Hey Hummers!

I’m Chris Erl and I’d like to tell you why you should elect me to represent you on the SRA and help put activism back in student politics.

The SRA, or Student Representative Assembly, is one of the most important decision making bodies in your Student Union and its members hold the responsibility of representing your concerns and trying their best to address them.

It’s time to change the way student politics runs. Students have lost faith in the system that has promised to protect them, but failed to deliver, offering nothing more than empty promises, apathy and confusion.

But now we have the chance to fix that. I’m running to be your activist voice
on the Student Representative Assembly so that we can tackle the major problems facing our faculty, school and world together.

I’m offering straightforward ideas, straightforward action, straightforward answers.


As your voice on the SRA, I will:

Fight against rising tuition by

• bringing the issue to the attention of local politicians through regular meetings, letters and petitions...elected leaders listen to students, but really pay attention when student leaders come to them
  
• pushing awareness of student debt
  
• ensuring the issue becomes a major part of the 2011 Provincial Election by securing pledges from local candidates to tackle the issue when in power

Fight to ensure student run services stay in the hands of students by

• supporting services like the Union Market and The Silhouette by highlighting their benefits: low prices, stable jobs, consumer control.
  
• working to fill any service gaps on campus with more student-run initiatives over private, unaccountable corporate services

Fighting for the electoral reform we need by

• showcasing the poor voter turn-out and abundant apathy and pushing to correct that with a new system that is easy to understand, provides proportional results and ensures everyone has a voice
  
• push for the MSU to look into different ways of voting, like online or non faculty specific polling
  
• similarly, fight for a different voting system for the SRA, like party proportional representation.

Just like I said, straightforward ideas, straightforward action, straightforward answers.

It’s time to put the activism back in student politics. We need to speak up so that we get the treatment we deserve. We need to unite, speak together and forward our common goals.

If you want more info, check out my Facebook group - http://tiny.cc/hinaq or you can visit www.chriserl.ca . Also, make sure you check out the Elections page at www.msumcmaster.ca/elections

I'm always willing to talk, and love a healthy, educated debate!

If you're in another faculty (Hummers, we always vote in Mills <3), here's where you can cast your ballot:

Arts & Science - Commons Lobby
Engineering & Science - Burke Science Lobby
Social Sciences - Student Centre Lobby


So this Thursday, October 22nd, remember to vote in your SRA by-elections and to vote for your activist candidate for Hummer rep.

Cast your ballot for Chris Erl!

Students, Unite!

Interesting platform. I'd like to bring up a couple of points:

Fighting for the electoral reform we need by

• showcasing the poor voter turn-out and abundant apathy and pushing to correct that with a new system that is easy to understand, provides proportional results and ensures everyone has a voice
• push for the MSU to look into different ways of voting, like online or non faculty specific polling
• similarly, fight for a different voting system for the SRA, like party proportional representation

- What sort of new system do you propose to elect the SRA? Wanting change is all well and good, but what alternatives do you have in mind? How do your solutions contrast from the current system, and how do you plan on enacting this project? Have you already started reading the associated bylaws, or better yet, already put something together on paper?

- The MSU is already looking into online polling, and if I'm not mistaken, this is on the Operations Committee's Yearplan

- When you say "Fight for a different voting system for the SRA", do you mean in how SRA members vote during meetings? The very system that our government is built on does not favour party politics. Do you propose to overhaul the SRA entirely?

Ben's points are extremely valid. To truly understand the MSU one must understand that drastic changes are near impossible. It is extremely hard for a single person to come into the SRA and make sweeping changes. This includes an incoming President, who more often that not is quite removed from the legislative process until a piece of legislation is brought to the Assembly itself.

Chris, don't take this as criticism as much as advice, but your campaign points come off very ambitious but quite unrealistic due to the bureaucratic nature of the MSU. Use resources like Ben, Huzaifa, Humanities Caucus, SRA House Leader, and this Sunday's meeting to gain a better understanding of what you will be able to do.

The best thing to do is to bring new ideas forward that have not been attempted, and I do believe that you have many. Show that off and this race will be an extremely exciting one.

