Name: Holly Underhill
Faculty: Science
Major: Psychology & Biology
Year: 4th

What has been your greatest accomplishment at Saint Mary's?
My greatest accomplishment has been getting over the “first year hurdle” of bad grades & homesickness. It’s a familiar story to many students, but I feel very proud to have not given into the pressures. Now I’m doing really well in all of my courses, I’ve developed great relationships with fantastic people, and I have many opportunities to look forward to in the future.
Describe a situation where you showed leadership.

During my time as an RA, I helped organize a baking competition for residents. Along with two other RAs, we designed & created awards, recruited sponsors, coordinated teams, booked a suitable room, and sought out judges for the competition. It was a lot of work that ended up being very rewarding. It was a lot of fun, and we got a lot of positive feedback on the job well done.

What previous experience qualifies you for this position?
I was president of my graduation class in high school. I worked as a Residence Assistant & Security Officer for two years here at Saint Mary’s, and this past year I’ve been working as SRC Science Representative. Not to mention countless hours of volunteer work on and off campus over the past four years.

Why are you the best candidate for the job?
To do the best job possible, you have to have drive. To be the best qualified, you have to have experience. To make a difference, you have to care. I am the best candidate for VP External because I’m a determined & passionate individual with SMUSA experience. I love Saint Mary’s, its diversity, and its atmosphere. I know the issues & I want to make improvements so that everyone can attain a quality education at an affordable price.

What is the most pressing problem/situation at SMU that you intend to solve/improve?
There is a lack of connection between the university world & the “real world”. There are so many qualified students at SMU who end up taking their degree and finding a completed unrelated job once they’ve graduated. The co-op program serves to provide some linkage between degree and employment, but the program is very limited. Arts students only have the Psychology work term option. Let’s also not forget to mention the difficulty that Science & Commerce students have in even getting work terms in the area. It is frustrating to many students when they have to apply for interest relief on their $40-50,000 student loans, because they’re still working minimum wage jobs. While student debt increases, student employment becomes ever so impossible to find.

What I hope to do is tackle the issues of student debt first hand by lobbying the government to drop taxes on all textbooks, increase the grace period for loan repayment from 6 months to 12 months, and lower the amount of pre-study contribution that students must make when applying for student loans.

I also plan on working with the community and the government to find more quality jobs for students in the Halifax area. At this time, the government does subsidize co-op & apprenticeship programs to a certain degree, so it is possible to pay for these positions. We need to encourage employers to develop positions for students in university & those graduating, so that the transition from university isn’t as harsh as it has been in the past.

List up to five main campaign goals:
• Influence the university to freeze the current cost of residence, as well as lobby the community to put a cap on off-campus rental fees
• Encourage government to lower pre-study contributions for student loans & increase the grace period of loan repayment from 6 months to 12 months
• Lobby the government to eliminate all taxes on text books
• Build upon the newly introduced Student Opportunity Bursary fund by effectively representing Saint Mary’s to the community, so that more students are able to attend SMU
• Work with the community to find more jobs for students