On Oct. 18, the 2018 University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union by-election came to a close. After a nearly two months of operation without the top executive member, the organization was able to name a president-elect, while also filling eight of the eleven open seats on the students’ council.

Out of six candidates, Rollin Baldhead, a fourth-year Indian Teacher Education Program student, won the race for the presidential nomination by a wide margin of nearly 200 votes. In total, 2,762 undergraduate students at the U of S cast their ballots in the by-election. Baldhead received 631 votes, amounting to 22.85 per cent of the overall vote, beating out runner-up Michael Aman’s 432 votes, or 15.64 per cent of total votes.

Despite the rigors of the condensed campaigning period, Baldhead is confident in the supports he is being provided to move forward in the position.

“I have to say, waiting for the verdict to come up was the most tense I’ve felt in a while,” Baldhead said. “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, but I know, with the executive being on for the last six months, there is a lot of support that can help deliver on the points in my campaign.”

Baldhead says that his decision to run for office was informed by his desire to advocate for lesser-represented voices on campus.

“I thought that there needed to be a rebuild of relationships on campus. I wanted to be that voice for minority voices — not to speak for these voices but to help amplify the concerns that these students may have,” Baldhead said.

Rollin Baldhead speaks at the USSU candidate Q&A hosted by the Sheaf on Oct. 17.

Throughout the by-election, Baldhead campaigned on three core platform points: being available and accessible for students and their questions, implementing a more holistic mental-health strategic plan and completing an internal assessment of the USSU. For Baldhead, betterment of the USSU and its services is his priority.

“It’s doing an alright job, but it can do better. Just like anything else, we should talk to first-years — they are often coming in blind if they are from other countries or from reserves,” Baldhead said. “I have many friends who came to school who were smart and capable, but they didn’t have those supports, so they went back home. This is one way we can do better, to benefit all students.”

Baldhead also mentioned that he is considering dropping two of the three classes that he is currently enrolled in. For Baldhead, this will provide him with some personal time and allow him to also tend to his position with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations.

Since March, Baldhead has been a youth representative for the FSIN. As one of two individuals in this position, Baldhead’s role within the organization is to assist in the FSIN’s decision-making process on issues that pertain to Indigenous youth. He was elected to this position on a two-year term.