CSU Candidate Forums: Reframing Democratic Voting Methods

In-person voting on March 12 to 14 (CSU Library Lounge)

Avery Nowicki (She/her) // Communities Editor

Chelle Lussi // Illustrator

The Capilano Students’ Union has long been a place for students to raise their voice, and to stand up for what need. This past week’s candidate forums for the CSU general elections were no exception. Students from varying programs, sectors and specialties came together to run for their place as student advocates within the CSU.

The CSU candidate forums were hosted by the Capilano Courier on March 5 and 7. Footage from Forum #1 and Forum #2 is available on The Courier’s YouTube Channel, alongside a subsequent summary of the CSU Semi-Annual General Meeting to provide ease during the voting process. 

Official candidate statements are also available on the CSU website. This year, voting will take place exclusively in-person to avoid non-democratic voting persuasion, as seen in previous years. Voters can participate from March 12 to 14 at the CSU Lounge (*from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.).

The first forum, held on Tuesday, March 5 included appearances from five of the eight candidates for the CSU President position. These candidates shared varying positions and action plans towards creating an improved CSU. The first forum also saw candidates running for VP Student Affairs Candidates, VP Equity & Sustainability, VP External and VP Finances & Services.

CSU presidential candidate, Niko Williamson shared a desire to improve board accountability within the CSU, stating “all paychecks board members receive are paid by student fees, it’s important to use that money responsibly and make sure board members are fulfilling their roles.” Another presidential candidate, Sehaj highlighted his exterior board experience. Sarangdeep Singh shared his manifesto for the role, which stated, “it is about change, which for me is an acronym – C = Celebration, we need more events. H = hierarchy, I want guaranteed classroom enrollments. A = Awareness, raising awareness for underrepresented students. N = need, we need more scholarships/employment. G = Growth. E = Eel, don’t let this opportunity slip away”. Ravinder Joshi also shared an importance on encouraging students to engage in more events and finding aid for mental health. 

The VP Student Affairs position saw candidates with a shared importance on solving ongoing issues with Translink, increasing awareness and improving outreach. Abhi Rai highlighted an interest in increasing summer courses, and reserving more courses for upper-year students. Keshav Makker shared his extensive event and mentorship experience with the University. 

VP Equity and Sustainability candidates shared the importance of inclusivity and improved services. Kimia Nikooname shared her focus on mental health, as well as bringing diverse ceremonies to campus. Hargun Kaur, the current queer students liaison shared that “the most important concern is that the current board of directors is a very homogeneous group of cis-het men. We are seeing more South-Asian representation, but it is still limited”. Jaideep Singh Grewal directed his campaign around more faculty-based events, so students understand what they are working towards. This would include more STEM-centered workshops, and exposure for specialists. 

For the VP External position, Laura Morales Padilla discussed the importance of a candidate who is well-informed on public legislature, and ongoing policy changes, to best improve the CSU. Micheal Vu also described his campaign around changing immigration policies of international students, by creating closer connections with other student unions.

VP Finances and Services saw candidates with ranging interests in improving resources, event awareness, and aiding resource awareness for new students. Saadat Ali cited his pursuit of an accounting major as relevancy for his campaign, as well as his interest in improving health and dental resources for students. Sukh Sohal discussed her aim to help new students understand their resources, and cited her past attendance at CSU board meetings as a form of her relevant experience toward the position. 

The second forum welcomed candidates applying for the roles of Queer Students Liaison, Fine and Applied Arts Representative, International Students Representative, and Arts and Sciences Representative. The campaigns for these positions ranged from discussions on mental health, increasing resources, improving events, and seeing on-campus action. 

Capilano Business and Professional Society presidential positions were also presented within this forum, welcoming candidates with ranging backgrounds interested in improving networking events, on-campus free tax events, panels, L-SAT prep and increasing visibility of CBPS’s work for students.

More information of the candidates campaigns can be found through the full videos above, as well as in our recap, and through live updates on our Instagram and X accounts. 

*Reminder that this article includes candidates that attended the forums. For the full list of candidates, see the following article.