It’s that time of year again: the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) elections.
From being accosted by smiling, flyer-wielding candidates and canvassers to seeing party logos and candidates’ faces plastered on the walls, it’s true the campaigning can get annoying.
But despite the inconvenience of being stopped on the way to class to get handed a flyer and being forced to listen to dubious political promises, students need to pay more attention so they can vote knowledgeably.
The annual CUSA elections are an opportunity for students to have a say in how some of their tuition gets spent. Every undergraduate student pays about $118.76 a year as part of their tuition towards CUSA services (excluding the U-Pass and health insurance).
The CUSA elections are a way for students to decide how their $118.76 gets spent and to elect students they trust with managing that money.
CUSA has so much effect on the day-to-day life of the student body. Minority groups benefit greatly from the service centres CUSA funds and manages. Students also often frequent its businesses, whether they grab a bite to eat from Rooster’s or buy their textbooks from Haven. Executives and members of clubs often rely on CUSA for funding their various activities and events.
Given the financial cost and the services of CUSA, it only makes sense the student body should care about who gets to run such a large and influential organization at Carleton.
However, cynicism and apathy seem to be the main attitude Carleton students adapt during CUSA election time. Last year’s elections only had a 26.6 per cent voter turnout—about 6,800 students had more of a say in how CUSA manages our money than the rest of the approximately 23,000 eligible voters.
In the 2013 election, even fewer students voted—about 4,500 votes with 1,000 spoiled ballots.
Students have expressed dissatisfaction, disillusionment, and disdain for how CUSA has been run over the years.
But there are no politics that affect us greater than those which occur closest to us. The CUSA elections directly affect our tuition bills and our everyday lives as students. CUSA candidates are students who have experienced this alongside us and presumably want to make it better through CUSA.
Take the time to talk to them, see their platforms, and ask critically about their plans. Think about who best will bring forward your Carleton. Decide who will bring real leadership to CUSA.
We must be eager to bring about the change we want to see from CUSA on campus, and voting on Jan. 27-28 is one first, small step we can take.