Originally Posted by Taunton

The MSU is already looking into online polling, and if I'm not mistaken, this is on the Operations Committee's Yearplan

Oh yeah, I def. heard about that, and am pledging to give that my full support through what will obviously be a very tumultuous start to its operation. As with all things electronic, it will take a while to start up and there will be problems. I will go back to my faculty after learning all I can about it to reassure them and to drum up support for the new system.

Originally Posted by Taunton

What sort of new system do you propose to elect the SRA? Wanting change is all well and good, but what alternatives do you have in mind? How do your solutions contrast from the current system, and how do you plan on enacting this project? Have you already started reading the associated bylaws, or better yet, already put something together on paper?

Originally Posted by Taunton

- When you say "Fight for a different voting system for the SRA", do you mean in how SRA members vote during meetings? The very system that our government is built on does not favour party politics. Do you propose to overhaul the SRA entirely?

I bunched them together because they're questions best answered in one blurb.

When I say 'voting system', I mean the way we, the people, elect members to the SRA.

There are numerous alternatives that would better enfranchise already apathetic Mac students, especially ones that proportionately distribute seats amongst student leaders who have obvious similarities, but no 'formal' political connection.

Now, I do have a lengthy plan, so bear with me while I run through this...

The perfect electoral system would see Open List Proportional Representation used to select SRA members, which would be very easily done online. Students could run independently or as part of a larger group (which would pre-register with the Elections Service and subject to limitations similar to those facing candidates under the current system).

Each faculty would have the same number of open seats, and groups would run as many candidates in those elections as seats open and independents could run as many as they like.

When you receive a ballot, it would have each group and their candidates, plus the independent candidates clearly divided. You would vote for ONE candidate only. When the counting would proceed, votes would first be counted by group. Then, according to the percentage each group gets, it is allocated seats that proportionately represent its share of the vote. The votes are then counted again to determine which candidates fill the seats. The candidate with the highest number of votes fills the first allocated seat, the candidate with the second highest number fills the next seat, etc. etc.

This system would provide a number of benefits our current system does not. It would formalize the informal cooperative agreements that spring up between candidates, more closely mirror the real world, which does use a party/group system and would ensure candidates work together to achieve goals before actually winning any election.

Enacting a plan of this level would require extensive debate between the Bylaws and Procedures committee, the Operations committee, the general student body and all affected parties.

All in all, it's an ambitious plan that will inevitably be dissected once it hits the floor, so thats why the plan is in its most idealistic state. When it finally is whittled down for workability and practicality, it will hopefully still hold many of its former components.

Hey, everyone!

One final push for votes here, but today is election day in Mills, so def check out all 4 candidate's platforms and make an informed vote!

All us Hummers need a strong voice on the SRA, and I will be that strong voice!

Regardless of who wins this race, we'll be in good hands, but without a solid turnout, this won't be much of an election at all.

So please, get informed and get out to vote!

I saw the SRA election posters up but never realized when the date of the election was. Glad I logged on this morning.

I'll be sure to stop by Mills after my classes today, voting will be open at 11:20 right?

I like your website btw, very clean and organized.

Haha, aww thank you! Web design is fun

Voting opens at 9:30 and runs till 4:30 on the First Floor of Mills!

I shall check it out after class. I see there's 4 candidates but I haven't seen platforms for the other ones yet, I guess I'll have to seek them out myself.

Yeah, sometimes candidates don't focus too much on platforms, but a little searching will find that each of us has something to say on some issues!

To make it easier, here they are:

Humanities: 1 Seat
Matthew Dillon-Leitch http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1839739 91619
Ally Enriquez http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gi...609055437.. 1
Chris Erl - mine is at the top of the thread
Sebastian Miller http://www.macinsiders.com/showthread.php?t=2448 5

Hope that helps!

Thanks for that, I did find them on Facebook though. Their platforms are pretty much non existent actually. Disappointing to say the least.

I'm supporting you in this election so you better do something if you win.

Humanities students need some representation on this campus by solid leaders.

Just a reminder for all faculties to get out and vote today!