On October 10, the nominees for the Management Undergraduate Society’s (MUS) First Year Representative election gathered for a debate. The event offered an opportunity for the four candidates to elaborate on their agendas and to outline their priorities.
U0 and U1 First Year Representatives are elected to the MUS Board of Directors each fall. Among other things, members of the Board are expected to “represent the MUS where it is deemed necessary; to carry out various duties in the interest of the societal student body; and to move the society forward, and towards its mission,” according to the MUS Constitution.
U0 Representative candidate Isaac Davies outlined his platform as consisting of three priorities: to “Unify, Diversify, and Exemplify.” As the U0 representative, Davies promises to encourage more interpersonal relationships between members of the MUS and the university. He hopes to build a strong diverse network of people that will ultimately exemplify what he perceives as the core values of McGill. “My overall goal is to reach out and support the entirety of the U0 student body in a manner that best suits everyone’s needs. It is my objective to ensure that everyone is integrated in the MUS community,” Davies said.
U1 Representative candidate Phil Fournier described his ideas for the MUS as a series of reforms and event ideas to positively impact student life. Plans proposed by Fournier include revamping the McGill app to better reflect the university’s prestige, organizing sports tailgating parties in view of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and the Super Bowl, bringing therapy dogs to Bronfman, and to collaborate with local businesses to implement discount programs for Desautels students. According to Fournier, his “campaign has prioritized listening to students,” and that, “…Desautels students deserve a representative with innovative ideas and a representative who will fight for them.”
Also competing for U1 Representative is Cindy Zhang, whose platform is threefold, advocating for “engagement, opportunity, and development.” If elected U1 representative, she promises to increase communication between students and the MUS through more updates from the Board of Directors, as well as the creation of an “opinion box.” Zhang proposes that students could use this forum to share their thoughts and opinions on how to better the MUS. Zhang also promises to advocate for more internship and job opportunities for U1 students, stating that her “platform is aimed at providing more opportunities for students to acquire the skills they need later to enter the professional world.” Finally, she hopes to advocate for the removal of the bell curve grading system at Desautels.
The final candidate running to be U1 Representative is Rajdeep Banerji, who emphasized the need for more guidance for U1 students, who are often still acclimating to university life. “As U1 [students], we’re at the awkward stage between being totally new to university and being expected to get our acts together,” Banerji stated. He proposes to remedy this situation through the three tenets of his platform: inclusivity, information, and integration. Banerji aims to create a communication platform on social media that would aid students through the transition from high school to university through lifestyle tips and other information pertinent to the McGill community. He also proposes to pair U1 students with upper-years through a mentorship program, and hopes to make advising and counselling services more accessible. Banerji stated that he would “like to use [his] wealth of experience, motivation, and vision to lead U1s in their first years at Desautels.”
Voting is open to all Desautels students in U0 and U1, and will take place online from October 11 at 2:00 P.M. to October 13 at 2:00 P.M.
