I’m voting for Stronger Together this year in the UTSU elections, and I must admit that it was not a difficult decision. As the campaign period began, it became clear to me that the Change slate’s platform is nothing but a watered-down version of Demand Access’s platform from last year, a platform that is the complete opposite from what Change stood for last year.
The first time I read what the Change team had to say about their equity portfolio, it appeared to be a pretty solid set of goals. But after reading it a second, third, and heck, a fourth time, I began to wonder whether they actually know what equity means. Cramming the word “equity” into every statement only gets you so far. VP Equity candidate Alyssa James promises to maintain Xpression Against Oppression—an annual week-long series of social justice programming coordinated by UTSU and numerous other campus organizations—events and other equity programming currently offered by UTSU, but does she have any plans to expand equity programs on campus? In contrast, the current executives from last year’s Demand Access team ran on a promise to host two Xpression Against Oppression weeks and more equity-based events, and they did. So please tell me, where’s the change?
I am utterly confused about why the Change ticket wishes to welcome UTM with open arms by offering the promise of reintroducing 24/5 study space at the UTM library. That already exists. Aren’t these the same people who threw a temper tantrum about UTM students being able to carry proxies at the last Annual General Meeting? Why the sudden “change” of heart?
Here’s what I can sum up about Change’s platform on services: frivolous, useless, and out of touch. First, students don’t need an online guide to food on campus. I’m in no rush to know which of the cafes serve junk food. The promise to create an encyclopaedia of scholarships and grants is also pretty useless—why reinvent the wheel when it already exists on the UTSU website?
And what’s with the promise of a 24-hour helpline to deal with student concerns for everything from academic advice to crisis management? Has Vice-President Internal and Services candidate Mike Maher thought through how costly and superfluous this would be? If I had a question or concern, I’d just e-mail the executive or staff. Plus, the university already has a helpline where professionals are trained to deal with multiple student concerns and have connections with the proper legal and crisis management centres. Just think of how much more students would have to pay for a service that they definitely do not need.
There is no point in having a campus-wide online census to determine what students want from their union when there is so much apathy on campus. I do not see how apathetic students would suddenly have the urge or passion to go online and express what they want. If the Change slate wants to create real change, I suggest that they go out there and talk to students one-on-one instead of hiding behind their computer screens waiting for the one or two census surveys to show up in their inbox.
I was shocked to see that Vice-President candidate James Finlay is all about OSAP reform and dropping fees this time around. Because if memory serves, Finlay ran for the same executive position last year under the same slate name, but he dismissed anything that had to do with OSAP reform or lowering fees because that was not what students wanted. What happened this year? Suddenly students care about how unaffordable and inaccessible post-secondary education is? Last time I checked, students always cared about it and have been working on numerous campaigns to combat these issues for a long time.
And don’t even get me started on Change’s promise to improve the University Health Insurance Plan for international students. I strongly advise that Change not try to pitch that to an international student, because what they want is OHIP, not UHIP.
I’m not quite sure why Change keeps dwelling on the transparency of UTSU. Seriously, just go to the website, everything is there!
And lobbying the administration? News flash: we’ve been doing that for years now.
All in all, the Change slate’s platform is inadequate at best for U of T students. Nothing about this platform screams “change” at all, and half of it looks more like regression. If you want real change, if you’re interested in a slate who will really work to improve student life, I suggest that you take a look at Stronger Together. At least they know what the hell they’re talking about.
Meghan McPhee has been a volunteer for UTSU for the past four years.
