Though Vice-President Clubs and Services Anushay Khan was elected last year without facing an opponent, the Tribune was confident at the time that she would perform well in the position. Like her predecessor, Sarah Olle, Khan had a year of experience as the Students’ Society’s interest group coordinator and we strongly endorsed her candidacy.

In retrospect, the Tribune may have been too enthusiastic. Despite her experience, Khan has often proved unable to stay on top of the portfolio’s many demands. Various clubs have complained that she is slow to respond to emails and has failed to make time for meetings. At times, Khan has seemed to misunderstand the needs of the clubs and services she manages. She pushed for the installation of special sinks to facilitate ablutions—the Islamic practice of washing before prayer—in spite of a lack of enthusiasm from Muslim Students Association. In addition, she spent time applying to the Sustainability Projects Fund for funds to buy energy-saving light bulbs, an area that the fund does not cover.

In the second semester, Khan’s disorganization caused real problems. Midnight Kitchen, the Shatner Building’s popular vegan food cooperative, was forced to shut down for a week after their provincial permit expired. According to the cooperative, Khan failed to let them know the permit was expiring until days before they were shut down. The whole situation, which was resolved by submitting some paperwork, could have been easily avoided if Khan had been more on top of her responsibilities.

Shortly after elections last month, Monika Fabian, this year’sinterest group coordinator, resigned her position after losing the race to replace Khan, her direct supervisor, next year. Though it’s not clear exactly why she resigned, Khan’s management style—she once publicly criticized Fabian in front of SSMU Council—may have had something to do with it. The Tribune hopes that Carol Fraser, who will replace Khan next year, will prove more able to handle the portfolio.