Umer Farooq suspends campaign activity: Undergraduate BoG Rep candidate cites GPA and mental health as reasons for dropping out

Just hours after the Students’ Union Election began, Undergraduate Board of Governors Representative hopeful Umer Farooq has suspended campaign activity and withdrawn his candidacy.

After “careful thought,” Farooq cited GPA and his mental and physical health as his reasons for dropping out.

“This choice has been weighing on me for a long time, and it has made me consider why I decided to run and what it meant to those around me, and to myself,” Farooq said in a public statement.

Farooq went on to say that students deserve a BoG Rep who could devote 100 per cent of their time into their campaign and representing students, which he would not be able to provide should he remain in the near two-week long race. Campaigning for the SU Executive Committee and Undergraduate BoG Rep officially commenced at 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, and will run through Thursday, March 3 when polls close and results are announced.

The third-year science student and current president of the Interdepartmental Science Students’ Society, the faculty association for science students, is no stranger to the SU Election process. Farooq contested for BoG Rep in 2014, eventually losing handily to the more experienced Sangram Hansra in a 50 per cent to 25 per cent vote.

Farooq closed his statement by wishing Colin Champagne, now the sole candidate for BoG Rep, best of luck.

“I would like to wish Colin Champagne, who is running for BoG Rep currently, the best of luck in his campaign,” Farooq said. “He is a worthy candidate and opponent for this position.”

Champagne, who had heard rumours of Farooq dropping out earlier in the day, said he was “really surprised” at the seemingly sudden decision, and was looking forward to the two-way race. Despite now running uncontested, Champagne said his effort level would not change during the election period.

“I was campaigning on my ideas, and it doesn’t change them,” Champagne said. “In terms of strategy, yeah, I guess it will be little bit less intense. For volunteers, it will mean cutting down on their hours and putting more of the responsibility on me. I don’t think my efforts will diminish myself.”

He added that he had not directly spoken to Farooq since the renounced candidacy, and was curious to see what his former opponent had planned in his platform, and how that could still benefit students.

“I’d like to hear his ideas, or the ideas he had planned,” he said. “I’m sure there’s ideas there that could improve the role.”

More to come…