FULL COVERAGE OF ALL EXE C UTIVE CANDIDATES , PAGES 16-19 THE P l e a s e r e c y c l e t h i s Thursday, February 4, 2010 newspaper when you are Volume 47, Issue 18 finished with it. NUGGETYOUR STUDENT NEWSPAPER EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA CAMPAIGN DUST-UP NAITSA election scrutinized after complaint; story page 2, editorial page 7 Photo by heather Paul NoT hAPPy Mark Gibbons, candidate for Vice-President External with the NAIT Students’ Association, shows his displeasure with the two-candidate slate of presidential hopeful Timothy Jobs and VP External candidate Govind Pillai. Gibbons filed an unsuccessful challenge to their arrangement. 2 The Nugget Thursday, February 4, 2010 NEWS&FEATURES Executive privilege? RYAN FLAHERTY Issues Editor For a school with such a high level of voter apathy, this year’s NAIT Students’ Association election campaign is pro- viding plenty of fodder for conversation. Much of the dis- cussion is due to a grievance lodged by Mark Gibbons, one of the candidates for Vice President External. In the written complaint, filed Monday with the election’s chief returning officer, Gibbons alleged that Timothy Jobs and Govind Pillai, running for President and VP External respectively, had vio- lated a number of NAITSA election bylaws. ‘Pre-campaigned’ “They have pre-campaigned in contrary to our NAITSA bylaws,” wrote Gibbons in the complaint. “In addition there is no mention in NAITSA bylaws indicating that any indi- vidual candidate is allowed to campaign alongside another individual candidate on a slate.” Gibbons also raised con- cerns regarding the allocation of campaign resources. “The section in the bylaws about handling posters clearly states one “owner” of a poster (no mention of partnership) and “the maximum number of posters is thirty (30) per candi- date for Executive Council elections” with no mention of allowance for any more than one individual candidate,” he wrote. Jobs and Pillai first learned of Gibbons’ concerns on Mon- both our pictures on one poster, that poster counts against NAITSA staff, my immediate interest would be to investigate day when the complaint was filed. They were caught off both of us,” he elaborated. “[That is] 30 60x60 cm posters things a little closer to home. They are rude, disorganized, guard. “We were quite surprised,” Pillai said. “We were accu- with both our faces/names is the equivalent to 30 30x30 post- secretive and condescending.” rate in terms of reading the bylaws and ensuring that every- ers with my name and 30 30x30 posters with Jackie’s name.” Jobs is not worried that this potential controversy will thing we were doing was in the students’ favour. We felt that It is unclear whether the poster policy as it was explained cause students to change their vote. “I think students need to it [the complaint] was completely baseless.” With regard to to Konecny during Senate elections is still being applied in wait for the decision,” he said. “I think that’s critical. I think the allegation of pre-campaigning, Jobs stated “Pre-cam- the same way during the current campaign. Michele Parker, that these are simply allegations and I think that students will paigning, by its definition, is publicly announcing your can- chief returning officer for the election, explained that plans know when they see how hard we’ve been working that we’re didacy prior to the campaign period, which is outlined in the are being made to revisit all election bylaws. not simply using bylaws to get sneakily elected.” election package. We had a private conversation between two “NAITSA has been notified by multiple members of Pillai agrees. “I have absolutely all the trust in the world friends, we did not announce it in any public space or any- NAITSA’s Senate that they wish to discuss the situation in in the student body to make the right decision and with the where where the public would have been able to be notified, the near future and review the bylaws to see if changes are support that we’ve received thus far it’s been overwhelming, so quite frankly a conversation between two friends is abso- needed for future elections,” Parker said in an e-mail. so I think it’s a non-issue,” he said. lutely private. There’s nothing public about that.” What is clear is that the Elections Committee decision found that Jobs and Pillai are not guilty of any wrongdoing Electoral bylaws unclear ‘No violation occurred’ during their campaign. “The committee came to consensus Though the complaint has been addressed by the Elec- The Elections Committee decision, obtained Tuesday that no rules or bylaws were broken in this situation,” states tions Committee and a decision has been reached, the issue of by the Nugget, states “the committee specifically looked