President: Andrew Lahey

Lahey provides students with another strong candidate for SU president. As an operations and finance commissioner, he’s learned how the business side of the SU works, and as an SU representative on various committees, he’s gained knowledge of operations outside his commission.

Lahey’s education in Haskayne means his platform has a distinct business feel to it. He wants to ensure student money is being used as effectively and efficiently as possible, which includes examining the SU’s role in the federal lobby group CASA, and a renewed focus on provincial lobbying. He also wants to create an in-house lobby group, an idea which has been considered by the SU but never implemented. These promises show Lahey’s dedication to using student funds wisely at the provincial level, where the majority of PSE decisions are made.

Lahey said he is focused on working effectively with SU staff members, including the general manager. While the desire to work with staff is necessary for the president, Lehay may rely on the directions of his staff, at the expense of his leadership role as president.

The business theme enters again, as Lahey promises to enact performance reviews for elected SU officials. Outside of the Gauntlet’s SU mid-term report cards, there is little–short of censure–to hold SU officials accountable after they are elected. This is an innovative idea, and could address potential issues within the SU before they become major problems, though performance reviews may not go over so well with elected members.

There is no doubt that Lahey could do the job. He’s not quite as personable as his competitors, and his answers had a distinct business-like feel to them, but it’s not all business for Lahey. Beneath his Haskayney exterior lies a former competitive speed-skater and a dude who’s into hip-hop music and break dancing, who would ensure the SU runs effectively for another term.



Where do you see the role of the president in relation to other vice-president positions?

“The president has the same amount of votes as any other member of SLC. It’s the president’s role to finesse and to work with executive to create one vision to make sure all components of the SU can achieve their goals. “



What are your plans to use the quality money and how will you take student opinion into account?

“A better step might be to create more visibility on the commissioner basis. Our website can get better. We could allow for feedback on our website. The quality money is a pretty big issue, the three terms people throw around are quality, affordability and accessibility.”



What are your plans for your relationship with administration over your term?

“I’ve done some work with administration over the last year, for example getting free tuition for the refugee student. There are definitely benefits to working with administration when it’s done properly. It’s about working with them, but also looking after our own interests.”