Jillian French- News Editor

Turn off that American news for a second: we know what fall election you’ve all been waiting to hear about. Ahead of the yearly fall elections, The Campus sat down with Karen Dymond, SRC secretary general, to discuss how the SRC has been revving up for the fall election. Starting Sept. 2, students will be eligible for nomination for the positions of first-year representative, on-campus representative, graduate senator, and (two) general councilors. These students will serve on the Board of Student Representatives (BSR), representing the interests of their particular group. Also making its electoral debut is the sexual culture representative, who Dymond stated will “advocate on behalf of all students on issues of sexual health, awareness, inclusivity and issues pertaining to sexual culture”.

Although the sexual culture representative is new, the Sexual Culture Committee has been running for four years, working to encourage safe sexual culture in the university. They’ve organized events like annual Take Back the Night marches and speaker events regarding topics such as racism in sexual culture. This work has officially moved them from an ad-hoc to a standing committee. Safe sexual culture is also a pillar of the SRC, which Dymond described as an “openness to all aspects of the gender spectrum” and an environment for people to “speak out against abuse and violence”. She adds that “even though it’s one of our pillars, we thought it was important to have someone on the ballot able to do that direct work with the committee”. Nominations for this position are open to all Bishop’s students.

The first-year representative is responsible for connecting with students to address and communicate issues with the first-year experience. Although it may be intimidating, Dymond emphasized the benefits of jumping into student government early: “If they want to dive right into student life, being on the board is a great opportunity”. She went on to explain that the SRC prepares reps by providing a weekend leadership retreat early in the year, creating opportunities to solidify the team. The formal environment of the SRC, she added, also prepares students who are interested in working in the non-private sector reporting to boards or committees. While first year representative and graduate senator nominations are limited to students in those respective categories, all other open positions may be filled by any student. Dymond encouraged students to consider applying, adding that it’s a great way to “serve students in a meaningful way”.

To get involved, students are encouraged to attend the student success fair and the SRC extra day, both of which take place during Orientation Week. Election tables will be up and running to answer questions and hand out nomination forms. Additional information will be provided at the Agora in the Library Learning Commons at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, a few days before nominations close on Sept. 9. 

When asked about how she hopes the fall elections will proceed, Dymond answered, “I’m passionate about student government, and the student right to vote. My hope is that we’ll have candidates who bring their passion and their commitment, and student’s who vote on the election date”. Bishop’s has seen the importance of connecting student voices with university governance during the 2023 announcement of Quebec’s tuition hikes, which was followed quickly by student protest and leadership. Dymond affirmed that the open positions are “an opportunity for people to really hear the student voice and advocate for students”.