What are the main issues you’ll be focusing on this year?

As people know, the government announced that there will be a massive tuition increase starting September 2012. So my immeditate priority is to inform as many students as possible of that fact, what the effects of that might be, and hopefully to get as many people as possible out to marches and demonstrations. There will be a General Assembly at the end of September where people will be able to take a position on the most recent increase and decide where to move forward. There will be a big demonstration on Nov. 10, for which we hope to organize a McGill contingent. The overall goal for the year is to make McGill students’ participation in what will be a student mobilization against tuition increases as big as possible. More immediately, as well trying to inform as many students a possible about the MUNACA strike, what it means, why they’re on strike and to get them out on picket lines, and to make the strike as short and as successful as possible.

What are your expectations for this year?

I get the feeling that mobilization and involvement in student activism at McGill has been picking up; the ball got rolling last year thanks to my predecessor Myriam [Zaidi]. My expectations are that more and more people are going to be involved; I expect large McGill contingents in student demonstrations this year. I’m also expecting participation in various events—panels, discussions, workshops—that I, and a lot of other people, are going to be organizing to ensure people know about tuition increases and to think about issues in post secondary education as well.

Something new you’re bringing to the role?

I’d like to work a lot on doing a lot more research and a lot more advocacy for specifically international and out-of-province students this year. The Quebec Student Movement represents mainly the concerns of students who pay Quebec fees (which makes sense, as most people in Quebec pay Quebec fees). What we want to do is basically advocate for those excluded students and make sure the student movement does as well.

Never have I ever not skinny-dipped in Lake Ontario.