Did we choose student life? Two months out from the SCI rollout we still don’t know the numbers but some services are feeling the impact
September 2019 marked the first of possibly many registration periods in which students could opt-out of student union fees deemed non-essential. This change, instituted by the Government of Ontario in January 2019, is part of the widely criticised Student Choice Initiative. In the past, McMaster’s student union fees for all clubs and services have been mandatory. Non-essential fees range from a few dollars, like the $1 fee for Mac...
“White supremacist and xenophobic attitudes and activities have no place in the MSU Clubs System” Calls for an overhaul to the clubs' approval process come following release of information about Dominion Society
Photo C/O Kyle West Content warning: white supremacy On July 24, McMaster Students’ Union president Josh Marando issued a letter urging the student representative assembly to revoke a new club’s status due to its alleged connections to people and organizations with white supremacist ties. The Dominion society, originally named the MacDonald society, describes itself as a club aimed at celebrating Canadian culture and history....
Record number of candidates run for SRA Many attribute the renewed interest in the SRA to improved advertising
Photos by Kyle West A record 79 candidates were vying for a position on the McMaster Students Union Student Representative Assembly general elections, which ended last Monday. Seventy-nine candidates competed for 31 SRA seats across all faculties, the highest number ever. Last year, there were just 41 candidates running for 31 seats. Two years ago, there were 50 candidates. The highest number of candidates came from the SRA science...
MSU voter turnout at seven year low The union’s voting system changes failed to restore turnout to old numbers
Photo by Kyle West By: Maanvi Dhillon Voter turnout in the 2019 McMaster Students Union presidential election fell 1.2 per cent from last year, marking the lowest rate since 2012. Just two years ago, voter turnout sat at 41.6 per cent and saw 9,327 student voters. “The voter turnout rate continues the impressive upward trend in McMaster student voter turnout, and marks five consecutive years with more than 40 per cent of students...
A sit-down with your MSU president-elect President-elect Josh Marando talks about finding about the results, why he won and his future plans
Photos C/O Kyle West On the evening of Jan. 24, Josh Marando was voted in as the next unofficial president-elect of the McMaster Students Union. Marando, a fourth year arts and science student, garnered over 600 first-choice votes compared to the second-place candidate Jeffrey Campana. Overall, Marando received 40 per cent of the 2,654 first-place votes. Marando’s platform consists of 12 pillars, touching on issues like mental health...
“The MSU has no legitimacy to govern us” — protestors rally in MUSC Members of the HSMN protested against the Ford government and the student union
Photos by Sasha Dhesi Stationed in front of Union Market, student activists put on a demonstration, rallying against the recent changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program and the legitimacy of the McMaster Students Union. At around 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 30, protestors gathered in the McMaster University Student Centre. Their protest began on the north side of the first floor of MUSC and then moved to the MSU office. The group...
