YES WE KHAN!

T ransparency

A wareness/Accountability

for U the

S tudents

E ffectiveness

E fficieny

moving F orward (or fun?)

Basic Platform

As president of the McMaster Student Union (MSU), I plan to bring a culture of transparency and involvement onto campus. We are all paying members of the MSU, and I believe it's time for a greater number of students to be aware and active in the workings of the MSU. If elected president I will ensure that more students are informed about what exactly the MSU does and what it can do for them. The theme of this campaign will be to mobilize the masses. Last year's MSU President, Vishal Tiwari won the election with 821 first place votes. There are over 23,000 members of the MSU (including yourselves), meaning Mr.Tiwari was able to win a majority of votes by only appealing to about 3.4% of the student body. I believe such apathy towards the workings of the union we are all apart of is unacceptable. With such little awareness and involvement, the MSU is not a true representation of the students at McMaster. Our objective during this campaign is to inform people, make them aware, and give them incentive to come out, vote and get involved.

Proposals

- A main concern for students is text book and courseware costs. If elected, I plan to work together with the professors to have at least 33.3% of the coursewares printed in house at MSU Underground Media & Design, with the aims of hopefully reducing overall costs.

- Going Green- I plan to work with the vendors on campus, to ensure 100% use of recyclable products and packaging. I will propose to implement a 'free coffee day' on a bi-monthly basis, during which students using the free MSU coffee mug handed out at the start of the school year, will receive free coffee.

- I plan to propose opening up a larger percentage of the vendor tables available at the Student Centre (MUSC) to actual students themselves, thereby encouraging small-enterprise for current McMaster students, giving them the opportunity to gain hands-on business experience while completing their studies. In 2009, McMaster finished paying off the student centre, so it's financially feasible to rent out vendor space to students at a lower rate.

- I plan to work with large companies and corporations to make more bursaries available to both OSAP and non-OSAP students. It is easier for a student to actually focus on his/her studies if constant financial strain does not preoccupy their time.

- I will work to change the interface of the MUGSI website, to make it more efficient and user-friendly. Today we have to open 4 windows just to get to SOLAR. In 2010, in one of the best Universities in Canada, this sort of inefficiency is not acceptable.

- I intend work to make students more aware of job opportunities available on campus, as well as working with companies contracted by the school to offer students part-time employment opportunities. In addition to which, I would like to have more students know about job opportunities within MSU, and how they can participate in the workings of the MSU staff.

- Next month, there will be a Coca-Cola referendum, during which students will decide if McMaster should re-new their exclusivity contract with the company. I want more students to be aware about such issues, so that the outcome is a true representation of the student opinion. In addition, I plan to put more of these issues up for referendum. The MSU is ran in large-percentage on student money, and thus I feel we should have a greater say on such issues.

- Finally, and most importantly, I plan to open up the lines of communication between the MSU staff and the MSU it self. By broadcasting YouTube video blogs on a bi-weekly basis, I will give the average student the access to be informed about the happenings and workings of the MSU, thus encouraging future involvement and fostering transparency and accountability. In addition to this, I will do my best to implement a monthly town-hall meeting at MUSC, during which students may address any questions and concerns they may have regarding their union.

OUR GOAL

McMaster University is a great institution for research and education. In Maclean's magazine's annual rankings of Canadian universities, McMaster placed sixth for the third year in a row. This is great, but I believe there is always room for improvement. If elected, working with you, the students, my goal is to rise to fifth in the rankings! An annual Globe and Mail survey found that McMaster students “are highly satisfied with their experience on campus. Students cite the quality of education, campus atmosphere, advanced technology and high-quality libraries and athletic facilities as key reasons...”. Let us together do our best to improve on these strong points, in order to make a great place ever greater!