Several Student-at-Large Positions Remain Vacant on KSA Committees
Application process to be overhauled for fall semester
Joseph Keller, Staff Writer
The Kwantlen Student Association currently has an unusually high number of vacancies for its student-at-large positions. There are currently 11 student-at-large seats empty on various KSA committees—three each on the Student Life and Appointments committees, two on the University Affairs committee, and one each on the External Affairs, Governance, and Environmental Sustainability committees.
KSA Queer Representative Joseph Thorpe believes that a big part of what’s keeping these positions open is the complexity and inefficiency of the KSA’s current application system. Thorpe says that the student association will be overhauling the application process for joining committees over the next few months.
Because the manner in which candidates would apply is about to change, and due to the general lack of student engagement during the summer semester, the KSA has opted to put filling the current vacancies on their committees on the backburner for now. Thorpe says that the new application process will be accessible on the KSA’s website by late summer. At that point they will begin promoting the open positions, with the campaign hitting full stride for the start of the fall semester.
Student-at-large positions are entry level jobs at the KSA and are typically seen as the first step to becoming a KSA councillor or executive. A student-at-large sits on one of the KSA’s various committees, giving input and voting on various issues and initiatives while representing the opinions and concerns of the broader student body. They receive an honorarium for their service and, according to Thorpe, the experience is very valuable on a resume.
“[Student-at-large] opinions are of the utmost importance to the KSA, and having those positions gives us the ability to work with students and understand what they really need from Council,” says Thorpe.
Thorpe stresses that, although they are entry level positions, students-at-large are vital to the KSA because they serve as a way for the KSA to gage the opinions and perspectives of the student body at large. All current KPU students are encouraged to apply, and Thorpe says that they are looking for “somebody who wants to get involved, somebody who really cares about making KPU a really great school and who has passion to showcase their skills and showcase their ideas.”
