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Hi everyone,

Please find the links to Matt's official campaign material here:

Website: http://www.timeiswright.com

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Time-i...45411878848272

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/timeiswright

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TimeIsWright

E-mail: [email protected] l.com

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Link to Elections Committee: http://www.elections.msu.mcm aster.ca

How: MyIdeas + Incentive-based Surveys

Have you ever heard about a decision the MSU made that you had no say in? How can an organization represent your views if they don't even try to meet you halfway to get your opinion? For too long, the MSU has sat back and expected students to fill out forms on the MSU website without providing anything in return. I want to make this a more reciprocal relationship because you deserve something for your time. On a weekly basis, there will be surveys on the MSU website that you can access and let us know what you think regarding current issues. To show our appreciation, we're going to offer different incentives at the end of the survey - discounts at MSU services (ex. 1280/the Underground/Union Market), draws to enter cool prizes or Titles gift cards. Others might think it's a "waste of money" to get your valuable thoughts and to collect as much student input as possible but I believe it's a necessary step the MSU needs to take. Too often we expect students to come to us, and I want to change this. I want to personally come to the students I represent, find out what you think and give you something for your time. The Time is Wright.

For the tl;dr crowd:

1) Incentives for students to complete surveys on the MSU website (coupons, gift cards, entries into a draw for prizes)
2) Go and talk to students instead of waiting for students to come to the MSU, and offer same incentives as above afterwards

HOW: INCREASED MSU CLUBS SUPPORT MECHANISMS

Nearly every student at McMaster has been affected by an MSU club at one point in their undergraduate experience. Whether it’s joining a club, attending a club’s event or program or getting free swag during ClubsFest, these organizations play an essential part in connecting students to the MSU and McMaster communities. Besides allowing these clubs to exist by ratifying them, and allowing them access to book space, there isn’t much that the MSU does for these groups. A majority of the students involved with the MSU do so through clubs, so why are we giving them so little support? I believe that the clubs structure at McMaster has grown stagnant and students are losing interest if their club does not have the proper mechanisms to be successful. As MSU President, I want to help students regain their interest in participating in clubs by restructuring how clubs are organized, trained, supported and funded. A horizontally-tiered system, where there are different groups of clubs and different levels of support within each group, is necessary to allow for growth. For example, his means that all the clubs associated with medicine and health care are grouped together and provided with specific training by the Clubs Administrator on how health care clubs at McMaster generally run (what events they plan, spaces they book, etc…). Additionally, club size will have a proportional relationship to the funding that club receives – if the club is bigger, it will need more start-up funding to program high quality events and services for its members. Let me help you make the most of your extra-curricular experience and regain an interest in living in the McMaster community.

For the tl;dr crowd:
1) Restructure MSU clubs into a horizontally-tiered system
2) Provide better training, support and funding through this new system

How: Services Evaluation System + Fees Review

How many students know exactly where their $400+ fee to the MSU goes every year? Why is it that in all your years at McMaster you have not had the option to collectively decide what it is you want and do not want to pay for? There are several fees the MSU collects per year that were voted in via referendum by previous generations that might not reflect how the students of today feel. For example, the WUSC Student Refugee fund collects $1.37 per year and the Marmor (a yearbook for all graduating students) collects $8.48. Over your four years at McMaster, these fees alone adds up to just shy of $40. Do you even want a yearbook where you might only be featured once in your grad photo? I want to make sure that every student dollar is being accounted for by having students express their opinion on these outdated student fees at General Assembly. Also, I want to make it very clear as to where students' money is being spent and restructure the way we use the funds we collect. A manageable way that can be done is to work with the Vice-President Administration and the Services Committee to evaluate what services are offering and evaluate successes and redundancies in the MSU. Are we funding a service for something that students do not take advantage of or have no interest in? Right now, the MSU has no formal system of tracking what is successful at the services level (e.g. attendance, participant feedback, etc…) and I want to work towards establishing one. That way it becomes easier to see what is valuable to keep around to save your money.

For the tl;dr crowd:

1) Review fees the MSU collects that may be outdated and let students decide whether the programs these fees go to are still relevant
2) Establish a services review system that quantifies success of MSU services to evaluate what they should be funded

How: University Administration Meetings + Utilization of MSU Committees

Students often present the same concerns and seek out the MSU to find solutions. Whether this ranges from healthier eating options, to registration system complaints or limited options for prayer space on campus, it seems the MSU can never address these issues. It is time to bring these issues to the forefront, and make them a priority for the MSU's long-term objectives. In past years, other projects displaced these problems from the agenda of the MSU and because we cannot take a direct role in addressing these concerns they have fallen to the wayside. As an advocate for several successful projects, such as keeping Engineering computer labs open on the weekends and reducing the price of courseware for popular undergraduate courses, I know how to communicate effectively with University Administration. As MSU President, I will be sitting on committees that have a say on these issues and can press for change by not letting up when obstacles arise. Realistically, coming to a solution to these problems will take several years and I can't promise solving any of these issues within my term. What I can promise is to build a healthy and trusting relationship with the University Administration and outline how the MSU can come to a sustainable compromise to these issues. Most importantly is keeping the concerns high on the MSU agenda for the long-term and ensuring these issues do not become forgotten again.

