Student Union

I took over the Executive Committee Restructuring project 10 months ago. I am happy that it has finally been completed. More importantly, I am happy that the final proposal is one that passed almost unanimously in Senate and Treasury and, for the most part, has the support of the groups who were formerly Executive Committees.

This process has taught me a lot. The most interesting thing that I have learned is that there is a huge disconnect between Student Union and student groups/students.

Initially, most of the groups were concerned that Student Union was trying to take over their operations or micromanage them and there was a lack of trust that made the process difficult in the beginning. As the process went on, and it was clear that we wanted to go about this in a manner that was as inclusive of anyone who wanted to be involved as possible, I think the groups gained a bit more trust. While they may not have agreed with every aspect of the proposal, I think they began to see that Student Union was trying to be a better resource and that we wanted them to help us as we improved.

Executive Committee Restructuring is what made the disconnect clear in my mind, but it is easy to see why the disconnect has persisted for so long. When people join Student Union, they often get consumed with it. This leads them to spend so much time working for Student Union that they for they are really working for the students and student groups.

I think we have made vast improvements this year. The Executive Committee Restructuring process was one where we wanted to make improvements for students and student groups with the help students and student groups along the way. Even so, there is still much more work to do. Student Union must become an organization that has the trust of its constituents in order to be effective.

This process has allowed us to make great strides in working more closely with students and student groups. We were more transparent, more open and more collaborative than we have ever been. The real test; however, is that we must continue to reach out and include students in what we're doing beyond this particular project.