2026-27 candidates emphasize engagement and student-focused leadership during ASUS debate.
On Jan. 29, ASUS executive candidates gathered in the JDUC for an evening of debate between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., offering students a look at the visions and values of those hoping to lead the society in the 2026–27 academic year. All three candidates are running uncontested and spoke to a student body of about 25 people, about their experiences, platform priorities, and the changes they hope to bring.
The candidates shared their goals through two-minute opening remarks, three questions from the ASUS team with two minutes to answer each question, alongside audience questions and closing statements.
Vice President (Society Affairs)
Joey Lauer, ArtSci ’27, kicked off the executive debates. Beginning with his opening statement, Lauer shared the three pillars of his campaign: accessibility, society growth, and transparency.
Lauer, speaking to his first pillar, expressed his belief that accessibility’s “constantly evolving” and that he hopes to take a proactive approach to accessibility rather than a reactive one. Pushing for accommodations to evolve and for ASUS not to put students in boxes.
Moving to societal growth, Lauer highlighted issues with student engagement, noting that students may feel intimidated to speak with student leaders, especially first-year students. He hopes to introduce anonymous forms where students can voice their concerns and questions comfortably.
For his final pillar, transparency, Lauer emphasized the importance of being a science student holding an executive position in order to balance voices and opinions within ASUS leadership.
During the question period, Lauer pointed to sustainability both in terms of ASUS longevity and environmental sustainability as an important focus if elected. He highlighted that external marketing and promotion are needed to sustain ASUS.
In response to audience questions about equity, Lauer emphasized the importance of unbiased HR processes and meaningful partnerships with organizations such as the Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion and the Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre.
“Part of my campaign is making sure our policies are updated and represent the diversity of the student population at Queen’s,” Lauer said.
Vice-President (Operations)
Nadira Rishat Daulet, ArtSci ’27, running uncontested for vice-president (operations) (VPOPS) during the debate focused her time on addressing financial transparency, equitable access, and building a strong financial identity for ASUS.
“I believe that students deserve transparency […] especially since the majority of our fees come from membership and student fees,” Daulet said in her opening remarks. “Really making sure that we’re allocating each dollar intentionally and responsibly and equitably as well.”
Daulet emphasized the need for clear, accessible financial communication. She proposed monthly standalone financial reports and drop-in Zoom sessions to make complex budget information more approachable for students.
She also expressed plans to create standalone monthly financial reports outside of standard assembly updates, explaining, “students may not always be focusing on assembly reports, but having a separate report just for financial matters […] might be helpful.”
During the question period, Daulet spoke to future-proofing ASUS finances, suggesting consulting with current staff to understand where ASUS finance currently stands in order to have a “full picture” to ensure “smoother planning processes.”
Daulet pointed to her experience in the Equity Commission, where she helped restructure a low-engagement conference into a more sustainable workshop series. She said this experience showed her how to adapt programming to student needs while managing limited resources, an approach she plans to apply to ASUS finances.
President
Rounding out the debates was Natasha Andrade, running for ASUS president. She shared a vision of engaged student-centred leadership informed by her years of ASUS experience.
“Students deserve a leader that’ll show up for them and is willing to put in the time and the effort to support them,” Andrade said.
Andrade claimed that her characteristics of selflessness, determination and reliability would make her a good leader, willing to stand up for the arts and science student body.
She stressed transparency and responsibility when communicating with the student body. Committing to analyzing all non-disclosure agreements she must sign to understand what she can and can’t share.
“Telling students the truth doesn’t mean disclosing every single detail,” Andrade said.
In order to encourage engagement, Andrade emphasized using the ASUS newsletter and strengthening external partnerships, such as the AMS and the Alumni Association, to promote student involvement with ASUS.
She later emphasized engagement when she committed to being as available as possible to her team and students.
“I would make sure that I’m in the office as much as I can be and that I’m there for the students and for the team that I’ve hired,” Andrade claimed.
Beyond external efforts, Andrade hopes to promote respect and openness internally, in order to effectively deal with conflict or issues that may arise productively.
“I would walk into every conversation open to listen and open to hear what people have critiques on,” she said.
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The ASUS voting period runs from Feb. 3 to Feb. 4. ArtSci students will receive a ballot via e-mail to submit on whether or not the current candidates get their vote of confidence.
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