Dear Students,
When I took office, I made a promise to use this role to connect, advocate, and inform through my commitment to communication, collaboration and wellbeing. When a special request was submitted by Queen’s University Apartheid Divestment, a Principal’s Review Committee for Responsible Investing (PRCRI) was struck. I felt strongly that there needed to be a student voice, and so I asked the Principal for membership on the committee.
The PRCRI is mandated to give a recommendation to the Principal, who then brings it to the Investment Committee, and it finally culminates in a decision by the Board of Trustees as a whole. The Committee’s work has to be in accordance with the Responsible Investing Policy and guided by the Fiduciary Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees in the Code of Conduct.
The Committee has met consistently—biweekly and, at times, even more frequently—since its inception last summer. I got used to being the only student, and youngest person at the table by decades. I did not let this diminish my participation. In fact, being a member who lives in Kingston and is present on campus each day allowed me to provide important context to our discussions. Regardless of my personal opinions, my duty as Rector is to hold multiple perspectives and to share them with the University.
I serve on dozens of committees covering policy, executive hiring searches, and awards. In the spirit of transparency, I’d like to share that the PRCRI has no doubt been the most complex and challenging of them all. I have dedicated more hours to reading materials and attending meetings than to all of my grad school courses combined. There were even times when I made the difficult decision to miss my classes when there were conflicts with committee obligations.
When the PRCRI Report comes out, I encourage you to read it in full. I understand many will be curious about the decisions made by me as a committee member and Trustee: How did I feel during the in-person presentations and while reading the 320+ submitted reports? What did I say in those months of meetings? What did I write in the report? And how did I vote?
While committee and board confidentiality does not permit me to disclose my personal conclusions in the Report or the way I vote as a Trustee, I will be here for you. I will listen to your responses and share your thoughts with the governing bodies. My role is to know and understand what students are thinking and feeling, and as ever, I remain committed to that responsibility.
At your service,
Niki Boytchuk-Hale
39th University Rector