The CSA will be busy this fall with an upcoming by-election and new direction
It’s a new year, not only for Gryphons attending the University of Guelph, but also for the Central Student Association (CSA). The CSA will be holding a by-election on Oct. 3, 2016, with the nominations for the election beginning on Sept. 19. The Ontarion recently sat down with communications and corporate affairs commissioner Zoey Ross to discuss the by-election, and the new direction of the CSA going forward.
A focus for the CSA this year is connecting, not only with the students of the University of Guelph, but with the core of what the CSA is meant to be.
“We’re at a new place that the CSA has not been in a while, and it’s really nice—it’s really refreshing,” said Ross. “Some of the things we’re looking forward to are about assessing who we are—it’s a lot of soul searching.”
A key aspect of this soul searching is a project known as “Mission, Vision, Values,” which will be formally unveiled later in the fall, led by academic and university affairs commissioner Meghan Wing.
The CSA is also making inroads in connecting the students with the greater Guelph community.
“Students are citizens too. They live in Guelph, they work in Guelph—almost 25 per cent of the city of Guelph is students,” noted Ross, while discussing the importance of students to the vitality of Guelph.
“The students didn’t pick the CSA,” Ross continued, “They picked the University of Guelph, they picked the city of Guelph, and we’re very honoured, and flattered to have them here.”
While the ceremonial raising of the Gryphon flag with Mayor Cam Guthrie and President Franco Vaccarino, was a symbolic gesture to signify the unity between the CSA, the University and the City of Guelph; for Ross, the real collaboration is still ahead.
“We’re looking forward to hosting the mayor and some folks from his staff to come in and go over the budget in November, and that gives us an opportunity to look at where the money for the entire city is going,” said Ross while discussing the emphasized role that students will have in the Guelph community.
“When you start inviting students to talk about the budget, and about the money, and the future of the city, that’s the brass. That’s what’s important.”
The next project for the CSA, before the budgetary municipal meetings, is their upcoming by-election—one of the largest in the history of the organization. Two separate executive positions are available, as well as positions on the CSA board of directors. Ross outlined the two executive positions—the first being the local affairs commissioner, and the second is the external affairs commissioner.
“Local looks after, as you can imagine, local municipal affairs, but they also have a large amount of work in sexual assault awareness, prevention, and making campus a safer place.”
Ross then went on to discuss the types of individuals who may be interested in running for the position of the local affairs commissioner, a position that was left vacant after the CSA general election.
“If you’re really passionate about municipal affairs, you can go to work and follow up on what city council is doing for students [and] if you are concerned about the health and wellbeing of students on campus, and eliminating sexual violence on campus, then this position is for you.”
The external affairs commissioner, Ross explained, deals with the federal and provincial politics that concern the students of the University of Guelph.
“They also work with external organizations like the Canadian Federation of Students, any campaigns or advocacy groups, really any external advocacy group would go through the commissioner’s office.”
The external affairs position was recently vacated by Miriam Kearney who was elected onto the CSA in the spring general election.
Aside from the executive positions, students can also become part of the CSA board of directors, with positions available for special status group organizations, members from each college, and each college government. For each of the available positions, Ross emphasized the difficulty of the positions—the executive roles in particular—and the importance of self care while pursuing a position with the CSA.
“We need you there, we need you functional, but most importantly we need you healthy. We need you to take care of your mental health.”