the other BS. the douglas college student newspaper Want To Run The DSU? Here’s How To Get Elected By JJ McCullough, OP Staffer How do you feel about the Douglas College Student Union? Has it been doing a good job? Or is it a waste of time? Do you ever think that you could do a better job if you were the one in charge? Perhaps you should run for office as it’s not terribly hard to do. Once a year the DSU holds elections, allowing Douglas students to collectively vote and decide who they want representing their interests on the student union’s board of directors. This year the election will be held from March 26 to 30. It’s no great secret that most Douglas students aren’t terribly well-informed about the precise workings of the DSU or exactly what it does. After all, we students live busy lives. Hopefully the difficulties the student union has experienced over the last year have highlighted just how important it is for students to get involved. After all, the DSU is run with our money, and it’s in everyone’s interests to hold the organization accountable for all of its actions. If you’ve ever given thought to running for office, here is a brief FAQ about the DSU to help you out: Q: Am I eligible to run? A: Pretty much any student at Douglas is eligible to run for office. You just have to be registered in at least one course and have no outstanding fees. The only exception is that some of the DSU positions are limited to certain kinds of students, but more on this later. Q: How do I get nominated? A: The nomination period for candidates spans one week—from Friday March 9" to Friday March 16". During that time you can visit the DSU main office to pick up a nomination sheet. Simply get that signed by 10 other students, hand it back in, and you’re an official candidate! Q: Who will be voting? A: All registered students at both campuses are eligible voters and may cast their ballots anytime during the week- long voting period. The exception here is that only David Lam students are allowed to vote for the David Lam Campus Representative (see below). Q: What can I run for? A: This is a DSU general election and every position is up for grabs. In total, the Douglas College Student Union’s board, or representative committee, is composed of 12 members. They are the following: 1) Treasurer. Unlike most student unions, the DSU has no president. This makes the treasurer the defacto top-job in the union. He or she presides over the creation of the DSU budget, and is generally responsible for handling the student union’s money and spending priorities. 2) External Relations Co-ordinator. The ERC is the individual who acts as a liaison between the DSU and groups outside of campus, such as the provincial government, activist groups, and other student unions. They are also responsible for keeping track of the DSU’s records and documents. 3) Internal Relations Co-ordinator. According to the constitution, the “IRC oversees the operations of the Student Union Building,” which in practice entails presiding over the many non-elected bureaucrats and staffers who run the day-to-day operations of the DSU. He or she is also charged with keeping track of the DSU’s various student programs and campus clubs. 4) College Relations Co-ordinator. The CRC is the liaison between the DSU and the Douglas College administration. When the student union wants the college to make a change in policy or needs access to campus resources it’s the CRC who takes the lead. 5) The David Lam Campus Representative is a member of the DSU charged with representing the distinct interests of the Coquitlam campus to the New West-dominated board, as well as dealing with David Lam students and staff. Accordingly, you can only run for this job if you are taking at least 50% of your courses at the Coquitlam campus. 6) Members at Large. The DSU board has three members-at-large whose official duties entail little more than sitting on various committees. As they are less involved in the day-to-day business of the student union, they help provide independent perspectives to the DSU’s meetings and deliberations. 7) Minority representatives. Lastly, the DSU board reserve seats for “constituency liaisons,” who are basically intermediaries between the student union and various on-campus minority organizations. There is one seat reserved for a Women’s Liaison who is supposed to liaise with the Douglas Women’s Centre, one seat reserved for an Aboriginal Liaison who liaises with the First Nations’ Centre, and one seat reserved for a Pride Liaison who liaises with the Pride Collective. There is also a Disabled Student Liaison spot, though there is no disabled club for that person to liaise with directly. Instead he is supposed to “keep the Representative Committee informed of the concerns of disabled members.” To be eligible as one of these liaisons, you need to be a member the minority group you would represent. The only exception is the Pride Liaison. You don’t have to be gay, but it probably helps. As you can see from the above descriptions, board people have duties that are both executive and legislative. After being elected, board members decide amongst themselves who will be responsible for further duties, such as chairing meetings, handling relations with DSU staff, and managing the union’s relationship with the Canadian Federation of Students. Q: Are the elected members paid? A: Yes, all the men and women elected in this race will be earning a regular paycheque. Q: How long do the elected members hold office for? A: Exactly one year, from May 1 to April 30. Q: What are the rules about campaigning? A: Once you’ve completed your nomination form you can start campaigning (ie: placing posters around campus) as soon as the official campaign period begins. This year the campaign period starts on March 9th and ends on the 16". The DSU electoral committee has a lot of complex rules regulating what candidates can and cannot do during this period, so if you decide to run, be sure to pick up a copy of the up-to-date election rules so you’re very clear on what you can and cannot do. If you break one of the campaign rules you could be disqualified, and no one wants that. All this could be yours!