Aman Partap, ArtSci ’17, planned to run for Rector before he arrived at Queen’s.
Although he’s the youngest candidate running for the position, Partap sees this as an asset.
Upon coming to Queen’s, he learned that current Rector Nick Francis, ArtSci ’13, had also run in his first year, although his initial campaign was unsuccessful.
“I can be written upon, molded by the students … and grow with them from day one,” he said.
Partap said he sees the position of Rector as the chance to interact with students.
“As a rector … you’re not like the rest of the administration here at Queen’s,” he said. “You can level with the students … talk to them like real people.”
An issue close to Partap’s heart is better integration of West and main campus, so that the “Westies” don’t feel left out, he said.
He said that Queen’s could provide taxi chits for one or two rides a week to the students living on West Campus to make the commute easier.
“It wouldn’t cost the University that much,” he said. “A normal ride is maybe like six bucks.”
Partap mentions mental health advocacy as an important platform point for all three Rector candidates.
“We want to advocate for everything, but one of the big issues facing the school [is] depression … exams can get you, they can really rough you up … the second you fall behind in university you’re like … ‘I’m gonna fail at life’,” Partap said.
He said that it’s important that students know where to go when they’re having a problem.
“I know one of my competitors, Mike Young, he came up with the idea … he was thinking that there should be like a big area where all these services are available,” he said.
Partap said that Young has put forward the Physical Education Centre (PEC) as a possible location for these services.
Another issue that Partap says he and his competitors have in common is the push for gender-neutral washrooms.
“I’m surprised that we still don’t have anything like this, we are in a pretty modern age,” he said.
Partap said he also wants to focus on improving Homecoming in future years, suggesting an event hosted by the school, like a beer tent or a Tricolour festival.
He’s said he’s concerned about the new residences being built on campus and said that they were built without a plan.
“As Rector I want to push them [the University] to form a plan, a concrete basis for why they’re doing this.”
According to Partap, there are some problems that affect both graduate and undergraduate students, including TA education.
“I do believe that training, or non-mandatory training, should be implemented,” he said. “[TAs] may know their stuff but they may not be able to communicate it.”
Partap said that Queen’s will have a great Rector, regardless of who wins the election.
“I just want to kick back with them [Mike Young and Marcus Threndyle] after … just grab a coffee, have a drink … and just chillax, the three of us,” he said. “I want to be friends with both of them.”
Tags
Elections, Rector, Student affairs
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