Unique voting tokens will be emailed to all members on November 18th, 2014.
Polls will be open until the end of November 22nd.
Winners will be announced at the November 25th General Membership Meeting,
(Nov. 25th, Harbour Centre, Rm 1500 @ 4:30 - 6:30pm).

If you do not get an emailed token, please email trustee(at)tssu.ca to get one.

Positions Available

Organizer
Carl Mandy
Orion Kidder

Coordinator
Genevieve Lorenzo

Chair
Derek Sahota

MMC Commissioner
Phil Dluhy

Trustee #1
Melissa Roth

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Organizer

(Organizer Candidate: Carl Mandy)
Hello! My name is Carl Mandy, and I am running for TSSU organizer. I am studying for an MA in Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies.

Before coming to SFU, I was a full-time college teacher of Philosophy, Media Studies, and Film Studies. I was heavily involved in my teaching union at both national and regional levels. I was elected president of my local branch, and acquired eleven years of experience in union organizing and activism. I also sat on the board of governors for my college workplace, as teaching staff representative. This led to extensive involvement with matters relating to curriculum, human resources, college policy, and equality & diversity issues. I have also had significant participation in education activism through the student movement.

I am currently employed as a TA and an RA, and am the TSSU steward for my department. I also sit on the Internal Relations committee. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to become more involved in the TSSU, raising its profile and influence across all SFU campuses, to better serve the interests of all members. Strong communication links between stewards and members are essential, and I will do all I can to ensure these are maintained and strengthened. I am also eager to further enhance organizational links between the TSSU and other unions, both on and off campus, and to work in solidarity with other social justice campaigners.

Thank you for your consideration! I look forward to working with you.
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(Organizer Candidate: Orion Kidder)

I'm Dr. Orion Ussner Kidder, a sessional from the English Department, and I'm the best candidate for TSSU Organizer because I know our union from the inside, and I have a long-term perspective on our collective situation.

As a sessional prof, I know from experience that the exploitation of graduate students leads directly to the exploitation of sessional professors, so I am in the ideal position to help both grads and sessionals to assert the rights we have and fight for improvements.

I've been on the Contract Committee for two years, in more or less continuous negotiation with the University the whole time, and I've been intimately involved in crafting our proposals, including the improvements we got in 2012 to TA/TM priority lists and to Sessional "right of first refusal."

I've also had a strong presence on the Membership Mobilization Committee: informing, activating, and organizing the greater membership so that we can put pressure on SFU to actually sign our contracts. I've walked the picket line. I've looked students in the eye when we withheld their grades.

I know this union. I know our situation. Vote for me.

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Coordinator

(Coordinator Candidate: Genevieve Lorenzo)
Hello,

I am Genevieve Lorenzo, and I am running for my second term as Coordinator.

I have been the TSSU’s Coordinator for the last year, and it has been an exciting, active, and important time for our Union. During my term, I have worked hard to make sure that our Union is working as efficiently and smoothly as possible, and that our membership is strong and informed. I have improved upon and implemented various systems of record-keeping, bookkeeping, and other day to day tasks for my fellow Executive and general members, as well as helped the Chief Steward and Organiser in coordinating events and maintaining relationships between our committees and our members.

Once again, I am proud to be a part of the collective, and I am committed to helping strengthen and build our Union as we head into the next year.

In solidarity,
Genevieve
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Chair

(Chair Candidate: Derek Sahota)
I am currently an active member of both the Contract and Membership Mobilization Committees and would like your support to take an executive role in TSSU as Chair. I found my passion for fighting injustice through roles with student organizations during my undergraduate degree at SFU, and that work naturally morphed into union activism while working as a Teaching Assistant at McMaster University. I have experience facilitating meetings through various roles in student organizations and my past activities in TSSU and CUPE 3906. I intend to continue in the mould of recent TSSU Chairs, who have used their role to foster dialogue and respectful debate at meetings, while also ensuring our union continues to move forward. I am committed to TSSU's non-hierarchical democratic structure and hope to have the opportunity to serve the membership as Chair.

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MMC Commissioner

(MMC Commissioner Candidate: Phillip Dluhy)
My name is Phillip Dluhy and I am currently finishing up my master’s in physics. I have been involved with the TSSU as a steward since I arrived at SFU in the Fall of 2012 and began working on MMC in the Fall of 2013. I took on the role of Membership Mobilization Committee (MMC) Commissioner at the end of June of 2014 and have been fortunate enough to work with a fantastic group of energetic and motivated activists as we progress through this most recent round of bargaining. In the last few months I have been MMC Commissioner I have done my best to create a positive atmosphere for the members of MMC that motivates their creativity as we fight to educate and mobilize our members and the SFU community. It is an exciting time for the TSSU and I hope I will be able to continue in that role as we ramp up into the next stage of bargaining in the Spring!
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Trustee #1

(Trustee #1 Candidate: Melissa Roth)
I've been involved with this union since I started here in 2010. I've served as a steward, secretary, and most recently organizer. As I finish my time here at SFU I'm excited to run for the position of Trustee and best use my years experience in upholding and interpreting our Bylaws as well as continuing to provide institutional memory. The amount of good that this organization does behind the scenes is truly inspiring, and I hope to continue being involved for the upcoming year as well. Thank you for your time.

Melissa Roth
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