The positions of vice-president finance and operations (VPFO) and vice-president external affairs (VPEA) are no longer vacant following UMSU’s board of directors meeting held on Oct. 22.
Judy Abousetta won the position of VPEA with 11 of the total 20 votes. Harisharn Bahra took home eight of the total votes, and one voter abstained
Abousetta’s presentation to the board prior to voting centred around her concerns with Winnipeg’s transit system and student parking (particularly at Bannatyne campus), student aid transparency and running advocacy town halls for students.
Aïsha Bourdanne received 14 votes to secure the position of VPFO. The result also recorded three votes for Isham Singh and three abstentions. In Bourdanne’s presentation prior to voting, she focused on managing food waste on campus in a sustainable way and instituting designated club funding based on the needs of each club.
Votes were cast by the UMSU board of directors through Simply Voting, a web-based voting platform the union has used in the past for regular elections, following closed session at the meeting. This result marks the first ever all-women UMSU executive team, noted Thomas Blumer, UMSU’s managing director.
