1. Which platform point is your main priority and why?

From my conversations with students, the majority of student disenchantment with the MSU stems from the organization's inability to address systemic issues because of the 1-year term. The 5-year plan needs to be prioritized; this is something a previous MSU President had hoped to work on during his term, but ran out of time. This past year, the Internal Review was conducted, laying the groundwork for 2010 - but we now need to move from reflection and research to implementation.

While some of my ideas, such as MacsList and the Farmer's Market, are a tremendous way to enrich the student experience, the priority needs to be functionality before the addition of features and services. Hence, I've designed my platform to feature a blend of both.


2. What experience do you have that demonstrates how you are most qualified to fulfill the role of MSU president?

I think I am the most qualified because my experience is so diverse and has brought me into contact with such a unique mix of students. In short, I believe I am the best representation of students at McMaster. I've organized my experience into categories to show that what makes a successful MSU President is not necessarily years on the SRA, but rather someone who is aware of the different groups on campus and can identify and effectively communicate with all of them.

Student government: Student Representative Assembly: Arts & Science Representative (October 2009-PRESENT), Standing Committee on External Affairs: SRA Member (October 2009-PRESENT)

MSU involvement: CLAY Leadership Conference: Conference Support Team (May 2009) and Horizons Leadership Conference: Leadership Developer (August 2009), Charity Ball Chair (2008/2009)

Social Issues: Amnesty International @ Mac: First Year Representative (2006/2007) and External Liaison (2007/2008), Global Youth Network: Team Thailand Member (2007) and Team India Trip leader (2008).

I spent a month in India in 2008, where I worked with the Indian Institute for Mother and Child (IIMC) as an intern. Above all, this experience taught me how to be versatile and adaptable; I was working in an environment where few people spoke English and the culture was dramatically different.

Environmental Issues: I've been a member of the Outdoors Club since my first year, and this year I was appointed to the executive. I have participated in several hikes, Cootes clean-up, a caving trip to Kentucky, and this past fall I co-lead a canoe trip to Algonquin Park.

Academic Issues: Member of the Society of Arts & Science Students (SASS) executive; as well, my academic experience has been quite diverse. I began my time at McMaster as a Science student and switched into A&S in 2nd year. During my time here, I have taken classes from A&S, Science (Physics, Chemistry, Calculus, Statistics, Biology, Psychology), Humanities (French, French literature), Social Science (Indigenous Studies, Political Science, Anthropology) and Health Science. This has given me a unique perspective on some of the issues faced by students from within different programs and faculties.

Cultural Groups: I am minoring in Indigenous Studies, and have been a member of the McMaster First Nations Students Association since 3rd year. I am currently writing a 9-unit thesis on Childbirth within Indigenous communities.

Athletics & Recreation: I was a member of the Varsity women's rugby team in my first year; since then, I have participated in soccer, hockey and volleyball at the intramural level.

Organization, creativity and time-management skills: As the Charity Ball: Committee Chair and Coordinator in 2008/2009, I helped raise $31 500 and managed a committee of 40+ individuals. As well, as a Maroons Welcome Week Representative and Social Coordinator (2009/2010), I have helped organize various events such as Homecoming Social (250+ people), Maroons Formal, Opening Ceremonies and Oktoberfest. Finally, until I had to find a replacement so that I could run for President, I was the Logistics chair for the Arts & Science Combining Two Cultures Conference (January 2010)

Interpersonal skills: Camp Trillium Volunteer (2007-PRESENT), Community Volunteer Action Group: Volunteer Tutor (2006-2007). I also worked as a Birth Companion this past summer with the organization Mothercraft; I helped underprivileged women with small or non-existent support systems from different cultural backgrounds prepare and manage their labours and births. This was one of the most meaningful and challenging experiences I have ever been through; feel free to ask me about it!


3. A difficult situation arises and you find that you strongly believe that the best thing for the MSU is not the same thing as what the majority of the students think. What do you do?

