The Tribune’s editorial board presents its endorsements of the candidates for the Fall 2024 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) by-election for the Vice-President (VP) Student Life and VP Sustainability and Operations positions. Editors researched and communicated with each candidate before leading an editorial board discussion on the candidate’s qualifications and vision for their prospective role. Editors with conflicts of interest abstained from discussing, writing, and editing relevant reviews.
VP Student Life
Justice Bongiovanni
Bongiovanni, who worked in student government at his Cégep, plans to bolster student food security initiatives on campus. His campaign has included goals to re-open student-run cafes (namely, Gerts), employ students on campus, support student-run food cooperatives, fund affordable courses for students to gain practical skills, and make dietary-restricted and culturally appropriate food more readily available on campus. Bongiovanni has also run his campaign on the goal of investing $10,000 CAD to address food insecurity at McGill. While lacking experience working within SSMU or its clubs and services, Bongiovanni consulted various student groups to form his campaign. Bongiovanni told The Tribune that he believes that students are frustrated with SSMU, but that through collaboration with the other executives, he can ensure that student fees are reflected in their experiences on campus.
Alice Postovskiy
As the administrative coordinator for the Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) and treasurer for the Mafia Club, Postovskiy has spent multiple years working within SSMU clubs and services. Her campaign centres on objectives to streamline club finances, ensure timely operations so that services can run smoothly, recognize the autonomy of clubs and services, facilitate collaboration between student groups, and simplify regulatory processes to eliminate what she sees as unnecessary administrative work. Postovskiy has also claimed she will work to protect student groups from “overreach by administration.” She told The Tribune that if elected, she plans to recognize the community that student groups foster and the power they hold as well as increase communication between groups and herself to ensure that student groups are appropriately advocated for at the executive level. Postovskiy believes that SSMU ought to competently provide essential administrative work while also granting student groups more autonomy. She emphasized that clubs and services often know what is best for their communities, citing the fact that many services tend to have stronger institutional memory than SSMU due to less frequent staff and volunteer turnover.
Endorsement: Yes to Alice Postovskiy
With years of experience working with clubs, services, and SSMU, Postovskiy would bring a grounded understanding of the responsibilities of the role of VP Student Life and the unique needs of student groups. Postovskiy demonstrates a clear desire to enhance the working relationship between SSMU and its student groups—something The Tribune believes is necessary in order to realize a well-functioning student union. The Tribune also supports Postovskiy’s vision to bolster student group autonomy as opposed to strict top-down management as student groups are the lifeblood of SSMU. While The Tribune applauds Bongiovanni’s commitment to food security initiatives, Postovskiy’s platform provides clear and actionable goals, plus a broader vision that is directly in line with the portfolio of VP Student Life.
Vp Sustainability and Operations
Kareem El Hosini
El Hosini’s platform is based on efficiency, transparency, and enrichment. He believes that SSMU should maximize the value provided to students with the resources at hand, quickly and correctly. El Hosini believes that transparency is key, as students have the right to know the important decisions being made by SSMU. This will work in two ways: First, by letting the students be heard before making decisions through the implementation of a feedback system; second, by putting out regular messages with information pertinent to the students. “We hear you, you hear us,” he says. El Hosini plans to begin by working with student services that already receive funding to assist in directing their resources more efficiently, as well as partnering with local businesses. He aims to close the gap between students and the administration, ensuring that students are not only heard but are also empowered to communicate directly with McGill without relying on intermediaries. He believes that “having direct access to those whose job is to serve students is a right, not a privilege.” His message is: Vote Kareem, free Palestine.
Arya Cheuk
Cheuk’s platform is based on simplicity, community, and sustainability. She wants to address students’ concerns about the gravity of the climate crisis, as well as the guilt they may feel for their lack of use of climate-conscious alternatives. Cheuk has experience being the McGill Undergraduate Geography Society (MUGS) Sustainability Officer, through monthly roundtable meetings for the Science Undergraduate Society and as a member in large of the Environmental Committee of SSMU. She will work toward transparency for students by being aware of the inventory of services available on campus and keeping up to date with SSMU environmental social media. One of her main initiatives is increasing compost accessibility at McGill, through installing independent student waste collective bins in collaboration with building directors and increasing labelling of composting sites on campus. When it comes to student calls for Palestinian mobilization, she believes individual executives may hold certain biases and SSMU needs to ensure that they are adequately representing their faculties, and thus recommends holding General Assemblies instead.
Endorsement: Yes to Kareem El Hosini
El Hosini’s years of experience working at McGill’s clubs would prepare him to facilitate transparency, administration, and communication with students. He plans to be a representative voice of the student body, heeding their calls for pro-Palestinian solidarity. The Tribune commends his planned initiatives toward quick and efficient solutions to increasing communication and collaboration with students. El Hosini recognizes the impact a representative student executive team has on the student body, and plans to approach this position as a privilege. The Tribune encourages El Hosini to ensure that he is able to make the time commitment to the position, given his vast involvement in other student groups at McGill.