Candidate for Graduate Trustee
Tony Hu
Hi voter! I’m Tony Hu, and I’m running to be your Graduate Student Trustee, representing all graduate and professional students on the Queen’s University Board of Trustees. A bit about me: I’m one of the medical students here at Queen’s. In another life, I was an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto where I was heavily involved in governance. For example, I represented students on the Arts & Science Council, the Innis College Council, and the University of Toronto Libraries Student Advisory Committee.
As this is my first experience with governance at Queen’s, my promise is to listen. I want to hear from you. What do I need to know about your community? How could your experience at Queen’s be better? What do you want Queen’s to look like for future graduate and professional students? Your answers to these questions will inform my work as Graduate Student Trustee. That said, some issues that I want to tackle in this role include climate action; equity, diversity, inclusion, indigeneity, and accessibility (EDIIA); and student success. With your support, I’m confident in making a lasting positive impact for graduate and professional students. Remember: Hu (who) cares? I care!
The Graduate Student Trustee is elected to a two year term to represent graduate and professional students 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).
They are one of only 3 students who sit on the Board of Trustees and the only one whose job it is to specifically represent graduate and professional students. The other students on the Board are the Undergraduate Student Trustee (who represents the undergraduate students) and the Rector (who represents all students). Every other member of the Board of Trustees represents university staff, faculty, and alumni.
While other trustees sit on the Board due to their professional experience or financial knowledge, it is the job of the Graduate Student Trustee to offer a student perspective.
In addition to sitting on the Board of Trustees, the Graduate Student Trustee sits on various sub-committees of the Board.
The Board of Trustees votes on issues ranging from the university’s budget to large scale projects.
Being the Graduate 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.
This volunteer position is open to any graduate or professional student at Queen’s University.
The Board of Trustees meets four times a year, so a lot of the work of the Graduate Student Trustee is staying informed on issues in between meetings.
The Board’s next meetings times the new graduate Trustee will need to attend are as follows:
- Friday, September 30
- 10:00 am – 12:00 pm – Board Orientation
- 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Closed Session
- 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Board Dinner/Education Session at Ban Righ
- 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Open Session
- Saturday, October 1
- Strategy Sessions – 9:00 am – 10:30 am
- In Camera Sessions – 10:45 am – xx
All other quarterly Board meeting dates can be found here and, as a rule, Trustees block off both days in their entirety for meetings until the exact timing is confirmed closer to the date.
September 2022 Trustee By-Election Results