(Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

this week

Students head to the polls at RDC

Mar 15, 2021 | 11:45 AM

Students at Red Deer College go to the polls this week for the annual Students’ Association election.

Brittany Lausen, outgoing President, says students should know that their collective voice does have power, and that they should pay attention to what elected officials – even at a school level — are doing.

​“The Students’ Association is student-owned and student-run. We are the official legislated advocates for the students of Red Deer College to the institution, but also to municipal, provincial, and even federal governments,” Lausen explains. “Students absolutely should care and be informed in who they are electing to represent them because that can have an impact on their time as a student.”

Recent advocacy to government has largely surrounded the matter of RDC’s ability to grant degrees. Lausen says a lack of degrees could cause students to be displaced.

Others include mental health funding for institutions, pushing back on the seven per cent tuition increase and against cuts to post-secondary. She says the SA has advocated to school officials for things such as an addictions support counsellor, accessibility and accommodation needs around online learning, and affordability.

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“​Running in a student election is an important part of being a student leader. It’s exciting to see democracy in action on a small scale such as with our student elections,” says Lausen.

“My advice to students is to ask questions of students running. Find out what they stand for and what they want to advocate for on your behalf as a student.”

Candidates for the SA election this year are Savannah Houg (president), Logan Beauchamp and Kareen Lambert (vice president external), Shannon Humphrey (vice president academic), and Brittney Trimming and Brenan Fuiten (council).

There will be 10 open spots on the 12-seat Student Council to fill after the election, something Lausen encourages students to consider getting involved in as it’s both rewarding experience-wise and looks great on a resume.

To run in the election, one must be a current student at RDC, must be enrolled in the Fall term, and maintain a good academic standing (GPA above 2.0). Voters do their part online, a switch from paper voting made six years ago.

“​SARDC has a relatively low voter turnout, which is something we are trying to change,” says Lausen. “U of A Students’ Union, for example, in 2020 had a voter turnout of nine per cent compared to our six per cent. NAIT Students’ Association had 28.2 per cent voter turnout for their executive elections this year. We tend to see less of a turnout when positions are uncontested.”

Students looking for more information on candidates or how to vote can visit the Students’ Association Facebook or Instagram (@yoursardc) pages.

Voting runs March 16-18 on students’ Loop account.