WLUSP elects new directors; acclaims president

Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications (WLUSP) held their annual general meeting this past Monday, where students voted to elect the 2010-11 President, who was acclaimed for the second year in a row, and also the board of directors.

Five candidates ran, with four available seats, an increased number from last year when the candidates were all acclaimed.

WLUSP instated a new policy this year allowing students who work for publications to also run for the board.

After the ballots were cast and counted, the official administrative team for the 2010-11 year was announced. Acclaimed president and CEO Bryn Ossington will have the opportunity to finish what he has started.

Ossington will be working with returning Board member Jordan Hyde, as well as new members Erin Epp, David Goldberg, and Tarun Gambhir. Luay Salman, a current board member, was not re-elected.

“I look forward to meeting with the board and coming up with collective goals so that we can continue to improve and grow the organization,” said Gambhir after his election to the board.

As the sole presidential candidate Ossington’s platform was based on the fact that he is “not done yet.”

Ossington expressed his desire to, “restructure WLUSP in order to ensure that it continues to grow and that there is long-term sustainability.”

Included in Bryn’s restructuring is a referendum, which will be voted on in the Feb. 4 WLUSU elections, to raise student fees in order to maintain the financial stability of the organization in the future.

The five candidates running for the four positions on the board of directors ran on diverse platforms.

Epp, Editor-in-Chief of the Blueprint Magazine, stated, “Volunteers are the most important part of WLUSP and they should receive more training.

“It is also important that we increase the presence of Student Publications in the greater KW community,” she added.

Gambhir, first-time candidate and Residence Life don, voiced his desire to, “connect the entire Laurier community, by providing a breadth of opportunities through Student Publications.”

Goldberg, web editor at The Cord, reasoned that his experience with WLUSP would be an asset to the board and the fact that he was, “the only candidate to have experience working with both Brantford and Waterloo campuses,” would be incredibly beneficial to the organization.

Hyde, current chair of the WLUSP board, presented a platform that focused largely on financial plans for the board.

Hyde promised that if re-elected he would, “continue to work with the rest of the board to ensure that the budget meets the needs of the staff and volunteers, so that we can continue to produce high quality publications.”

Luay Salman, who was running for a third term as a director explained that he, “hoped to continue to improve and strengthen the organization as student publications are very important to the Laurier campus.”

Although unsuccessful in his bid for re-election, Salman was good-natured about his defeat, shaking hands with the newly elected board members.

Despite the fiscal constraints of this year, the tone of WLUSP’s Annual General Meeting was surprisingly upbeat.

As the featured guest speaker of the evening, Professor Emeritus and frequent Cord contributor, Dr. Don Morgenson explained the importance of WLUSP.

“Student publications are the last bastion to connect the campus and community.”