First of all, thank you for continuing to read past the title. I promise, I won’t talk about how important it is to vote.

When the campaign period for this year’s SCSU executive election began, I was ridiculously bored with the limited options offered to students. It looked like the most boring election in my four years at UTSC. Though it’s no fault of candidates who are running, I think it’s a sad day for student politics when we only have one presidential candidate.

Initially, because of sheer visibility, it looked like the “Forward Together” slate was going to make a clean sweep (By the way, isn’t this the Liberal Party’s slogan?). But as the campaign period progressed, I think other candidates came into their own, making for the kind of competition that a student union election should have.

Which brings me to my next point: the side effects of slating. I’m not saying I disagree with slating, but students should be aware of the advantages that members of a slate get. For example, if a student wants to vote for one member of a slate, they might be more inclined to vote for other members of the slate without even learning about those candidates. This means that candidates who are not part of a slate need to work twice as hard for votes. Slating isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but students should be aware of how it alters the dynamics of campaigning.

This year, the Underground hosted its first ever SCSU elections debate, something news editor, Ranziba Nehrin, and I threw together in a week, expecting less than five students to attend (three of whom would be our own editors). We were shocked when we had a turnout of over 35 students (with one or two days of publicity, this is friggin’ amazing). Everyone always talks about the political apathy of UTSC students, but we had students who were armed with questions and concerns.

By the time this editorial gets published, the student body will have elected a new president and vice presidents for the 2012-2013 academic year. The only bit of preaching I’ll do is emphasize the importance of keeping your SCSU executives accountable, because voting is pointless if nothing gets done after the election.

Remember all those promises made during last year’s election? How many executives lived up to their platform? Of current elected executives, I’d say only the presidential and external portfolios have effectively addressed student needs. The problem is, there aren’t enough students keeping their executives accountable.

You want new food? Tell them and make sure they do something about it. You want a quiet library? Make sure they bring it up at meetings with administrators. You want a more inclusive campus? Ask for it. Don’t let them off the hook when September rolls around.

Sincerely,
Aly Kassam
Editor-in-chief