The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) ratified their chief electoral officer (CEO) and deputy electoral officers (DEO) at an emergency meeting on Nov. 19.
Matthew Swain was hired as CEO. Damola Adeyemo and Nada Ibrahim were hired as DEOs. The three officers were recommended by CUSA’s hiring committee, and council voted on them at the meeting.
The officers were hired earlier in the year than usual in order to hold a referendum in early December to ask students if they support an increase in the clubs and societies levy.
The motion to ratify the officers was put forward at CUSA’s Nov. 11 meeting, but was postponed when some members of the council said the process was rushed, and the hiring committee hadn’t followed CUSA’s hiring policy.
The committee interviewed the candidates again with a set list of questions, and put forward the motion for the second time at the emergency meeting.
Councillor Adam Carroll requested for voting on the committee’s recommendations to be done by secret ballot rather than a show of hands.
Just before the vote, CUSA president Fahd Alhattab stood up to say he was unsure if voting was the best course of action after the hiring committee had already reviewed the candidates, while the council hadn’t, and added he felt the request was due to “certain people [having] certain interests.”
Later on, he said he was disappointed to see an issue concerning clubs and societies being politicized.
Former councillor Genesse Walker-Scace, who had applied for the CEO position, said in an interview, “An executive speaking out against what councillors have asked to do shows a bit of animosity between executives and councillors.”
Minutes after Swain was ratified as CEO, he stood in front of council to read out the writ for the upcoming referendum question.
