SU by-election results held in Mac Hall
By Julieanne Acosta, October 15 2021—
On Oct. 15, the winners of the 2021 Students’ Union (SU) by-election were announced at the South Courtyard Stage in Mac Hall. Students and candidates were awaiting the results of the 1, 647 student votes that were cast.
With only four open positions, only two were contested — the Faculty of Social Work representative and the Haskayne School of Business representative. There were no immediate acclamations announced after nomination days, rather students were asked “yes” or “no” for uncontested positions.
With 55 per cent of the vote, Nik Jarvis was elected as the next Faculty of Social Work representative.
“I’m a little overwhelmed. That’s a close race and I’m really honoured. Once I figure out how to best use the resources at my disposal, I’ll figure out how to prioritize my objectives. I am really excited, I’ve got a pretty ambitious platform so I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get started,” said Jarvis.
Jaime Pablo will be the next Haskayne School of Business representative with 61 per cent of the vote. He will join Adrian Alcantara as Haskayne Faculty representative.
“I’m feeling a little bit shocked to have been elected. I want to thank everyone who supported me, all my friends. You guys really came through for me. The first thing I’m going to do now that I am elected is definitely go celebrate with the same people who supported me,” said Pablo.
The two uncontested positions were Senate representative and Cumming School of Medicine representative. Unfortunately, the Gauntlet was not able to obtain statements from either candidate.
Emily Macphail will be the next Cumming School of Medicine representative with 97 per cent of the vote. She will join Rafael Sanguinetti as Faculty representative.
Armaan Sidhu will be the next Senate representative with 86 per cent of the vote.
Students were also asked questions on the ballot regarding the SU health and dental plan. These questions were non-binding and only sought to gauge student interest. Of the votes, 21 per cent of students were willing to pay up to $15 per year for an improved dental plan. Whereas, 33 per cent of students were willing to pay up to $25 more per year to improve health coverage.
Lastly, 50 per cent of students voted in support of a potential constitutional amendment to allow price increases to the plan tied to inflation for up to a maximum of four per cent annually.
All candidates elected will serve until the end of April. The next SU General Election will be held in March 2022 to form the 80th SLC.