A year and a half ago students came out en masse to impeach many members of the SFSS Board of Directors for undemocratic actions and the illegal firing of a staff member. The affidavit of Andrea Sandau (then University Relations Officer) shows that impeached Director Margo Dunnett and her friends had hoped to get rid of this staff member merely because she had been critical of the CFS.
Last week, thousands of anonymous leaflets were placed on virtually every chair in all large lecture halls throughout the campus making false and mudslinging claims about the staff of the SFSS. For those of you followed the lead-up to the impeachments, this may sound unpleasantly familiar: a similar tactic was used then against staff and students in an attempt to dissuade students from kicking Hunsdale and his friends out of office. That people would put this much effort into a massive, dirty campaign for the relatively low stakes of a student election would be funny -- were it not for the cruelty and callousness it shows to the staff who get caught in the crossfire, and who work very hard and in good faith for the students at SFU.
Although I have so far tried to limit my comments about the upcoming SFSS election candidates, I am now personally concerned about the outcome. I find it difficult to dismiss the thought that the distribution of these mean-spirited flyers last week, which I strongly suspect to be the work of the CFS campaigners, indicates a willingness to foster future attacks against the staff of the SFSS in an attempt to drive them out so that they can be replaced with pro-CFS staff -- so that SFSS will be turned into yet another bland, ineffective, sycophantic CFS franchise like so many other student unions in BC.
I initially became involved in the impeachment drive in 2006 because of concerns for the grad health plan, but a significant part of why I became more involved in the lead-up to the SGM was because I was sickened by the way all the SFSS staff was treated by Hunsdale and his gang. Although as a grad I will not be a member of the SFSS as of May 1, 2008, I would be very distressed to see the SFSS staff subjected once again to the treatment they endured in 2006.
If CFS supporters claim a majority of seats on the SFSS Board in the upcoming election, what assurance do I have that they won't continue the work of Hunsdale, and the people who distributed the anonymous flyers last week? None. That's why I'll be voting in both the SFSS referendum AND the elections next week, and I will only vote for candidates that will vote to kick out the CFS and/or have the strength of character to withstand the peer pressure that can operate within the SFSS Board in order to do the right thing if things turn ugly once again.
Please inform yourself about the candidates and get out and vote this week.
A list of how candidates say they will vote on the CFS question is posted here: http://www.sfu.ca/~cmoray
Candidate written statements are posted here: http://www.sfss.ca/elections
Recording of the candidate debates is here: http://www.lidc.sfu.ca/archive
Polling Dates, Locations and Times:
Tuesday March 18 to Thursday March 20
- SFU Vancouver Campus main lobby: 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM
- SFU Surrey main level: 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM
- Burnaby Main Library lobby: 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM
Clea Moray,
Graduate Issues Officer
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Clea Moray
Graduate Issues Officer, Simon Fraser Student Society (tel: 778-782-6563; www.sfss.ca)
M.Sc. Candidate, Biology Department
Simon Fraser University
web: http://www.sfu.ca/~cmoray/
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