VPSS race heats up

Erik Dickson
The Brock Press
February 9, 2010

The three candidates for Vice President Student Services have focused on different issues throughout the campaign, and hope that they will come out on top.

As the executive who oversees clubs, Brock Off-Campus and events including O-Week, the VPSS will dictate most of the ways that students get involved with BUSU.

For Rox Chwaluk, who completed her undergraduate degree in Dramatic Arts last year, is committed to “bridging the gap”. This means uniting the on and off-campus communities, and getting more students involved in events, as well as connecting Brock with the local community.

She also highlighted her campaign focus on understanding what students want – asking that students visit her table in Academic South in order to communicate what they want to see in the upcoming year.

Christopher Lindley, a third year political science student has made pride the theme of his campaign. According to Lindley, if students have more pride in their school, they will be more involved in events and clubs. Having served as a residence don for two years, he says he has shown his commitment to students and to Brock.

Kenneth Truong, a Third Year Business Administration student, has focused on clubs throughout the campaign. A member of several clubs on campus, Truong has stated that clubs need more support, and that events need to be more interactive.

In the first two debates, the three candidates stuck to the main points of their platform. Chwaluk argued that events, like O-Week need to be designed towards what students want, and that international students could be more involved.

Lindley said that instilling more pride in students would lead to more involvement, and that a dedicated clubs coordinator would help clubs become more successful.

Truong argued that a new clubs database for events would help with awareness, and that transportation could be improved in order to increase attendance.

Possibly the tamest of the races for the four BUSU executive positions, the debates for VPSS heated up in the final debate, with candidates taking shots at each other’s campaigns.

Chwaluk’s “one poster campaign” was attacked by Lindley, as he claimed that other posters were put up in other areas of the school, despite Chwaluk’s commitment to only printing one poster.

In a rebuttal period, Chwaluk argued that the VPSS would need to be visible among students, and that Lindley’s campaign posters prevented people from knowing who they would be voting for.

When discussing lack of attendance at events, Truong claimed that transportation was the main problem, pointing out that in the summer months, transit “sucks balls”.

Despite differences, all candidates claimed that they were most qualified for the position. Chwaluk cited her experience with Turn Around Project, a non-profit organization that runs arts programs around the world.

Lindley argued that his experience as a residence don, which he referred to as a 24 hour a day job, qualified him to be VPSS – a job that would also require many long days.

Finally, Truong claimed that his involvement with clubs during his time at Brock gave him the knowledge and background necessary to be successful in the position.

Originally Printed: The Brock Press