My Platform

As the President and CEO of the Wilfrid Laurier Students’ Union, I will strive to be an effective and productive advocate for the needs of the student body at both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses. My actions and initiatives will be centered on the three pillars that I will bring to the position: a strong voice, an innovative thinker, and a collaborative leader. 

First and foremost, I will be dedicated to giving each and every Laurier student a voice that will be heard by the necessary groups so that positive changes can be made. In order to do so, I have outlined the following tangible initiatives that I will commit to implementing as your Wilfrid Laurier Students’ Union President.

A Strong Voice

Once elected, I will continue to sit on and contribute to committees such as the Student IT Advisory Committee. Alongside the AVP: Academic, I will work to ensure that adequate funding is available to improve campus technologies such as wireless and student email. Furthermore, I will seek low cost initiatives such as a restructuring of the LORIS registration process and the creation of laptop ‘plug and go’ stations on our campuses.

As more universities and colleges in Canada are recognizing the need for a structured study break in the Fall term, I will persuade the University Administration to engage in productive discussions regarding the Fall term calendar. With the new condensed exam schedule, I will propose that the Administration establish two designated study days at the end of the Thanksgiving holiday, in lieu of those in December, to provide a five day break, without compromising the length of the school term and our reputable Orientation Week.

As the first phase of the Laurier Master Plan approaches, I will work with departments and student groups on both campuses to create legacy projects in celebration of Laurier’s Centennial. In addition, I will work with University Administrators to ensure that these legacy items will be preserved and integrated into the new spaces that will be created on our campuses.

While the university experiences enrollment growth and economic instability, the Laurier community is adapting to changes and cut backs. It is very important to remember these changes and cut backs when the economy returns to its fullest potential. As President, I will advocate on the behalf of the student body and work with the Administration to re-establish extended facility hours, lower fees and increase access to services. It is my goal to ensure that no student must adapt to these circumstantial changes on permanent basis.

At present, there is one undergraduate representative that sits on each Senate Committee for the university. The majority of these representative positions are held by students from the Waterloo Campus. In light of this, I will work with the University Secretariat to increase Senate Committee membership to one student from the Waterloo Campus and one student from the Brantford Campus on each committee.

An Innovative Thinker

At Laurier, we pride ourselves on the holistic student experience. As president, I will work to strengthen this experience by integrating several Students’ Union initiatives into the classroom. When looking for a business development strategy or a recreational programming idea, we should be looking to our bright students for relevant answers. Therefore, I will work with faculty members and capitalize on available opportunities to develop case studies and foster discussion related to our campuses within the classroom.

I propose that the Students’ Union create collaborative work centers in the pre-existing space beside the Foot Patrol Office in the Fred Nichols Campus Centre and in the Student Centre in Brantford. Similar centres have been created by on campus technology provider PRISM and also by the University of Waterloo in the Dana Porter Library. These areas have large monitors with several computer inputs on each to allow work on a bigger screen and the ability to switch between different computers.

The continued development of Laurier Brantford and the Downtown area creates a unique opportunity to explore the addition of a Brantford Campus Pub. While the current economic situation may cloud this initiative for the immediate future, I will work to establish a Brantford Campus Pub Planning Committee in order to develop a detailed feasibility report and possible venue locations.

As President, I will expand Foot Patrol hours on the Brantford Campus and work with Special Constable Service to create an Emergency Response Team (ERT).

In collaboration with the Laurier Sustainability Office, I will work towards gaining LEED certification for all Students’ Union businesses, beginning with Wilf’s. Since the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union is seen as an industry leader by similar organizations across the country, initiatives to increase environmental sustainability will not go unnoticed. Most importantly, this will be an additional step in the direction of becoming a more environmentally conscious community.

A Collaborative Leader

I will seek to condense the application process for grant funds on campus to a single application. This application would be forwarded to all of the necessary parties on campus when completed by a student. Furthermore, I will work to expand the Students’ Union Grant Fund. These actions will make it easier for students to apply for grants and will put more money into the hands of the students who wish to get involved in special projects and attend conferences.

Through periods of change and financial uncertainty, it is imperative that people and organizations across our campuses continue to work together. As President, I will develop and implement a Resource Sharing Plan that will provide all organizations across our campuses with more access to Students’ Union property and spaces.

As a Residence Life Don for three years I have had the opportunity to see the direct benefits of integrating academic programming into Residence Life. In light of this, I will work alongside the VP: Clubs and Activities to ensure that sufficient academic programming is available to those who seek it. I will also advocate for the Students’ Union to develop more academic programs such as a peer tutor network and class-specific study sessions.

As President, I will work alongside the Students’ Union Management Team and host monthly grassroots meetings in Waterloo and Brantford to provide updates and foster dialogue among campus stakeholders. These meetings will provide students, staff and faculty with an invaluable opportunity to become engaged in decisions and share ideas that will shape their Laurier experience.

Diversity will continue to be a priority for the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union. By creating an inclusive and comfortable environment for all members of the Laurier community, we will further instill in our student body a desire to take action and give back.

As President of the Students’ Union, I will place a larger emphasis on giving back to the community through charity work and involvement within Kitchener-Waterloo. My Presidential campaign is supporting ACCESS, a charity developed by WLUSU Board of Director Michael Onabolu. ACCESS provides children in the developing world with uniforms and supplies so that they can attend school. Members of our campaign team have set a goal of $1000 to be raised during the two week campaign period.

In addition to having office hours and an open door policy, I will host monthly conference calls with Coordinators from Brantford and Waterloo to provide updates and listen to ideas and suggestions in order to connect directly with these valued volunteers.