My name is Beth Langdon, and I am running for SGPS President. One major goal I have is to foster community within all departments and faculties within the SGPS. The last couple years have been isolating for many, and I think many students feel a disconnection from the Queen’s community. As SGPS president, I want to make students feel connected to their programs, faculties, and the university as a whole. I think being an empathetic and dedicated leader will provide a platform upon which student leaders can make positive impacts and changes. I know part of this role will be supporting the many student leaders and services who already work tirelessly to contribute to your university experience.

Some of my background: I completed my undergraduate at Queen’s, majoring in Sociology and minoring in World Language Studies. My undergraduate education, combined with my experiences volunteering and working at the Queen’s University International Centre, have shaped how I understand others. I believe empathy to be the most important quality of any leader. I am now a law student in my second year. I am currently the Law Students’ Society’s SGPS Representative, so I have experience in student government.

One part of bringing students together will be providing engaging, informative, and fun orientation for students. I was an orientation leader multiple times at Queen’s in my undergraduate, and I also was the student coordinator for a summer orientation for first-year students called SOAR (Summer Orientation for Academics and Resources). I know that orientation is a key part of the Queen’s experience, and I aim to lead the SGPS in creating an orientation memorable to you.

My name is Emilia Ganslandt and I am an international students born and raised in Sweden. I am in my second year of my Master studies in Environmental Studies and will be continuing my studies at Queen’s as a PhD student. Currently, I am the Social Commissioner at the SGPS which has allowed me to learn about the SGPS and how it works. I have also worked closely with the current VP Community and as such I have learned from their knowledge and experience. This has allowed me to reflect on what this role entails and what qualities are important for it. I believe it is important as a VP Community to uplift and support others, both commissioners who work with them and other members of the SGPS community. As a leader I always strive to lead from behind and to be the support my team members need. I also believe that striving for inclusivity at each step is vital and recognizing that my positionality is not the same as others. We all have unique perspectives to share and in my view everyone deserves a seat at the table where their concerns can be heard without judgement. Furthermore, I think it is important as the VP Community to speak up for what is right but also for what is unjust. This in many ways means amplifying the concerns identified by members, other VPs and commissioners. As someone who has been an activist in grassroot organizations most of my life I am up for this challenge. I would uplift and empower others, strive for inclusivity and diversity of perspectives, and I would be an active advocate for the concerns of this community.

Key promises
– I will make the SGPS community an inclusive space where all members feel at home, part of a community, and safe to share their concerns
– I will voice and fight for the concerns and needs identified by the SGPS membership and council.
– I will ensure all individuals working with the SGPS feel adequately supported and have access to the resources they need.

My name is Devin Fowlie, and I am a PhD Candidate in Social Psychology at Queen’s. I hope to expand advocacy for graduate students. I began working alongside the SGPS as a council representative for the Psychology Department in 2019, being elected Deputy Speaker in 2020, and Speaker in 2021. I have a passion for student government. I believe it is a crucial organization that presents a unique opportunity to advocate for graduate students’ interests and needs on an ongoing basis, which is particularly important as we look forward to how COVID-19 will impact the graduate student experience.

I know that students are concerned about a lot of issues – from funding, to tuition, to safe work environments. I hope to continue the legacy of the outgoing Vice President Graduate to further these improvements. In the past year, this position has had enormous impacts on international student equity, which remains one of my largest priorities in this role.

For many of our graduate students, this pandemic has been a particularly challenging time. I believe that we cannot know what students need without asking them directly – thus, I would like to return to a modified office hour setting where graduate students are provided with the platform to speak with me about the issues that are important to them. I know that issues can change rapidly, and my hope therefore is that this office hour format will supplement other advocacy work that the Vice President Graduate does at an administrative level.

I am hopeful that I can continue working with each of you, and the well-informed advocates on the SGPS, to expand these milestone accomplishments while serving as your Vice President Graduate.

Hi there! My name is Sandra Wright and I am excited to be running for the 2022-2023 SGPS position of Vice President Finance and Services.

