The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) council met on March 1 to discuss feedback on last month’s general election.
Frano Cavar, the chief electoral officer (CEO) for this year’s CUSA elections, issued an official announcement on the election results before answering questions and listening to feedback from council members regarding the election.
Yannick Brisebois, faculty of engineering and design councillor, likened the executive debate to a pep rally, and suggested future debates should be held in closed spaces with mandatory seating, such as the Kailash Mital Theatre, to stop them from becoming too rowdy.
The process surrounding the electoral violations reporting process was also a major theme of the discussion period.
“There is a fine line between transparency and impartiality,” Cavar said, responding to criticism of the electoral office’s refusal to state potential violations. “If we talk about violations it could be seen as a breach of impartiality.”
Arts and social sciences councillor Ruth Lau-Macdonald highlighted the issues posed by the irregular office hours held by the electoral office during election week, and asked that the CEO’s interpretation of the electoral code be made available to students for future elections.
Several other aspects of the electoral process were brought up, such as the lack of explanation on the ballot of the difference between a vote of no confidence and an abstention, and One Carleton slate candidates’ and volunteers’ use of CUSA offices and service centers for organization.
The meeting also saw Caitlin Salvino, founder of the Carleton Human Rights Society and chair of CUSA’s sexual violence policy framework committee, speak on the group’s proposed changes to the university’s sexual violence policy.
Lau-Macdonald also spoke about the issue of recent vandalism directed towards Carleton’s Armenian Students’ Association.
CUSA vice-president (finance) David Andrews spoke about the possibilities for defederation from the Canadian Federation of Students.
The women’s only gym hour campaign was also discussed during the meeting. Vice-president (student services) Ashley Courchene, expressed support in light of the success of the campaign.
“We hope to continue working towards creating a safer space for women,” he said.
But Graduate Students’ Association president Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah highlighted the temporary condition of the available hours, as their implementation is currently a pilot project run by the university to evaluate usage.
– File photo
