November 6, 2015
Candidate Statements (Fall '15 Election)
Seven executive positions are up for election;
Coordinator, Organizer, Chair, Trustee 1, MMC Commissioner, OHS Commissioner, and Treasurer.
| Opening of Nominations | September GM, MBC 2290 (Tues. Sept. 29th) |
| Closing of Nominations | October GM, HC 7000 (Wed. Oct 28th) |
| Electronic Election Period (Emailed tokens) | November 9th - 15th at noon |
| “Protest of Unfair Ballot” Period | November 16th – 22nd |
| First day New Officers can take office | November 23rd (Flexible according to schedules) |
All Candidate Statements
Click here for complete position details or consult the bylaws in Section G (pages 3-8).
Coordinator: (Two Candidates)
Emma Mulligan
Hello! My name is Emma and I use they/theirs pronouns. I’m pleased to say I'm running for Coordinator. As a first year Master of Arts student in the English department, I was active enough in the union that more committed members mistook me for a steward or part of the Member Mobilization Committee, so I decided to assume both roles. I discovered that the TSSU really is the non-hierarchical direct democracy it claims to be, and I think that is its greatest strength. Such a structure requires an informed and enthusiastic membership, and I wish to continue fostering active involvement among the general membership in the new year. As a second year MA student, I want to become even more involved as I complete my degree. My literary training has given me exceptional verbal and written skills, and TAing has taught me the value of patience and empathetic listening. Living with ADHD has led me to develop excellent organizational skills and the ability to multi-task without lowering the high standards I maintain. I believe my unique skill set and faith in the union are what qualify me to be the next Coordinator. If you have any questions regarding my ability to act in this role, please email me at derrianm(at)sfu.ca. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to working with you!
In solidarity,
Emma
Kelli Finney
Hello everyone! My name is Kelli Finney. I’m a PhD student in the department of Linguistics, and look forward to serving you as TSSU Coordinator. Due to my varied experience within the Union as well as diverse work experience, I am the most qualified to be your new Coordinator.
First as a member and now as a volunteer, I’ve been involved with TSSU since coming to SFU last year. I’m currently a departmental steward, a role which I’ve had the privilege of serving in since my first term. Additionally, as an MMC member, I’ve painted t-shirts, participated in outreach at the President’s Barbeque, and stood in solidarity with many of you at the University Senate meeting. Since joining the Contract committee several months ago, I’ve worked alongside others to tirelessly negotiate a fair collective agreement for our membership, most recently leading to your acceptance of the proposed FOS process.
My 3+ years of office and administrative experience, strong skill in multitasking gained from 2+ years of customer service experience, and well developed aptitude for interaction with a variety of people lays a strong foundation for my future work as Coordinator. From preparing up to 100 university admissions application files per day as an application processing assistant, to scheduling volunteers and confirming bookings in my current role as Research Coordinator for SFU’s Budding Scientist research program, I’ve developed strong organizational skills that I’ll bring to my new role. Additionally, as a hotel front desk clerk, I became adept at multitasking, daily empathizing with and answering questions for guests, answering a multi-line phone, and processing room changes. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve cultivated skill in interacting with a wide range of people from working as a customer service representative at a call center, fielding calls from upset customers, to running research tasks with Budding Scientist, where I work with first and second graders as well as peers. Like many of you, I also work as a TA, communicating regularly with students via written feedback and office hours.
As your Coordinator, I’ll ensure that the day-to-day operations of the Union run smoothly, thereby keeping you well-informed and freed up for activism and outreach. I look forward to being your new TSSU Coordinator. Solidarity!
-Kelli
Organizer: (One Candidate)
Carl Mandy
Hello! My name is Carl Mandy, and I am running for TSSU Organizer. I am currently a member of the TSSU Executive as a Trustee, and am a Steward for the department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. I have worked at SFU as a TA and as an RA, and was previously a full-time college teacher of Philosophy, Media Studies, and Film Studies. I have been involved in TSSU since enrolling as a graduate student here. Before this, I was active in other education and public sector unions, at both local and national levels. In my previous teaching job, I served as a union branch president, and sat on my college's board of governors as the teaching staff representative. I have also had significant participation in education activism through the student movement.
As Organizer, I would be most interested in enhancing the campaigning side of TSSU, making strong and active connections with other groups both on and off campus, to help better the situation of students and workers. I want to further improve the union's internal communications, ensuring all departments in all campuses are fully informed and involved in TSSU's activities. It is also my goal to continue developing our existing campaigns around issues such as health insurance for international students, and mold in campus buildings.
Thank you for your consideration! I look forward to working with you.
Chair: (One Candidate)
Adam Dyck
Hello,
My name is Adam Dyck, and I am a TA and Master's student in the Department of Mathematics. With my present role on the Membership Mobilization Committee, I would like to further engage the membership by taking on the duties of TSSU Chair. I initially became more active in the TSSU due to the recent strike activity, which has fostered a desire in me to learn more about labour relations and the benefits to union activism. I was appointed to positions in student organizations in high school and during my undergraduate degree at the University of Regina, where I acquired beneficial collaborative skills. I am drawn to the fact that the TSSU operates under a democratic, feminist, and non-hierarchical structure; I wish to learn and grow through that by assisting in fruitful union operations as the Chair. Your support for me will be an invaluable element of that. Thank you for your consideration.
