Vice President Academic Candidate Interview

On Friday, January 29th, both I and Will Fraser, sat down with Vice President Academic Candidate Meredith Cudmore-Keating and discussed her plans if elected as Vice President. Meredith is a 3rd year Mathematics student and currently the chair of council for the Students Union. She has much experience with the Student’s Union and additionally she leads the elections team. Meredith stated that she loves the StFX community, wants to give back to the community, and hopes to have the ability to make StFX better for all students.

When asked about plans to prevent Sexual Violence on campus, Meredith voiced that she is always in support of the survivors, she wants to make educational training and opportunities more accessible so that students right away can have prevention training. In terms of action, she hopes to make students more aware of resources for survivors on campus.

Meredith talked about these issues in her platform she wants to assure a well-rounded student experience and so when it comes to mental health support, she believes that access to healthy food, a range of societies on campus, sports, etc. all help students be more mentally healthy, and this part of her platform indirectly helps mental health for students on campus.

On a scale of 1-10, Meredith ranked StFX at 7.5 when it comes to the University's performance regarding Covid-19. She thinks it is spectacular that we have the opportunity to have in person classes, but some drawbacks are the university's communication with students and as VP, she would assure there would be lot more communication with students and the University.

One thing Meredith hopes to add is more Open Educational Resources, such as online textbooks that are basically free to students. She hopes to make students and faculty more aware of this option and advocate for this program.

Meredith stated that she does not have a preferred Presidential Candidate, she believes that democracy can do its work and whoever the majority of students choose is the best!

Meredith said that she hopes to target minority groups on campus when she goes to hire her executive team. She says that rather than waiting for them to come to her, she will seek different groups on campus, ensuring a more diverse team! She is looking for people who are looking out for StFX student’s well-being, people who work well in teams and are inclusive.

Meredith concluded by saying “I would really love to serve you all as Vice President Academic, I’m well qualified for the role and I would like to make next year a year where students can come to the Students Union, be heard, advocated for and thank you for your time.”