So folks, now that the polls are closed, I can finally lift the veil of secrecy that has been sitting over my life for the last three weeks. For the last few weeks I have been waging a somewhat major campaign for the Presidency of the U of Manitoba student union. Due to archaic election by-laws, the internet was off-limits for all purposes but email for the last little while. Yuck. Anyway, you can read some details (if interested) at the website of our campus rag at themanitoban.com
Anyway, this was not a small campaign, as our student union represents about 23,000 undergraduate students. Right now the ballots are being counted, but I will be happy no matter the result. If I win, then I have work to do, and will have a very busy year that is likely filled with more politics than scholarship. However, if I lose, then I still have a summer job contract sitting there for me which will keep me busy for the summer.
I am very happy about my decision to run this campaign, even though it was a great deal of effort, as I got my platform out in the public and received a warm response from 90% of the people I talked to. Since the closing of elections, I have received a number of emails from individuals who are patiently awaiting the results, and although it won't be made public until Sunday, I am celebrating already...
...By drinking the bottle or wine that I got as part of my organizational efforts in Mountainview. I shared it with Sonya (my cuter half) tonight, and I must say, the wine is just as good now as it was in California. Thanks again Celeste for the wine -- it's amazing :)
The wine serves two purposes: if I win, it's the celebratory wine, and if I lose, it's a celebration of the end of campaigning, where I very successfully sold what could have been an unpopular platform only a few years ago.
You see, in Canada, education is a provincial jurisdiction, and in my province (Manitoba), tuition has been frozen at all major public universities for eight years now. (There are no major private universities here.) My platform included elements that would have seen tuition rising alongside inflation in order to ensure the competitive nature of the university, both nationally and internationally. We'll see if the students bit or not.
Cheers folks -- I'm sure my next blog entry will contain the results :)
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