ae
      5
      Saptember
      8,
      208
      CAMPUS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Extra!
      Extra!
      Douglas
      to
      change
      the
      face
     
     
      of
      UPEI
      Student
      Union
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _New
      SU
      President
      looks
      to
      make
      changes,
      for
      the
      better
      to
      the
      University
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Cheryl-Lynn
      Murray
     
     
      The
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      What
      do
      you
      expect
      from
      a
     
     
      president?
     
    

    
     
      Presidential
      qualities?
      Of
     
     
      course.
     
    

    
     
      But
      does
      Justin
      Douglas,
     
     
      the
      newly
      elected
      president
     
     
      of
      “the
      U.P
      Eil>,
      Sradent
     
     
      Union,
      embody
      these
      quali-
     
     
      ties?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      outlet
      on
      the
      Island
      buzzing.
     
     
      For
      those
      of
      you
      who
      are
     
     
      new
      on
      campus,
      Douglas
     
     
      was
      disqualified
      from
      the
     
     
      initial
      round
      of
      Student
     
     
      Union
      elections
      last
      spring.
     
    

    
     
      Allegedly,
      Douglas
      and
      his
     
     
      campaign
      team
      broke
      elec-
     
     
      tion
      rules
      by
      starting
      a
     
     
      Facebook
      group
      in
      support
     
     
      of
      the
      candidate,
      and
      by
      fail-
     
     
      ing
      to
      remove
      campaign
     
     
      posters
      from
      the
      vicinity
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      would
      expect
      C6
      voting
     
     
      charisma,
      passion,
      I
      want
      to
      polis
     
     
      a
      real
      ability
      to
      before
      the
     
     
      rouse
      the
      troops,
      make
      sure
      deadline.
     
    

    
     
      inspire,
      and
      instill
      Over
      the
     
     
      hope
      into
      the
      hearts
      students
      feel
      summer,
     
     
      and
      minds
      of
      the
      Douglas
     
     
      people
      who
      elected
      proud
      to
      be
      spoke
      with
     
     
      him
      (well,
      maybe
      Elections
     
     
      from
      the
      president
      a
      UPEI
      Pee
     
     
      of
      the
      -U.3.4.).
      have
      them
     
     
      Charisma
      is
      most
      9?
      look
      over
     
     
      definitely
      lacking
      student.
      to
      ae
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and,
      in
      shorts
      and
      a
      baseball
     
     
      shirt,
      he
      certainly
      doesn’t
     
     
      dress
      the
      part.
      So
      how
      did
      he
     
     
      become
      el
      presidente?
     
    

    
     
      Douglas
      is
      articulate,
      defi-
     
     
      nite,
      and
      possesses
      a
      shy
     
     
      confidence
      that
      could
      only
     
     
      be
      defined
      as
      timid,
      yet
      he’s
     
     
      not.
     
    

    
     
      Is
      he
      an
      enigma?
      Oh,
     
     
      please.
      No
      one
      is
      that
      com-
     
     
      plicated.
      But
      he
      is
      intrigu-
     
     
      ee
     
    

    
     
      However,
      those
      opinions
     
     
      can
      be
      expected
      when
     
     
      assessing
      the
      “newbie”.
     
     
      Decide
      for
      yourself.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ELECTION
      DAY
     
    

    
     
      Returning
      students
      know
     
     
      all
      about
      last
      year’s
      election
     
     
      fiasco
      that
      had
      every
      media
     
    
   
   
    
     
      union’s
      election
      laws.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      whole
      process
      fell
     
     
      victim
      to
      election
      laws
      that
     
     
      didn’t
      quite
      work
      in
      the
     
     
      realm
      of
      elections,”
      he
      said.
     
     
      It
      was
      not
      an
      individual
      or
     
     
      group
      out
      to
      get
      him,
      as
     
     
      many
      of
      you
      may
      have
     
     
      thought.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      way
      I
      look
      at
      it
      is,
     
     
      they
      allowed
      me
      to
      run
     
     
      again,
      and
      they
      didn’t
      have
     
     
      to.
      It
      was
      taxing,
      and
      it
      did
     
     
      take
      a
      toll
      on
      my
      school-
     
     
      work,
      and
      myself
      financial-
     
     
      ly,
      but
      in
      the
      end
      it
      worked
     
     
      out
      well,
      so
      I
      guess
      I
      can’t
     
     
      complain.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dent
      unions
      webpage
      was
     
     
      April
      2008.
      During
      the
      sum-
     
     
      mer
      months,
      councilors
     
     
      away
      and
      the
      executive
      is
     
     
      down
      to
      a
      thin
      roster,
      with
     
     
      just
      the
      vice-president.
      of
     
     
      activities,
      Shawn
      Younis,
     
     
      and
      the
      president
      working
     
     
      full-time.
     
    

    
     
      “I’ve
      been
      looking
      at
      the
     
     
      organization
      as
      a
      whole
      and
     
     
      figuring
      out
      ways
      to
      make
      it
     
     
      more
      transparent,
      make
      it
     
     
      more
      accessible,
      and
      making
     
     
      sure
      the
      organization
      meets
     
     
      the
      needs
      of
      all
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dents.”
      .
     
