I can’t believe it is that time of the year again… It’s GCSU ELECTIONS!
The Glendon College Student Union, or GCSU, is basically the “student council” of the Glendon Campus. The GCSU is responsible for creating events for the student body, they provide the cheapest printing on campus, and they also advocate for students on many issues ranging from academics to student life. In addition, the GCSU is also responsible for the majority of the clubs on campus. They are essentially the “student life gurus” at Glendon.
I am currently the Vice-President Finance on the GCSU. I’ve been a candidate in 3 of the 4 elections at Glendon thus far, and each time is better than the last. I have served as an executive on the council for 2 years, and even though I may complain about it sometimes, I couldn’t picture my life at Glendon without being a part of the GCSU.
Witnessing elections at Glendon is so exciting! As a candidate you get to interact with so many students that you otherwise wouldn’t. This is one of my posters for VP Social last year. As a voter, you get to h
ear all the great ideas from candidates. It is also great to note that during election periods you will be asked for your feedback on student life at Glendon. I know first hand that you all have great ideas to share. If you don’t want to run for elections but want to see change, this is a great time to have your voice heard.
One thing you will find is that at Glendon it’s less intimidating to get involved than you think. In first year it can be scary to have to run a campaign, make speeches, and talk to a bunch of students from other years in order to get votes. But it can completely change the course of your university life.
During elections, the GCSU ensures that all candidates are running clean campaigns. This means you won’t see any candidates bashing each other at all. It makes elections a lot more fun in the long run. The CRO (Chief Returning Officer) is hired by the GCSU to run elections and is always available to address controversial situations and has the candidates’ best interest in mind.
Getting involved in general will make university a much more fun place! You get to meet people who share the same interests as you. You will also meet upper years who have lots of experience with some of the things that you may be pursuing, whether that be career paths, or even just advice on courses to take at Glendon. Most importantly, you’ll make long lasting friendships.
GCSU nominations start next week. There are 2 first year representative positions, 5 councillor positions, and two executive positions, Vice President Campaigns and Advocacy and Vice President Operations. I am so excited to see what the candidates come up with this year. A running theme in elections are funny puns associated with names and witty slogans, so I’m definitely looking forward to those.
These will be the second elections where I haven’t run for a position, so it’s going to be exciting to be able to just witness the elections without having to be stressed out about campaigning and trying to rally votes.
If you are planning on taking a tour of Glendon, I highly suggest booking one for the next couple of weeks. Especially during campaigning period, campus will be covered in clever posters and will be an exciting place to be.
Until next week,
Khanundrum 