Students hoping to run in this year’s ASUS executive election no longer need a team.
The Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) changed its election policies on Nov. 20, moving away from the previous team-based system for executive candidates. The new Elections and Referenda Policy now requires nominees to run as individuals for one of the three positions.
The ASUS executive team consists of three roles: President, Vice-President (Operations), and Vice-President (Student Affairs). The elected individuals will collectively form next year’s ASUS executive team.
In an interview with The Journal, Governance Officer Piper Veloso explained the change is an attempt to boost student engagement. Running in teams poses a barrier for students looking to get involved, and Veloso pointed to other faculty societies without teams, such as the Engineering Society (EngSoc) and Computing Students’ Association (COMPSA), as having strong student engagement.
“Shifting towards an individual election will bring a diversity of opinions because the three people don’t need to have the same values. [Individuals] can build their own platform and bring their own ideas. Then that way, we have a much broader and more diverse set of thoughts,” Veloso said.
The nomination period runs from Jan. 10 to 19. Candidates may only run for one position, and students can vote online for their new ASUS representatives starting Jan. 29.
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