Trustee 1: (Two Candidates)
Orion Ussner Kidder
Orion Ussner Kidder has just finished his term as Organizer, helping to get the Union through job action (i.e., grade withholding) and doing work key to getting us to a new collective agreement (via Final Offer Selection). Having been a long-term member of the Contract Committee, Membership Mobilization Committee, and the Social Justice Committee as well as working in the TSSU office for this last year, he is very familiar with the bylaws and how they are applied in practice, and he would bring this experience to the position of Trustee.
Benjamin Anderson
My name is Benjamin Anderson and I am a PhD student in the School of Communication. Over the last year I have served as a Steward for my school and over the course of the strike action have taken on additional responsibilities as a member of the Member Mobilization Committee and a volunteer at many of our public demonstrations and various other actions.
In addition to my studies I serve as a teaching assistant and a research assistant. As an international student who relies primarily on my teaching salary to pay my bills and my tuition, I can relate first hand to the challenges faced by our international colleagues. I know what it is like to have to seek additional funding off campus and it unrelated work environments due to the additional constraints faced by those of us who are limited in our sources of funding.
This is not meant as an appeal for pity or anything of the sort. Instead, what I am trying to express is just how crucial the TSSU is to me and to many of our colleagues and classmates. We all exist under conditions of extreme precarity and uncertainty and it is only through an appropriately organized and unified union that we can properly advocate for ourselves and for our profession. We are facing a time of crucial change not only in the academy but in society as a whole. It is our charge, in my view, to face the challenges of today through concerted and consistent effort. This should not be limited to bargaining periods and strikes. It is absolutely essential that we remain vigilant in our efforts to stand up for one another and assert ourselves in response to an ever more constrictive administrative apparatus. This is, in essence, why I am committed to continuing my involvement with TSSU by serving as trustee.
I also like dogs (cats are fine too).
Member Mobilization Committee (MMC) Commissioner: (Two Candidates)
Lillian Deeb
My name is Lillian Deeb, and I am running for MMC Commissioner. I am an MA student in the school of Communication.
I have come to love the TSSU because its democratic structure allows it to adapt quickly to the changing nature of our membership. The more I become involved in planning events, the more I've realized the most fun and effective events were planned by many different people. This, to me, is the most important thing about the TSSU and the reason why I would love to be the next MMC Commissioner. My goal is to continue facilitating this positive and inclusive environment in order to foster our collective creativity and plan events that reflect the needs of the membership.
I am a steward for the Communication department, a member of MMC, and Internal Relations. I am qualified to be MMC commissioner because I’ve gotten a sense of the structure of the TSSU and the membership by talking to as many people as possible about their concerns, whether it be about issues that matter most to them, or about the structure of the TSSU itself. I plan address as many of these issues as possible if I have the opportunity to be the next MMC Commissioner.
The strike might be over, but there is still work to be done!
In solidarity,
Lillian
Tania Arvanitidis
Hi! My name is Tania Arvanitidis and I’m running for the position of Member Mobilization Committee (MMC) Commissioner. I’ve been a TSSU member since I began my studies at SFU in 2010, and have been consistently involved in the TSSU ever since. In addition to serving as a trustee on TSSU’s Executive Committee from 2012-2013, as an active member of TSSU’s Contract Committee since March 2015, and as a Steward for the School of Criminology since 2014, I have for the past three years been an active member of TSSU’s Membership Mobilization Committee. My involvement in this committee has allowed me to work consistently with amazing and talented people, and to broaden my skill set extensively where outreach and organization are concerned. In the time I have been involved in the MMC, I have had the opportunity to assist in organizing TSSU events, designing posters, disseminating information, putting together documents for the TSSU website, and getting to know new TSSU members. Given my extensive and consistent involvement in TSSU up to this point, I am confident in my knowledge of how members can be informed about what the TSSU does for them, and of how members can then be inspired to get involved in union activities themselves. By far my favourite part of being involved with the TSSU has been seeing other members get involved in the union and become as passionate about the TSSU as I am, and I hope that as membership Mobilization Commissioner I can play a role in continuing to inspire members to get involved in their union, just as my union inspired me to get involved all those years ago.
Thank you for your consideration!
OHS Commissioner: (One Candidate)
Adam Barlev
I've been the TSSU rep on the Faculty of Science safety committee for the past 4 years. The new safety committee structure is an opportunity for TSSU members to engage the university and improve their working conditions. My experience on the Science committee showed me that a functioning safety committee can get things done on this campus. We now have seats on all the committees, and its up to us to participate. I'm look forward to my role as the OH&S commissioner.
By-Election Position
Treasurer: (One Candidate)
Kailey Wright
Greetings TSSU,
My name is Kailey Wright and I am excited to be running for Treasurer of our Union. I have been a steward in the Chemistry department as well as a member of the finance committee since I joined the TSSU in 2014. My time as a steward has allowed me to gain an appreciation for the challenges faced by the Union, while time on the finance committee has given me insight into the financial aspect of addressing these issues. This year we have made many excellent improvements to the budget and if elected Treasurer I will continue to work with the finance committee as well as members of the Executive to adapt to the Union’s financial needs.
As TSSU Treasurer I plan to:
I would welcome the opportunity to continue my service to the Union by serving as Treasurer. Specifically, I would bring my aptitude for numbers, efficiency, straightforwardness, and commitment to bettering the future of our Union.
Thank for your consideration and feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding my candidacy at kailey_wright(at)sfu(dot)ca.
In solidarity,
Kailey Wright