at the ruling. “Based on the NAITSA bylaw, 7.13.1 each candi- unclear electoral bylaws is one that won’t go away so quickly. whether or not they could see evidence of a “public announce- date is allotted 30 posters each and what they choose to put For now, the focus will shift to NAITSA – specifically the ment” of candidacy. The committee determined that any dis- on the posters is their choice as per the poster regulations out- process by which it creates, maintains, and enforces the rules cussion of potential candidacy between Jobs and Pillai does lined in 7.13.3. The committee has ruled that the chief return- governing elections at the school. The issues raised in Gib- not constitute a public announcement and therefore no viola- ing officer and deputy returning officer were not in error of bons’ complaint are not unique, and the students’ association tion occurred.” their decision.” Though a member of the committee, DRO and the school are faced with the prospect of re-examining Michael Konecny, another candidate for VP External, has Tyler Mowbrey abstained from voting on the decision, though the current bylaws in order to avoid similar grievances in the withdrawn from the running, due in part to the fact that he he did sign the document. future. shares some of Gibbons’ concerns. “This decision was a com- However, the decision doesn’t sit well with some of the Gibbons has yet to decide whether he plans to continue bination of many factors with one of those factors being the candidates. Dave Hindley, who is running for VP External, his campaign. Despite the decision reached by the Elections slate campaigning,” said Konecny. In an e-mail to the Nug- explained in an e-mail to the Nugget. “I arrived at the 11:00 Committee, he remains uncomfortable with the election as it get, Konecny explained that he had previously discussed the “review” [Tuesday] morning but was denied access as I had is being currently run. “The type of slate candidacy politics is poster issue with elections officials. “During the 2009/2010 not filed a complaint,” Hindley said. “After the way things certainly not what I expected NAITSA to support. I’m afraid senate elections Jackie Albert and myself had received a rul- have been handled with regard to this election, from the nom- that the reputation of NAITSA will be severely tarnished ing about slate campaigning which was that the bylaw says ination process to execution, by all people involved, cur- because of these seemingly unfair methods of campaigning,” that each candidate can have 30 posters therefore if we have rent sitting senators, Executive Council, and full time paid he said. Thursday, February 4, 2010 NEWS AND features The Nugget 3 New awards fill shortage Stories by JEff CuMMINGS school … I was relying on these scholarships.” A second semester radio and television student says her 3.9-grade-point- Sabrina Giordano, a coordinator with NAIT’s Student Awards office, The Nugget average won’t earn her any scholarships says students should have no con- Room E-128B this year because there’s no awards cerns about a lack of scholarships 11762–106 Street available. and more companies are offering up Edmonton, Alberta Kathy Le says a number of schol- awards than last year, even through a T5G 2R1 arships she was interested in applying recession. Production Office 471-8866 for to help fund her studies are no lon- But students relying on govern- www.thenuggetonline.com ger available through NAIT’s Student ment grants through NAIT this semes- Editor-in-Chief Awards office. ter will have to find new ways to fund Chris Carmichael-Powell She and her fellow second-semester their education as the money has run Radio and Television students could be dry. [email protected] under the gun when applying for grants “There is no more money available Issues Editor because funds have run dry, said Le. through grants,” said Giordano. “NAIT Ryan Flaherty Some of the scholarships available gets so much money allocated per year, [email protected] to radio and television students last and once it’s used, it’s used.” Assistant Issues Editor semester, including an award offered Giordano says over 70 new scholar- Linda Hoang by Global Television, are also no lon- ships and bursaries are available to stu- [email protected] ger available, according to NAIT dents this semester. Most of the awards officials. are based on financial need, she said. Sports Editor Only three scholarships are avail- “There have been a few awards Taylor Pollmann able to those students, including one that have [been] cancelled, but [email protected] offered by Rogers Sportsnet, says Le. that happens every year,” said Assistant Sports Editor “When I found this out, I was a little Giordano. Garit Byington bit cheesed,” Le said.