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PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS | WWW.LANGARAVOICE.CA
OCTOBER 24, 2024 • VOL. 58 NO. 1 • VANCOUVER, B.C.
Student protesters denied entry when trying to submit a petition to the LSU offices. Their reflections can be seen in the pictures as they wait to be let in on Oct. 15, 2024. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Protest pummels LSU polls
Student petitioners turn into protesters after being barred from LSU office 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 who said they cannot “interfere with try to talk to staff at the election desk Singh Khair, who was one of the the vote.” while she waited to vote. She said petitioners. A staff member from the LSU, that the staff told the protester to “go The LSU’s annual elections, held who is known to the students as away” and called him “stupid.” As a Oct. 15 to 17, selects students to Donna Rainford-Cayenne took result, she said she opted not to vote. serve a one-year term on the LSU pictures of the protesters when they Kazemi said she had attempted board. The students to contact the LSU multiperform several duties and ple times in her two-year are paid stipends. Recent tenure as a club president. “We just want elections have been the “There was only one subject of complaints from time in 2022 when I fair elections. If students who say they were knocked on that office, and we lose it doesn't someone actually came out hindered in their attempts to run. and she said you need to matter.” Following the LSU’s send us an e-mail and then — DILPREET MANN, refusal to accept the petislammed the door in my GENERAL STUDIES STUDENT tion, the students held a face,” said Kazemi. LANGARA STUDENT quiet protest in front of the Diversity & Inclusion LSU elections voting desk Representative candidate in the lower lounge for the Ikpreet Singh was seen remainder of the morning. arrived at the LSU building. soliciting for votes in the LSU buildNoting that the ballots allowed “I am not speaking to you about ing. a “no” option for the candidates, anything,” said Rainford-Cayenne, According to LSU’s election some protesters encouraged voting after a request for a comment. policy, campaigning cannot occur students to choose “no” on their Lei Kazemi, the former president during the voting period. The ballots. They were stopped by LSU of the Langara Esports Association, protesters complained to the elecemployee Winnie Kuitenbrouwer, said she saw one of the protesters tions 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. 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. A Voice editor 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.