It’s BCITSA general election time – voting is open and 20 candidates are vying for 12 positions. That compared to the 30 who ran last year and the record breaking 33 the year before that.
The current BCIT Student Association representatives seemed to watch in awe at how fast their year in office has flown by and new candidates sat eager to learn how to best market themselves and talk about why students should vote for them.
These were some of the feelings going around at the all-candidates meeting on Friday, March 27 in the Council Chambers. Candidates were given tips on marketing themselves effectively for the campaign through instruction and example. One notable campaign strategy of many from last year was that of Eirene Cloma who is the current VicePresident of Student Affairs. Cloma – with the help of a television production student – created a rap song and music video explaining her platform, why students should vote for her and that she can rhyme in one catchy video that seemed to resonate with many students.
Link caught up with some of the twenty candidates vying for a position on the SA. Jamie Haakons, a second year mechanical engineering student, running for Chair of the School of Energy says he enjoys being able to take the concerns of his classmates and bring them to people that can make change. “For the past year, I’ve been a set rep in my program, the mechanical engineering program and students from other sets come to me for their problems over their own set leaders because I’m the one that gets stuff done for them. I love knocking on doors and demanding things from the associate dean. I like getting things done. It feels good, I get personal satisfaction out of helping people get what they want.”
“I like advocacy, I like students being able to have a voice in what happens in their program, their education their school.” Tyra Bermudez, a second year student in International Business Management running for VP External, says she’s got a specific goal in mind for her position, if elected. “I want to be that bridge between the students, the BCITSA and the alumni association. If I were elected, what I would like to see is more networking events with the alumni association and current programs.”
While Dylan Smith, first year Business Operations Management Program student, running for President of the BCITSA echoes Bermudez’s sentiment of having a specific goal in mind if elected, he has a different idea in mind. “I have the Ted Ex event that’s in the works and coming in September,” said Smith. “It’s all about what the students want, so that’s kind of why I don’t really have a whole lot of firm platform items, but I really want to get out there and find out what the students want and make that happen.” Voting takes place until Friday, April 4th – on which day results will be announced. Students can vote through their my.bcit.ca account.
Neetu was born and raised in the Okanagan Valley (minus the few toddler years she spent living in Punjab, India where her line of heritage is from). She moved to the lower mainland to attend BCIT and is now in her graduating year of the Broadcast and Online Journalism Program. Her writing and editing for Link magazine often happens late at night because when she’s not at school she works as a reporter and anchor for CKNW Newstalk 980 and is also involved in the start up of a charity called the Beautiful World Foundation. She loves to travel and feels fortunate to be in a field where she can share the stories of interesting and inspiring people from around the world.
