Candidates announced for 2016 UMSU general election

Three full slates, one partial slate, and an independent candidate running for executive positions

A final list of candidates has been released for the University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) 2016 general election.

The list was finalized Friday and released to the Manitoban Saturday evening by UMSU’s chief returning officer Dana Gregoire. Gregoire was brought in on short notice to replace the previous chief returning officer, Bradley McClelland, who resigned earlier that week.

Three full slates, one partial slate, and an independent candidate were included on the list of candidates running for the executive positions, marking the largest field of candidates since UMSU moved to a 5-person executive in 2006.

Campaigning begins after reading week on Feb. 22, with voting running from March 2 to 4.

Strong UMSU

  • President: Astitwa Thapa (currently vice-president external, UMSU)
  • Vice-president advocacy: Dara Hallock (currently president, Science Students’ Association)
  • Vice-president external: Bénédicte LeMaître (currently UMSU representative, St. Paul’s College Students’ Association)
  • Vice-president internal: Adam Pawlak (currently president, Polish Students’ Association)
  • Vice-president student services: Jessica Smith (currently social programmer, Arts Student Body Council)

UMSU For You

  • President: Tanjit Nagra (currently president, Arts Student Body Council)
  • Vice-president advocacy: Allison Kilgour (currently senator, Arts Student Body Council)
  • Vice-president external: Wilfred Samking (currently UMSU representative, U of M Athletics Council, and Bisons track and field captain)
  • Vice-president internal: Harrison Katz (currently UMSU representative, St. Paul’s College Students’ Association)
  • Vice-president student services: Ashley Richard (currently president, Association of Aboriginal Commerce Students)

UMSU Forward

  • President: Niall Harney (currently treasurer, Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba)
  • Vice-president advocacy: Ashley Penner (science student and grassroots organizer)
  • Vice-president external: Hannah James (currently treasurer, Global Political Economy Students’ Association)
  • Vice-president internal: Anatol Rennie (currently jazz studies representative, Faculty of Music Students’ Association)
  • Vice-president student services: Michaela Bohunicky (currently co-coordinator, Campus Food Strategy Group)

Take Back

  • President: Andrew Fenwick (currently students living with disabilities representative, UMSU)
  • Vice-president internal: Nick Kuznetsov (currently president, St. Andrew’s College Students’ Association)
  • Vice-president student services: Shahab Valipourkolti (currently president, Big Horns)

Single candidates

  • President: Zach LeClerc (currently vice-president internal, UMSU)

Community representative nominees

Uncontested positions:

  • Students living with disabilities representative: Alan Bridgeman
  • LGBTT* representative Theodore De Silva
  • Women’s representative Smiriti Kunwar

Contested positions:

  • International students’ representative: Steffan Aganbi
  • International students’ representative: Masroor Khan

No candidates have been nominated for Aboriginal students’ representative.