What’s up with the URSU executives?
Is there an underlying problem to their revolving door of members?
By Hammad Ali, Contributor
Since school resumed for the winter term, we have already had two resignations from the URSU executive team. This would already be news, but it is particularly troubling in light of how this brings the number of resignations from the URSU executive team to four in the past 16 months.
One has to start wondering what we are doing that leads people (who ran for these positions less than a year ago) feeling as though they need to step down. One also has to wonder what it means for the student body being represented if the people the student voted for step down without completing their terms.
Not pointing fingers, but it does seem like the mandate of the student body is being compromised, to some extent.
Of course, things come up and priorities change. The real question is whether “things came up” or “unforeseen circumstances” is adequate explanation for what seems to have become a recurring pattern for URSU.
Is a position in the URSU executive so stressful that people are burning out before they can complete the duties conferred upon them by the student body? If so, how common is this across student unions around the country? What are they doing about it? If this is not the case, what are we doing that is so different, and how can we ensure this does not keep happening?
Those are the obvious points, but there are other questions as well. Not pleasant ones, but ones that need to be asked.
Is it really just an inability to manage time, or that these executives are burning out, that is prompting them to step down? How do we, the voters in every election, know that there are no deeper concerns? More importantly, do future candidates for these positions know all the details about what they are signing up for?
How many candidates are keeping these things in mind when stepping up and asking the student body to elect them? No one can be forced to stay on the board against their wishes, but is there anything we can do to ensure that future board members and executives are made more aware of the challenges and difficulties so as to minimize the number of untimely, and rather unexplained, resignations?
Running for a position in the student union is exciting. It opens a lot of doors and creates wonderful opportunities. This much is plain to see.
Maybe we need to see some effort when it comes to informing people of the commitment, the challenge, and the (I am sure) thankless hours spent to serve our students. Maybe the next batch of executives who go in to this better informed will find it easier to stick to it for the full term?
