In short, Andrea Kettle is unqualified to be Students’ Union Vice-President Academic. She lacks the requisite knowledge to handle the largely information-based portfolio. Asked about several issues such as accessibility and faculty retention, she was unable to articulate a position which would be beneficial to students, or any relevant position at all. Kettle wants to deal with student concerns and make sure the organization is going in the right direction but does not qualify these vague statements with concrete skills or plans.
She has some experience with the SU as president and/or member of clubs like Campus Pro-Life, Campus Crusade for Christ and Navigators.
She wants to make undergraduate education a priority. Kettle sees the university as a centre for learning and acquiring citizenship skills, but she seems fuzzy on how to use resources like SAA or her positions on committees to develop those ideas.
Her ideas on scholarships or bursaries are those of fellow Action Party slatemate and presidential candidate Andrew Simon. She wants to implement his idea of a $5,000 presidential scholarship, doubling the money the SU devotes to scholarships for students in need. But she does want to spend money on scholarships and bursaries “wisely.”
Kettle is unable to represent students effectively and, if she was elected, would not help students at all. VP Academic is not a position an uneducated and inexperienced candidate can waltz into.
How do you plan to work with the university with regards to academic initiatives?
“I plan to have good and effective leadership. I want to make undergraduate learning a priority.”
What plans do you have with regards to future scholarships and bursaries?
“I want to make sure that students’ money is spent wisely. I agree with [Action Party presidential candidate] Andrew Simon when he put forth the idea as presidential candidate he will implement a $5,000 president scholarship for students in need.”
How do you plan to deal with accessibility?
“I think that students in the university don’t know all the services available to them. I think they need to be aware of services like the Student Rights Advisor.”
How do you plan to effective use SAA?
“We’ll look into issues like how can make a priority on undergraduate learning, we’ll look at the various issues that have come up, like inquiry-based learning.”