So, today and tomorrow are important days. Those are the days we get to determine the direction the Student Union of the University of Alberta will take for the next year. And I would appreciate the honor of receiving your support for my bid for this position. In the last two weeks, I have learned a lot. About myself, about the world, about challenges, and about how incredible you all are. During them, I had a car accident, and with barely any sleep, I managed to meet and address an incredible number of people, while juggling a full class schedule, painkillers, and one or two forums per day. It is not easy to distill yourself to two minutes. In mine, I consistently endeavored to show my passion, the things I believe in, and the values I will bring to the position, while sincerely and uniquely addressing the audience in front of me. And the response I have had forum after forum, has been truly heartwarming. In the end, I believe that what this position needs, is passion, courage, strength, and a sincere willingness to interact with, and listen to the people we are meant to represent. At the end of the day, this should not be about how cool I, or the other candidates are, but about how cool we all are, as students of this University. Class talk after class talk, personal interaction after personal interaction, I have found incredible warmth, incredible ideas, and an incredible willingness to be engaged, if someone will take the time to listen. And listen is exactly what I intend to do. As Vice President Student Life, I intend to replace the outdated communication practices of the SU, and push for bringing monitors and TVs like the one in SUB to all of the buildings, with permanent slots for student group ads. I intend to replace bears den, with an accessible calendar that will show everything going on in the University at any given time, in the 10 minutes you take between classes. And to bring the student union into this century, changing the communication strategy to one more focused on the channels todays, and tomorrows students, find convenient, time efficient, and accessible. I intend to create a permanent volunteer registry and training program, so that when you wish to throw an event, you may easily come in contact with people interested in helping you staff it. Perhaps most importantly, I intend to make student life the center piece of the mental health structure. I believe that a big part of the problems with mental health come from the isolation we all face. From the fear of being a little bit different, and others finding that we are not always perfect, that we are sometimes sad, that we are sometimes alone. I believe that the first step towards correcting this, is giving people every opportunity and every piece of information they need to find the support, the community, they need. And to build bridges between the different groups and organizations on campus so that prejudgments, stereotypes, and stigmas may encounter the reality of the situations in an organic way. Finally, I take great pride in the fact that this last week, was pride week. That the University flew a flag of acceptance and tolerance. And it is my intention to make the University a place where people truly feel safe to open up, drop their barriers, and connect. These last two weeks where I have been gone from here, I have dedicated to meet as many people as possible, to learn as many of your stories, to showcase why I think things need to change, and why there is a place for U in the SU I want to build. I believe the dismal turnouts in previous elections show that to make the SU relevant to the average student, we need to do things differently. And I do. My experience includes participation in numerous student groups, such as the University of Alberta Mixed Choir, ISSET, my numerous friends in the greek community, to my volunteering with week of welcome, the student union engagement taskforce, the gateway, the Undergraduate Research Initiative which honored me with one of their grants, SCIP, Volunteer Alberta, the city of Edmonton on sustainability initiatives, and the trust of multi-million dollar companies such as Spartan Race which have put in me in charge of critical parts of their operations, like the finish line at the Calgary race this last summer. The challenges that will face the University next year are unpredictable. Issues like the International Student fee increase come out of nowhere, and they need something more than memorized speeches and soundbites to solve. They require passion, principles, and a willingness to listen, and engage with the student body. Those are the things I believe in. And I am up to that challenge. Wednesday and Thursday, we get to decide the course the SU will take for the next year. And I would be honored to be your choice to tackle the problems to come, and foster the pride and community that time after time, I hear you want to see. This 5 and 6 of March vote Fabian Gonzalez for Vice President Student Life. I believe in us.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 10:03:54 +0000
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