How has your experience as VP Finance and Operations this year prepared you for the role of president?

I had a lot of fun as VP Finance. The role is usually very technocratic and I made it very hands-on and interactive. It’s a great way to move forward as president because I understand SSMU. I know what works and what doesn’t work. I’ve been in the office, and the year before I was the planning coordinator as part of student staff. Two years before that I was part of two groups, so I had to go through a bureaucracy, which I really hated. My experience is ideal because it’s three dimensional.

What’s the most important part of the president’s portfolio?

Next year, the lease will be our main priority. The MOA was signed, but the lease was not. If there’s a completely new executive, they have to learn the lease from the start. Moreover, the lease is financial. Whatever we sign impacts SSMU in the long term financially. Secondly, the president should reach out to students, but often student leaders still don’t know how to do that. This year I had office hours, and I would do the same thing next year.

What are your thought on the two occupations of James Admin?

Right now a lot of the actions on campus are by students who are disenfranchised. The problem was that their demands were not clear and the information was not disseminated properly. I think we need to move forward. I don’t like consultation forums where we come and sit and talk and the plan of action is to talk more. That’s not productive. We just need to move forward. What CKUT did is great because they just posed their question again. 

How do you propose that we move forward?

It’s going to be very tough. We need to provide fact-based guidelines on things because right now some students think we take stances based on our own opinions. We need to make it clear that we’ve done our research. I oppose any and all tuition hikes, not because of my background, but because I understand the university’s budget. Personal backgrounds are important, and extremely valid, but when you can back them up with something that makes sense, I think that’s better. 

Why are you the best candidate?

I’m the best candidate because of my experience. I started off as a student group member. Making sure students get the services they deserve is really important to me. I can help them through the SSMU bureaucracy. I can do it pretty well, some of it with my eyes closed. 

If you could high-five anyone in history, who would it be?

I would high five my paternal grandfather because I never met him. He is someone in my family who I think is a great guy. Where he and my grandmother grew up was less privileged, so they definitely worked really hard.