ews EDITOR DANA BOWEN THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013 2 Students Yikai Wang, Abirami Muthukumar, Haiyan Zhu, and Chen Chen (Carissa) Dong Candidates run unopposed Out of total 18 positions available, only 12 candidates are running By NADIM ROBERTS e Langara Students’ Union (LSU) is looking to fill 18 posi- tions on its executive board this month. An election was called for this week, but as it turns out, there is only one candidate for each position. The LSU hosted an All Candidates Forum on Sept. 26 in the Students’ Union Building to increase voter awareness for the upcoming election, which runs from Oct. 1 to 7. Nine students are running for the 10 councilor positions this year and two students are running for advisor posi- tions. That leaves three advisor posi- tions unfilled. Only one student is run- ning for an officer position, with three officer positions left vacant. The students running for councillor positions this year are: Zahara Baugh, NADIM ROBERTS photo Surya Carmichael, Benjamin Edelstein, Benjamin Friesen, Jialu Li, Mohammad Ameeruddin, Abirami Muthukumar, Yikai Wang and Haiyan Zhu. Candi- dates Benjamin Friesen and Moham- mad Ameeruddin were not present at Thursday’s forum. Baugh, a first-year Langara student, says she “supports sustainability, ac- countability and transparency in the LSU,” and wants to keep tuition fees down. Carmicheal, in her third-year at Lan- gara, believes that she would bring a unique perspective to the LSU and hopes to raise awareness about the bike-repair shop. A student at Langara since 2008, Edelstein considers himself a “friendly face on campus.” “ve heard the positive and I’ve heard the negative,” says Edelstein. “I think I’m in a really good position to voice my opinion.” Li, an international student, men- tions impartiality as her strength. “m a sociable person and love to communicate with other students,” says Li. Second-year student Muthukumar says he wishes to “bridge the gap be- tween the union and the members.” Running for international student advisor, Chen Chen (Carissa) Dong be- lieves her two years at Langara have given her an understanding of the con- cerns of students from various back- grounds. Running for treasurer, commerce student Xiao Qing (Jessica) Liu, says she wishes to “utilize student fees to enrich Langara students’ life.” Running for sexuality and gender- diversity advisor Eva Snyder says she wants to build a “strong, inclusive, queer-friendly presence” on campus. Dates Thursday, Oct. 3 in the Students’ Union Building from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4 in the Students’ Union Building from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7 in the main foyer of the A Building from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Source: LSU website Residential school trauma passed on to students at Langara GLEN TRUAX photo Larry Railton, manager for Aboriginal Student Services The Truth and Reconcilia- tion Walk happened Sept. 22, but the fight’s not over for Aboriginal people, stu- dents and staff say By GLEN TRUAX wound down in Vancouver, but dealing with the emotional trauma of the residential school system will continue. “It’s an ongoing process,” said Larry Railton, manager for Ab- original Student Services at Langara. The Truth and Reconciliation Com- mission is dedicated to revealing the damaging effects of Canada’s contro- versial residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996. The schools aimed at re-educating First Nations children and teaching them to be more “Canadian.” A history of physical, sex- ual, and emotional abuse has been tied to the schools system, and the trauma is passed down through the genera- tions, said Railton. “We were affected by the abuse,” said Talia Turner, a first-year nursing Te and Reconciliation week has student. “The abuse was passed down to the second and third generations as well.” Straightforward financial compensa- tion for a few survivors of the schools is not enough, added Turner. The information about the troubled recent history of Aboriginals is often not available, said Valerie Claxton, an- other first-year Langara student. “I’ve had to figure out on my own why my family behaves the way they do.” Aboriginal children “have to do their own work” in investigating the legacy of the schools, said Railton. He does not want to diminish the accom- plishments of the TRC, as he noted that the information shared is now a matter of historical record. Shelley Wright, the co-ordinator of the Aboriginal Studies department said that the “extremely important in- formation that’s been shared is now available for all Canadians.” However, Wright said actions like these “never go far enough.” Greater Aboriginal rights, beyond the TRC, continue to be fought for. “We have to keep fighting for the same things, just with a different name.” Added Claxton: “And we'll keep fighting.” LSU policy obscures campaign Changes to LSU’S policy block candidates from using social media and speaking to the media By NICK EAGLAND tion is underway, but LSU policy is impeding the media’s ability to provide students with election cover- age and deterring candidates from campaigning. The LSU has prohibited candidates from using social media to campaign, banned its staff from speaking with the media and now routes all media inqui- ries about the election through LSU spokesperson Gurbax Leelh. “The LSU has decided not to speak to reporters, especially from The Voice [because of] past reporters,” said Leelh in an email. The LSU media policy “sounds like Vancouver city council, actually,” said Vancouver Non-Partisan Association councilor George Affleck in a phone in- terview. Last month, he proposed a motion to investigate city hall’s dou- bling of communications staff, which he said hampers communication be- tween reporters and the city. He de- scribed LSU media relations as a “mi- crocosm” of city hall. “Any elected body should be open and transparent to not only the media, but also the general public. The fact that your student union is being so closed raises a lot of red flags to me.” Only three of the 12 candidates post- ed campaign materials during the week-long campaign period. The LSU disqualifies any candidate who fails to remove all campaign materials on dis- play, including posters, by 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, according to its web- site. “Unfortunately, an interview counts as campaign material,” said candidate Zahara Baugh in an email. “If that ma- terial is distributed (whether online or in print) after the campaign period, I would be disqualified.” At the All Candidates’ Forum on Sept. 26, candidate Ben Edelstein said, “T like to do this test, which is ‘Would I do it if I didn’t want it on the cover of the Province?’ ’'m going to apply that to this position.” Emails to the LSU’s electoral com- mittee and deputy returning officer, who oversee the election, were not re- turned. The LSU annual general meet- ing was moved from Sept. 2013 to June 2013 and minutes are not yet available to students. Candidates’ names and platforms are available on the LSU’s website. Polls close Monday, Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. T: Langara Students’ Union elec- FALL 2013 ELECTION OF COUNCIL OFFICIAL LIST OF CANDIDATES ABA -- UANGARA STUDENTS’ UNION 2°” omporgning NICK EAGLAND photo A sign detailing the LSU election hangs in the student union building