A New VP on the Horizon?
Campaigning Begins for CSU Byelection
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During the Concordia Student Union general elections, the race to executive is contentious, cantankerous and damn difficult. But Hajar El Jahidi is poised to avoid all of that—and walk right in mid-mandate.
Jahidi is the only candidate running to fill the open executive position, VP Academic and Advocacy.
If elected, she’ll replace Lucia Gallardo, who resigned as a result of her questionable student status. She’ll potentially inherit the salary, title and power that that comes with joining the eight-student CSU executive.
Jahidi, who is currently the VP External of the Muslim Students Association, said she hopes to improve the CSU bursary program, run awareness campaigns for student services and facilitate conversation between students and governing bodies.
In the very likely event she is elected, Jahidi said she would resign from her position at the MSA in order to focus on the demanding job of CSU executive.
CSU President Schubert Laforest was a little taken aback by a candidate he called “a little out of left field.”
“I don’t even know how to take it, I haven’t really interacted with her that much,” he said.But Jahidi said her goal is “to be an asset to the [current executive] and not hinder any of their goals and objectives.
“I’m also looking forward to meeting the executive team very soon to get to know them on a more personal level,” she said. “That way, in the event that I do join the team, we will all be comfortable enough to be able to work efficiently with each other.”
There are also 10 students running to fill open council positions, seven from Arts and Sciences and three from the John Molson School of Business. All ten are running for uncontested positions.
With no referendum questions, it should be a relatively quiet byelection.
All candidates, along with their candidate profiles, can be found at csuelections.wordpress.com, a site temporarily set up to allow the CSU to circumvent the current IT issues on their own website.
But even as the byelection looms, more seats are opening up. Arts and Sciences Councillors Charlie Brenchley and Adriana Farias resigned this week, both citing other time commitments as their reasons for leaving.
The byelection will be held from Nov. 27 to Nov. 29. All undergraduate students are eligible to vote.
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