Adam Kovacs

Chairman & CGO Platform

Commitment to the Intangibles:
• As Chair of the Board and CGO, I would like to increase my presence in the Laurier
community. I intend to do this by: using all the technology I have at my disposal, being
present on campuses, attending Laurier events and meeting people and listening to them.
• As Chair of the Board and CGO, I would like to establish a professional relationship
with the President and CEO of the Students’ Union as well as the Vice-Presidents. I aim
to do this by making an effort to interact with them and submitting my availability.
• As Chair of the Board and CGO, I intend to prioritize communication with all members
of the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union. I intend to do this my answering
correspondence in a timely fashion and having an open communication policy.
• As Chair of the Board and CGO, I intend to be a governance expert by knowing the
policies inside and out and being vocal at the appropriate time.
• As Chair of the Board and CGO, I intend to carry out all the functions outlined for me in
addition to listening to the other directors, coming up with ideas (such as the ones below)
and making a serious effort to serving the stakeholders of WLU (the students).

Building Up to Efficiency:
• Bring Back Board Vision Committee: We must have somewhere to start. Ground
Zero so to speak that is where the Board Vision Committee (GP #2g4) comes in. Yet we
are going to adapt it a little. I want it to specifically state that it is for only one-year aka
for one board term. I want that approved by no later than ¼ of the time we have been
elected for otherwise it is useless. Furthermore, I want the committee to make smaller
more attainable goals that can make us the board feel accomplished. It gives us an end
goal and something to strive for, something that says, “look at what we could accomplish
if we set our minds to it”.
• Going Back to the Campaign Promises: We were voted for a reason and we made
promises if we were elected. I am someone who believes if you said you will do
something you do it. Actions speak louder then words. Therefore, I want to continue
meeting with each one of you to determine how we can accomplish what you promised
during the campaign. If we are to bridge the divide we must work together and help each
other grow to our full potential. Even if that involves compromise and it may not be what
you first expected it to be, but at least you got it accomplished.
• Brantford and Multi – Campus Inclusion: We need to set a precedent. The Milton
Campus is coming, and we need to ensure that we include everyone on the Board of
Directors regardless which campus you go to. I want to ensure we create Committees –
Standing Committees that are designed to hear the voice of the students on other campus’
not just Waterloo. Yes, we have a Student Life Levy committee for Brantford, yes, we
have one just for Waterloo. Yet it is not centralized, I want to make it, so we have a
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committee that discusses these issues then sends them to other committees. It allows
another step in the process but makes sure everyone’s voice is heard and it is better to
start early rather then try to catch up to the future.

