Hi everyone. I’m an undergraduate educational assistant (3rd year clinical clerk in the medical school) at UBC and am running to represent staff on the Board of Governors (BoG). For those of you who don’t know, the BoG is the highest decision-making body at the university. It is comprised of both elected and government-appointed members, who as a group, make wide-reaching decisions regarding the university’s finances, property, and academic issues.
If elected, I pledge to bring a socially and environmentally progressive voice to the table and promise to ensure that issues of equity and sustainability are at the forefront of our decision-making.
This means supporting divestment (green investments please)! It means being a conduit for marginalized voices and communities on our campus. It means ensuring that all new policies have assessed downstream social and environmental impacts. And it means initiating and facilitating difficult conversations that people tend to avoid.
Big ideals, you might say? Well...I have the experience to back this up! From front-line activism and community work (with organizations such as the Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour) to multiple stints on governance boards — it means I’m privy to what’s happening on the ground while also having the experience necessary to translate into governance. In fact, from 2012 - 2013, I was an elected member of the BoG at the University of Victoria... during a CUPE staff strike!
I ensure you - I have staff’s best interests in mind and the community’s best interests at heart.