By Ryan Pike
Much like her namesake cereal, Special K, vice-president external Kay She provided the students of the University of Calgary some delicious results during her term. More important than what she delivered, though, was what her efforts represented for students.
Much of She’s year was dominated by the tuition issue. While the initial tuition revelation found the SU playing catch-up immediately afterwards, they managed to transition into an effective media campaign. The crowning achievement of the year, for both She and the SU, was the Tuition Day of Action. Not only was the event able to generate considerable media coverage, it also mobilized a large number of students who genuinely seemed to care about the issue.
While the SU wasn’t able to harness that momentum towards their other tuition event, the March to the Legislature, their strong provincial advocacy throughout the year eventually bore fruit. At times it seemed like the SU knew more about what was happening than administration did, a rarity, but one that definitely ensured students didn’t lose out entirely.
Affordable housing took a bit of a back-seat during the winter, as She’s planned secondary suites campaign was halted when the tuition struggle began. Still, a comprehensive plan developed alongside the Urban Calgary Students’ Association, a campus club, was unveiled to SLC and is being presented to various stakeholders with the goal of starting a pilot project in Brentwood.
Special K doesn’t do everything. It doesn’t have a heck of a lot of sugar, nor does it have marshmallows. Neither does Kay She. However, both Special K and Kay She do what they do very well. Much like Special K is part of a well-balanced breakfast, Kay She was an integral part of a well-balanced executive this year.