Could You Be Queen’s Next Undergraduate Student Trustee? 

Could You Be Queen’s Next Undergraduate Student Trustee? 

Every two years, undergraduate students at Queen’s elect one of their peers to represent them on one of the University’s highest governing bodies: the Board of Trustees. 

Next year, that person could be you. 

My name is EJ Kelvin, and I currently serve as the Undergraduate Student Trustee on Queen’s University’s Board of Trustees. I was elected in October 2024 to serve a two-year term from June 2025 to May 2027. As I enter the final year of my term, undergraduate students will soon elect the person who will take over the role. 

What does the Undergraduate Student Trustee do? 

The Board of Trustees is one of three governing bodies at Queen’s, alongside the Senate and University Council. The Board is responsible for the overall operations of the University, including overseeing financial matters and property, appointing Vice-Principals, and, alongside the Senate, appointing the Principal. 

As the Undergraduate Student Trustee, you are also one of only three student Trustees on the Board, alongside the Graduate Student Trustee and the Rector. While the Rector represents students broadly and the Graduate Student Trustee brings the perspective of graduate and professional students, the Undergraduate Student Trustee is specifically elected by and represents the Queen’s undergraduate student body. 

As the Undergraduate Student Trustee, you have the same responsibilities as every other Trustee, but bring something unique to the table: the perspective of a current undergraduate student. You have the opportunity to ask how decisions may affect students, raise perspectives that might otherwise be missed, and contribute to conversations that will shape Queen’s well beyond your own time here. 

The role also goes far beyond attending Board meetings. The Undergraduate Student Trustee sits on the University Culture Committee, one of seven committees of the Board, and can attend meetings of other Board committees as an observer. You can also attend Senate as an observer, giving you another perspective on university governance. 

At the student level, the Trustee sits as an observer at AMS Assembly. This provides an important connection to student government and helps you stay informed about the issues, concerns, and conversations affecting undergraduate students. 

Together, these opportunities allow you to see Queen’s from several different perspectives and better understand how decisions move throughout the University. 

What do you gain from the experience? 

One of my favourite parts of the role has been seeing how decisions at Queen’s are actually made. 

As students, we often hear about a decision once it has already been made. As a Trustee, you see the conversations, competing priorities, financial considerations, and long-term planning that happen beforehand, and you have the opportunity to contribute to them. 

You also sit alongside and learn from people with decades of experience across different industries and professions. At first, that can feel intimidating. But one of the most important things I have learned is that being a student brings an expertise of its own. Nobody else at the table experiences Queen’s in quite the same way we as students do. 

The position has allowed me to develop skills in governance, advocacy, financial literacy, strategic decision-making, and leadership. It has also challenged me to think beyond my own undergraduate experience. Some decisions made today may not have their full impact until years after we graduate, meaning you are helping shape the Queen’s that future students will inherit. 

Why should you consider running? 

You do not need to be studying business, finance, law, or politics. You do not need years of student government experience, and you definitely do not need to understand everything about university governance before putting your name forward. 

What matters is that you are willing to learn, ask questions, listen to students, and bring your perspective to the table. 

Queen’s undergraduate community includes students from different faculties, programs, years, identities, and experiences. No one person can represent every student experience, which is why being a good Student Trustee means actively seeking perspectives beyond your own and ensuring students remain part of conversations about the future of their university. 

When I put my name forward, I could not have known everything this experience would bring. It has challenged me, taught me an incredible amount about Queen’s, and given me the opportunity to represent my peers in rooms students do not always get to enter. 

If you care about Queen’s, are curious about how decisions are made, and believe undergraduate students deserve a meaningful voice in those decisions, I encourage you to put your name forward. 

The Next Undergraduate Student Trustee could be you.