Red River College Students’ Association election
Candidates state their positions ahead of election
Students are being urged to head to online polls to vote for members of next year’s Red River College Students’ Association executive. Students will have the opportunity to cast their ballots online from Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. until Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. The winning candidates will be announced at the Rock the Vote Kegger on Feb. 16 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Cave.
Who should you vote for? Well, we here at The Projector aren’t going to tell you, but the following candidates’ position statements* will help you make an informed decision.
*The candidates’ position statements were edited for length only.
Garrett Meisner – Candidate for President
My name is Garrett Meisner. I am a Business Administration student here at Red River. I speak frankly and I don’t mess around. I’m here to work for you; to hear your voice and act quickly and effectively to meet your needs and wants.
If you elect me as President my first objective will be to make the Students’ Association (SA) far more accessible to students. Currently there is a clear disconnect between the students and the SA, which I find completely unacceptable. The purpose of the SA is to serve the students. We are your employees. Throughout my term as President, I will work to increase the SA’s accessibility and visibility on campus. We will take our cues from the student body and continuously strive to meet them.
Currently, the SA is less effective than it could be. By hiring more staff there will be more people working towards accomplishing your goals. In order to pay for these new people as well as other SA initiatives I’m going to put together a group of students paid on commission that will be dedicated solely to fundraising.
I want RRC to have more of a sense of community and not just be a place you spend your weekdays. I want school to be fun. There are currently too few intermural sports and other events here at the college, something I will strive to increase. We will also need a better way of spreading information about all these new events. One of the ways I plan on doing this is by creating a small weekly newsletter.
I would also like to see the P.A. system used for announcements and use the campus text alert system to spread the word about events and SA news.
Continuing to work on getting a hockey arena, upgrading the gym, including adding a personal trainer, and providing students with cheaper food is also on my ‘to do’ list. I plan to keep working on parking as this continues to be an issue at both campuses.
These are some of the things I believe should be the priorities of the SA, but at the end of the day, you call the shots. When I am President, I will work for you – You will be the boss. On February 13 Vote for Change. Vote for Garrett Meisner.
Corey Skochyles – Candidate for Vice President Internal
My name is Corey Skochyles and I am a student of Red River College, just like you, and a very active member of this college. I love going to the gym here, I volunteer with both the Student Advisory Board as well as with the International Student Mentorship program as a local mentor. I also work here on campus now, both as a peer tutor and at The Ox. My dedication to my studies has successfully got me onto the honor roll for my first term. I also have 9 years of experience working in an office environment prior to coming back to school.
With my time in office I want all my fellow students to know about all the great things that are happening around the school and all the ways they can get help from the Students’ Association. I know that more can be done to get this information to students and I want to put in the effort to get that done. I also want to make sure I am available to hear back from the student body.
Secondly would be focused efforts to continue the great work done by our current Vice President Internal around both the interest-based clubs and also around Club Day. I feel strongly that both of these efforts are great improvements to our school and should receive the reinforcement necessary to see them strong enough to last.
Michael Santarsieri – Candidate for Vice President External
My name is Michael Santarsieri. I have recently graduated from the Applied Accounting program at the Exchange District Campus, and I am currently enrolled as an Accounting major in the Business Administration program. Also I have been employed by the Students’ Association (SA) as a cashier at the Mercantile. While attending the college I have made a number of friends both student and faculty, and attended many events organized by the college and the SA.
Through meeting these people and attending these events I have developed an interest in the position of Vice President External, at the Exchange District Campus. I believe that my college experience makes me the perfect candidate for the position. When elected to the position of Vice President External it will be my goal to constantly improve the quality of student life at Red River, such as improving the selection of food on campus and offering healthier alternatives. When elected I would strive to expand the current fitness facility. I would also strive to develop a system where new students entering programs would be able to contact past students in order to purchase texts that are still available for use, or to create a used bookstore, similar to Outlaw.
When elected I will develop a new channel of communication between the students and members of the SA, to work together to overcome these current issues. As you know being a student at Red River College does consume a major part of your life, so why not allow the people who are there to help, help you? This year casting your vote takes the first step to letting us help you make this year that much better!
Jamie Mager – Candidate for Vice President External
I bring many skills and qualifications to the Vice President External position and encourage students to speak to me about their concerns or ideas. My door will always be open and I will try to go out of my way to research and investigate issues, concerns, and ideas of the students.
I feel an additional two-to-three more washrooms need to be added to the current total. This will help relieve the strain on the washroom facilities and decrease the time spent looking or waiting for an available toilet.
I look forward to hearing your ideas to improve the college atmosphere, community, quality of education, and overall experience at Red River College.
Jamie Mager
Jocelle Cuvos – Candidate for Vice President Academic
My name is Jocelle Cuvos. I am running for the position of Vice President Academic. My goal is to continuously motivate change at Red River College by improving our students’ academic, athletic, and school involvement to make the most of their college experience. I am a prime example of the change I want to see at the college. In the past two years, I have involved myself in many of the student events all over the college and in doing so; my school spirit has grown and continues to grow.
I am involved with a few different areas around the school and I am an advocate for Red River College. I feel each and every student has the ability to make a huge difference at this college. In fact, the students are the college.
I also believe that your Vice President Academic must have strong leadership skills. I believe that a good leader has the ability to balance and successfully manage multiple tasks. A strong leader is someone who can offer a positive, team-oriented approach in influencing others to accomplish a common goal. I believe they should carry with them a strong character and integrity. I believe I am an excellent leader. I will be an approachable and reliable liaison between the student and the school in any case of an academic appeal or any other situation in which a student may require representation or assistance of any kind. I will perform all the responsibilities required and expected of the Vice President Academic.
Larry Schmidt – Candidate for Vice President Academic
As a student you may have a complaint, or be dissatisfied with a grade or a decision related to a disciplinary action. Amongst other responsibilities, the Vice President Academic serves as student advocate for appeals by acting as a liaison between the student and the college.
I feel I can represent you well, as I am a lifelong learner who has been a student at the University of Manitoba (B.Sc., Computer Science) and The University of Winnipeg (B.A., Theatre and Filmmaking), and have previously graduated from a diploma program at RRC. I also have training in Recognition of Prior Learning, Human Resources and educational instruction. Currently, I am in the Business Administration program.
Elsewhere, I have served on Workplace Safety and Health, and Diversity committees, and also my church board. I have been privileged to be on the Student Advisory Board this year, and I would like to continue representing you and your interests as an executive. Vote for Larry Schmidt, B.Sc., B.A.
