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| Ezra Edelstein, from Kincardine, Ontario, is the new DSU President. | ||
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After a long wait, a decision has been made - the DSU president remains Ezra Edelstein of Kincardine, Ontario.
Ezra was elected by his fellow peers with a 137-vote differential between himself and Kevin Wasko, on March 10, 2005, only to be disqualified the following Monday for an alleged $27.45 in budget overspending.
The complaints were heard by the judicial board and the disqualification decision was overturned. "It is unfortunate it had to come to this, but I'm definitely glad the Judicial board has made this decision. There is lots of work to be done and I'm exited to get on with it," adds Ezra.
The elections were solely based on-line this year; in hopes of decreasing costs, eliminating ballot spoilage, and increasing student participation in the elections. Nevertheless only 2,741 students (or 18 per cent) of the 14,260 student population of Dalhousie voted. This turnout is down 5 per cent from last years total of 23 per cent.
Ann Beringer - Chief Returning Officer of the DSU elections office says "Students don't vote because you tell them to vote, but because there is something interesting about the campaigns going on," so lack of appeal might have been responsible for the voting gap.
On the other hand, the new DSU President Ezra Edelstein suggests another reason that might have a contributing factor. "There is a lack of student awareness of the DSU, and it's a real problem. We need to increase student awareness when it comes to what the DSU is, and what it does for students. Most students don't know what it is that the DSU does, and don't realize that with a budget over $1 million, there are many services that we provide for students. I think students should know more about the DSU and what it's doing with their money."
There are several ways the new on-line system has improved the election process, one of which is the spoilage of ballots. Many students make a mistake when filling out their ballots by voting for more than one person in places where only one is required. These ballots are wasted, and last year 644 students (or 28 per cent of all ballots) were impacted. The new system has eliminated this by setting up a warning message that comes up when you've done something wrong. Thus even though five per cent less students voted, there was no ballot spoilage so more votes were cast. Also thanks to the new system there are no printing or counting costs associated, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the cost of running an election.
There is no doubt that the new voting system has improved the election process, but as the dust settles down from the technical side, everyone is eager to hear what the new DSU President has on the agenda.
As an ongoing critic of the DSU, Ezra hopes to change a few things internally, and to increase student awareness of the DSU. "There has always been a 'core group' in the DSU that has been involved in the past years, and most things have always been done a certain way. I want this to change, I want fresh ideas, and create opportunities for random students to participate in the decision making process of the DSU," says Ezra.
Another important issue on the agenda is the rejuvenation of the Grawood. As many are aware, the Grawood had a $100,000 loss this year, and if the bar is to stay open, something needs to be done. Ezra wants to see the atmosphere change along with the menu, to include some cheap healthy food, alongside the the classic fare. Promotions for some of the events that the Grawood hosts needs to target students on-and-off campus. In order to get the Grawood out of its dire financial situation, we need to open up doors to the rest of the city.
Other things Ezra hopes to accomplish while in office include: increased integration between the three campuses, lobbying for fair international student differential fees, and tuition issues including student debt and financial assistance changes.
Ezra has many great ideas and seems keen to encourage students to participate in the DSU, at the same time that he lobbies to further their interests.