Internally...

• ...I will continue to build a stronger, more vibrant community at Western's Faculty of Education.

  • As standing Executive Director of your Faculty of Education's own Students Teaching Students (STS), I've dedicated myself to engaging all education students in social and intellectual discourse on topics of significance to educators and researchers alike.  When I rebuilt the organization at the Faculty of Education last year we initially focused on graduate students and graduate student research (mostly because I was myself a graduate student).  I pushed my executive to expand the organization to include students from the entire faculty, inviting pre-service students to participate and host dialogues.  Through an empowered STS, as your ESC president, I will continue to create an engaged and inclusive environment where everyone from pre-service to Phd programs can benefit from one another.

• ...We need clubs!  While serving on the King's University College Students' Council (KUCSC) as clubs commissioner in 2011-2012 I oversaw the creation and facilitation of over 22 clubs.  To get engaged there has to be stuff to engage in.  I will facilitate the creation and distribution of a Faculty wide referendum to find out what people would be interested in doing and act upon your recommendations.

• ...I will completely reform the Education Students' Council.

  • In order to make sure your voices, wants, and needs are heard, but most importantly, acted upon, you need an efficient, effective, and organized students' council.  While serving as a Society of Graduate Students councilor last year representing Master's students at the Faculty, I sat on the Bylaws and Constitution Committee and the Policy Committee.  While in these bodies I helped formulate policy and witnessed the greatness that can be achieved with student governance.

    • There are so many things in our ESC's constitution currently that shouldn't be in a constitution but rather in Bylaws or Policy.  I will completely reformat the ESC's governing documents.

    • Furthermore, I will facilitate the writing of a policy to shape the role of Speaker in the ESC to help facilitate effective and efficient meetings.

    • I will do away with much of the current committee structures.  I know how hard it is to get both undergraduate and graduate students on committees (even with financial incentives).  I will seek to reduce the bloated committee structure to a more reasonable and realistic arrangement for your benefit and the benefit of the ESC.

• ...I will be incredibly accessible.

  • The first trick to effective dialogue is listening and I promise to do a lot of it.  When not in class, on practicum, or working on my not-for-profit, I'll be in the Students' Council Office and the cafeteria almost all day every weekday.  One of the main reasons I'm running for this position and committing to be the best ESC president I can be is simply because I'll have the time to do it.  My thesis work has been prorogued for the duration of my B Ed. and my shift work has been cut in half due to the timing of classes and practicum.  Please, if you have any concerns, ideas, or even just want to come chat for a bit, stop by.