I am currently in my second year at Queen’s Law and am interested in pursuing a career in corporate law. With an undergraduate degree in business and a concentration in finance, I believe that I would make a great addition to the SGPS executive team. Prior to law school, I worked as an account manager for Blackhawk Network for two years. In this role, I managed the marketing and spend budgets for the two largest distribution partners in the network. I have gained valuable experiences in financial management and Microsoft Excel.

There are two key promises I can make:

1. Ensure a fair and integral assessment of the student fees and services

I understand this year has taken a toll on everyone. The pandemic has brought a lot of added stress in our lives as graduate and professional students, and I want to help make financial concerns as small as possible. If elected, I promise to make sure the student fees are properly assessed with the mindset that less is more. I want to review the services provided and assess whether they are necessary in our pandemic environment.

2. Provide a balanced budget that reflects the reality of the pandemic or post pandemic era.

With the end of the pandemic hopefully around the corner, I want to make sure that the SGPS is set up for financial success with an organized and balanced budget. Having been through an online education last year, I want to make sure that there are resources set aside to providing students with support post pandemic.

As a second-year law student who is also a Registered Nurse, I believe I am uniquely qualified to represent the broad interests of the various professional programs at Queen’s University. As an active member of the Law School community, I understand the culture and goals of the students at Queen’s Law. Further, I expect that my background in healthcare will allow me to represent the perspectives of healthcare professionals as well.

I hail from Vancouver, BC, and my hobbies include playing beach volleyball, running, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. I’ve served as a national leader at a prominent health-policy NGO, where I had the opportunity to advocate for affordable pharmaceutical pricing at the United Nations. I expect that the leadership skills I’ve developed through athletics and advocacy will serve me well in the role of VP Professional.

I plan to accomplish two key objectives:

1. Integrate and Consolidate Mental Health Services
In recent years, Queen’s University has provided increased mental health services. Unfortunately, many of these services are siloed, rendering them inaccessible to the student body. I will work to consolidate the various mental health services to promote ease of accessibility to services and funding, which I expect will result in the increased use and enjoyment of mental health services by students.

2. Develop a Robust Post-Pandemic Return-to-Normal Plan
With lockdowns looming, but the end of the pandemic in sight, Queen’s University must remain flexible in its methods but committed to upholding excellence. In the role of VP Professional, I will work to ensure the voices of professional students are heard loud and clear by university administrators as Queen’s begins to return to normal.

Serves as a confidential and non-judgmental food service to members of the Queen’s community, which aims to provide clients with food services in the most comfortable environment possible.

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Provides access to athletics and recreation facilities by SGPS members and their participation in recreational clubs, intramurals, and health and wellness sessions.

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Provides access to the annual Kingston Transit pass for students.

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Kingston’s only campus & community radio station, is a not-for-profit, volunteer-powered media outlet that offers diverse music and spoken word programming 24/7 and provides free broadcast skills training and experience to members of the community.

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Supports Indigenous graduate student’s academic success through our SAGE (Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement) Writing Retreat. Students are able to connect with a writing instructor and mentor throughout the week-long retreat to receive feedback on their writing.

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Strives to make a difference in the lives of homeless youth by offering a safe and supportive emergency shelter that encourages their growth and provides them with access to community resources.

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Contributes towards the overall financial assistance the University is able to direct towards the support of international students who experience financial difficulty.

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Provides a safe, inclusive, environmentally friendly, and dedicated space on campus for the graduate and professional student community at Queen’s and offers a variety of benefits and contributions to the wider Queen’s community.

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Walkhome is a student-run, completely anonymous and confidential safety service that provide safe walks to students both on campus and within the Kingston community.

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Provides students with demonstrated financial need with the opportunity to receive priority for certain part-time jobs during their studies.

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Aims to build a supportive environment for refugee students who come to Queen’s though a scholarship package for refugees sponsored by the Student Refugee Support Program, while also raising awareness for various other global development issues through on campus initiatives.

Click Here to Review the World University Services Canada Queen’s Referendum Package