Missing: MSU Constitution Have You Seen This Document?
If you wanted to take a peek at our SU constitution—maybe you’re concerned about candidates for executive positions being deemed elected without even making it to the polls—where would you go? You could check the website, but you wouldn’t find it there. In fact, short of members of the executive, it seems no one can access it: these screenshots, provided by an anonymous member of the SU, tell their own story. See below a screenshot from the academic rep Discord where one rep calls out the executive for not making it available to the reps or the wider university community, despite having their own access:
And whose job is it? The responsibility lies with administrative staff, specifically a role that’s been left unfilled since February of this year, but that hasn’t stopped finger-pointing, particularly between presidential candidates:
The administrative let-down is another issue for another day: in short, our source notes that the last few tendered positions received very few applications, and suggests that the union’s apparent inability to maintain staff is a reflection of a concerning work culture and poor working conditions.
In an SU where our executive can change the constitution at will—and had you vote to let them do so, without telling you what it was you were voting for—you’d expect to at least have access to this document. Otherwise, what’s to hold them accountable at all?
In fact, transparency and governance seem to be at an all-time low: I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen recent meeting minutes on the site—can you? How about your student reps? Can you name them? Where might you go if you need contact details? Tough luck if you don’t already know: not only is the list not on the website, but our other reps don’t know either:
As for those that do, they’re keeping it private:
It’s obvious that massive change is needed in the SU, and its culture of exclusivity. Last year, you let us know that you think the elections are a popularity contest: it looks to this writer that things have only gotten more insular.
When asked to comment, presidential candidate Ben Holmes commented “it’s not within my personal capacity or remit as a part-time officer and full-time student to update the website (...) I was just trying to point reps in the right direction (...) As for sharing rep emails (...) they consent to being on the website, not necessarily in the chat, and I just didn’t want to single a rep out.” No comment as to how this would be prevented under his presidency, or as to the student body’s mistrust in the exec. Despite reaching out, we received no comment from Gavin Fanning.
That said, our official presidential candidate interviews have just dropped: have a peek and let us know if you think change is coming. I wouldn’t be so sure.
