Message from the President: Political Caution

Faculty, Staff, and Students of UFV,

As the October 19 federal election draws nearer, I encourage all members of our UFV community, individually and personally, to engage actively in this important democratic process. I know that some of you are running for office, or volunteer on your own time to work on election campaigns. These are valuable contributions and we applaud you.

I remind us all, however, that we must comply with the restrictions legislated in the University Act; in Section 66 [1] we are directed to be “non-sectarian and non-political in principle”.  This means that UFV must not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office, or be perceived to do so in any way.

Also, please recognize that none of us speaks for the University with respect to support for any particular party or candidate, and we must avoid all perception that we do.  We must also be especially careful not to use our positions within the University or our affiliation with the University in any way that implies we represent the view of the University or any of our divisions or organizations.

As you plan your activities, please keep the comments above in mind and review UFV’s guidelines regarding the use of university facilities and resources for political activities.

I commend the Student Union Society for joining the national Get Out The Vote campaign, urging students to pledge to vote: http://ufvsus.getoutthevote.ca/. The SUS is also hosting all-candidates debates on Thursday, Oct 1 in the new Student Union Building, Abbotsford campus (Abbotsford debate at noon, and Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon at 2pm). The Chilliwack candidate debate is on Thursday, Oct 8, at noon in the CEP Chilliwack campus Building A atrium. I encourage you to attend, learn about the issues, and vote!

If you have any questions regarding UFV’s statement on political activities, please contact my office.

Thank you,
Mark

Dr. Mark Evered