University of Leiceister

Dan Fahey is not your typical MSU presidential candidate. To start, he’s the first student of the young iSci program to run. But most notably, he’s not from McMaster. Fahey is an exchange student from the University of Leiceister in England.

“I’ve not met a single person who has had a problem with it,” he said of his being an exchange student. “Hamilton is really similar to back home, it’s almost like another part of England. It’s very similar, culturally.”

Fahey is a radical candidate not only in his background, but in his platform. Upon coming to McMaster, he was “shocked” by the state of student government, and cites a feeling of “democratic responsibility an obligation” as his reason to run.

“You’ve got all this community and stuff going on, but then the governance is disconnected. It seems weird,” he said.

While other candidates look to make more minor changes within the MSU, Fahey is vocal about his plans for radical reform. He wants to see the election of the three VPs, and a larger, more open SRA that better represents minority groups at Mac.

But as noble as his plans may be, Fahey’s emphasis on democratic restructuring is unlikely to resonate with a disinterested student body. Presidential voting turnout hit a peak last year, even though just a third of MSU voted. His message of student mobilization and activism calls to mind the Quebec protests of 2012 – an association he welcomes, in designating the red felt square as his campaign marker.

In his mission to cater to underrepresented and often marginalized campus groups, including students who are female, racialized, first nations, queer or with disabilities, Fahey neglects the bigger picture and the average student. His platform fails to address the more common issues of the average student, which include campus capacity and mental health. The kind of change he wants to make is undeniably positive, but the kind of grassroots movement he hopes for won’t come to light if the majority of students are ignored.