What is the Undergraduate Student Trustee?

Given the unique nature of this year’s AMS executive elections, there is an opportunity to focus on the other election going on right now – the one for your next Undergraduate Student Trustee. But what is this position? What do they do? Here are 11 things you may not know about the Undergraduate Student Trustee!

 

1. The first Undergraduate Student Trustee, Taylor Judson, was elected in 1997.
2. He/she is elected to a two year term to represent undergrads to the Board of Trustees–one of the chief governing bodies for Queen’s University, responsible for all financial and strategic matters, as well as the hiring of the Principal and Vice-Principals).
3. He/she is one of only 3 students who sit on the Board of Trustees, and the only one who’s job it is to specifically represent YOU, undergraduate students! The other students on the Board are the Graduate Student Trustee–who represents graduate and professional students–and the Rector–who represents all students.
4. Every other member of the Board of Trustees represent university staff, faculty, and alumni.
5. The Board of Trustees meets 4 times a year (October, December, March and May), so a lot of the work of the Undergraduate Student Trustee is staying informed on issues in between meetings.
6. While other trustees sit on the Board due to their professional experience or financial knowledge, it is the job of the Undergraduate Student Trustee to offer a student perspective.
7. The role of Undergraduate Student Trustee is a volunteer position (paid in smiles)!
8. In addition to sitting on the Board of Trustees, the Undergraduate Student Trustee sits on the University’s Audit and Risk Committee (other sub-committees of the Board include Capital Assets and Finance, Pension, Investment, Governance and Nominating, and University Relations).
9. The Board of Trustees votes on issues ranging from the university’s budget to the Richardson Stadium revitalization project.
10. Being the Undergraduate Student Trustee requires big picture, long term thinking, as many of the things they are voting on will not come to fruition until long after their time as a student is done.
11. The position is open to ALL undergraduate students, and previous Undergraduate Student Trustees have come from wide backgrounds ranging from Biomedical Computing to Drama!

Keep all of these facts in mind when you go to cast your vote for the next Undergraduate Student Trustee!

Undergraduate Student Trustees dating back to 2005.

 Voting days are January 27th and 28th. Online polls will open at midnight on the 27th and end at 8:00 p.m. on the 28th. Students are encouraged to actively get informed on the organizations and campaigns.  More information on both, as well as the voting process, will become available via the AMS website so stay tuned!