While most students are looking forward to a relaxing summer, the incoming Students’ Society executive is hard at work.  Maggie Knight, Shyam Patel, Emily Clare, Carol Fraser, Joël Pedneault, and Todd Plummer will be training until June 1, when they will officially assume their positions.

Current SSMU President Zach Newburgh said he has already begun helping  Maggie Knight prepare for the transition.

“I’ve been working with Maggie a lot, to introduce her to people in SSMU and outside, getting her involved in how things are run at McGill with the administration and its inner workings,” Newburgh said.

“Most of [the president’s] time is taken up with meetings because [he or she] sits on a lot of different boards and committees, but they also are responsible for the HR within SSMU, hiring and firing and making everyone successful and getting involved in all the portfolios,” he added.

Knight has already been actively involved with preparing for her new position, even though the transition period officially starts in May. She said she has been building a good rapport with her team and making sure that its members work well with each other.

Much of her summer will be spent reforming SSMU bylaws and working on the implementation of new forms of student consultation.

“Right now, several bylaws need to be changed because they’re either contradictory or out of date,” Knight said.

Knight also expressed enthusiasm about reforming student-consultation.

“We want to have strategic summits next fall about key issues,” she said. “These, I hope, will create a better-detailed, more nuanced discussion about issues and bring more students together.”

Emily Clare, incoming Vice-President University Affairs, will be equally busy.

“The transition [has] a steep learning curve. You can’t just know the stuff on paper,” she said.

Clare will be trying to develop relationships with the outgoing and incoming senators, so that they can work efficiently come September. Her main objective is to amplify student voices in campus debate.

“I think broad, sweeping change can only happen gradually,” she said. “If you do it effectively, you have to engage the students; if you don’t you will alienate them, which would be counterproductive.”

VP External Joël Pednault plans to work on similar issues, but will focus on tuition hikes, which will be a major issue next year.

“Over the summer I will be preparing material to make people understand how Quebec tuition works,” he said.

“I don’t like how the government is pulling away from funding and making it more about private donations,” he said. “I’ll be researching international tuition fees and where they go, to be able to get a picture of what’s going on.”

Todd Plummer, incoming VP Internal, will be preparing for a number of major events early in the fall semester. Most notably, he will be helping to plan Frosh, which has undergone major changes.  

“I’m carrying out the new integrated orientation, [with] Frosh being a day shorter, and working with the administration to have a less alcohol-centric, but still fun, Frosh.”

On top of that, Plummer will also be planning Homekoming.

Shyam Patel, incoming VP Finance and Operations, can’t wait to get started.

“If Nick [Drew, current VP FOPS] wants to step aside, I’m ready right now,” he said.

Patel, a self-described workaholic, has a lot of plans for his the portfolio this summer. He wants to write a document for Council concerning funding, and to make clubs aware of the importance of audits since the beginning.

In addition, Patel wants the Financial Ethics Review Committee (FERC) to have a more active role in research and also wants the committee to have a stricter conflict-of-interest policy.

“I look forward to getting into heated discussions with everyone,” he said. “I know people will hate me but I can take it.”

Carol Fraser, incoming VP Clubs and Services, is also excited to take office. With less direct SSMU experience than the other execs, she’ll have a lot to learn, but she’s confident in her ability to fulfill her responsibilities.

“I’m working on a clubs and services workshop where the club executives come and learn how to budget and relate to SSMU all the things that go along with that,” she said.