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17 January 2003
uwRyan.com This website is meant to provide value to UW student by delivering information. It shares its name with the column that I write for Imprint. Please provide feedback on what I write as well as give me suggestions of topics to cover. You can send e-mail to me to ryan[at]uwryan[dot]com.
uwstudent.org
Federation of Students 
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Old BS or new ideasAnticipating another election
Is this going to be an action-packed election or the same old BS. Potential candidates tell me, “I think it’s going to be an exciting election,” I am not so sure. It’s possible that something new might happen, that candidates might have some fresh but feasible ideas. Will anyone live up to a reasonable standard; I’ll wait to see. With nominations closing today Feds are beginning the election process for another year. A common refrain heard in elections is about awareness and the profile of the Feds. People generally recognize that the organization needs a better rep, its activities need to be better known and generally things could be done better. But what about the awareness and profile of elections? In the elections following the first non-election (the first Feds president was acclaimed), turnouts were 37 per cent, 54 per cent and 33 per cent. The past five elections have had a mean turnout of 11 per cent. With all this new energy and new ideas coming into the organization every year, have things changed significantly? Candidates need not say that they will achieve a higher profile and more awareness but explain the failures of the past and how they will build on and improves successes. When the Federation of Students, University of Waterloo formed, its first president, Stephen Ireland, was acclaimed. In February 1967 Ireland delivered a speech in Village after what would have been the election period. One thing he said was, “The present set-up on this campus gives the students very little say in the university.” Ireland also said, “The individual student does not count in the university…his opinion is not heard seriously. But worst of all, he believes he cannot effectively alter the situation.” These sentiments are similarly true today with the administration exerting strong influence over our bars and with things like a u-pass referendum being proposed last August without consultation and the Student Life Centre being managed by a board that doesn’t report to students, who paid for construction. Another problem with Feds is continuity. Most projects that are initiated last longer than the one-year term in office so at best things are delayed in transition and at worst no momentum is gained between executive and projects start and flounder form year to year. This leads to another question for the candidates. How will you impart long term vision? Poor succession is also part of this problem and can only be addressed so much, given short terms of office. Since you don’t know who the next executive will be, how informed the student body is factors into how informed future years’ executive will be. Communication is an important part of this and the Feds Web site from winter |