By Natalie Sit
Adjacent, in a useless way, is the Students’ Union. Elected by less than 20 per cent of the eligible student population, it tries to sway the university and provincial regimes to grant more money during tuition time, although not successfully. However they are helpful to students when plagues and locusts rain down. There’s the Campus Food Bank when the crops fail. And when students face an academic appeal, the SU can help students avoid a trip to academic Siberia.
Leading the government is President Jayna Gilchrist. She’s the official spokesperson and ensures decisions made during meetings are implemented. And she’s a Liberal.
Her second-in-command is VP Academic Demtrios Nicolaides. Acclaimed in the election, he sits on academic policy and decision-making committees around the university. His commission helps with academic appeals and Teaching Excellence Awards.
VP External is Lauren Batiuk. Anything that affects students in a non-academic way falls into Batiuk’s lap. Currently she’s lobbying members of the provincial regime about the Post-Secondary Act, which could remove the legislated tuition cap, among other things.
Next is VP Events Richard "Krafty" Bergen. He plans the morale-boosting events around campus. His nickname stemmed from his predilection to wear a cardboard box painted like a Kraft Diner box and probably won him the election.
Finally, there’s VP Operations and Finance Gavin Preston. He sports an awful hairdo and he’s responsible for the SU’s money situation as well as things like clubs. Preston wants to finish expansion/redevelopment and consequently faces a hard road ahead.