Kirstin Webb’s candidacy surrounds three pillars that include on-campus issues, community development and a collective between the MSU and the McMaster student body.
While these three pillars reflect upon issues that McMaster students face in general, Webb’s platform suffers from a lack of concrete planning and research while lacking sufficient coverage as to how each platform point will be implemented. Using tentative language to explain her platform points, it seems as though there is no concrete plan to put into practice.
Considering her “Community” pillar, in particular, Webb focuses primarily on student safety off campus while building a relationship with the city of Hamilton. Within this pillar, Webb calls for a #SaferMac through a safety campaign and through the exploration of adding safety poles within the community.
Although this may be a strong idea on paper, it is regretful that Webb had not addressed a consultation or collaboration with campus Security Services or Hamilton Emergency services to fully assess the feasibility in implementing this platform point.
The role of security poles on campus is for student protection and assistance on campus. When a phone is activated, Security Services is called and a special constable is dispatched to the scene if needed. The idea being that if help is needed on campus, there is help on the way.
McMaster is currently in the process of installing new assistance phones throughout campus. Over the next few years, McMaster will see 55 new assistance phones complete with new technologies and infrastructure principles, including a public paging system and a CCTV unit mounted on top.
Further, campus security is only able to respond to calls made from security poles on campus. If there is an emergency issue off campus, students are expected to call 911 to reach Hamilton’s Emergency Services who will then dispatch the appropriate emergency response team.
With McMaster’s current plan of implementing new assistance phones across campus and the overall unnecessary nature of additional safety poles off campus, this aspect of Webb’s #SaferMac campaign seems to be lacking a feasible structure of implementation, consultation and collaboration with on-campus resources.
Overall, Webb’s goals are limited to a campaign that is geared more towards smaller initiatives, rather than making a substantial change through more impressive projects.
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Kirstin Webb is a Level IV Social Work student and currently a Student Representative Assembly member for the faculty of Social Sciences. Her platform focuses on improving life on campus and within the community.
As an SRA member, Webb has contributed to MSU policy papers, been a delegate to the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and currently sits on the McMaster Students Union’s Municipal Affairs committee. Webb has also worked with the Social and Planning Research Council of Hamilton.
Webb’s platform is centred around three pillars that include on-campus issues, community development and a collective relationship between the MSU and the student body.
Her first pillar surrounds pertinent issues on campus, addressing accessibility, representation and educational opportunities for students. This pillar includes platform points such as retracting the new Smoking Ban policy and creating designated smoking areas on campus, increasing incentives for student note takers while providing access to notes through McMaster Student Absence Form submissions in addition to providing free menstrual products in all single-user washrooms per building on campus.
Within this pillar, Webb also supports current plans for Indigenous sovereign confederacy on campus while working collaboratively to promote authentic representation within the MSU and undergraduate student population. She further aims to continue to advocate for students for an increase in the number of experiential education opportunities for all students.
The second pillar aims to build relationships between McMaster and the city of Hamilton. This pillar is particularly focused on student safety off campus. The points within this pillar include exploring the addition of security poles within the community, increasing the role of civic engagement around Hamilton City Councillor elections, integrating SoBi to McMaster’s U-Pass in order to promote the exploration of Hamilton in a sustainable way and finally adding a fourth pillar to Welcome Week’s strategic priorities so that first year students can explore their new home.
Webb’s final pillar sees a collective effort between the MSU and the undergraduate student body. This pillar sees an increased provision of bystander intervention training for MSU members in addition to creating a response protocol. She also aims to politicize the role of the MSU president which would entail the president calling for action on student issues while being involved within political processes of the university and increasing student representation and engagement outside of the MSU by creating opportunities and space for students.
Further, Webb’s platform sees the opportunity for undergraduate students to create a campaign point that will be introduced within her year plan if elected. Until Jan. 24, students can submit ideas, either online or at Webb’s campaign table, surrounding what they would like to see within the following year.
If you'd like to learn more about Webb's platform, visit her website: www.kirstinwebb.com
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