Over the past few days the walls of almost every campus building have been plastered with some type of election related media. Having FedS council, FedS executive, and University Senator elections being run simultaneously this term, not to mention the current Engineering Society election, advertising wall space is becoming a rare and much sought after commodity. As has been somewhat of a tradition over the past few years, candidates for the FEDS executive election typically form ‘political parties’ across the various positions during their campaigning. Some may remember the current FedS executive as ‘Team Yellow’ from last year’s elections. This time around, one party in particular is getting a lot of attention across campus – “The Rhino Party”. Formed along the lines of the infamous Rhinoceros Party of Canada, who from the 1960’s to the 1990’s would campaign in federal elections with a platform held up solely by satire and their one promise ‘to keep none of their promises’, the current UW Rhino party plans to do just the same. The irony behind their satirical ways, including a platform that will be ‘3 feet tall, and made of wood’ is that they’re actually helping FEDS.
Student apathy is the biggest problem faced by all student organizations across campus, and FedS falls victim to it most frequently. Most students on campus either submerge themselves in their studies, have extra-curricular commitments elsewhere, wish to have nothing to do with student politics, or some combination of the three. With each faculty on campus also having their own specific student society, it’s a struggle for most students to show active interest in both their faculty’s society as well as FedS. Given the resources available to FedS this is both unfortunate and concerning – provided enough campus-wide student involvement, FedS would be a powerhouse. Sadly, over the years they’ve fallen into the category of the ‘executive that doesn’t do much’ in the books of many students. As a result, come election time their nominations open and close, campaign period goes by, and the voting polls close without many students so much as batting an eye. Once all the votes are tallied, the FedS election voter turnout would be lucky to gain more than 10% of eligible voters.
If the Rhino party has managed to accomplish anything through their campaign, it’s getting students on campus talking about the FedS election – The Iron Warrior staff couldn’t stop talking about it so we wrote a Point/ Counter-Point about it! It may not be the publicity FedS dreamed of, but I know I haven’t heard FedS be mentioned within the walls of an engineering building this frequently since I started at UW. For the first time in what I can only assume is far too long, students are actually taking time to think about an discuss the FedS election and what FedS actually does, even if it’s mainly about what would happen if the Rhino party got elected.
Let’s be clear here, by no means am I endorsing the Rhino party or what they stand for, nor do I believe that a 3-feet tall wood platform is what is needed within the walls of FedS. What I am endorsing are the conversations regarding the FedS election that this party has sparked. I’ve discussed the potential repercussions a ‘do nothing’ executive could have on FedS and the student body as a whole with classmates and friends who would have previously labeled themselves as disinterested with FedS news. I can even admit a serious personal feeling of both concern and interest for the FedS election this term, whereas I have not been highly involved with FedS in the past.
Instead of criticizing their satirical ways, I propose that as a campus-wide student body, we seize this opportunity for conversation. After all, FedS is the only student-run association on campus that truly represents each and every Waterloo undergrad student. Get informed about all of the candidates, bring it up with your friends and have your say in what happens on our campus – even if in the end it was because of a Rhino.
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