Hello fellow SGPS students!

This year the most pressing issue is to stress that inflation and inadequate funding are harming current students and the university’s competitiveness to attract future students. Increasing tuition at a time when we are facing unprecedented inflation and a looming recession has the potential to further stress one of the most financially vulnerable groups at Queen’s.

My name is Emils Matiss, I am a first-year Neuroscience PhD student and the incumbent Graduate Student Senator running for re-election. I’m hoping to secure your vote to continue my work at Senate advocating for student needs. During my tenure in the role, I served on two subcommittees, appeal boards, and I currently chair the Queen’s University Board-Senate Advisory Committee. I was selected to chair the subcommittee because of my active engagement in my first year, and this has allowed me to ensure that graduate student needs are considered in decision-making.

During my first term, I fought to ensure that academic accommodations were accessible to all students in response to COVID. Not all departments enforced the rules equally, and I worked to ensure that policies were applied as intended to allow access to lectures online and prevent students from needlessly having to seek physician’s notes for COVID or other respiratory illnesses.

I am always open to hearing from others and how I can help. Anyone can criticize, but it takes good will and hard work to find solutions. Bearing this in mind I like to tackle issues with an integrative approach to find a middle ground among stakeholders for the best outcome.

Thank you for your consideration!

My name is Devin Fowlie and I am running for the role of the SGPS President for the 2023-24 year. I have worked with the SGPS in various roles for 4 years, including most recently as the VP Graduate. During this time, I have had the opportunity to work with so many incredible people at the university and in the organization and have built many strong connections that have allowed me to advocate for graduate student funding, housing, and access to daycare. This experience, in addition to my previous experience organizing for, and working with, political parties in Ontario and Nova Scotia makes me a strong candidate for this role with nearly a decade of experience in advocating for others.

If elected to the SGPS President role I want to continue improving the financial stability of graduate and professional students at Queen’s. This means not only continuing to increase funding for graduate students, which remains at critically low minimums in the face of rapid inflation, but also for more responsible solutions to housing students. If the university is to raise its reputation, prestige, and research profile there needs to be a radical approach to fulfilling its moral obligations to support its students and be good stewards of the City of Kingston which it calls home. I know that we can work towards solutions to these problems that fulfill the university mandate while also making Queen’s a community that supports all of its graduate and professional students. I want to thank each and every one of you who are participating in this election by casting your vote, not only for me but for any candidate on the ballot that you think deserves to represent you – we are very fortunate to have such a strong student body who supports the democratic process.

Hi voter! I’m Tony Hu, and I’m running to be your Vice President Campaigns and Community Affairs, better known as VP Community. The VP Community is an important role; one charged with overseeing social and athletic activities and supporting the work of international, Indigenous, and equity student-advocates. A bit about me: I’m a medical student (class of 2026). In another life, I was an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto where I studied chemistry and was tirelessly involved in community-building.

Early on, one thing I learned about Queen’s is that the school is renowned for its student experience. You might regard this claim with frank skepticism. After all, I’ll be the first to admit that the sense of community experienced by undergraduate students at Queen’s is far greater than the sense of community experienced by graduate and professional students at Queen’s. My goal is to change that.

Another mandate of the VP Community relates to campaigning on behalf of SGPS members. In the upcoming year, my chief focus will be on the twin issues of housing and the cost of living. While stakeholders are working hard to mend these two problems, the timeline for concrete change is measured in years. In the interim, stopgap measures need to be implemented to stop students from missing meals or becoming homeless.

With your support, I’m confident in making a lasting positive impact for graduate and professional students. You can reach me at tony.hu@queensu.ca Remember: Hu (who) cares? I care!

My name is Gaby Fekete and I am currently a second-year law student. Prior to attending law school, I earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia with a concentration in accounting, as well as sustainability and social impact. In addition to my education, my competencies in accounting and finance stem from my experiences in the social finance sector, and the summer I spent working at a Big 4 accounting firm. During my time working and volunteering in the social finance sector, I was a Fund Manager with the Propel Impact Fund; a student-led impact investing fund which continues to drive capital toward Vancouver-based social enterprises.

During my time on the Propel Impact Fund, I led a $200,000 syndicate in East Van Roasters. EVR is a coffee shop in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside which exclusively hires women with barriers to employment including challenges with homelessness and addiction. Without a $200,000 investment, EVR would have ceased to exist, and the women it employs would have lost a critical safe space central to many of their recoveries from struggles with addiction. More than anything this experience taught me the value of a dollar, and how meaningfully capital investments can be used if invested properly.

If given the opportunity to serve as the Vice President of Finance and Services for the SGPS, I would bring forth my knowledge in finance and accounting to form a balanced budget. More importantly however, I would bring forth a wealth of experience to direct money in meaningful ways because I understand first-hand the difference financial resources can make. I am committed to serving the best interests of students and my Queen’s community. In my role, I would aim to ensure that every dollar budgeted reflected this commitment.

My name is Matthew Kuciak, and I am a second-year law student at Queen’s. In my free time I love playing soccer, reading and watching formula one.

I am originally from Ottawa, but I am now living in Kingston. I have an undergraduate degree in International Business with a minor in Spanish and concentration in Finance from Carleton University. After my undergrad I worked for two years in the finance department at Canopy Growth Corporation. I left my position as a Cost Accountant to fulfill my dream of studying law. I am a member of the SGPS Finance and Services Committee, and I am participating in an externship program at the Northumberland Community Legal Centre in Cobourg. I hope to one day use my financial experience and education alongside my future law degree to pursue a career in corporate law.

