SU By-Elections 2022: Who’s running and what you need to know

By Sophia Lopez, Julieanne Acosta, Eula Mengullo, Nazeefa Ahmed, October 7 2022—

The University of Calgary’s Students’ Union (SU) is holding a by-election from Oct. 12-14, where an external position and faculty representative positions will be filled.

These positions include vice-president external, Haskayne School of Business representative, Faculty of Kinesiology representative, two Schulich School of Engineering representatives, and Board of Governors Student-at-Large.

Due to a Review Board decision made in the last general election, the vice-president external position will now be filled in this by-election.

Since there are no candidates for vice-president operations and finance or Faculty of Social Work representative, these positions will remain vacant.

Undergraduate student will also be voting on a proposed amendment to the SU Constitution by the Students’ Legislative Council (SLC). The amendment would allow for more predictable fee increases to Health and Dental fee amounts for students enrolled in the SU Health and Dental Plans, rather than larger and less predictable increases. Students will have a yes/no vote regarding this amendment, which is made possible by the Health and Dental fee being indexed to the Consumer Price Index.

As students at the U of C, it is our duty to elect candidates who we believe will best represent our voices. This responsibility, however, can sometimes be tedious and difficult to understand.

A lot of the issues discussed by the candidates that affect students include the tuition increases and affordability, the lack of mental health support, and the need for more Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work, among other things.

The results of this by-election will definitely affect how this year will play out. We hope you take some time to read our condensed coverage before the voting days next week. More information about the referendum can be found on the SU website.

Voting in this by-election can be done via online and in-person ballot on Oct. 12, 13 and 14. Online voting can be done through the myUofC Centre. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12 and closes at 4 p.m. on Oct. 14. All U of C undergraduate students are eligible to vote if they are enrolled in the Fall 2022 semester.