Event info is updated with my platform! For anyone who doesnt want to scroll up, take a look right here! : As Executive Director of Finance and Services, I will follow three guiding principles: Innovation, Communication, and Accountability. I plan to continue to refine and improve our existing services, while introducing new and exciting services to benefit students. In addition, I believe that it is crucial to ensure that your student union is acting on the beliefs and priorities that students decide, through consultations and conversations with students on a regular basis, and being available to any student at any time. Finally, I will ensure that MUNSU remains a fiscally transparent and accountable organization, so that all students can see exactly how their Union is working for them. Innovation The Union must use its resources in a way which benefits students as much as possible. A large part of this is ensuring that funds go where students believe they are best spent, and to ventures which most improve student life on and off campus, including improvements to our current services and the creation of new services to provide greater convenience to students. The Breezeway has seen great improvements in recent years, and has the potential to be a premier student space on campus. For this to happen, we have to continue the trend of improvements that we have seen. We can make the Breezeway an excellent space for students to relax between and after classes, providing an atmosphere that makes students want to spend time there. I also want to work with the Executive Director of Student Life to continue to bring excellent events to the Breezeway, both special events like bringing in high quality artists to perform, and regular events that students can count on, mirroring the success of Wednesday Open Mic. The Attic has also seen drastic improvements in recent years, a trend I intend to continue. It is important that we reach out to local suppliers to bring in the best products available, and the products that students want, which we can determine through conversations and surveys with students who make use of the Attic. I also want to start sales during peak work-load times (near midterm break, exams, etc.), so that students can get what they need when they need it. While we have some excellent existing services, there is still room to add to our portfolio and offer students even more. By developing to new service such as a used bookstore, grocery services for residences, a tutor registry, cell phone chargers, and more, I hope to make a real contribution to student life. Finance: • Using Union resources in a way which benefits students as much as possible. • Improving our current services and creating new ones. • Introducing financial training for clubs, societies and Resource Centres. • Creating a mechanism for emergency student loans, so that no student will be stuck for tuition, and developing a set of need-based MUNSU bursaries/scholarships. Services: • Improving current services: o Introducing food services at the Breezeway, both the long-term solution of restaurant service, and the short-term solutions of introducing coffee and baked goods, pursuing deals with local businesses to supply food on a regular basis, and introducing table service so that students can relax from their busy days. o Creating more all-ages space at the Breezeway and optimizing the space we already have, with better seating and more attractions, such as game consoles, television and movie services, and more. o Monitoring SafeDrive to see if one van is meeting the needs of students, and seeking sponsorship for a second van if not. o Increasing Health and Dental coverage for all students. • Introducing new services: o Used bookstore so that students can get a fair value on their expensive textbooks, and sell them more easily. o Grocery services for residences. o Tutor registry so that students have trouble with courses can easily find help. o Cell phone chargers throughout campus. o Tax clinics for students to help them learn this process. o Rideshare program – vehicle rentals for students. o Student discounts on entertainment throughout the city. o Continuing to talk to students and look at other universities to see what services we could add here at Memorial. Communication MUNSU must actively reach out to its members and seek their priorities to ensure that the actions being taken match the student body’s wishes. Both casual conversation and formal surveys are crucial to make sure that whenever a change is made to one of our services, or to our budget, it is to reflect the wishes of the student body. Finance: • Regularly speaking with students about the activities of the Union. • Administering surveys during budget revision periods to ensure the priorities of the student body are being accurately reflected. Services: • Regular conversations with students about our services to ensure that they are heading in the right direction. • Targeted surveys for all of our services, such as product services for the Attic, service area review for SafeDrive, and many more, so that we have accurate information about what students want to see from our services. • Promotional campaigns for our services, and the services offered by the University, so that no service goes unnoticed by students, from the Breezeway and the Attic to the free tax-filing service offered by the CFS and the off-campus housing listings offered through MUN. • Increasing communication about our Health and Dental plan, particularly in the case of figuring out the best plan for Work Term Students. Accountability Students can only make informed decisions about changes that their Union should make when they have all of the necessary information. This is why I believe that full transparency of the Union is incredibly important. I plan to introduce measures to ensure that every student knows exactly how their money is being spent. Part of being accountable is also ensuring that every dime being spent by students is increasing their well-being. This relates to optimizing our services, but also to fighting for students to get the most out of the money that they are already spending at the University. I will campaign for the improvement of services offered by the University and improved access to those that already exist, such as extending student membership to the Works to last all year, so that students have full access as long as they are classified as a full or part-time student. Finance: • Ensuring that students have all the necessary information to make decisions about the direction of their Student Union. • Posting MUNSU’s budget and audited financials online for all members. • Having easy-to-understand finance reports posted with our financials, so that students can understand the state of their Union at a glance. • Regular spending reports so that students can see exactly how MUNSU is contributing to student life. Services: • Ensuring that every dime spent by students is increasing their well-being. • Optimizing our services to make the best use of our funding. • Fighting for the improvement of services offered by the University and improved access to those that already exist, such as extending student membership to the Works to last year-round. I want to make sure that MUNSU is doing everything that it can to reflect the needs and wishes of our members, and as Executive Director of Finance and Services I will do exactly that. On March 11th and 12th, vote Devin Grant for Executive Director of Finance and Services, and let me make your student union work for you.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:34:59 +0000
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