Unlike last year, the turnover over for the WLUSU board of directors will be substantial even if the returning directors are elected. While many candidates are enthusiastic and ambitious for the position, a lot of them lack a valid understanding of board, procedure and what the role actually entails.
It’s fairly easy for candidates to say inspiring things about Laurier, but being critical and professional is what a director should be. Also, conducting sufficient research, as well as attending more than one board meeting is a necessity. WLUSU’s job is far more policy orientated, with financial statements and monitoring reports taking most of board discussion.
Advocacy is an essential aspect, but without demonstrating a thorough understanding of the role, WLUSU and even the university’s policies, then it will be difficult to be an effective director.
Chair: Jon Pryce
Despite being the only candidate to declare interest in the position as of now, Pryce would be an adequate choice for chair and chief governance officer of WLUSU. With two years of board experience under his belt and being actively involved in numerous committees – most notably the ownership lineage committee – Pryce has demonstrated the necessary skills for the position.
As mentioned throughout the open forum, Pryce has been preparing and has achieved an unmistakable understanding of the role through his policy and advocacy background. As the chair of the board, training new directors would be one of the main jobs and with his clearly outlined platform, Pryce will have no issue making elected directors feel comfortable.
-Disclaimer: Jon Pryce is a director on the WLUSP board
New director: Deanna Sim
By attending multiple meetings and having an extensive background in various campus activities, Sim has potential to be an effective and engaged director. She’ll obviously need training, but with her background in house council and LOCUS, she shouldn’t have too much difficulty transitioning into the role.
At the Waterloo open forum, Sim gave reasonable answers to many of the questions and exhibited understanding of how WLUSU works. She should be elected because she has a good sense of the position, has relevant experience and seems intent on learning more about the board of directors.
Director and Student Governor: Seth Warren
Even though he wasn’t on the board last year Warren, with his thorough knowledge of WLUSU and university procedure, should have no problem doing an adequate job in both roles.
Having gained board knowledge and experience in his 2010-11 term, Warren understands the pressing issues that are currently affecting the university and the union. He’s level-headed and professional, which is something the next year’s board of directors and governors would benefit from.
Vice-Chair: Stephen Franchetto
Franchetto should be elected as vice-chair of the board because of his strong financial background, commitments to the internal affairs committee and Fix My Laurier as well as his thorough understanding of advocacy and representawtion.
At the open forum Franchetto was one of the most impressive candidates and with some training, plus a bit more exposure to board conduct, he should have no problem being vice-chair of the board. His ability to understand financial statements and procedure will be a strong asset to the board.
The unsigned endorsements are based on a discussion following the WLUSU election campaign. It was agreed upon by the majority (13 in favour, one abstention) of The Cord’s editorial board. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources. The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP.
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