For the tl;dr crowd:

1) Communicate effectively to the University Administration on issues such as healthy food options, prayer space and MUGSI/SOLAR
2) Keep these concerns high on the MSU agenda from year to year

I have also posted this question on your Facebook page.

As you know, the State of the Union 2010/2011 was a 40-page document published this year by the MSU Board or Directors. It functions as a measure of accountability, describing in detail the various projects undertaken this past year including various budget breakdowns, as well as a tool for greater strategic planning and preserving institutional memory.

If elected, would you produce a State of the Union 2011/2012? What measures will you take to ensure greater continuity within the organization?

Hey Mary,

If elected, I would most definitely produce a State of the Union 2011/2012. I believe that in order for transparency to be a main priority of the organization, it needs to commit to a strategic document that outlines its successes and failures. If elected, it would be a priority to include updates from our standing committees, as well as the results from any major information collections or surveys. I believe that the inclusion of the MSU Mission Statement, as well as the seven goals of the organization add substance and direction to the document.

In the 2011/2012 State of the Union, I would also provide a performance scorecard of my presidency to give students proof that I delivered what I had promised in my platform.

Thanks for the great question!

Current MSU President Mary Koziol has put forward a challenge to all candidates to find 3-10 volunteers to help move volumes of books from the libraries to accomodate more study space. My question: who will step up to this challenge? I am currently seeking as many volunteers as possible to complete this task.

Please include Name and Preferred Email!

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?to...45411878848272

hi Matt.

i just had a question about your incentive based research point. 5 months i have been at mac, i have done many surveys and have run surveys of my own in the past for various projects. how will these incentive based surveys help our student lives?

also i always saw the problem when running survey is that people are too lazy to take them. having said that, could you tell me why the msu havent tried this already if it can be so effective?

thanks
Micheal

Hey Michael!

The MSU actually does run these styles of surveys. What I am suggesting is targeting specific issues on campus that are effecting students, and providing them incentives that are related for participating. For example, students have often voiced concerns about the cost of textbooks or accessibility of printing on campus -- offering a survey to gauge student input on lobbying the university or government bodies, with an incentive of free prints at the MSU Underground or a Titles gift card would be appropriate incentives. This approach would hopefully draw students into the feedback loop, giving them reason to participate while also being rewarded for their time and input. The idea is that student consultation is necessary, but the MSU should be finding creative ways to engage the student population.

Thanks for the question!

Hey Matt

So I think that Mary has done a great job this year by bringing some accountability and transparency into the MSU.
I also like the idea of the farm stand she brought to campus. Have you considered any of the issues regarding the lack of nutritional value of the food served on campus (for everywhere but Bridges).
Also, I'd like to know what sorts of "green" initiatives you would like to see happen to ensure that McMaster continues on an environmentally friendly path.

A part of your platform is reviewing the student fees that go to the MSU. Besides the fact that we all want to know where our money is going and how it is being used, why have you decided to shed some light in this area? Are we paying the most student fees as compared to other universities?

djRAIN: I think it is the role of the MSU to work with groups on campus such as the IRC, which represents the largest percentage of students purchasing food on campus (via meal card), to change the food options on campus. Moreover, we can also facilitate healthy food options through our services such as TwelvEighty and Union Market -- alternative approaches which will bring more revenue into the MSU and provide a much needed service to students. In terms of "green" ideas, I think that the MSU needs to update its operations significantly. For example, TwelvEighty still uses styrofoam take-out containers as well as plastic bags (which university policy indicates are banned). I think that partnering MacGreen with the Office of Sustainability is a great way to take on large-scale initiatives and utilize the volunteer base most effectively.

Watoko: If the MSU is going to be relevant to students, the first step is communicating to them where their money is being spent. This adds value to the supplementary fees and lets students understand why certain services are vital to their experience at McMaster. A detailed fee breakdown, much like the graphs seen in the State of the Union, provide good representation, but also set benchmarks so that we know how money is being allocated. I decided to bring this to the forefront because this is an issue that all students face -- every MSU member pays into the Operating Fund, and I believe that it is important to make student aware of why the MSU exists. Moreover, how the MSU works for them.

Thats great, but will you be doing any of this?