U of T Scarborough’s Scarborough Campus Student Union (SCSU) elections closed last Wednesday with tight races and more votes than last year.
Winning with 684 votes, Abdalla Al-Baalawy has been elected as next year’s SCSU president. Adrian De Leon seized the title of vice president, academics with 405 votes. Competitors Filippo Raso followed closely with 369 votes and Isabelle Yeadon tailed behind with 57 votes.
Kavita Siewrattan won by a landslide with 655 votes for vice president, student and equity, leaving competitor Massih Bidhendi with 153 votes.
It was a close race for Guled Arale who won vice president, external by a mere 14 votes, totalling 437 against opponent Adil Kanji.
“I think this was one of the most interesting elections I’ve seen,” Arale said. “Not because I’m in it but because people can team up together with a collective vision rather than just as individuals.”
Current SCSU president Pagalavan Thavarajah said that though this year’s election was quieter, the voter turnout was greater.
“Everyone was actually really nice with each other,” he said. “It’s funny because we got more votes than last year. Last year, 700 people voted, and this year we had 900.”
Another major election change involved the introduction of a new policy that allowed candidates to run under slates.
“Hopefully with the new systems we’re putting in will help to create a more interesting election for students so they become more engaged,” Thavarajah said. “I think elections are one of the biggest standpoints of education for students.”
Thavarajah said that SCSU will likely proceed with its directorial elections after reading week.