    

    
     
      Douglas’
      intentions
      for
      the
     
     
      transparency
      of
      the
      SU
     
     
      include
      opening
      up
      the
      lines
     
     
      of
      communication
      between
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      the
      union
      and
      the
      population
     
    
   
   
    
     
      it
      represents.
     
    

    
     
      Those
      lines
      were
      down
      in
     
     
      previous
      years,
      especially
     
     
      concerning
      the
      SU
      budget.
     
     
      This
      year,
      Douglas
      wants
      to
     
     
      make
      sure
      students
      are
     
     
      aware
      the
      budget
      is
      being
     
     
      presented
      and
      they
      are
      more
     
     
      than
      welcome
      to
      be
      there
      for
     
     
      the
      presentation.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      want
      to
      be
      more
      open
     
     
      with
      the
      student
      newspaper,
     
     
      and
      there
      will
      be
      more
      infor-
     
     
      mation
      available
      online.”
     
    

    
     
      Whether
      or
      not
      it
      will
      be
     
     
      published
      in
      the
      student
     
     
      newspaper
      is
      yet
      to
      be
      decid-
     
     
      ed.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      don’t
      really
      have
      any-
     
     
      thing
      to
      hide,
      the
      budget
      is
     
     
      squeaky
      clean.”
     
    

    
     
      Douglas
      says
      all
      salaries
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      and
      expenses
      are
      posted
     
    
   
   
    
     
      NO
      MINUTES?
     
     
      The
      last
      time
      council
      min-
     
     
      utes
      were
      posted
      on
      the
      stu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      online
      and
      he
      has
      full
      confi-
     
     
      dence
      in
      the
      bookkeeping
     
     
      and
      transparency
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      |
      Justin
      Douglas:
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      union’s
      finances.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SCHOOL
      OR
     
     
      STUDENT?
     
     
      Douglas
      believes
      the
      stu
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “this
      year
      who
      aren’t
      going
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fold
      under
      every
      pressure
     
     
      that
      comes
      up.
      You
      can
      be
     
     
      sure
      that
      this
      year
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      union
      will
      be
      independ-
     
     
      ent
      of
      all
      other
      organiza-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dent
      body
      OVA
      tions.
      That’s
      not
     
     
      believed
      the
      C
      areca
      what
      I
      was
      elect-
     
     
      union
      did
      °
      ed
      for.
      I
      wasn’t
     
     
      more
      for
      the
      democratic
      elected
      to
      work
     
     
      school
      _
      sys-
      .
      .
      for
      the
      adminis-
     
     
      tem
      and
      the
      organization
      tration,
      the
     
     
      administra-
      provincial
      gov-
     
     
      2
     
     
      sie)
      than
      it
      that
      S
      sup-
      ernment,
      or
      to
     
     
      id
      for
      the
      work
      for
      the
      fed-
     
     
      students.
      posed
      to
      be
      eral
      =
      govern-
     
     
      “It’s
      tough
      ment.
      We’re
      just
     
     
      you
      know,
      here
      to
      work
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      you’ve
      got
      a
     
     
      lot
      of
      strong-
     
     
      minded
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      knocking
     
     
      on
      your
      door,
     
     
      and
      you
      want
     
     
      to
      help
      them
      all,”
      he
      says.
     
    

    
     
      “Tt’s
      one
      misperception
      that
     
     
      I
      certainly
      want
      not
      only
      stu-
     
     
      dents,
      but
      faculty
      and
      staff
     
     
      as
      well,
      to
      know.
      We
      are
     
     
      independent,
      and
      we
      will
     
     
      always
      have
      the
      best
      interest
     
     
      of
      students
      at
      heart.”
     
    

    
     
      Douglas
      believes
      the
      prob-
     
     
      lems
      with
      the
      student
      union
     
     
      in
      the
      past
      stemmed
      from
     
     
      not
      being
      —
      here’s
      that
      word
     
     
      again
      —
      transparent.
     
    

    
     
      “But
      we
      have
      strong
      per-
     
     
      sonalities
      on
      the
      executive
     
    
   
   
    
     
      transparent
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      we
      will
      THE
      CADRE
     
     
      bes
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      students.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Again,
      new
     
     
      students
      might
     
     
      not
      be
      aware
      of
     
     
      past
      issues
      regarding
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      newspaper.
     
    

    
     
      Former
      editors
      printed
      car-
     
     
      toon
      depictions
      of
      the
     
     
      prophet
      Mohammed
      (a
      seri-
     
     
      ous
      no-no
      in
      the
      Islamic
      tra-
     
     
      dition),
      printed
      the
      union’s
     
     
      budget
      without
      express
      per-
     
     
      mission
      from
      the
      union
      to
      do
     
     
      so,
      and
      challenged
      every
     
     
      issue
      raised,
      sometimes
      just
     
     
      for
      the
      sake
      of
      controversy.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      See
      Douglas,
      page
      13