VP Education Candidate Profile

Hi A-Soc!

I want to be your next EngSoc VP Education and this article will outline why, and what I would like to do if elected. VP Education has the largest impact on the general Engineering Student Body, out of all the Executive positions. This is due to the 3 responsibilities associated with the position: representing student views on faculty operations/curriculum committees and co-op councils, maintaining and improving EngSoc’s Academic Services, and pursuing resolutions to academic concerns expressed by Engineering Students.

I want to do this job because I know that I can perform it well. This is because making a positive difference in the lives of others makes me feel good, which in turn provides my motivation. I am the ideal candidate for this position because of my past experiences with EngSoc that have allowed me to develop the necessary skills to excel at this position. For the past 16 months I have been serving you as EngSoc VP Finance, and that has afforded me the opportunity to develop several skills applicable to this position. Working on the team of EngSoc Executive, I’ve developed stronger teamwork skills, as well as more concise and professional communication skills. I’ve also developed the ability to prioritize issues based on urgency and criticality, which is essential to be VP Education. Of course these are only some of the skills, but they demonstrate that I have the experience to do the job. On top of developing these skills, I also worked closely with David Liu (outgoing VP Education), provided him feedback on academic issues, and attended meeting regarding academic issues along with the other Executive members. This experience has afforded me a strong knowledge of the academic issues faced by A-Soc over the last 16 months.

If elected, I will work hard to address every point outlined on my platform, which is available in its entirety on my website (eng.uwaterloo.ca/~ercousin). I will briefly summarize my platform here, but I must emphasize that it is purely a summary, and the entire platform is available on my website and Facebook group.

– Work towards a better PDEng

– Work for the students by taking their input and reporting back promptly

– Work towards improving professor communication and presentation skills

– Take a proactive approach to expanding the exam bank

– Continue the initiatives of past VP-EDs, with council’s approval of course

Working to improve PDEng is very important to me, and at the top of my priority list. Currently the Task Force is working very hard to compile a list of recommendations for the Dean which if implemented will, in my opinion, improve the delivery and lessons of PDEng. Check out the full list of recommendations at this site: eng.uwaterloo.ca/pdengrenewal/. I fully support all of the recommendations that have been published so far, and will strive to get them implemented. Please visit my website or Facebook group (below) and read the rest of my campaign material, then remember to vote this weekend!

Eric Cousineau

eng.uwaterloo.ca/~ercousin

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=365944541438