What qualifications do candidates need?
“[Candidates] do need to meet a certain CGPA just because … it’s a full-time position, so they need to be in good standing with UFV. They need to be a current UFV student [and] they need to have a minimum CGP of three if they’re running for one of the [executive] positions … and they [must have] no current charges with UFV security … [or] any conflict of interest.”
What happens during the campaign period?
“During this time, we host three different types of events, and the idea for those events is to give all the candidates a fair opportunity to engage with the students and for the students to come and see who their candidates are.
“The first event that we do is the candidates tabling. This event is going to happen on Feb. 11 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., and is going to happen at the Chilliwack campus … in the atrium [of] Building A … and [candidates will] be talking to students about their platforms.
“Then we have the candidates debate … [which] is happening Feb. 12, and is going to start at 10 a.m. … it’s going to happen right in the SUB, in Evered Hall.
“With the debate, usually the theme is one question, which is the same question that is asked to all the candidates [for the same position]. Then the second question is specific to their candidate statement, which is submitted by them … [and] there’s a time limit of how much they get to answer those questions.
“The third event that we have is a Q&A session which is going to be on Feb. 23 from four p.m to six p.m., and that’s going to happen on [the] second floor, at the SUB hub. It’s going to be a drop by session where all the candidates will be there [and] it’s going to be an opportunity for students to come and ask any questions to their candidates.”
How can students vote?
“It’s very simple, every student gets an online ballot, [and] the voting period is from the second of March till the fifth of March … they get an e-mail on their student e-mail [and] it’s going to be a unique online ballot that they get … so [they] can’t use that to vote multiple times.
“There’s going to be an option to spoil your ballot in case you don’t agree with any of the platforms that are there … For the executive positions, you can only choose one option, and for the student reps at large, you can choose multiple options because those are more positions on the board. And this year we’ll be running a referendum [which] is also going to be part of the same voting link.
“This year we’re running a referendum on the health and dental fees … [asking if] you support increasing the fee to $249 per year with CPI indexing to maintain the current benefits. The health and dental plan fee has remained unchanged for the past 12 years, and an option to opt out will still remain available for students with equivalent coverage.”
Why is it important to have annual SUS elections?
“It’s important to host the elections every single year because you get the change in leadership, and because students graduate … It just wouldn’t make sense for somebody who is not a UFV student to make decisions for the UFV students. So that’s why we run a one-year term for all the students, which starts from May 1 [and] It goes on to Apr. 30.”
What advice would you give to candidates?
“Be true to yourself, know why you’re running, and know that when the students vote for you, it’s not just a four-day event where students vote and then they’ll forget about you. They’ll remember the promises that you’re trying to make … If you’re genuine, students see that there is a legitimate reason why you weren’t able to do what you wish you could have done during your term. So just give it your best.”
The candidates for 2026 are as follows:
Tanvir Hundal, Eeman Kaur and Gurpreet Singh for SUS President. Prabujot Bagri, Trimaan Singh Bhatti, Toshit Dawar, and Prasoon Tyagi for Vice President Internal. Arveen Bhatti, Zack Castiglia, and Manmeet Chhabra for Vice President External. Jahan Arora, Soum Majumdar, Saif Qazilbash, and Mridul Sharma for Vice President Students.
Candidates for Student Representatives at Large include: Chloe Boughen, Amtoj Brar, Gurarmaan Dhillon, Balkarn Singh Gill, Prabcharn Singh Mahal, Josh Parson, Pranya Rana, Rudhar Sachdeva, Mayur Sharma and Abhayjeet Singh.
Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.