Welcome to OPIRG Kingston

Vote today, Thursday March 29th, 2007:
- at OPIRG from 10:00am to 4:00pm
- at our AGM (at the Grad Cub) at 7:30pm
at the Grad Club (corner of Barrie and Union Streets)

By special resolution, the Board has increased the number of Directors to 10. Members may vote for up to 10 nominees.

THE NOMINEES (in alphabetical order):

George Biro - retired engineer, business man and consultant. Ambassador of Nutopia. Served on the OPIRG Board since March 2006.

Aruna Zehra Boodram - I’m a first student here at Queen’s University. I’m interested in being a board member for OPIRG because I think this PIRG here in Kingston has done amazing initiatives and events, all of which I would like to take part in on a deeper level and see progress and get out there to the public on a bigger scale. I also would like to be apart of this team because I feel that is important to ensure that anti-oppressive and inclusive spaces like OPIRG is getting out there to everyone who needs it, and that is also something I would like to see happen with OPIRG this upcoming year. I have been working with social justice and anti-oppressive organizations for the past three years on various levels and have been involved with many initiatives on campus as well within my first year and would like to continue onwards by being on the 2007-2008 OPIRG board.

Darcelle Bullen – part of the cultureSHOCK editorial board (an anti-racist journal through the AMS), one of the founders of Queen’s Coalition for Racial and Ethnic Diversity. I wish to be part of OPIRG because I hold similar anti-oppressive values as crucial in my personal/political life – as they present ways for us to undream and dream of creating solidarity and working for social change.

David Burling - I’m a returning board member hoping to spend a fifth year at OPIRG Kingston. I’m a part time student and ‘goat’ (I work at the Sleepless goat) and a self-taught metal worker. I’m interested in sustainability and local self-sufficiency. Thank you for your vote.

Astrid Greaves - I am a third year Queen’s student majoring in sociology with a minor in art history and am on the departmental student council. I have experience working with others in a positive space through being a part of a youth help line that worked closely with oppressed youth. I was also part of an internal problem solving committee in high school. I am very hard working and have a lot to offer. I would love to have the opportunity to become involved with OPIRG as I know that I will learn a lot from the organization.

Anu Hundeyin – part of the Black History Month committee, the African Caribbean Students Association. I am interested in issues of social justice. Having been involved in activist work at Queen’s, I realize that there is much to be done. I am enthusiastic about what OPIRG stands for and I believe that sitting on the board will enable me to reach out into the Kingston community in addressing issues of social injustices.

Lynette Johnson is community member and volunteer of OPIRG Kingston. She is currently a student at St. Lawrence College and will start at Queen’s in the fall. She has served on the OPIRG Board in the past.

David Kay - works at The Sleepless Goat Cafe & Workers’ Cooperative and does carpentry and renovations. He also volunteers with children at the Kingston Unitarian Fellowship. Served on the OPIRG Board since March 2006.

Laura Kwak – has been involved in numerous groups on campus, including the Korean Students Association, War Child Queen’s, cultureSHOCK, Queen’s Coalition Against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination, International Development Conference, International Centre, Amnesty International, CARED. I believe my sociological background and experience in social justice will give me strength in working with OPIRG, as it recognizes intersecting forms of oppression (race, sex, gender, sexuality, ability, age, religion) and commits itself to creating a safe and inclusive space for ideas and dialogue to be shared freely.

Erin O’Neill – 3rd year student in Development Studies. The mandate of OPIRG is one that can and will effect positive social change, both in Kingston and beyond, through the experiences and knowledge gained by members of the board of directors. As a student interested in contributing to such change, I want to use my skills and my will to learn as a board member in order to enhance that mandate while simultaneously enhancing my value as a student and a citizen of Ontario.

Dana Olwan - a Ph.d. candidate in the English Department of Queen’s University. She serves as the Equity Commissioner for the Society of Graduate and Professional Students and the Chair of the national branch of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights. She has an interest in equity, solidarity, and human rights issues and concerns.

Heather Schmitt I am a first-year graduate student in the Master of Environmental Studies program, having just completed a BA at UVic in Philosophy and Environmental Studies. I am just getting to know the Queens and Kingston community, and am excited to have the opportunity to lend my voice and experience to help support OPIRGs commitment to social,
environmental, and community activism.

Greg Tilson has been involved with several OPIRG related projects as a community member,
including: The Sunnyside Community Garden, The Critical Mass Bike Ride and The Skeleton
Park Music Festival. As an OPIRG Board Member he hopes to help foster the strong relationship that OPIRG currently has with the Kingston community.

Giselle Valarzo - Master of Arts in Geography. Thesis examines agricultural workers in Quebec. Served on the OPIRG Board since March 2006.

Gabrielle White - 4th year Sociology undergraduate student interested in grassroots approaches to social change. Likes music, books, and long walks on the beach. Served on the OPIRG Board since March 2006.

WHO CAN VOTE?

Any member can cast one vote. If you are an undergraduate or graduate student who has paid the optional OPIRG fee of $4.00 this year, you are a member. Students and community members can purchase memberships for $4.00 at the OPIRG office or at the AGM.