Brooks Barnett
We are students of the arts, and of science. Of business and of medicine. We pursue doctorates and bachelors, masters and medials. We are Teaches; we are Frecs; we are T.A.s and we are Dons. We are varsity athletes and committee members; we are community volunteers and residents of Kingston. We are Queen’s. Our backgrounds are diverse, yet we come together at Queen’s, working towards common goals of higher education, personal enrichment and the desire for a better society. It is in this spirit that I ask your support in my candidacy for Rector of Queen’s University.
A passionate and committed Rector is one who is devoted to tireless and steadfast representation of student interests. As a recognizable and influential voice on the Board of Trustees, Senate, Faculty Assemblies, and Senate Committees, the Rector should thrive on the opportunity to work with these various bodies on how best to accommodate and assure that the needs and goals of our students are met.
A fair and accessible Rector is one who works to assure that the concerns of all students are heard and addressed with respect and due attention. The Rector must endeavor to strengthen the relationship between the Kingston and Queen’s communities, undergraduate and graduate communities, as well as provide students with an accessible and meaningful outlet for grievances. Every voice should and will be heard. Every interest should and will matter.
An innovative and dynamic Rector is one who does not shy away from change or improvement. A Rector knows that creativity and innovation will better engage students, and make it easier to reach them and offer them new and accessible ways of soliciting help when they need it.
I will be that Rector.
Let’s work together. Let’s achieve together.
Eric Dalke
My name is Eric Dalke and I am a third year political studies student here at Queen’s. I was born and raised near a small town in Manitoba, where my family owns and operates a mixed farm and ranch. I am running for the position Rector to bring a new approach to student leadership and the Rector’s Office. My campaign is based around three principles: Experience. Dedication. Results. Having served in several different positions of student government at Queen’s, I believe I have the experience to provide every student with the best possible representation and support. As the AMS Judicial Committee Chair this year, I have gained a broad understanding of needs of our community on issues ranging from town-gown relations to diversity. I believe this knowledge is essential for a position of student leadership like the Rector, and it is something I plan to bring to the job.
Experience must be matched with dedication to our school and its students. This is my pledge that I will do my best to bring forward your concerns as Queen’s students, regardless of faculty or year. It is a promise to bring a high level of commitment, work ethic and dedication to everything I do. Finally, this campaign should be about ideas. With increasing costs, evolving town-gown relations, and the development of new capital projects there are important choices facing our University. As Rector, I would focus on three priorities to address these issues:
1. Promoting an open dialogue between the Rector’s office and the student body
2. Working towards a restored public image for a more reputable Queen’s degree
3. Being a strong advocate for accountability in spending and quality in education
I would appreciate the opportunity to serve you as Rector and look forward to meeting you on the campaign trail!
Quynh Huynh
The Rector position is unique here at Queen’s because it exists to integrate the various parties of this University. The Rector is a representative of all students – undergraduates and graduates, domestic and international – and an advocate for issues across the University.
Queen’s has been undergoing some major expansions and changes—both in infrastructure, academics, and administration; these are all exciting and progressive steps in advancing our University, but I want to make sure that we don’t lose sight of the fundamentals upon which this university is developed. We need the focus to be on students’ experiences and learning environments.
We, as students, may have all come to Queen’s for various reasons, but it is our education that unites us. What it should come down to is the quality of the education and the value of the degree of which we take away from our time here. I want to ensure that our Queen’s education is of the highest calibre and that the interests of students remain the priority. I want to advocate for teaching training so that our professors are not only experts in their fields but also effective teachers to their students. I want to ensure allocations for educational resources and facilities support effective learning, at the undergraduate and graduate level.
If Queen’s wants to engage the world, we need to make our education and campus assessable to a diverse group of people. Thus, accessibility in this sense encompasses tuition and financial help, physical accessibility on campus, and accessibility of information.
The rich learning environment here at Queen’s surpass classroom walls through various student clubs and projects. We must embrace and support such student initiatives; I want the University to recognize the importance of student activities here at Queen’s and how we, as the students, contribute to this rich culture. I want to take the Rector position to the student level—to support the individual students and their activities. In the uniqueness of the position, I want to ensure that the minority voices are brought forth.
Believe in experience—believe in a strong voice—and believe in your education!
Leora Jackson
A university rector should be strong, warm, informed, and personable. He or she should be accessible and approachable as a guide and advocate for those in need and should have a clear vision of the current and developing role of a university.
As your rector, I will develop, organize and maintain an extensive network of contacts encompassing the Queen’s and Kingston communities. This will aid in bridging the gap between administration and students and will allow me to be an advisor and primary referral resource for students. I will be a constant, visible and welcoming member of our student community through my attendance at events, participation in committees, and consistent open-door office hours.
