KSA council changes election rules to disqualify candidates for speaking to the media

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The Kwantlen Student Association approved at least 14 changes to its election rules, including disqualifying students for being published in a news article or participating in interviews about their campaign, during a council meeting on Dec. 20.

Associate President Ishant Goyal said the changes, which were made within the association’s regulations, were a recommendation from the KSA’s legal counsel, Miller Thomson LLP, as “there are candidates who probably have connections or relationships with the media that would give them an unfair advantage over other candidates.”

“If a candidate has better relationships … with the news outlets and they ask them to publish articles for them, [they could] publicize them more as compared to other candidates,” Goyal said. “So it’s just providing fairgrounds to everyone.” 

Advocacy Coordinator John O’Brian said it is common practice for the media to report on council elections. 

“We know that candidates talk to the press during provincial elections, too,” O’Brian said. “If you make a comparison to provincial elections, it would be presumed that candidates would be communicating in the press.”

Kwantlen Polytechnic University students who want to learn about the candidates running in the KSA general elections and their campaigns will have to turn to the KSA’s website for information. 

“All the statements are going to be published on the KSA website,” Goyal said. 

Other changes include removing candidate statements from polling stations and increasing the number of signatures on nomination forms from 25 to 75, which must be signed with “wet ink.” 

“The number of nominees would be three times higher than any other student union in B.C.,” O’Brian wrote in the meeting’s Microsoft Teams chat. “[University of British Columbia’s Alma Mater Society] requires 25 signatures, most schools our size require 10 or 15, several require 3 or 5.” 

Last month, the KSA council passed a motion to increase the filing deposit for complainants from $20 to $45. At the Dec. 20 meeting, it was increased again to $75.

Goyal said the change will help funnel out “mischievous complaints,” and the deposit will be refundable. 

Outlining prohibited types of campaigning — like in campus libraries, classrooms, and on KPU electronic academic platforms — requiring candidates to submit their nomination packages in person at the KSA’s main office, and making sure all correspondence with the chief returning officer is done through a non-KPU email are among the other approved changes.  

There were two regulation changes that the KSA council initially approved and later removed. One was giving third or later-year students priority for two business representative seats to “promote inclusion.” The other was requiring students with disabilities running for the constituency position to provide proof that they are registered with KPU’s accessibility services.  

“I checked with the director of accessibility services about the rules around disclosure for being registered … and she said that they’re not actually able to provide that in the current procedures that they have and they would consider it unethical to do so,” O’Brian said.

“She pointed out … more than 20 per cent of students probably have some kind of disability, but only about eight per cent are registered with accessibility services.” 

As the year comes to an end, the KSA council should have a draft budget prepared for the new fiscal year, the association’s regulations read. 

The draft budget should be submitted to the finance and operations committee no later than Oct. 31, after which the budget should be posted on the KSA’s website and shared with KPU students to collect feedback.

After feedback collected through advertising and consultations is implemented, the finance and operations committee should submit its version of the draft budget no less than seven days before the first council meeting of December. The KSA council is to adopt a final budget no later than Jan. 30. 

Goyal said the draft budget will be ready “most likely next week.” 

“I think we need to have it adopted before the end of the year, and the council was really busy with other initiatives for students,” he added. “I think the council might provide room for feedback after the budget adoption. If there are amendments to be done after the feedback is provided, and as council deems it, amendments can always happen at any time of the year.”

The next KSA council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 27 at noon via Microsoft Teams. Interested students can email info@kusa.ca to join.