Student
      Union
      Elections
      Are
      Here
     
     
      Again
      —
      Let
      the
      Rhetoric
      Begin!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Erin
      FAGAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      fresh
      batch
      of
      student
      union
     
     
      by-election
      candidates
      could
      be
      found
     
     
      in
      The
      Pit
      this
      past
      Wednesday,
      the
     
     
      10th
      of
      October,
      testing
      a
      half-atten-
     
     
      tive,
      half-apathetic
      lunch
      crowd
      with
     
     
      their
      speeches.
     
    

    
     
      The
      current
      SU
      executive
     
     
      began
      the
      event,
      at
      12:30,
      with
      a
      call
     
     
      to
      vote
      in
      the
      elections
      (Running
      from
     
     
      the
      15th
      to
      the
      17th
      of
      October)
      and
      a
     
     
      run-down
      of
      their
      current
      projects.
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “|
      was
      listening
      ...
      it
     
     
      altered
      my
      view
      of
     
     
      who
      Id
      vote
      for.”
     
    

    
     
      -Joey
      Weale
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Cynthia
      Dennis,
      the
      president,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      indicated
      that
      currently,
      she
      is
      working
     
     
      on
      restructuring
      the
      student
      govern-
     
     
      ment
      in
      order
      to
      increase
      internal
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      representation
      and
      efficiency,
     
     
      open
      communications,
      “blah
      blah
     
    
   
   
    
     
      blah.”
      She
      also
      promoted
      student
     
    
   
   
    
     
      attendance
      and
      interest
      in
      an
      impor-
     
     
      tant,
      once
      a
      year,
      meeting
      with
      provin-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cial
      ‘Mihister
      of
      Education,
      Jeff
      (antz?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      which
      would
      have
      occurred
      |
      this
      past
     
     
      Thursday,
      the
      12th.
      :
     
    

    
     
      Next,
      Caolan
      Moore,
      the
      VP
     
     
      of
      Campaigns
      and
      Communications,
     
     
      announced
      some
      of
      his
      initiatives,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      such
      as
      an
      up-coming
      “Hair-Cut-A-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Thon,”
      which
      will
      be
      an
      event
      to.
      raise
     
    
   
   
    
     
      money
      for
      AIDS
      résearch.
      He
      is
      also
     
    
   
   
    
     
      chairing
      a
      White
      Ribbon
      campaign
      for
     
     
      awareness
      on
      Violence
      Against
     
     
      Women,
      has
      attended
      a
      Canadian
     
     
      Federation
      of
      Students
      (CFS)
      ‘confer-
     
     
      ence
      in
      Ottawa
      to
      “help
      me
      help
      you,”
     
     
      and,
      most
      importantly,
      is
      working
      to
     
     
      form
      a
      strong
      tuition
      freeze
      lobby
     
     
      group
      on
      campus.
     
    

    
     
      Chris
      Power,
      VP
      of
      ‘Campus
     
     
      Affairs,
      spoke
      about
      various
      events,
     
     
      including
      society
      nights,
      which
      have
     
     
      either
      occurred
      in
      the
      last
      month
      or
     
     
      will
      happen
      in
      the
      near
      future.
      Rob
     
     
      Kemp,
      the
      VP
      of
      Finances,
      also
      tabled
     
     
      his
      initiatives
      on
      maintenance,
      build-
     
     
      ings,
      and
      the
      general
      financial
      work-
     
     
      ings
      of
      the
      SU.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      speeches
      got
      underway
     
     
      after
      an
      appeal
      by
      Dennis
      for
      people
      to
     
     
      “give
      their
      full
      attention”
      to
      the
      candi-
     
     
      dates.
      The
      first
      speaker
      was
      an
      unchal-
     
     
      lenged
      candidate
      for
      business
      rep,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Matt
      McCarville,
      Who
      came
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      podium
      armed
      with
      a
      bottle
      of
      pop
      and
     
     
      remarked
      that
      it
      would
      be
      sad
      if
      he
     
     
      didn’t
      win
      as
      “THe’d]
      only
      be
      defeating
     
    
   
   
    
     
      myself.
      ”
      The
      other
      default
      candidate,
     
     
      “I
      go
      by
      Paul,”
      Campbell,
      spoke
      of
      his
     
    
   
   
    
     
      enthusiasm
      on
      becoming
      education
     
     
      rep.
     
    

    
     
      The
      dramatic
      part
      of
      the
      rally
     
     
      began
      as
      the
      seven
      competitors
      for
      the
     
     
      three
      Arts
      reps
      spots
      made
      their
      pleas
     
     
      to
      the
      lunching
      crowd.
     
    

    
     
      The
      first
      candidate,
      Alex
     
     
      Field,
      sporting
      a
      grey
      toque,
      confessed
     
     
      that
      to
      be
      an
      Arts
      rep
      has
      been
      “a
     
     
      dream
      of
      mine
      since
      childhood.”
      He
     
     
      ended
      his
      speech
      with
      a
      string
      of
     
     
      “wonderful”
      affirmations,
      climaxing
     
     
      with
      a
      heart-felt
      “Isn’t
      UPEI
      wonder-
     
     
      ful?”
     
    

    
     
      Valerie’
      Rowbotham,
      a
      first
     
     
      year
      student,
      promoted
      herself
      as
      an
     
     
      easy
      to
      approach
      candidate,
      and
      then
     
     
      ended
      with,
      “Just
      vote
      for
      me.”
     
