Dear York University students,

It has come to our attention that Brittany Smyth, president of our student’s association here at Carleton, was sighted on your Keele campus.

Though her job description is to represent us as a student body, we did not send her to York on our behalf. It was as much of a surprise to us that she was there as it probably was to you.

We are aware that she was campaigning for a York Federation of Students slate in your student election. We do not, however, condone her actions as president of our students’ association getting involved with an election more than 400 km away, at another university.

While it seems she is on vacation and contractually has every right to spend that time as she chooses, it doesn’t mean Smyth gets to forget who she represents – a.k.a Carleton students, not York ones.

Really what it all boils down to is, here at Carleton, we’re sick of being the running joke as far as student associations go and we’re getting a little tired of having to defend ourselves.

After a school year of poor decisions, botched motions and impeachment petitions, it seemed depressingly inevitable that our student election wouldn’t run smoothly.

However, we sincerely hope that over at York, you may stand that chance. If someone in this province can attempt to have a fair student election we, as students who believe in an actual democracy, would like to see that happen.

Thus, it is somewhat begrudgingly that we receive Smyth back to Ottawa. We hope that, from now on, executives from the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) learn that you don’t just get let off the hook when you’re in the public eye.

It should be said for the last time (we hope) that it’s time they start representing the best interests and needs of the student body that elected them.

Yours truly,
The Charlatan