posted on Jan. 16: Jennifer Anderson wins undergraduate seat on planning committee

Third-year student Jennifer Anderson is the new undergraduate representative to the University Planning Committee.

Anderson received 145 votes in an electronic election conducted last week by the Board of Governors.

A total of 251 valid ballots were cast with candidate Matt Lannan receiving 106 votes.

Anderson, enrolled in the Combined Honours Comparative Literature and Linguistics Program, takes up her duties immediately. The University Planning Committee is a senior planning committee and the undergraduate representative is automatically a member of the Board's budget committee, which develops the University budget.

This election was the first online election conducted by the Board for undergraduate students.

Board of Governors secretary Bruce Frank said although the voter turnout appears low, it is a “significant increase” from the last undergraduate election conducted by the Board in 2000. At that time, undergraduate students cast 198 votes using paper ballots in an election for a representative to sit on the University Planning Committee.

The numbers are also higher than the last time there was an election for undergraduates to sit on the Board. Only 135 students voted, Frank said.

“The numbers have gone up so it is worthwhile,” he said. “I am disappointed with the low turnout overall, but when you put it in context with previous elections it is a visible improvement.”

The next election, if necessary, will take place in the spring to fill a faculty vacancy on the Board and it will be solely electronic, Frank said.
“There is no going back.”