The SRC elections have finally come to an end, introducing the new team of representatives that will serve Bishop’s students next year.
The election was a highly visible one, with a plethora of posters scattered throughout the campus and into town. Other campaign strategies, including writing in the snow, were carried out by candidates in an attempt to catch the students’ attention.
President-elect Paige Johnson speculated that her success was mainly due to the “amazing team of volunteers that helped and encouraged [her].” These volunteers helped create a visible presence that was evidently effective in gaining votes.
Increasing and maintaining visibility was crucial to the campaign. Other winning candidates attributed their success to creating awareness of who they are and what their platforms were.
Among the more popular tactics were posters, Facebook groups or fan pages, and visiting classrooms to speak to students.
Nicholas Seebruch, the Humanities Senator-elect, credited his victory to student apathy. He noted that he faced “no opposition” and there was “little interest from the student body.”
The low voter turnout (39.1%) and abundance of uncontested positions in this election would appear to support Seebruch’s argument.
The priorities laid out by most winners focused on creating a better relationship between the SRC and the student body.
Taylor Johnston, the VP Student Affairs-elect, claimed that “communication is key” and believes having SRC staff on-hand to serve students and create a visible presence “will benefit the student body.”
President-elect Johnson promoted actively “endorsing the efforts of all of our students so that we can cultivate a culture of student initiative and involvement.”
Elizabeth Robichaud, the VP Academic-elect, said that she would like to see the Academic Affairs department “take a more proactive role in reaching out to students.”
Similarly, Senator-elect Seebruch said he plans to “promote greater involvement in the SRC” and serve as “a liaison between the students and different departments of the Humanities Division.”
Numerous projects and initiatives were proposed during the campaign. A prominent item was experiential learning – an alternative method to more structured, regimented teaching techniques.
Many members of next year’s Council expressed support for this teaching method. Johnson told The Campus that because Bishop’s is a liberal arts university, “[it] could really benefit from programs of this nature.”
Robichaud holds similar convictions; she believes “credit for experiential learning is something that… can be integrated fully throughout all of Bishop’s academic programs.”
Practically, an initiative to introduce programs of this nature would allow students to gain credit for experiential learning, rather than only for conventional classroom-style courses.
Natural Sciences Senator-elect Justin McCarthy said he aims to increase awareness “about all of the experimental learning opportunities available” to students.
Jenna Smith, the Education Senator-elect, indicated that she hopes to implement mentoring workshops, “where younger/newer students in the program can discuss questions, concerns, or ideas with older, more experienced education students who would take on the role of a mentor.”
She also hopes to facilitate greater communication between elementary and secondary education students.
President-elect Johnson promised to introduce an initiative to provide students living in residence with “the wireless internet they should have.”
Theoretically, students can access one of two wireless networks available to them on campus (WIZABU and ZAP). However, students often complain about having difficulty using these networks.
VP-elect Johnston suggested having a pamphlet containing information pertinent to a student holding an event on campus. This would assist students who “want to hold an event that may include food or alcohol so that they can be sure to follow the rules and maximize the success of their fundraiser or event.”
Johnston also plans to continue work on the ‘We Don’t Break Sh*t campaign,’ an initiative to combat the problem of broken glass in Lennoxville.
