The Martlet

It’s that time of year again. The banners are up, the leaflets are being handed out and people are harassing you as you walk to class. It must be election season.

Among other things, you are being promised affordable education, better transit service, a tight-knit community and the financial and environmental sustainability of your student society. As a realist, I refuse to believe that any of these fools can actually deliver on their promises.

When I was campaigning for a position as a director-at-large last year, I refused to run on a self-aggrandizing, narcissistic platform of reducing our impact on the planet, getting Canadian troops out of Afghanistan, or even lowering tuition fees. In essence, I brought nothing to the table but common sense and my experience as a UVic student.

While I can see why BANG and YES would use the “green” creed during this campaign (to appeal to the ecomentalists and hipsters), a retrofit of the Student Union Building would cost thousands of dollars. That is money that the student society does not have.

On Jan. 27, Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled the federal budget for this upcoming fiscal year. That money trickles down directly to the provinces. I’m sorry to report that our government has not made any significant contributions toward post-secondary education. How can TeamFAST seek re-election based on their campaign promise of affordable education? The same people have campaigned on similar platforms before, but not much has changed during the time they have held office.

While I may not agree with all of the campaign platforms, there are a few points that I would agree with. Being on the tail end of my time at UVic, I take with me not only memories of challenging classes and workloads, but also memories of spending lots of time with students. Campus spirit, in my opinion, exists.

If you’ve been to a Vikes basketball game on a Friday night, or a Vikes rugby game on a Saturday afternoon, you would know what I’m talking about. You would know that the full crowds that come out to cheer on our Vikes are vibrant and electric. To the candidates who pontificate for better campus spirit, I would be curious as to whether they would have a SUB-centric or campus-centric approach and solution to this key issue.

The current administration (myself included) has failed to develop an appealing, or lasting impression on the students we represent. Issues of transparency still exist, the UVSS website sucks and there is a distinct lack of outreach. Tracy Ho recently blamed the Martlet for the lack of coverage of the work of the UVSS. I would refute that it is ultimately up to the student society and the elected board members to ensure that the campus knows what they’ve been up to. Maybe that way we would have more than just the dismal statistic of 10 to 15 per cent voter-turnout.

Seriously, how hard can it be to inform students of seats that need to be filled on important committees? Perhaps the first step would be to publish meeting times on more than just a bulletin board in an obscure corner of the SUB. How about having a website that actually provides recent and relevant information?

The UVSS has turned into nothing but a clique; a bloated, bureaucratic, left-winged clique that is unorganized, unimaginative, uninspiring and completely out of touch from the student body it is supposed to represent. During the four years I’ve been at UVic, the UVSS has gotten itself into controversy after controversy. It’s getting old, and embarrassing.

By re-electing the current administration, we are only doing the UVSS more harm than good. It’s time for new blood. What the UVSS really needs are talented, creative and driven individuals who are not jaded by old politics. And there is plenty of that in the offering of students who are campaigning so hard during these elections.

For students who are annoyed by the student elections, chill out — it’ll only be a few more days until the elections are over. While that chump who stands in front of your class may give a boring speech, perhaps they have a decent message to pass on to you. Should you decide to be apathetic toward the elections, you have no right to complain about the state of your student society or your incoming student leaders.

Should you decide to place your apathy aside, inform yourself, pay attention to the message that is being given to you and vote on March 4, 5 and 6. Maybe for once, we can have someone who is decently competent in charge of the UVSS.