by Sumaya Hussein
(husseinsumaya1@gmail.com)
Elections for the Daystar University Student Association (DUSA) are around the corner and nominations are currently ongoing.
The student body consists of two organs; the student council and the University congress. This article elaborates on what makes a student eligible to run for the council in accordance to the final DUSA Constitution of 2019 that includes the recent amendments.
According to the constitution, the student council is made up of the chairperson of the association, vice chair and secretary – academic affairs, general secretary, treasurer, campus secretaries and the ISADU (International Students Association of Daystar University) chairperson and minority representatives.
Firstly, to run for any of the mentioned positions, one must be a mature “born-again Christian” who demonstrates leadership and integrity. This means that students from other religions that are not Christian, specifically “born again”, cannot run for council.
Secondly, any interested student who has ever been to the disciplinary committee shouldn’t bother vying for a seat. This is because the rules require the student to have a “good standing in the community” and not have broken any university rules.
It is also stated that the students should have the recommendation of the Chaplain to ensure the they meet the constitutional requirement concerning the code of conduct.
The constitution further requires any student intending to vie to have completed at least one academic year and show reasonable proof that they will be available to serve during their term in office. Alternatively, they must be left with at least one full academic year, exclusive of their practicum.
Moreover, the student running must have a cumulative GPA of more than 2.5, for undergraduate and diploma students, and more than 3.25 for postgraduate students. They therefore require the approval the university’s registrar to certify that they have met these minimum academic requirements.
The document goes ahead to state that the student running will not be discriminated against based on their race, sex, nationality, age or Church denomination. International students are free to run for any council seat and are not only limited to the ISADU position.
Furthermore, the person vying for treasurer’s seat is required to have credible supporting evidence of skills in basic accounting. Lastly, the aspiring candidate must also get approval from an outgoing DUSA executive.
Nominations and application for the DUSA body end on Tuesday and elections are set to be held on the eleventh week of the semester.
Previously elections were held annually on the fourteenth weeks but was changed to eleventh in the new amendments to accommodate the trimester calendar. Consequently, qualified nominees will be announced by the presiding officer on the ninth week.