CESA candidate open forum questions about community

Unopposed executive candidates, Team JAL, promise new positions within society

Image by: Auston Chhor
Team JAL answer questions via open forum on Monday evening.

On Monday night, Dunning Hall hosted the Concurrent Education Students’ Association (CESA) Candidates Forum, an opportunity for CESA executive candidates to present their platforms and answer questions from community members.

Students directed their concerns about involvement within the Concurrent Education faculty at the sole executive team candidates, Team JAL (see candidate profiles on our longform). Students pressed JAL to explain how they’d preserve “ConEd love” as the faculty grows larger and more diverse.

The Journal has highlighted some of the key questions of the debate.

As you plan to dissolve CESA clubs, how can you ensure that ConEd students will have opportunities to explore their interests in an education themed environment?

Team JAL first emphasized the importance of consultation with the clubs, the AMS and the community before any action is taken to remove the clubs from CESA.

Presidential candidate Liam Dowling identified concerns that had been brought forward to the team regarding the worth of clubs to CESA, but stated that their primary goal was to find “the best option for students in terms of opportunities within ASUS and the AMS”. Consultation was promoted again regarding the proposed merger of the Photography Co-ordinator and B.Ed Spread positions.

How do you plan to promote involvement in the ConEd community, if by merging positions you would be making CESA smaller?

New positions would be introduced to CESA, the team explained, including a Social Media Co-ordinator and Sustainability Commissioner. The positions would provide opportunities for ConEd students in the sciences who hadn’t been able to find relevant opportunities previously.

They also highlighted their focus on promoting other opportunities within CESA, ASUS and the AMS.

Would providing mandatory equitable hiring training for every member of CESA council and external council be an efficient use of resources, considering not every member is involved in hiring panels?

Dowling presented the mandatory training as a way to make every member of the council a resource for ConEd students with possible grievances. The team referenced similar training done by the AMS, and its efficiency and efficacy.

How do you plan to work together to preserve ‘Con-Ed love’ in a diverse faculty that now has over 900 students?

Vice President Internal candidate, Joyce Chiang, began by highlighting the diversity of the candidates. In terms of their studies and experiences, she believes that their participation both in CESA and in the broader community has provided them with a wide understanding of the student body.  

The team also said they’d reach out to ConEd students with marketing, and working in close collaboration with CESA council. Team JAL closed by emphasizing, again, the importance of consultation with ConEd students, and transparency throughout their term in office. 

Tags

CESA, Concurrent Education Students’ Association, Liam Dowling, Team JAL

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