This is where clear, honest communication becomes essential. The students elected the President because they believed they were the right person for the job, and because they trusted the President to act in their best interests.

I think that by taking a proactive approach in explaining to students that the welfare of the student body as a collective is the priority, students will respect your honesty and intentions.

An excellent example of this is the Coca-Cola referendum. I was initially torn because there was a large student outcry against Coke exclusivity, but from my understanding, there were potential benefits to this deal as well. When meeting with students who were adamantly opposed to Coke exclusivity, I expressed that it was my job to research both sides and make a decision based on what was best for students as a whole. I feel that this approach was well-received.

After researching the alternative side to the debate (pro-exclusivity), I determined that I could stand by students in their stance on this issue because the benefits were not substantial enough to justify disregarding the student voice.


4. Many students on campus feel that these elections are bogus; that the MSU president doesn't contribute much to their educational experience. What do you say to this? How will you seek to change these attitudes, if you do plan on doing this?

I think that actions must speak louder than words for students to change their minds; we have all become accustomed to political rhetoric. I have designed my entire campaign and platform with this in mind; while certain points such as the MSU Vision Conference and the Apathy Awareness week seek to address this issue directly, I think there is a lot to be said for a President who runs a campaign based on honesty, research and integrity, and follows through with these values. Students need to see that their student leaders are going to continue to work for them even after they have been elected. I have proposed things that can enrich the educational experience (such as MacsList and a farmer's market), but in order for student opinion to change, they must see results.

5. Buttered toast always lands butter side down. A cat always lands on its feet. What happens when you butter the back of a cat?

You end up looking like you were attacked by a thorn bush with a bad temper. If there is one thing I learned from growing up in a household of cats: Do not involve felines in any experiment that begins with, I wonder what would happen if ...?

6. There have been many concerns over the efficability of the SRA and the MSU's ability to locally advocate for students. You often hear "the SRA doesn't do anything." What plans to you have ensure that next year's SRA will improve in this aspect.

This is a concern I came across while talking to various students. It inspired the following platform point:

Bimonthly polls on the MSU website

The Problem: The MSU is not dealing with issues that students care about. There needs to be more of an effort to collect student feedback.

My Solution: Though SRA members are an excellent resource for collecting student feedback, given the ubiquity of internet use among students, online polls are an ideal way to gather student feedback from a larger, more diverse population. These polls would be rotated biweekly and would be used to direct the focus of the SRA so that issues brought to students are predominately those which students find relevant.

I also think that the SRA can play a greater role in terms of their faculty societies. For example, Humanities is holding an Open Forum this semester and Arts & Science regularly holds open and closed forums; I would like to work with the incoming VP Education to promote initiatives such as this that engage both the SRA members and the faculty societies.

7. What concrete plans to you have to improve communication between the MSU and students.

I have devoted a quarter of my platform (my four categories are services, sustainability, communication and networking) to communication; given that this is a public position, what students think you are doing can be as important as what you actually are doing. Communication is the key to addressing student apathy, contempt and confusion: here are my platform points that specifically deal with how to better communicate with students:

Presidential blog with feedback enabled, regularly used Twitter account

The Problem: The MSU President communicates inadequately with the student body. Students are unaware of what the the President is working on and what their priorities are. It is difficult for students to have confidence in a leader they have no connection to. Where there are initiatives to communicate with students such as the President's Page, there is no online forum where students can provide feedback, questions and comments.

My Solution: A regularly updated blog and Twitter account would allow me to communicate with students in an accessible manner and to create a more personal connection. Blogging is a simple way to help students learn about different services offered by the MSU, to keep students in the loop, to communicate my priorities within the organization and to provide updates on the progress of my platform goals and year plan. Feedback allows students to bring their concerns directly to my attention.

Daily logs

The Problem: The President is not accountable to students. Students want to know that the President is working hard to achieve their goals, not spending their time socializing, procrastinating or pursuing other interests.

