Laura Garinger and UWSA Connect sweep U of W student elections

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Photo of the University of Winnipeg.University of Winnipeg campus. Photo by Carolyne Kroeker

By March 9, 2017

The University of Winnipeg Students’ Association (UWSA) has elected a new executive and board of directors for the upcoming 2017-18 academic year.

Current vice-president student affairs Laura Garinger won in the race for president with the other three members of her slate, UWSA Connect, taking the union’s other executive positions. The incoming executive will include Megan Linton as vice-president external affairs, Brenden Gali as vice-president student affairs, and Morgan Brightnose as vice-president internal affairs.

Three slates – Students’ Voice, UWSA Connect, and Rising Voice – faced off for the executive positions with one more independent candidate, James Nellis, running for president. Each slate was led by one of the union’s current vice-presidents.

Students’ Voice was led by current vice-president internal affairs David Fanhbulleh; UWSA Connect was led by Garinger; and Rising Voice was led by current vice-president external affairs Sadie-Phoenix Lavoie.

In 2016, the UWSA elected a mixed slate, with Garinger, Lavoie, and current UWSA president Kevin Settee elected as part of the Momentum slate. That year, Fanhbulleh, running with the United Voice slate, beat out Johnathan Northam, Momentum’s fourth member.

Among the other contested positions this year, Sia Kermani beat out Daniel Denton for science director; Janel Bortoluzzi beat out Evan Krosney and David Wiebe for arts director; and Jade DeFehr beat out Patricia Nosal for status of women director.

Several other directors were also elected after running uncontested including Taylor Daigneault as education director; Simran Badhan as international students’ director; Avery Letkemann as environmental ethics director; Mahamed Behi and Andrew Minenko sharing the role of accessibility director; Devin Woodbury as business and economics director; Abraham El-Giadaa as board of regents student representative; and Lester Aidoo and Waarengeye Vikram as senate student representatives.

Voting for the UWSA 2017 election ran from March 6 to 8.

Chief elections commissioner Hollie Swart said with 28 candidates having run for 14 positions this “may [have been] the largest ballot in close to 10 years.”

Below is the full list of candidates including winners from the 2017 UWSA elections.

Executives

President

  • David Fanhbulleh (Students’ Voice) – 376 votes
  • Laura Garinger (UWSA Connect) – 463 votes – ELECTED
  • Sadie-Phoenix Lavoie (Rising Voice) – 196 votes
  • James Nellis – 247 votes

Vice-president external affairs

  • Megan Linton (UWSA Connect) – 490 votes – ELECTED
  • Andrew Vineberg (Rising Voice) – 317 votes
  • Teruni Walaliyadde (Students’ Voice) – 409 votes

Vice-president student affairs

  • Brenden Gali (UWSA Connect) – 474 votes – ELECTED
  • Felisha Hartig (Rising Voice) – 271 votes
  • Oladele Ojewole (Students’ Voice) – 470 votes

Vice-president internal affairs

  • Morgan Brightnose (UWSA Connect) – 697 votes – ELECTED
  • Elenna Spitcyna (Students’ Voice) – 486 votes

Additional directors

Education director

  • Taylor Daigneault – 960 yes (137 no) ELECTED

Science director

  • Daniel Denton – 529 votes
  • Sia Kermani – 562 votes – ELECTED

Arts director

  • Janel Bortoluzzi – 477 votes – ELECTED
  • Evan Krosney – 395 votes
  • David Wiebe – 269 votes

International students’ director

  • Simran Badhan (Students’ Voice) – 1024 yes (83 no) – ELECTED

Status of women director

  • Jade DeFehr – 687 votes – ELECTED
  • Patricia Nosal (Students’ Voice) – 449 votes

Environmental ethics director

  • Avery Letkemann – 1042 yes (75 no) ELECTED

Accessibility director

  • Mohamed Behi & Andrew Minenko – 1064 yes (74 no) – ELECTED

Business & economics director

  • Devin Woodbury (Students’ Voice) – 1032 yes (83 no) – ELECTED

Board of regents student representative

  • Abraham El-Gladaa – 1045 yes (76 no) – ELECTED

Senate student representative

  • Lester Aidoo (Students’ Voice) – 785 yes (102 no) – ELECTED
  • Waarengeye Vikram (Students’ Voice) – 669 yes (151 no) – ELECTED

 

Correction: The article originally referred to one of last year’s slates as Movement. In reality, the slate was Momentum. The text has been updated to include the original name.

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