Making us Known:
• O-Week Prep: We need to start out strong and to do this we need to get involved in O-
Week. I am not saying plan O-Week that is not our job. I am talking about getting
involved with O-Week more. I suggest we do this by have a vigorous strategy and plans
on how we can talk to students the importance of getting involved. I want Ownership
Linkage to have a huge task on building up and planning on what the Board of Directors
should do to be successful. We need to look at the policies on what we can do to get
everyone involved especially first years, we need to talk to faculty and see how they can
get students excited, finally we need to talk to the O-Week executives and really get them
to push involvement. By doing this we start the academic year strong and we can
hopefully increase involvement.
• Making the Board Relevant: There has been a couple of events where students got to
meet Board Members, but I do not think that is good enough. We need to work harder.
Only then can we have increased voter turnout and more candidates willing to run.
o Debates: We need to get down to earth with students. The only way we can do
this is by having more townhalls during the year or debates on policies that
students care about. For example, debating the Election Policy overhaul. To get
student feedback and what they want changed.
o Live Stream Coverage: After the livestream what if we worked with student
publications after the live stream of the Board Meetings there was commentary of
the meeting. Like ESPN after a football game. It would make the Board more
relevant and to be frank fun to participate in and would allow Student
Publications more viewership because people would want to hear the latest.
• Changing Board Meeting Locations: Like a business, in order to stimulate interest,
attention and essentially to increase awareness, location is critical. Traditionally, board
meetings are held in the board room, but this prevents the stakeholders from truly seeing
us in action. Imagine having a board meeting in the middle of the concourse, science
atrium and again in the middle of the Lazaridis Hall. Undoubtedly, the interests of
students will be peaked which will eventually culminate in increased awareness,
involvement and engagement. Logistically, a fair degree of effort will have to be made to
plan this but as a team, I am sure we will be able to pull it off.
• Live Streaming of Meetings: Based on continuity, I aim to keep the streaming of
meetings live on Facebook going however I wish to add to this. Around campus, there are
quite a few monitors and adding them to our live streaming process would enable us to
access a larger and more specific audience. Additionally, rebroadcasting our board
meetings throughout the week on these monitors but with subtitles would surely
demonstrate to the student board that we are committed to being active and transparent.
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o Subtitles: I want to be able to do research about the board by watching the live
stream, but the only problem is, there are no subtitles. For one we are isolating a
huge group of people and not catering to those are impaired but those who only
have time to potentially watch in class cannot without looking rude to the
professor because to listen they need headphones or the volume on.
• More Interaction with Other Faculties: Laurier has such a rich culture of students in
vastly different programs. From Business, to Arts, to Sciences. Yet there is no unity,
proof of this is the fact the Business Faculty has its own Union that you could argue
competes with the broader Students Union. I want to work with these faculties from
Lazsoc, to the Arts and Sciences Faculties on their own goals. Imagine if we had a
school wide event that every faculty had a part in. Something that further establishes
Laurier isn’t just a school it is a community. Only then can we be truly united.
o Events: Lazsoc just had one of their biggest events of the year which is Lazsoc
Networking Gala. I have talked to people in the business faculty who did not
even know what it was. I believe we have an opportunity to work together and
make big events even bigger by advertising them more. As well by hosting a
major school event. Imagine if we had an event that was multi faculty that
everyone could go to. The potential is limitless if we work together.
o Board Participation on Campus: Lazsoc has a day where they take first year
BBA students to have a lunch with a guest speaker and a “leader” of the day.
This leader is their mentor so to speak who is a vice president or president of a
major club that they can talk to and get to know. We need to do something
similar. First, I think we should join in on this event but second, we should be
involved in a mentor capacity to students. I am talking about having regular
seminars (preferably during the first month of school) to get students
knowledgeable about what we do. As well even during the school year have large
sessions and workshops where we become a mentor capacity and help students
learn about what we do and how they can get involved.

Elections Preparation and Involvement:

• Election Policy Overview Part 1: Currently people see the Board of Directors election
as a bubble, only if you know someone or in that “sphere” can you get involved. That
needs to change. The only way we can change that is if we start at the source, the
election policy. I want to do an overhaul and start gutting the policy, take out things that
do not reflect our current values and debate with other directors what truly is useless.
Only then can we increase voter turnout and the amount of people who run.
o Posters Policy: As someone who ran in the elections I can say the poster policy
was the most frustrating part of the entire elections. I want to emphasize though
this was not because of the last Board of Directors or the CRO. It was because of
how it was written. I want to absolutely change this policy to make it simpler and
clearer. We can do this by hiring volunteers to put the posters in locations that
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will not cause the candidates to get demerits as a result of ignorance because they
did not put them up. It will ensure equity and every candidate has the same
amount of visibility as other candidates.
• Election Policy Overview Part 2: Now that the election policy reflects our current
values let’s make it interesting. Let’s make it realistic, imagine what would happen if it
was a party system. There is so much we could do. I truly believe the reason voter
turnout has only hit a high of 30% is because of the fact to be blunt elections are boring.
We do not have a reason to care. We need to give candidates issues that students care
about. Not what the Board of Directors care about.
o Parties: Currently people reflect themselves in elections, they have no vision.
That needs to change. We all have our beliefs on how Laurier should run but we
all have a vision of what Laurier represents. Imagine if we had parties
representing different colors and constant coverage of who “holds the chamber”.
It would make elections so much more interesting and candidates something to
stand behind rather than themselves. Carleton for example has accomplished this
and they have a high 30% voter turnout each year and it stimulates interest.
o Endorsements: You are a part of the race for a week, but you realize you cannot
do this anymore, so you want to endorse someone after you withdraw from the
race. Well you are out of luck because the current policy says you cannot do that.
I want to change that, so you can express your support for someone (no matter the
position) and help them run if you believe it is the right thing to do for Laurier.
o Events: I want to change the time of the events and the actual number of events.
The Open Forums we have are at an inconvenient time, when classes happen, as a
result only 3-4 directors showed up. Even many of the current directors did not
even show up. Furthermore, there was hardly any attendance, mainly it was
people passing by getting a coffee at either campus. Yet when you look at the
Presidents Debate, there was a full house and it seemed more realistic to when
there is debates for our leaders. I propose we do one of two times, we make the
directors townhall a night time event and we make a director debate like the
Presidents Debate. Or, we break up the townhall into a multi night event where
each night is a position, like a night for Student Publications, Governors etc. By
doing so it highlights the importance of the roles and does not just throw them
into one event that makes it seem like a blur and just one big event. Making it
more realistic will allow us more involvement and more exciting.
• Our Involvement: What absolutely sadden me during the elections was the fact at least
half the board members were not involved. Where was the other board members? It
seemed like they did not care about our school and the positions. That needs to change. I
want to see board members at the polls during elections endorsing voting, I want to see
board members making speeches to classes encouraging voting, I want to see
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involvement. We are supposed to be leaders and role models why else were we elected?
Let’s make sure we are leaders and role models then.