I believe my experience on the SGPS Finance and Services committee, my undergraduate education in finance, as well as my experience as an accountant would help me ensure that SGPS member fees are allocated in a prudent and responsible manner. Thank you for considering me as a candidate to be the next Vice President Finance and Services.

My name is Jordan Balson (she/her), and I am a PhD student in the biology department. I am fortunate that I have been able to pursue my entire postsecondary education here at Queen’s for the last seven years. I have been part of several clubs here, such as Queen’s Blood Team, Lost Paws, Queen’s Crohn’s and Colitis Outreach, Queen’s After School Buddies, and Queen’s Alzheimer’s Association, to name a few. Additionally, I have experience in student leadership as co-chair for the AMS-ratified club Conservation Queen’s, where I was co-chair for 2 years, and for Queen’s Lyme Disease Coalition—Madoc’s Chapter, where I have been the club co-president for 4 years. In these roles, I have not only had to manage budgets, organize workshops, communicate effectively and plan events, which are all pertinent skills that I plan to carry into this role, but I have also learned how to advocate for smaller clubs and how to accomplish things at Queen’s. In this role, I want to advocate for the average graduate student, and I want to ensure that our interests are addressed. I want discussions surrounding funding and a livable wage in the forefront of university activities, and I want our school and faculty to advocate for us and for things that best benefit our student body, such as continuing the tuition freeze. As well, I want to support students’ whole education by implementing workshops to share skills across departments, and to provide students with a well-rounded education. This will enable graduate students to gain skills that are not directly a part of their thesis research, but that would still be relevant to their field and would compliment their degree. Overall, I hope to improve everyone’s time here at Queen’s by advocating for our interests and ensuring that Queen’s hears us.

My name is Steacy Coombs, I am a 2nd-year PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering, but this is my 8th year at Queen’s University. Supporting the graduate students at Queen’s has been a top priority since beginning my graduate studies in 2020. This year, I was elected as President of the Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association. This winter, I was also appointed as graduate representative for the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science Graduate Council. These positions have allowed to me ensure the graduate student voice is heard both at a departmental and faculty level. I strive to create a better system in which Queen’s can assist graduate students in our personal and academic interests and I believe my election as SGPS VP Graduate will assist me in this pursuit. Through this position, I plan to continue to be the voice of graduate students with a school-wide impact.

Unfortunately, over my many years at Queen’s, I have also seen the challenges graduate students face. There has been a sharp increase in housing costs, paired with a drastic increase in the cost of living. Queen’s has built several new undergraduate residence buildings, but has not provided additional affordable graduate student housing since the 1970s. We need Queen’s to invest in affordable housing for graduate students! Moreover, the funding we receive leaves graduate students to take on loans or live in poverty. We are the bright, young minds of the future, and our compensation should reflect this!

Finally, I plan to initiate the hybridization of our classrooms. As a disabled student, I often have to miss in-person learning due to the lack of adequate equipment within our classrooms and lecture halls. Incorporating appropriate software, cameras and microphones, students of all accessibility and personal needs do not have to miss out on higher education!

As a law student and fellow member of the professional student community, I thoroughly appreciate our unique academic situation and diverse occupational aspirations; given my prior related experiences in higher governance with the University of Toronto and community advocacy with the Parliament of Canada, I am volunteering as Vice President Professional to promote our needs and interests at the University.

Prior to my time at Queen’s, I held a three year appointment as Student Chair of UofT’s Governing Council Tribunal where I engaged directly with students and the Provost to administer academic disciplinary policies and mediate trial resolutions. In addition, this past year I assumed the roles of both advocate and intermediary, advising constituents and stakeholders regarding federal legislation and programming with my Member of Parliament; working as a team, we dedicated ourselves to helping local organizations procure the greatest sum of federal funding to our community in decades.

For their part, the Vice President Professional should give their ear to community members so they can holistically characterize their concerns and suggestions when participating in committee discussions to vote for policy in conformity with and in anticipation of their evolving needs. As a prospective candidate, I propose digital participatory opportunities for those who can’t attend live meetings, dedicated adjunctive updates throughout the semester, and diversified activity offerings suited to our unique timetables. Thank you all for your consideration and I hope we can work together in the near future.

My name is Maya Kawale and I am running for Vice President Professional for SGPS. I am in my first year at the Queen’s University Faulty of Law. I have really enjoyed meeting and getting to know many of you. With your support, I would like to make this upcoming year a really positive experience for everyone!

One of the core elements of this role is to represent professional students needs and interests. Should I be elected, one of my main goals would be to personally connect with all of you to understand what you are looking for so I can be a point of liaison. I would love to hear your opinions and implement these aspects into the society of graduate and professional students.

Another one of my other core goals would be to foster a community between all professional students. Professional students can get overwhelmed trying to balance their social and academic calendars. I want to create an inclusive environment and allow the professional student body to be more connected. I have always loved being involved in the school community which can be represented by my time with the orientation program and mentorship team during my undergraduate degree. School spirit and community is so essential to a rewarding experience!

I am a big advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion. I would like to represent all individuals and ensure that your needs are being met. I have worked alongside many marginalized communities, and I want to be a point of connection to relay specific concerns that may develop.

I would really appreciate your vote in the upcoming election. I look forward to building relationships with many of you and strengthening the community of professional and graduate students!