In spite of low turnout, the stakes remained high at the ASUS Senate debate.
On Oct. 3 Anais Gouati, ArtSci ’26, Luisa Padilla, ArtSci ’28, and Caleb Rasmussen, ArtSci ’27, shared their platforms at a debate for one of two Senate positions currently open, each of which have one-year terms. The hour-long debate was hosted by the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) and began just past 6:30 p.m. in the Reflection Room at Kingston Hall. While fewer than 10 students attended, the debate was also streamed live on the ASUS Instagram.
Those elected will be tasked with advocating on behalf of Queen’s students during Senate meetings and will be encouraged to take part in at least one of the Senate’s committees. The chosen senators will also be responsible for contributing to and voting within ASUS Assemblies.
Opening Statements
Each candidate began with a two-minute opening statement. Padilla, a chemistry student and varsity soccer player, spoke about how a season-ending injury inspired her to become more involved in the Queen’s community and student governance. “I want to work for the best interest of all ArtSci students,” she said.
Gouta, a political studies major and philosophy minor, expressed her discontent with the current lack of transparency and awareness surrounding the Queen’s Senate, and explained that if elected, she would rebuild trust through a platform of accessibility, accountability, and awareness.
“Governance shouldn’t feel like something that’s just happening to us,” she said. “It should be something that we’re actively a part of and that we build together.”
Caleb, an applied economics student, also shared concerns regarding a lack of transparency surrounding the Senate. He further argued the need for better career pathways and opportunities for ArtSci students.
“[ArtSci] really struggles compared to other faculties when it comes to replacement and future career opportunities,” he said. “There’s a real lack of transition to the real world. There should be a larger focus on actual practicum and the real experience that students can gain from it.”
Question Period
The debate then moved into a question period, with the ASUS Chief Returning Officer, Tessa Sinclair, ArtSci ’28, asking four questions regarding how each candidate would “uniquely” advocate for students, build strong working relationships with Queen’s senior leadership, ensure student voices are represented, and ensure transparency in their governance.
Throughout this period, Padilla pointed to her ability to advocate for science-based students given her chemistry background and stressed the importance of social media as a tool to make student governance accessible and transparent to students.
“Through my social media platform, I would reach out to students,” she said. “I would offer forms where students can freely [voice concerns], anonymously or not.”
Gouta proposed a variety of measures to make Senate more accessible and honest, including mandating consultation periods on large-scale issues, creating further forums for students to voice their concerns, and ensuring student awareness of Senate deadlines.
“It’s not about just showing up, sitting down, and passing bills,” she said. “It’s about sitting down and actually digesting those bills that are being proposed to you, and understanding what’s going to happen to [the people you’re representing] if you pass this bill?”
Rasmussen expressed his disappointment with how Queen’s governance conducted themselves when handling issues like the budget cuts and last year’s TA strike. He shared plans to better the Senate by having open town halls, hosting a regular ‘meet your senators’ booth in the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC), and ensuring the “right questions” are asked in Senate.
“I’ve come to past Senate meetings; everything passes unanimously,” he said. “Even the contested issues, after one or two questions, pass unanimously. I think that’s fully inappropriate when there’s such sweeping changes that happen.”
The ballot has been e-mailed to all ArtSci students, with voting remaining open from Oct. 4 to 5.
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Gianluca
If ASUS actually told their members that leadership race or even the debate was happening more people would have been interested.
Mary
I agree.
basketball stars unblocked
Haha, what a packed hour! Who knew debating the lack of career clarity for ArtSci students could be so… energetic? Calebs concerns about the real world transition are spot on, though maybe we should add a mandatory learn to code practicum alongside the chemistry labs? Padillas plan to use social media sounds great, unless it leads to more group chats about Senate deadlines instead of actual representation. And Goutas call for digesting bills is noble, though I bet thatll take longer than just passing them. At least now we know ASUS debates can draw fewer attendees than expected! Bring on the e-mail ballot, I guess someones gotta click send.basketball stars unblocked
đếm ngược ngày
This ASUS Senate debate was certainly a clash of the titans, or should I say, the titans of Twitter? Padilla’s strategy of reaching out via social media sounds like modern governance, while Gouta’s emphasis on actually digesting bills is the kind of deep thinking we expect from a political studies major. Caleb’s concern about ArtSci students struggling compared to other faculties is a familiar tale, though perhaps we should focus more on creating larger focus on actual practicum rather than just complaining. And let’s not forget Caleb’s bold plan to ensure the right questions are asked in Senate – a noble goal, though one hopes he has a clearer definition of appropriate than the previous governance did. The ballot drop is imminent, so choose wisely, or dont, the choice is yours!app đếm ngược giờ