What is changing this year at the Capilano Students’ Union
Xiadany Jeanette Lopez Hernandez (she/her) // News Writer
Scarlett Side (she/her) // Contributing Visuals
The role of Vice-President (VP) of Finance and Services will remain vacant until the next Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) General Elections in 2027.
In an email exchange with the Courier, CSU president Benisse Zinga explained the decision the board made regarding the VP Finance and Services, after the elected candidate for the role was removed from office. On July 23, 2026, the CSU Board of Directors approved the decision to not hold by-elections.
When asked if this was a permanent change in the structure of the board, the CSU President explained “this is a temporary arrangement, and the Vice-President Finance and Services position is not being permanently removed.” We can expect the role to remain as part of the executive committee, but for the time being it will stay vacant until the next democratic elections in 2027.
In the meantime, the responsibilities of the VP Finance and Services have been delegated to the President, who has been working with the staff during the summer to develop the annual budget. She will be taking on the priorities that would normally be responsibilities of the VP Finance and Services alongside taking care of her responsibilities as President.
When it comes to the goals of the executive committee, the president explains the objectives of this academic year have not been formally approved by the board yet and will be submitted for review on August 21, 2026. The proposal they have at the moment aims to be aligned with the five year plan the former Board of Directors created, while also taking into consideration the opinions and concerns of current students.
According to the President, the strategic plan has three main areas: “Building student community, Demonstrating operational excellence and Strengthening the trust of our members and the broader community.” When asked about the actions they will take in order to make this plan a reality, Zinga said that “ultimately, our goal is not to just complete a list of initiatives, but to make sure the work we do has a meaningful and lasting impact on students.” She explained that each goal has been assigned to an executive based on their portfolio and responsibilities and the executive committee aims to collaborate across the board, executives and staff.
Regarding the budget and its limitations for the next two terms, it is expected to notice change compared to last year. Zinga said the budget choices were based on information gathered by a Student Experience Survey, their Membership Insights Report, and the conversations she has been having directly with students on campus.
Building on this information, the board has defined four areas as priorities in the budget: “reducing the cost of being a student, creating genuine opportunities for connection, strengthening student advocacy and improving communication with our members.”
Alongside data collected and conversations with students, Zinga gathered feedback taken into consideration when making budget changes. Feedback given in-person to the President has been considered for these decisions, allowing Zinga to interact more with students. She claims that “those conversations have been valuable because they allow me to hear directly from students about what is affecting them.”
The changes made during this term will be done with the intention of enduring the next three years while the five years strategic plan of the CSU Board of Directors continues. If the future Boards of Directors decide to continue with this plan, the decisions of the current executive committee will shape the experience of students with the CSU beyond their time in office.