The Watch: How will you remember your time as president?
Kiki Wood: I got into the student union partly because there were some people who thought I would be good in the role, but also because—and this will sound hokey—but I wanted a way to give back to the community of King’s. It was a place I really enjoyed working in, and it had given me a lot, and now has given me even more. I wanted a way to make a difference in the school and give back in any way I could, and I’ll remember my time as president in that way.
TW: What’s one thing you think you could have done better?
KW: It still hasn’t taught me to be on time for things. I would have been around more if I could do something better. I would have gotten back to people faster, return emails and phone calls.
TW: What’s your proudest moment on the KSU?
KW: One hundred per cent has to be the Day of Action. Coming out to the King’s rally, looking back and seeing all these people I knew in an activist community, marching down Spring Garden and seeing faces that I knew in the crowd and knowing that I was a part of that, that was by far the best part.
T.W: What was going through your head when we marched down Spring Garden Road?
K.W: I was thinking, ‘I have never been prouder to be a King’s student’. The entire front row was King’s students holding the banner. I was so proud to be a King’s student and in a position of leadership with King’s and to have that experience.
T.W: What was one of the biggest challenges you faced?
K.W: The kind of uncertainty of what’s going to come next. This year, with a lot of economic crisis talk in the university, every time we would try to do something—host an event with community members or politicians—we were rebutted a lot. The idea that they might not listen to us and the implications of that was a really scary idea. It makes investing in your job as a union leader member really hard sometimes, because you don’t know why you’re doing it when you’re met with these rebuttals.
TW: Who was someone you found hard to work with?
KW: I found that there wasn’t one member who was directly antagonistic, but there have been times when the admin tried to pit the students against the faculty, and when they used tactics like that it was very hurtful to the school.
TW: How do you feel about changes to the society alcohol funding?
KW: On a whole, I support the changes. We put forward a step in the right direction. It’s already showing this year, how we are totally out of society funding, but we have no problem getting rid of it for events that do not involve alcohol. We have been kind of cavalier in funding in previous years with funding for alcohol, and we’re making up for it now when students are involved in direct broader ranging issues and campaigns in events that do not have alcohol funding.
TW: What’s one story of how you’ll remember your time on KSU?
KW: I remember when I was here over the summer, it was just (internal coordinator John Adams) and I here over the summer, and we had spent some time getting an idea of what the hell we were doing, because we were so new. In the first days of frosh week, the new exec were out of our minds busy with things going on. I remember it was the Pit rave and I was working as a supervisor for the Wardy, and the guys in the exec came into the Pit saying “someone broke into the office! We need you right away!”…They took off running and I started to get the idea that maybe it was a prank. I got to the office, it was fine, and Dave Lewis was sitting at the computer and started playing R. Kelly’s “Pregnant”. At that moment, all the guys just started serenading me. They all got down on their knees, singing to me, and I was so overwhelmed. I think they were probably really drunk. Next thing you know, Dave is rapping Drake, and Nick (Gall) made me dance to “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal. It was the first week back and they told me they appreciated what we had done and it was stuff like that that makes such a great environment.
