Student candidates vie for highest office

KPU releases list of nominees for board of governors and senate.

The university has released the list of eligible candidates for student representatives in the university’s highest legislative factions.

Four student seats are available for the university senate, which dictates academic mandates for the university. These are uncontested for the 2015 race. The contested seats are the two available for the university’s board of governors—the highest legislative body in a university. The board of governors consists of two-thirds government appointees, and typically review and approve the university’s budget, among other things.

BoG and senate elections are held online, with polls opening at 8 a.m. on Apr. 9, and closing on Apr. 12 at 4 p.m.

Kayla England and Adnan Hifzur Rahuman are the two senate candidates. As they are running uncontested, the two will assume their seats Sept. 1, 2015. Unlike the recent Kwantlen Student Association general election, students can’t vote no for uncontested candidates–they’re simply acclaimed to the position.

The candidates for the two contested BoG seats include England, Upinder Chahal, Steven Button and Jessica Lar-Son. Their candidate statements are available on the MyKwantlen website.

Button and Lar-Son are running as a slate, according to their candidate statements. They were part of the KSA’s executive committee in their last term. Button’s experience includes serving on Senate and as the vice-president of student services on the KSA. Lar-Son has served as the women’s constituency representative, the KSA president and vice-president of external affairs.

Chahal has held a seat on the BoG before, and elaborates on that experience in his statement. He has volunteered with KSA’s START program and worked as a student assistant with the recreation department at Kwantlen.

In England’s last KSA term, she chaired the KSA academic affairs committee. She adds in her statement that she was a legal assistant to the BoG, and that she has leanings towards social justice and sustainability issues.

Eligible student voters must be enrolled in at least one course, in a recognized program, and have paid all their tuition fees in full at election time.