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Your Brand New KSU

By Watch Staff – April 22, 2011

President
Full name: Gabriel Adrian Hoogers. “It is purely coinciden- tal that the person who has guided me through the KSU is also named Adrian. I don’t want to comment on that anymore!”
Program: Third year CSP (“the love of my life”) and PoliSci (“the opposite”)
Relevant previous experience: He was Communications VP in 2009-2010, Student Life VP in 2010-2011.
Reason for running for exec: “I feel my passion and growth as a student leader. This all goes back to the highlight of everyone in the KSU’s career, the Day of Action. I was really inspired by that, by the organisation that students have the capability of.”
Goals: Push student voices in the fall renegotiation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the province and the universities; work on a business plan for a union-run canteen in the Wardroom: “(To) create a sustainable, ethical business down there that students can go to after Sodexo closed and during the day.”
Challenges so far: He acknowledges they will come, but says, “It felt like a very natural transition. I really hit the ground running, in terms of advocacy and everything. The executive elected is amazing; everyone is really fitting into their jobs and shaping their jobs in a really inspiring way.”
Words to students: “I would like them to refer to the Watch C pages 18 and 19 of the last issue.will live up to the inspiring A figure of Ronald Reagan to the best of my capabilities.”
Vice President, Student Life
Full name: Anna Tomkins Dubinski Program: First year FYP-Arts, undeclared
Relevant previous experience: First year rep on council. “It’s all very new and it’s all very exciting.” Reason for running for exec: “Once I kind of threw myself
into the council environment (as first year rep), I came to appreciate what the KSU does and I wanted to take a bigger role in making that happen.”
Goals: Pumping up Awards night, “organizing, filing and colour-coding the office,” organizing a “FYP trip” a sort of second frosh to week where first years and upper year leaders would travel somewhere and experience culture relevant to FYP.
Challenges so far: Re-energizing the temporarily defunct Awards night, and pulling the student planner together.
Words to students: “Come by the office! I urge everyone to drop by and be part of their union.”
Vice President, Financial
Full name: nicholas Frederick Lawrence Gal
l Program: BA economics. “I do take a number of CSP electives, too.”
Relevant previous experience: This is his second term as Financial VP, and he was external VP before that. “I’ve always been interested in money and motivated to manage it responsibly.”
Reason for running for exec: “In first year there was the Middle Bay Tea Society and everyone had a good time. But as soon as I realized that Dan Brown might get funding for his little tea society, I realized there was a need for stronger financial accountability.”
Goals: “To keep steady as she goes. There isn’t that much need for innovation. By staying on a second term, I’ll be able to build on the continuity.”
Challenges so far: nothing financial so far. Words to students: “Finance is important.”
Vice President, Communications
Full name: Anna Pierrette Mills Bishop “Pierrette was the name of my dad’s mom and she died when he was little.”
Program: First year FYP-Science, environmental sciences.
Relevant previous experience: Ran social justice club in high school, runs leadership program in the summers. Reason for running for exec: “I thought that the people who were running for exec this year are really awesome and I was stoked to be a part of that exec.”
Goals: Clean up the KSU website and start a KSU blog in order “to make kind of an online space/community for King’s students.” She’s also growing some plants for a possible King’s community garden.
Challenges so far: Chairing the constitutional review committee and proposing changes to the constitution. “Actually changing the constitution was pretty cool.” Words to students: “Subscribe to TWAK!
Words to students: “Subscribe to TWAK! Come on out and introduce yourself. I have a lot more interests than just being CVP.”
Vice President, External
Full name: Omri Leo Haiven. “My brother named me after a book called The Indian in the Cupboard. The main chararter is named Omri. It also means sheaf of corn.”
Program: Second year, Sustainability and History
Relevant previous experience: Founding head of KAFCA, part of many different political and anti-war organizations in Halifax since high school.
Reason for running for exec: I don’t know if I would have been part of the KSU if it weren’t for the position of eVP. It just seems to be really suited to what I’m interested in, in terms of activism.”
Goals: “To put on events and to engage the community. King’s is probably the best place for that because people, they’re focused on issues.”
Challenges so far: ISIC cards for the past year had not be registered properly, so Haiven had to submit everything so the cards would be properly recognized.
Words to students: “The position can only work when students are engaged. When students aren’t engaged, the position is useless.”

By David J. Shuman

David is the current editor-in-chief of The Watch and writes on student issues and events. Find him on Twitter: @DavidJShuman

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