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Colin Champagne
Why are you running for BoG Rep?
Champagne: I’m running because I believe there are improvements to be made to the board of governor’s representative position. Such as educating students first of all what the position is. Letting them know how important the board itself is. What does the board do? A lot of them don’t know what it does so mainly to get the information out there in an active way.
How would you describe the relationship between the SU and the BoG? What can you do to improve it?
Colin Champagne: I’m running because I believe there are improvements to be made to the Board of Governor’s Representative position. Such as educating students first of all what the position is. Letting them know how important the board itself is. What does the board do? A lot of them don’t know what it does so mainly to get the information out there in an active way.
What is the biggest problem in the BoG? How will you address it?
Champagne: And I think that by defining the role of the BoG rep we can better create firm bridges between the execs and the actual BoG rep. that way we can have some predetermined dossiers or things we can work on together. That way it just moves on efficiency and increases transitions when new candidates come in.
A lot of students might not know what the BoG rep does. How will you communicate the responsibility of your position, and consult students on BoG issues?
Champagne: On my campaign website right now there’s an easy google form where students can submit questions, comments, ideas or concerns on the U of A as a whole or specific issues. I want to have a similar way of communicating with students if I am elected so as to make it easy and accessible for students to communicate. Right now, there’s no real way other than going through your student’s union rep or actually knowing who your BoG rep is.
I want to create a website that is unique for the BoG rep so that he can easily give out information and is easily accessible, especially for satellite campus students who don’t easily get the chance to meet him in person or be on campus to meet him one on one, that would be a good way to interact with the BoG rep.
Everyone knows that board meetings can be kind of boring. What would you do to spice them up?
Champagne: I think I have a way of talking that is, especially in meetings, a little bit more plainly fun. I get to the point but I don’t drown it in bureaucratic or theocratic language. Especially when you get to know the other board members, I hope that I would be able to get their attention. I hope to also speak often and with that comes learning a lot about the issues as they arise and just being able to interact often and dynamically. Other than that, I know there’s lots of important people on the board and serious business people and we can’t throw a fiesta, but I think we can still find a way to make the meetings pleasant and go about the business in an orderly way. Even if it’s boring, there’s always a way to find the silver lining in it.