My Solution: Along with the other three members of the Board of Directors, I would maintain daily logs that would track all the activities I perform in a day and be included in reports I deliver to the Student Representative Assembly (SRA). This is currently done by the Presidents of several other student unions and allows students to understand exactly how the President is working for them. A former MSU President described the job as President as similar to an iceberg; what students see of the President is only the tip; but how can students know that what is going on below the surface is actually productive and beneficial? By allowing students to monitor the day-to-day accomplishments of the President, students would be able to hold their student leaders accountable.

Weekly open air office hours that rotate locations

The Problem: Students lack a personal connection with the MSU President. They are disinclined to visit the President in their office, and need the President to seek them out rather than vice versa.

My Solution: This is a problem that the current MSU President has made considerable effort to address and has had a positive reaction. I will be continuing this open office hour style of collecting student feedback by having weekly, well-advertised office hours that rotate locations in an effort to interact with the maximum number of students possible.

8. The MSU is supposed to provide services and be the voice for students, yet is also expected to make money with some businesses. When do you feel one may be sacrificed for the other?

One of the most recent examples of this is with the pending closure of Undercovers. Students wanted a convenient way to sell their used books at a reasonable price – we all know that when you shell out $100 for a textbook, you expect more than $7 back at the end of the term. However, Undercovers has performed poorly. While a number of students use Undercovers regularly, a larger number do not, resulting in net losses for its entire operation. The MSU still sees the need for a consignment bookstore, and is now looking into moving Undercovers online (which provides momentum for my idea of MacsList); this would drastically reduce operating costs, while still responding to students' needs.

I think it is important to note that the question reads “some businesses,” not “all.” Services like SHEC, QSCC, and MacGreen are not supposed to make money. But the services they provide are invaluable to students. Businesses such as Union Market and Underground ARE supposed to generate revenue. 1280? Well, that’s a whole other topic; something that will be one of the primary concerns of my 5 year plan.

As a whole, I believe that the mandate of the MSU must be that providing services to students is the priority. I do not think that there should ever be a time when a service should be sacrificed completely because of financial concerns. We need a President who can ensure that the needs of students are met by mastering the art of compromise; this may require approaching the problem from a different angle such as with Undercovers - minimizing costs, while still ensuring that student needs are met.


9. What is your stance on making McMaster a greener, more environmentally friendly campus?

I think this is exceptionally important. Universities need to lead the way with innovative and implementable solutions for countering our excessively large ecological footprint. There is no excuse.

I think the MSU needs to work closely with the Department of Sustainability to acheive large-scale improvements, such as with recycling and building standards (check out the FYI at the bottom of this for more examples), as well as smaller-scale initiatives like providing more bike racks. COLLABORATION is the key here; this is a mutual goal of the MSU and the University, and we need to work with (not against) each other to maximize our results.

As well, I think there are ideas that can be implemented in collaboration with the City of Hamilton, such as a campus Farmer's Market. This is a fantastic way to benefit students (accessible, healthy food alternatives) while benefitting the environment (support the local food movement in Hamilton: http://www.environmenthamilt on.org/eatlocal/)

FYI... What Mac has been up to with regards to environmental solutions!

- Sustainable building policy implemented in 2005, all new buildings/huge renovations are to meet strict environmental standards
- Efficient lighting systems have been installed
- Rainwater harvesting systems have been installed on rooftops

- Computers use setback programs that turn them off until morning = 1.5$ in savings per year
- New engineering cafe features locally-produced and organic foods
- biodegradable takeout bags, compostable cutlery, food oils are recycled into fuels and soaps
- grand and toy is making less frequent delieveries and using less packaging; saving up to $2.3 million in the five years of this contract
- mac diverts 63% of waste from landfills
- water fountains have been retrofitted
- drought-resistant plants have been used in landscaping

source: McMaster Times