Nick Francis, ArtSci ’13, said he thinks the rector needs to have the ability to synthesize.
“They take the students’ needs and wants and combine them with what the University wants and what the University can do,” he said. “The rector advocates for the students.”
Francis said he found out about the rector position while researching how to become more involved at Queen’s.
“From the moment I stepped onto campus I’ve been looking for ways to get involved,” he said, adding that what immediately interested him about the rector position was how it helps students.
Francis said he wants to make sure students know what the rector can do for them.
“I would definitely start with the accessibility of the rector and the profile of the rector,” he said. “I want to let students know that they can reach the rector and that the rector can advocate for them.”
Francis said he would also like to work to improve the number of co-op and international opportunities for students at Queen’s.
“The benefits of that would be students would have more worldly experience and would bring that back to Queen’s,” he said.
Francis’s platform also focuses on dealing with budget cuts at Queen’s.
“I understand that the principal and istration are working hard to deal with the deficit that Queen’s is currently in,” he said. “[Principal Woolf] stated in one of his financial reports in the past year that they’ve been forced to raise tuition fees to deal with the deficit.”
Francis said he thinks students shouldn’t be penalized by the current economy.
“We really need to get the University istration to work with the students to collaborate and look for ways to make that money,” he said.
Francis also hopes to get from students.
“I personally don’t know what exactly every student wants,” he said. “Part of my campaign is to find out what students want.”
Francis said he’s had an e-mail forum set up on his website throughout his campaign where students can discuss their suggestions, ideas and concerns on different issues.
He said the fact that he is the only first year running will not put him at a disadvantage.
“Being a first year, I understand that people are going to question my experience,” he said. “After doing research, I’ve seen that this is a position that you really cannot prepare for by being at Queen’s for a certain amount of time.”
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