After the departure of the original Vice-President of Finance & Operations, Katelynn Pickel-MacDonald stepped into the interim role effective August 2021.
After the November by-election, Pickel-MacDonald was officially elected to the position.
In the interim role, she had the full responsibilities but was limited in her planning ability by the uncertainty of being an interim VP. Now that this worry is behind her, Pickel-MacDonald sets her sights on ambitious projects.
Of top importance is the hiring process at the Student Union.
“The hiring process is good at the moment but there are areas we can improve,” Pickel-Macdonald explained.
The idea is to create a blind hiring process to eliminate certain biases within the process. This is currently in the works and will hopefully be rolled out within the school year.
In addition, the role of the VP of Finance & Operations has a human resources component requiring them to sit in on every Student Union interview. Pickel-MacDonald would like to change how this obligation functions.
“The VP should play a more passive role in the interview, allowing the direct supervisor to ask the questions and control the flow of the interview.”
Since that person is the one making the decision, this new interview process would give them the lead in asking questions.
Beyond Student Union hiring, the VP says she has noted a different atmosphere on campus as compared to pre-pandemic years. Many students are unaware of everything that campus life has to offer and Pickel-MacDonald is determined to change this.
“We will be hosting more events in high-traffic areas to grab attention and draw students back to campus life.”
With the vast majority of classes being in-person during the Winter term, the hope is to get students excited about coming to campus and spending time there.
The result of the by-election is a full team of Student Union staff and Pickel-MacDonald has high hopes for what they can do for student life next term.
“Our focus is on getting campus culture back and making campus the place to be.”