Photo Credit: @USMCSU on Instagram
University of St. Michaels College students weigh in on the future of councilor compensation and funding sources
Hedieh Hashemi, President, SMCSU
As the semester resumes following a well-deserved reading week, it opens with a burst of excitement— the beginning of the SMCSU Spring election voting period. For the next 5 days, students of St. Mike’s vote for their preferred candidates for the St. Michaels College Student Union (SMCSU). As the union is deciding on its next year’s councilors, students are also presented with two exciting questions for the first time in Union history.
SMCSU is the highest student governing body at the University of St. Michaels College aiming to advocate and represent its student body. They are able to do this through survey questions, hosting events and programs to engage the student community and convey student concerns to the higher administrative bodies at USMC and UofT. The council consists of 13 positions; 2 executives and 11 councilors. The students are elected through a democratic electoral process where the union members, who are full-time and part-time St. Mike’s students, vote. The roles are entirely voluntary in which councilors receive CCR recognition at the end of the year for their service. As such, there are no financial compensations or honorariums for the elected councilors.
Many student unions at UofT provide honorariums for their elected councilors. These include UTSU, VUSAC, and Trinity Heads. These honorariums ensure that the elected councilors are accountable and are transparent in their actions. Additionally, it incentivizes more students to run in the elections for the council as it removes a financial barrier for many students. These honorariums range differently across student unions.
This election, SMCSU has asked the students 2 petition questions. The first question gauges whether students support the idea of SMCSU councilors receiving honorariums, and the second explores their opinion on a potential increase in semesterly levy fees to accommodate these honorariums.
This referendum is intended to allow students to decide where their money goes and how. It is governed by the SMCSU Referenda By-Laws, which can be found on the SMCSU website. For more information, you can ask the Chief Returning officer at [email protected] or reach SMCSU at [email protected]
