In the upcoming Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS), all three executive positions will be uncontested. Presidential candidate Natasha Andrade, Vice-President (Operations) candidate Nadira Rishat Daulet, and Vice-President (Society Affairs) candidate Joey Lauer, all ArtSci ’27, sat down with The Journal to discuss their platforms for the 2025-26 school year, if elected.
The president is responsible for advocating on behalf of all ArtSci students and charting the direction of the Society. The vice-president (society affairs) is in charge of maintaining the internal identity of the society, overseeing the Governance and Human Resources offices, along with the Community Outreach Commission. The vice-president (operations) is responsible for all the societies finances and creates the yearly general operating budget.
President
Andrade has worked within ASUS since her first year and built her platform off her experience. Involved as a Gael, orientation coordinator, and presently as services commissioner, Andrade hopes to leverage her experience should she be elected president.
Her campaign pillars are built on: Firstly, increasing student advocacy, transparency, and trust, secondly, accessibility and responsible use of student dollars, and lastly, community collaboration and student opportunities.
Andrade stressed that advocating on behalf of students starts with making sure they know about ASUS and their operations. “I want to make sure students know we’re speaking on their behalf and that they’re able to put their input in,” she said.
Regarding the arrival of the new ArtSci Dean, and adequately representing the largest faculty on campus, Andrade emphasized how maintaining relationships with both the administration and the student body will be paramount.
“Students will always be the main priority but also ensuring they [the administration] understand the students’ frustrations,” she said. Andrade mentioned working to maintain an open and collaborative relationship with the University administration.
With the operating budget deficit, Andrade stressed the need for transparency with students, ensuring they know what’s going on so no changes come as a surprise. “While I don’t have the power to fix it [the deficit] overnight, I definitely want to ensure that students are made aware of what’s happening in their faculty and are aware of the decisions being made because of this deficit,” she said.
Additionally, if elected, Andrade plans to undergo an analysis of ASUS programs, then make cuts to what’s underutilized but being funded by ASUS. She used the ASUS mentorship program as an example.
“It has become evident to me that there are so many clubs and DSCs with the same mentorship program, so the funding that we’ve allocated towards that program has basically gone to waste this year,” Andrade said. She explained how most students are receiving the same mentorship via their department student council, rendering ASUS’s programming inefficient.
Vice-President (Operations)
As the previous Queen’s Concurrent Education Students’ Association (CESA) council clerk and workshops coordinator, as well as ASUS director of workplace development, and ASUS equity commissioner, Rishat Daulet feels more than confident in her ability to serve as the next ASUS vice-president (operations).
Her platform pillars are financial transparency and responsibility, accessibility, and strengthening ASUS’s financial identity. Together, these three priorities were designed to help make ASUS’s financial processes clearer to students, while making sure they’re aware of the financial resources available to them.
Rishat Daulet plans to engage more of the student body in learning about how the ASUS budget is allocated by hosting virtual drop-in sessions if any students have questions. She believes creating accessible spaces to learn about ASUS will foster trust in the society.
“I believe that students deserve transparency when it comes to how we allocate and manage the society’s budget,” she said.
To make more students aware of the grants and aids available to them through ASUS she plans to consolidate the information currently available. Rishat Daulet intends to create a centralized financial aid platform, making ASUS students aware of and increasingly able to access financial aid resources in one place.
“Students, whether they’re in ASUS as members or beyond ASUS, they deserve clear and accessible information when it comes to the financial services and aids that we provide, whether it’s grants, awards, and other forms of support, by really ensuring that they know all that we can offer,” she said.
In the final pillar of her platform, she outlined the importance of cultivating a sense of financial identity. Rishat Daulet stressed the importance of building on existing frameworks rather than reinventing them, with a focus on continuity.
“I believe that a strong faculty society is built by strengthening the frameworks that’re already existing to really ensure that there’s long-term stability,” she said.
Rishat Daulet explained that by building on existing programs and upgrading transparency and communication with students, it’ll increase overall confidence in ASUS’s financial capabilities.
Vice-President (Society Affairs)
Beginning as a community outreach intern, then moving into the role of deputy of fundraising and sponsorship, and now working as the community outreach coordinator, all for ASUS, Lauer’s now running for ASUS vice-president (society affairs).
Focused on pillars of accessibility, society growth, and transparency, Lauer is excited to lend his experience to the role if elected.
Lauer is interested in upgrading the accommodations support available to ArtSci students. He referenced how Smith Engineering and Business have private mental health support, and how this is something that ArtSci students could similarly benefit from.
“I definitely think mental health is super important being students [with school and extracurricular obligations], we’re often overwhelmed,” Lauer said. He also plans to increase the support networks available to communities with equity diverse groups, in collaboration with existing clubs and services on campus.
According to Lauer, much of his plan for society growth is to leverage alumni relationships. “We’re one of the original universities in Ontario, but if you look at, again, comparing to Smith and Commerce, they have so many connections to their alumni networks that’s why people land really big internships,” Lauer said.
He expressed how he felt a lack of connection with alumni was one of the largest concerns facing ArtSci students today. Lauer plans to look at other universities in Ontario to see how they engage with their alumni, and consider hosting events, while encouraging students to reach out for help in a mentorship capacity.
Regarding transparency, Lauer wants to increase the publication and accessibility of ASUS assembly reports, in collaboration with the marketing officer. He also plans to make himself available to students by hosting office hours.
To represent the diverse interests of the ArtSci student body, Lauer intends to increase engagement with class representatives, and department student councils.
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The open forum took place on Jan. 29, and voting will be from Feb. 3 to 4.
Tags
ASUS elections, ASUS executive, Elections 2026
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