    

    
     
      A
      small
      error
      was
      made
      by
     
     
      Dennis
      in
      announcing
      a
      “Donald”
     
     
      MacPhee.
      The
      candidate,
      Andrew
     
     
      MacPhee,
      corrected
      her
      and
      outlined
     
     
      some
      of
      his
      opinions
      and
      beliefs
      on
     
     
      tuition
      and
      the
      value
      of
      a
      university
     
     
      education.
      The
      best
      reason
      to
      vote
      for
     
     
      him,
      he
      concluded,
      is
      that,
      “It’ll
      cost
     
     
      you
      less
      money
      in
      the
      long
      run.”
      The
     
     
      next
      candidate,
      Jonathan
      Matters,
      did
     
     
      not
      show
      for
      the
      event.
     
    

    
     
      _~
      Brodie
      MacRae
      ascended
      to
     
     
      the
      podium
      with
      the
      cynical
      com-
     
     
      plaint,
      “Thanks
      for
      the
      applause.”
     
     
      After
      a
      sufficient
      peal
      of
      claps,
      cheers,
     
     
      and
      whoops
      from
      the
      Pit,
      he
      added
     
     
      that
      he
      was
      “missing
      a
      test,”
      which
     
     
      garnered
      a
      little
      more
      applause
      and
      a
     
     
      “That’s
      dedication,
      Brodie!”
      from
     
     
      somewhere
      in
      the
      back.
      His
      speech
     
     
      consisted
      of
      a
      slightly-over-two-min-
     
     
      utes
      Monty
      Python
      sketch
      reading,
     
     
      complete
      with
      a
      slight
      British
      accent.
     
    

    
     
      After
      that,
      Krista
      Gallant
      stat-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Caolan
      Moore
      once
      again
      demonstrating
      how
      he
      got
      elected.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ed
      that
      she
      would
      be
      an
      ideal
      candi-
     
     
      date
      to
      represent
      students’
      thoughts
     
     
      and
      feelings.
     
    

    
     
      Christina
      Holloway
      also
      pro-
     
     
      moted
      herself
      as
      a
      well-qualified
      can-
     
     
      didate
      for
      Arts
      rep.,
      and
      was
      the
      only
     
     
      candidate
      to
      look
      directly
      at
      my
      digital
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “It
      was
      good
      that
     
     
      they
      had
      it
      at
     
     
      the
      Pit,
      where
     
     
      there’s
      lots
      of
     
    

    
     
      people
      around.”
     
     
      -Amy
      Mahar
     
    
   
   
    
     
      camera.
     
    

    
     
      Finally,
      Erica
      Stanley
      listed
     
     
      three
      issues
      of
      importance:
      student
     
     
      involvement
      in
      the
      search
      for
      a
      new
     
     
      Dean
      of
      Arts
      (Dr.
      Philip
      Smith
      is
      step-
     
     
      ping
      down
      from
      that
      post),
      a
      campaign
     
     
      for
      publically
      funded
      student
      educa-
     
     
      tion,
      and
      a
      greater
      involvement
      in
     
     
      humanitarian
      aide
      campaigns.
     
    

    
     
      Dennis
      concluded
      this
      round
     
     
      by
      reiterating
      some
      of
      the
      major
      issues
     
     
      coming
      up
      in
      the
      Arts
      department,
      and
     
     
      added
      that
      “You
      want
      a
      keener
      who
     
     
      will
      look
      out
      for
      you.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      five
      potential
      first-year
     
     
      reps.
      gave
      the
      next
      round
      of
      speeches,
     
     
      beginning
      with
      Matthew
      Thomson’s
     
     
      description
      of
      his
      capabilities
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      interest
      in
      the
      position.
     
    

    
     
      Next
      came
      Sarah
      Riley,
      who
     
    

    
     
      acknowledged
      first
      that
      she
      had
      not
     
     
      prepared
      a
      Python
      skit.
     
     
      She
      did
      add,
      and
      proved
      in
      the
      process
     
     
      with
      her
      delivery,
      that
      she
      had
      “ener-
     
     
      gy,
      enthusiasm,
      and
      experience,”
      and
     
     
      proceeded
      to
      list
      her
      recent
      experi-
     
     
      ence.
     
    

    
     
      Debbie
      Bradbury
      admitted
     
     
      that
      she
      was
      from
      Newfoundland,
      thus
     
     
      her
      slogan,
      “Don’t
      be
      goofy
      and
      vote
     
     
      for
      the
      Newfie!”
      She
      was
      followed
      by
     
     
      Rebecca
      Burke,
      who
      also
      listed
      her
     
     
      interests
      and
      aptitudes
      for
      the
      position.
     
     
      Nick
      Flood
      was
      the
      final
      candidate
      for
     
     
      the
      position
      of
      first-year
      representa-
     
     
      tive.
      This
      concluded
      the
      candidate
     
     
      rally.
     
    

    
     
      A
      third-year
      Science
      student,
     
     
      Amy
      Mahar,
      described
      after
      the
      event
     
     
      that,
      “It
      was
      good
      that
      they
      had
      it
      at
     
     
      the.
      Pit,
      where
      there’s
      lots
      of
      people
      '
     
     
      around.”
     
    

    
     
      Joey
      Weale,
      Senate
     
     
      Representative
      and
      spectator,
      also
     
     
      added
      after
      the
      event
      that,
      “I
      was
      lis-
     
     
      tening
      ...
      it
      altered
      my
      view
      of
      who
      I’d
     
     
      vote
      for.”
      He
      also
      wanted
      to
      tell
      people
     
     
      that,
      “You
      gotta
      vote!!!”
     
    

    
     
      The
      next
      evening,
      Ryan
     
     
      O’Connor
      was
      overheard
      in
      Dr.
     
     
      Dowbiggan’s
      Russian
      History
      making
     
     
      an
      appeal
      to
      fellow
      classmates
      to
      “Go
     
     
      rock
      the
      vote!”
     
    
   
   
    
     
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