After a weak voter turn out and questionable comments made online, it’s time the student body started asking questions
A serious discussion about the SFSS is long overdue. I know it, you know it, the 77 per cent of students who didn’t vote this year know it. More importantly, the newly elected member services officer, Moe Kopahi, needs to hear it.
The cover of a recent issue of The Peak shows newly elected SFSS President Khan revelling in his victory. Khan seems to care about his win, but does anyone else? It’s unfortunate that this image provides such an ironic contradiction to the depressing reality of a 23 per cent voter turnout. But, rather than blame this on student apathy, we need to take a more critical stance of how the SFSS has been operating.
In the past 10 years the SFSS has taken a large conservative swing. What was once a union that celebrated activism and organized students to fight against conservative policies has become a society that rarely extends its critique beyond the need for more student space. From an outsider’s perspective, it is easy to see elections as little more than a popularity contest.
Voter turnout should be taken as an indication that the SFSS does not represent the student body. There’s no question of representation of SFU athletics however, with the SFSS potentially funding a new stadium. But where is the voice against increasing tuition coming from? Student fees? Budget cuts? Things are looking bad when all we see from the SFSS on these issues is an article and an email.
I bet you didn’t even know that Senate is debating the top-down integration of learning outcomes in curriculum, restructuring the very core of student experience at SFU. You would if the SFSS were doing their job.
According to the SFSS, the job of our Member Services Officer is to “act as a liaison between the Board, Forum, and other student groups at the University.” In other words, the MSO is our student union’s diplomatic representative, and carries a heavy burden.
Our newly elected MSO Moe Kopahi, with a whopping 1,962 votes out of 25,000, needs to be reminded of the seriousness of the position, as he recently took to Facebook to swing his whammy of a vote count around to back up some comments he made against feminism.
“If it was about equality, it wouldn’t be called feminism,” he stated, before emphasizing that he does indeed “love” the Women’s Centre, despite their lack of authority in his eyes: “I have seen absolutely nothing from you guys in regards to women issues, at SFU, stop claiming it.” Later, he wrote, “I got 1,962 votes, that speaks for students.” He might represent 1,962 students, but he doesn’t represent the other 23,000, and he certainly doesn’t represent me.
Feminism actually addresses many issues through its critique of patriarchy. The Women’s Centre not only offers alternative resources to individuals of all genders, but also organizes a variety of events on a regular basis that serve the interests of our diverse student body: from Halloween activities for student parents and their children, to campaigning for and raising awareness about student debt.
As the person communicating with groups like the Women’s Centre, it would be nice to see our future MSO doing some research before taking to Facebook. Something is wrong with our union when the MSO, voted in with 1,962 votes on a 23 per cent voter turnout, thinks that he has the authority to speak like this in a public forum.
Is it the role of the SFSS Board to claim authority and act without accountability in our name? Or is it their role to listen to students before claiming to represent them?
Our union was once a respectable institution, speaking up for students and against unfair administration and government policies. While there are a select few individuals who do seem to take their positions seriously, the community needs to engage in a broader discussion about what exactly it is that we expect from our union.
