Campaigns for SU Elections Kick Off Despite Hurdles

BY MARIAM MOHSEN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SALMA EL SAEED, ENGLISH EDITOR

Despite complications with the issuance of the Student Union (SU) Candidacy Constitution Exam, the SU Presidential candidates have started moving forward with their campaigns.

Hossam Shafick, senator for undeclared students and chair of the Student Senate’s (SS) External Affairs Committee, said that there was one member of the Student Court tasked with creating the exam for potential SU candidates.

The standard procedure is that the Senate votes to approve the exam 15 minutes prior to the time at which it is held to avoid exams being leaked.

Speaker for the Student Senate Mohamed Bassyouny said that the senators held a closed meeting on Sunday to vote on the exam, which is when they saw it for the first time.

Bassyouny added that prior to Sunday’s meeting, he was told by a number of independent students that there was a rumor being circulated that the exam was leaked.

He said that several senators raised points about these rumors during the meeting on Sunday.

“There was no solid evidence or proof that the exam was leaked,” Bassyouny said, adding that they voted on postponing the exam.

He added that the decision to postpone the exam was meant to ensure the integrity of the proceedings.

“That’s the role of the Senate – to make sure everything goes as it’s supposed to go,” Bassyouny said.

Shafick said that this lack of evidence to validate the claims prevented the Senate from carrying out an investigation.

“To file a case against someone, you have to have proof; but this was all based on rumors,” Shafick said.

Bassyouny added that in order to prevent the exam from being accessed by anybody outside the Senate, the senators who rewrote the exam did so by hand.

They then typed up and printed the exam one hour prior to Wednesday’s meeting, all without Internet access, he said.

Fayez Abaza, a Student Court Justice, told the Caravan that the Senate based their decision to postpone the exam with no proof, citing the Student Constitution.

Article four, Section eight of the constitution states, “Strong evidence shall be evidence that produces a belief in the mind of the presiding justice that the alleged violation more likely occurred than not.”

“Their decision was merely based on hear-say; which was insufficient to postpone the exam, let alone rewrite it,” he said.

Upon the end of the nomination period, two SU Presidential candidates were announced; Nadine Hosny and Walid Khalil.

Nadine Hosny is currently the Help Club’s Vice-President and has worked in the SU.

“I want to emphasize the idea that better representation will lead to better services,” Hosny said.

Her SU Vice President (VP) candidate is Hasaballah El Kafrawy, a Political Science junior who has been a member in three SUs.

“I want to develop the student body to perceive the Union as important to the student body,” said Kafrawy, adding that he hopes to mobilize students through this perception.

“I want to revive a student body capable of organizing a student movement that instigates change in [students’] smaller and larger community, reviving the student movement,” he said.

El Kafrawy added that he wants to manage the union back to its original role by focusing on representation, services and development.

“We also want to break the stereotype that AUCians are living in a bubble; it’s time to trust the AUC student body…and the union’s role is to facilitate the development of the students and their integration into the wider fabric of the world,” Hosny said.

She added that they will ensure that all students are served and that the services offered will be efficient and creative.

“[Our team will give students] what they want and what they need,” she said.

The second candidate, Khalil, is currently Entrepreneur Society’s (ES) President and has experience working in the SU. He is a Mechanical Engineering junior.

“My experience gives me an edge because I know how the logistics work in every committee and I have a clear vision; empowered students make way for an empowered union,” he said.

Khalil added that he wants to upgrade the SU’s already existing services and add new ones.

“We won’t eliminate any existing projects; we’ll improve them and add more to ensure that we serve all students equally,” he said.

Khalil explained that he wants to reintegrate the student body.

“We will work for and represent all students to the best of our ability, starting from those in the Performing and Visual Arts constituencies to the School of Business’ constituency,” he said.

He added that by composing a union filled with ‘calibers’ who are well experienced in their fields, they will be successful in serving and representing the community.

His VP, Yasmin Hashim, has no experience working in the SU but was a Student Court justice for a year. She is a junior majoring in Political Science.

She also represented students in the committee through which the Strike Agreement, establishing students’ tuition caps, was signed.

She then joined the Student Court to continue “serving the students in a more official capacity.”

“As a Justice, I was involved in many committees, such as the Special University Commission on the Budget Deficit,” she said, adding that her involvement in these committees gives her an advantage because she has experience with representing students whilst dealing with the university administration.

“We will be involved in a top down approach so that the students can be constantly represented as a legitimate partner in all decisions made because they’re the ones influenced most,” she said.

She added that they will strive to advocate for human rights, “I believe the mainstream word for it is ‘representation’,” she said.

Khalil explained that without the support of the students not only in elections, but also in the unions’ 2014-2015 term, the union would not reach its maximum potential.

“Let’s put the ‘student’ back in ‘union’”, he said, in reference to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s slogan; “Let’s put ‘great’ back in ‘Britain.’”