Last week, the Your Carleton slate launched an appeal to the constitutional board of the electoral board decision that would see Ashley Courchene, the only elected executive not from Your Carleton’s slate, keep his seat on next year’s CUSA executive.
Your Carleton campaign manager Craig Handy has said Your Carleton is appealing the latest decision because it feels the information allowing Courchene to keep his seat was “tampered with” and the electoral board bowed to “media pressure.”
While the democratic process is important and it’s necessary that all parties involved be given the chance to appeal decisions, this is going too far. The Change slate has paid for their mistakes (they received no reimbursement for campaign expenses as a result of two violations) but Courchene was allowed to keep his seat. The decision has nothing to do with the Your Carleton slate, except the predominantly Your Carleton executive team will be working with Courchene next year. This appeal gives the perception that the team is unwilling to work with Courchene.
Whether that perception is true or not is beside the point. It reflects badly on our school to have student leaders squabbling over an elected seat. Should the appeal be denied, this incident is sure to foster an unpleasant working environment for both Courchene and the other executives, and deepen the existing divide. For a slate not involved in the incident to appeal that decision looks petty and doesn’t welcome Courchene to the team.
Your Carleton needs to start figuring out how they will create a cohesive executive team next year with Courchene. Students need an executive that will lead, and that should start now.
