Student protesters blocked by both the Langara Students’ Union and the college
Students deemed ineligible try to shut down LSU elections
BY SOFIA MOHAMED
A small group of Langara students protested the Langara Students’ Union annual election last week after their petition to cancel the vote was refused.
Langara student Dilpreet Mann, who was denied a nomination to run for president by the LSU’s elections committee, had gathered a 250-name petition calling for the LSU elections to be cancelled.
“There is no matter of win or lose. Win is also there, lose is also there. We just want fair elections. If we lose it doesn’t matter,” he said.
He and a dozen other students tried to gain entry to the LSU offices in the Student Union Building to deliver the petition on the first day of voting Oct. 15, but were blocked in their attempts to enter by the LSU staff who closed the door on them.
“They just don’t listen to us. Just close the door right in front of our faces,” said Langara student Harjap Singh Khair, who was one of the petitioners.
The LSU’s annual elections, held Oct. 15 to 17, selects students to serve a one-year term on the LSU board. The students perform several duties and are paid stipends. Recent elections have been the subject of complaints from students who say they were hindered in their attempts to run.
Protest continues in the LSU lower lounge
Following the LSU’s refusal to accept the petition, the students held a quiet protest in front of the LSU elections voting desk in the lower lounge for the remainder of the morning.
Noting that the ballots allowed a “no” option for the candidates, some protesters encouraged voting students to choose “no” on their ballots. They were stopped by LSU resource coordinator Winnie Kuitenbrouwer, who said they cannot “interfere with the vote.”
A staff member from the LSU, who is known to the students as Donna Rainford-Cayenne, took pictures of the protesters when they arrived at the LSU building.
“I am not speaking to you about anything,” said Rainford-Cayenne, after a request for a comment.
Lei Kazemi, the former president of the Langara Esports Association, said she saw one of the protesters try to talk to staff at the election desk while she waited to vote. She said that the staff told the protester to “go away” and called him “stupid.” As a result, she said she opted not to vote.
Students meeting with closed doors not a new thing
Kazemi said she had attempted to contact the LSU multiple times in her two-year tenure as a club president.
“There was only one time in 2022 when I knocked on that office, and someone actually came out and she said you need to send us an e-mail and then slammed the door in my face,” said Kazemi.
Campaigning continues against LSU’s rules
Diversity & Inclusion Representative candidate Ikpreet Singh was seen soliciting for votes in the LSU building.
According to LSU’s election policy, campaigning cannot occur during the voting period. The protesters complained to the elections desk, but said they were denied an answer.
“They just shouted at me that, ‘Why are you complaining about all these things to us?’” said protester Khushdeep Virk.
Tightened security
The day after the protest, the seats were removed from the front of the polling booth and the entire area was taped off. Outside security was hired by the LSU to watch that area.
One of the Voice editors attempted to take pictures of the area behind the tape on Oct. 16 but was stopped by the staff sitting at the LSU polling booth.
A security guard, unaffiliated with campus security, told the editor to hand over his phone and delete the pictures. He was told to follow the security down to the LSU lounge, which he refused to do. He then called his instructor.
After a brief conversation, the editor and instructor departed from the building.
The college and LSU have not commented on the protest or the petition by publication time.
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