Working Together candidate: Matt Hepner

Experience

• Incumbent UMSU vice-president
  (student services)
• Involved with student council in high
  school
• Vice-president of Students
  Association for Physical Health,
  Education and Recreation

Why did you decide to run again?
I really enjoy my position; it’s given me a great opportunity to interact with students on a variety of levels. Also, throughout the year I’ve realized a lot of concerns I would like to see changed for the student body. So why I want to run again is strictly the fact that I care and I want to see some things change on campus.

What do you think the role of UMSU is on the U of M campus?
It’s the voice for students on a wide variety of levels. Whether it’s dealing with administration, with room booking policies, lobbying governments about student fees, and really just trying to keep students working together to collectively bring change on campus.

How will you improve services for student groups next year?
A few things I have on the docket is moving to more of an online system for room bookings, applications for becoming a student group, going the electronic route. But also striving to make sure that student priorities are put forth and working together to make sure that room booking rates don’t go up.

Get More candidate: Ally Beauchesne

Experience:

• Involved with undergraduate Political
  Studies Students’ Association
• Worked for premier of Quebec in third
  year of university
• Worked for government of Manitoba,
  where she helped plan the Council of
  the Federation
  
  Why did you decide to run?
  I really wanted to get involved in student politics because I feel like when I started to get involved in my department, in my second or third year, that I actually had a way better experience in university. [ . . . ] I’ve known Delaney [Coelho, Get More presidential candidate] for several years now, and we have these great ideas and I felt like the best way we had to have our ideas get out there was to try and run and make a difference in the university.

What do you think the role of UMSU is on the U of M campus?
I think obviously UMSU is there to advocate for students. I think that the other role of UMSU is to listen to the students. The most important role of UMSU is to know what students want and act upon that. I think we have a great idea, which is to make public forums commonplace. We recognize the fact that all council meetings are open and anybody can stop by, but we just want to make it have one avenue where it’s less formal. Where students can just stop by, sit and listen to what’s going on.

How would you improve services for student groups on campus?
One of our main focuses would be to reduce Aramark’s presence. [ . . . ] We would like to see UMSU take a stronger presence in a lot of these places. There is a strong problem with student groups getting access to [rooms]. [ . . . ] We would like to see that diminished, and that’s actually a main focus for us because we do recognize the issue.

Clean Slate candidate: Caleigh Glawson

Experience

• Six years retail experience, mostly
  as manager in various departments
• Led various student groups in high
  school
• Involved in various student groups at
  the U of M
  
  Why did you decide to run?
  I’ve seen what the various student groups can do and what they have personally done for me. Being a U1 student with a second degree, I didn’t really know many people here. By coming here and getting involved with a student group, I’ve seen just how valuable they can be, and I really want to give back.

What do you think the role of UMSU is on the U of M campus?
I think that the place that it has is to culminate the entire university experience, by getting students involved, getting them together. You don’t necessarily remember what you learned in last Tuesday’s class, but you remember the experiences you had and friends and the different experiences that you had with these people. I think that’s where UMSU has a main role and almost an obligation to its students to make sure that everyone leaves the U of M with the full package.

How will you improve services for student groups on campus?
I think being clear about why student groups are getting a room or why they’re not getting a room and making it an even playing field so it’s on the table, they know exactly where, [ . . . ] say a point system that we come up with of being able to designate how rooms are allocated, so that it’s entirely fair and open and honest.

I think also making [student group executive council] meetings more effective, we may have a larger turnout and more improvement can happen because they’ll have that direct communication. I’d also like to increase office hours — instead of an hour, make it at least two.