This semester had two major events. The first would be the annual electoral cycle of the following: Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), Rideau-River Residence Association (RRRA), Board of Governors and Carleton Academic Students’ Government (CASG).
The other was Students’ Against Israeli Apartheid’s (SAIA) campaign for divestment. Both events shook up the ground at Carleton. Both had some interesting events. Both will have a huge impact on the school year to come.

With this year’s CUSA elections, I can’t believe I’m actually writing this but, there were no electoral problems. No disqualifications! The elections weren’t exactly without some controversy though. There were allegations of bias and arbitrary rule changes. There were also homophobic slurs used against now councillor-elect Dustin Hutton-Alcorn. However, in the end, nobody was disqualified for whatever reason.

RRRA, on the other hand, was not as clean. A Better Rez was disqualified after winning the election,because one of the candidates’ scrutineers  touched a ballot box. Under normal circumstances, this would be completely valid.
However, she was never informed of this, and she was actually asked to do so by one of the workers in the electoral office. So naturally, this was appealed, and A Better Rez threatened legal action. This, however, was not necessary since a re-election was held, and A Better Rez came out on top again.

The BoG election saw a huge turnout and defeated CUSA candidate Alexander Golovko come out on top. In second place was defeated RRRA candidate George Parry. Both will assume office soon. The election had accusations of an attempted breach which led current BoG student representatives to come out and say they do not trust the integrity of online elections.
To them, I will say, I do not trust the integrity of paper ballots, especially those run by students. History has made me hold this opinion. Also, weren’t they all for being “green”? Why waste paper printing thousands of paper ballots to have them all thrown out after? Another issue I observed was the very obvious slate-like behaviour of Sagal Osman and George Parry. They shared volunteers. They had similar campaign materials. They sent out Facebook messages asking for joint support. And issued a joint statement on the alleged breach of the elections. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it must be a … you get my point.

Finally, there were the CASG elections. Under rules put into place by Andrew Monkhouse several years ago, CUSA and RRRA executives were prohibited from running for CASG executive. For those of you who do not know, CASG is the body that chooses your representatives for the department and faculty boards, and only its elected representatives can represent you on the Senate.
For the first time in a while, there was a slate of CUSA councillors running for CASG executive. Interesting ideas were put forward, but the big problem with many of them was that CASG is an academic body, not a political one, and some may have gotten that part of the mandate confused with CUSA, which, oddly enough, has in its constitution responsibility for academic matters as well. Anyways, a slate of active CASG representatives led by Alexander Golovko were elected for next year.

SAIA came this year strong. They had a game plan in mind in their attempt to move forward with boycott, divestment and sanctions of the state of Israel. They researched their stuff, provided a specific list of companies that they believed were in violation of international law. Now without looking at the validity of their argument, I will look at the tactics they used to further their cause.
First, they came to CUSA. At CUSA, they presented their motion to call for support for BDS. However, they filled councillors’ inboxes with thousands of emails. That’s annoying. Then, at the meeting, they were loud, disruptive, and acted like a wild mob. That’s threatening. You just don’t do that if you want to get someone to support you.

Then we move to the Board of Governors. The agenda had no mention of the BDS campaign, because it was not the wish of the Board. The board is autonomous and works on what it wants to. The budget is far more important. Carleton University has no foreign affairs wing.
So when SAIA heard that their motion was not going to be heard, they protested. Which is their right. What, however, was wrong was the physical threat they posed to elderly people who volunteer their time to assist the university in its affairs. They prevented the body from meeting, and worst of all, promised to keep going back to the BoG until the university divests.
This won’t make anybody support SAIA, but instead makes them look like a cross between the six-year-old who throws a temper tantrum in the supermarket because mommy won’t buy the sugar puffs and untrained anarchists with no sense of right or wrong.
The more they keep up this kind of behaviour, the less likely anybody will take them seriously. There’s a difference between democracy, and mob rule. The loudest voices are not the representative voices.

The net effect of these elections is that there is a strong force of change at hand. CUSA now has a majority of reformers elected to its council and also a reform president. The same applies for RRRA and BoG.
I predict there are going to be less international embarrassments coming from CUSA, something that’s been happening on an annual basis with the old guard. What I also expect to see is better, more professional representation for students. To borrow a phrase from a member of the university executive, “we don’t go waving flags in the street.” There’s a right way to represent, and a wrong way.

This is also my last post for the Charlatan. Beginning May, I shall be assuming several different roles which will keep me very busy representing students within the faculty of public affairs.

-Delroy Dyer
CUSA Public Affairs Councillor
CASG Faculty of Public Affairs Coordinator