Students can expect a “mover and a shaker” from Niki Boytchuk-Hale’s leadership.
Boytchuk-Hale, ConEd ’24, is running to be the University’s 39th Rector. Having completed a degree in fine arts last year, she is currently a Bachelor of Education student specializing in the Indigenous Teacher Education program.
The Rector position, elected by the entire student body, holds the distinction of being the third officer of the University, following the Chancellor and Principal.
In this role, the Rector represents students on the Queen’s Board of Trustees, engaging in ceremonial functions such as convocation while serving as a connection between students and senior istration.
Boytchuk-Hale is no stranger to student governance. The former AMS director of marketing, she is currently vice-chair of the AMS Board of Directors, and by extension sits on The Queen’s Journal Advisory Board. Boytchuk-Hale is on leave from both positions for the duration of the campaign.
With an active history in student life, Boytchuk-Hale is working with the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response office, aligning copy and design with the updated policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Misconduct involving students.
Boytchuk-Hale’s personal mantra is to be hard on ideas but easy on hearts.
“I’m hard on ideas, I really am,” she said. “I’m probably the noisiest board member that we have this year because I don’t agree with every idea that gets brought about, and I don’t always think it’s the most effective use of our time, or the best option for our students, and I’m never afraid to voice my opinion,” Boytchuk-Hale said in an interview with The Journal.
Grounded on three key pillars, Boytchuk-Hale is running on a platform of communication, well-being, and collaboration.
Communication is centered around the reciprocal relationship between the Rector and students. Boytchuk-Hale recognizes students need to hear from their student leaders and likewise she wants to hear from students about their concerns.
Within this portfolio, Boytchuk-Hale aims to prioritize transparency. She wants to establish a communications role, a student job financed by the Office of the Rector, to release short video updates on progress in open session meetings of the Board of Trustees. When she doesn’t have the answers, Boytchuk-Hale wants to be honest with students.
Her second goal is to enhance holistic student safety by ensuring physical, psychological, and spiritual safety.
To begin, Boytchuk-Hale wants to conduct a survey to analyzing students’ accessibility and community safety experiences on campus, focusing on retention rates for students with diverse needs.
Drawing from her background as a fine arts alumna, Boytchuk-Hale knows firsthand the anxiety students are grappling with amidst the current budget cuts. She promises to push the University for a long-term financial recovery plan and program changes while improving communication and transparency to meet students’ needs.
READ MORE: FAS considering suspension of fine arts program
The best decisions are made by diverse groups of people, Boytchuk-Hale claimed. She aims to collaborate with student leaders to address challenges facing the Queen’s and Kingston communities, such as housing, food insecurity, and further fossil fuel divestment.
“I’ve built some incredibly strong relationships with leaders in our student government and with leaders at our university. […] I believe [through] the relationships I’ve built, I’ve been able to gain trust in a lot of individuals,” Boytchuk-Hale added.
Boytchuk-Hale hopes students see she holds true to her promises and goes above and beyond to accomplish her goals. If elected, students won’t be isolated from her world, and Boytchuk-Hale emphasized her commitment to showing up for students.
“I can promise that I will show up and I can promise I will continue my personal mandate of being hard on ideas and easy on hearts,” Boytchuk-Hale said.
Voting for Rector candidates takes place on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7.
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