My years at Queen’s have instilled in me a passion for achievement, growth, integrity, and understanding. These are the values that will guide me as your liaison with the university administration and the Board of Trustees. I am a strong advocate for a university education that extends beyond the doors of the lecture hall. A university is a place where ideas are shared and developed, where philosophies and politics are planned and debated, and where lives are shaped and given purpose. We can build such a place by supporting residence systems where dons foster strong relationships with residents and provide relevant educational programming. We can do it by vocally supporting institutional structures like the Centre for Teaching and Learning, which works to improve quality of teaching – and in whose establishment, we, as students, played a pivotal role. We can do it by opening dialogue between campus constituencies and by publicizing the success of the grassroots campaigns that many of us have been a part of.
Chi Yan Lam
My name is Chi Yan Lam and I am running to be your next Rector of Queen’s.
Campaigning for Rector means to campaign for what we would expect from and for Queen’s. I present my vision for Queen’s below and at www.ChiForRector.ca, and ask you to consider the comprehensive list of ideas on how we can transform our time here and see our vision for this university come to fruition.
Foremost, this is a Campaign of Ideas—a campaign where we highlight issues and tackle them fearlessly with sensibility and pragmatism. This is a campaign where we will celebrate the possibility of making a difference in having your voice heard.
This is also an opportunity to recognize the Queen’s fabric of identities—the contribution that each and every single one of us contributes to this tartan. Each strand, representative of our culture, our knowledge, ambition and potential, unites us all.
Based on these principles, I am advocating for a renewed commitment to improving our teaching and learning experience; to build and strengthen the social fabric of our community, and enrich and expand our opportunities for rich and rewarding experiences beyond the classroom.
Let us do what is hard but what is right. Let us believe in the possibility of change and work with one another as students, staff and faculty to achieve it. Let us renew our trust in those who aspire to serve. Let us believe that change is possible. Let us experience. Let no one define our experience but us.
The time is now; and we can do it together.
I am ready.
John Wintermeyer
My name is John Wintermeyer, and I wish to represent you as the next Rector of Queen’s University. During my nearly two full years at Queen’s, I have immersed myself into the community, participating heavily in athletics and student government. If elected as your chief advocate and representative to the University administration, I would ensure that student concerns are heard on important issues. I believe it essential to bring greater availability and
improvement to the health, disability and counseling services which are currently grossly under funded and have inadequate availability. As Rector, I would lobby aggressively for the proper allocation of these resources.
During our tenure here at Queen’s, we must remain conscious of the fact that not only are we members of the Queen’s community, but we are also “Kingstonians”. Currently,
relations between the city and Queen’s are tense. A positive change in mindset would be the first step towards mending this relationship and achieving positive results for issues such as homecoming.
If elected, I would ensure that all students would know where to find the Rector, and what the Rector does. By holding consistent office hours, engaging and informing students through Journal and Gazette updates and strong attendance at faculty society assemblies, I plan to fulfill this promise. I am a very approachable person, who understands the role of the Rector first and foremost to be one of service to students
Acting as somewhat of a magnetic force, an effective Rector should be able to align different factions within this community and work towards the common good of both Queen’s and the greater community. I feel that my personable nature, positive attitude, and strong work ethic are the cornerstones of an effective Rectorship.
Andrew Yaworski
I strongly encourage you to come out to the debates, ask questions, and get informed. Once I dreamed of Queen’s University. In my dream I envisioned a university community united under the advancement of our University. I believe that we can realize this dream and as a community we can make a difference. I believe that as a unified university community, we can retain our proud history while embracing the future. I believe we have a responsibility to ensure that future students experience the Queens we have lived. As Queen’s students, I believe that what we do matters here; our actions and accomplishments set the path for those who will follow us.
As Rector, I believe I can make this dream reality. To be the unifying voice that unites our community. I believe that we have a chance to shape Queens into our university: a stronger, more diverse and accessible institution of higher learning. I believe Queens is at an impasse. We have reached a critical point where as students we have the ability to ensure Queen’s remains true to herself.
I believe I can be the mentor that the Queens community needs. The resource for our community who ensures that everything we do will be for the benefit of our university. That any student who wishes to come to Queens will have the ability to participate and contribute at Queens. Ensuring we continue to attract the best and brightest students of our generation.
The Rector is an important position to the Queens community. I will represent you with the best of my ability. I will be your advocate and represent your interests. I will do my best to help you and promise that every action I support will be in your best interests.
This is My Vision. My Mission. My Queen’s.
My name is Andrew Yaworski and I am running for Queens University Rector.
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