Removing Division:
• Issues: We must ensure we are a team no more political ambition, no more partisan BS.
We must work together and be efficient. To do this we have to be able to be blunt. If
you have a problem with someone you tell them. No more backdoor deals or conflict.
That ends with our board, we are new, and we are different. That is why if you have an
issue with a director you tell them. If it doesn’t get solved, you tell me, and I will sit you
both down and make you guys solve it. If you cannot go to me, you go to the vice chair
who will do the exact same thing. If you cannot go to either of us, you bring it to the
Board and we will handle it.
• Events: To be efficient and have no issues we must be able to go out as a group and be
friends. I propose monthly team building events or at least events. For example, like a
movie night or a dinner or event one night we all go to Phil’s. The point is, we must be
able to let loose together and be a family. Only then can we the best board there is and
get everything we wanted done.
• Mentorship Program: I want to continue meeting with Board Members to understand
what they believe their strengths and weaknesses are. I want to help people reach their
full potential. I believe we can do this by having monthly or bi-monthly meetings to
determine if members are reaching their full potential. Then by the half way mark (and
the last meeting) there will be formal evaluations to help see where members need to
improve. We can only improve upon ourselves if we have help which is a necessity.
• Our Strengths vs. Weaknesses: How can we improve upon who we are as a person?
We can do this only by working together and help improve each other. Here is how we
can do this, I want to start off by everyone writing down what they think their strengths
and weaknesses are. Then we match each board member that has a strength that
corresponds to another board member’s weakness. Then throughout out term we work
together to make that weakness into a strength with help to ensure we can be the best
person we can be.

Relevant Experiences
Pertinent Teaching Experience:
• City of Kitchener – Lifeguard and Swimming Instructor (2014 – Present)
• Forest Heights Collegiate Institute DECA Team – DECA President (2014 – 2016)
• Adapted Aquatics Volunteer Group – Coach (2014 – 2015)
• City of Kitchener – Mentor for New Staff (2016 – Present)
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Pertinent Board Experiences:

• Forest Heights Collegiate Institute Student Council – Chairmen and Founder (2015 – 2016)
• WLU Board of Governors – Board Member (2017 – Present)
• Waterloo Region District School Board Student Senate – Board Member (2015 – 2016)

Pertinent Group Work Experiences:

• Laurier Sales Association Coca Cola Team Case Competition – Finalist (2016)
• Unilever Social Enterprise Team Competition – Finalist (2017)
• Golden Speakers Landscape Ontario Team Case Competition – Finalist (2017)

Pertinent Awards:
• Youth Volunteer Initiative Award (2014)
• DECA Award (2015 & 2016)