not I agree or disagree with the opinion, I think students should have the right to have a conversation about it and before it’s a done deal.
Ryan Chandler
Studying: Human resource management, fifth year
What’s your elevator pitch for students on why they should vote for you?
At the end of the day, I think they should vote for me because I’ve had some experience at the UFV Indian campus and I really appreciate the Indian culture and I feel like I could bring some of that back to Canada, back to the Abbotsford campus here, whether it’d be adding chai or Maggi, or whether it is maybe having a housing assistance program for Chandigarh students or any Indian student that comes over. I know that’s kind of a problem right now.
I’d treat clubs fairly and everything like that. I’ve been a UFV student for five years; I have some ideas of seeing this place grow.
I’m like every other UFV student. I know where to park for free. I get disgruntled when someone brings a huge thing of Triple O’s into a class after a break and just smells the whole entire place up. I want a 24-hour study space. I want an entrepreneurial day. I want the revitalization [of the cafeteria] with some Indian options.
Considering that VPI is mostly an internal role, how would you go about improving the communication between SUS and the student body about the work that you would be doing?
Literally the first person that I knew that got into the student union was G (Gurvir Gill), the old president and now one of the VPs [VP external]. But he was the only person that I ever knew in the student union in a high position. And I feel like that’s a problem. They need to be more out there and talking to the community and the students and seeing what they actually want.
I guess like the best way to really reach the students, you can take advantage of online platforms, but just getting out more and talking to them. If you tried to hit each department individually and then just kind of get like a survey of students from each and then collectively get the average opinion, that’s probably one of the best ways. I don’t know, something drastic though because in five years at UFV, no one has come up to me and asked me my individual thoughts on the student union and what they should do.
Are there any current SUS bylaws or policies that you would want to change and why?
I read a bit in the bylaws when I was applying to the position, but I don’t know too much about it. So that would be something I would kind of do if I get elected to the position. I feel like there needs to be more student opinion on what is included in their fees. Maybe there’s something additional that we’re not looking at that can be added.
I feel like there’s such a drawing small business sector in downtown Abbotsford. I feel like UFV can at least kind of join with that somewhat.
Is there anything in the past that SUS has done that you would’ve done differently or believe could have been done differently?
One thing that comes off the top of my head is just recruiting for this position, how it’s just an email and a little side thing on the myUFV website. That doesn’t draw enough attention to it. For a school of [around] 16,000 students across six different campuses, you would think there’d be more candidates for some of these positions and they’d be able to fill all the roles, but I don’t think they’re stressing the importance enough.
But people need to get more dug in at school. They can’t just treat it like, “Oh yeah, I have to do my two hours and 15 minutes and get the hell outta here.” I think there should definitely be more student involvement and I feel like SUS needs to stress that.
How do you feel about the way Clubs and Associations are currently run?
I know when I was talking to some of the World University Services of Canada (WUSC) members at their meeting, they were having some real problems with the student union — not being able to advertise a lot of their stuff and host events inside of the Student Union Building. I feel like that’s a problem.
But, it’s also like, kinda take everything with a grain of salt and examine each case individually. It’s an easy situation to just come down on these current vice presidents and presidents just like, “Oh, this sucks, this is completely your fault.” But like they’re in a sticky situations as well. I would examine each situation on a case-by-case basis, but in a favourable manner.
Images: Mikaela Collins/The Cascade
*** Both interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
