Say hello to the new boss

New DSU president Shannon Zimmerman is a double major in political science and international development studies. (Danny Abriel Photo)

Dalhousie Student Union is ringing in a new president: Shannon Zimmerman will be inheriting the office from this year’s president Courtney Larkin. 

Ms. Larkin leaves the position in capable hands. Ms. Zimmerman has served as a Board of Governors representative for two years, sitting on the “student experience committee” and acting as a councillor. “I represented student needs within the body of the university,” explains Ms. Zimmerman, who has also acted as president of Sheriff Hall, and was a DSU member-at-large in her first year. “My role was to represent what students wanted to see.”

Ms. Zimmerman is a fourth-year double major in political science and international development studies. “I originally started thinking that I was going to do IDS, but I fell in love with political science.”

Coming into university, she had no plans to get involved with the DSU—that was “totally by fluke, to be honest. I was walking out of the SUB one day, and a piece of paper got stuck to the bottom of my shoe, and it was an application for member at large.”

Ms. Zimmerman’s serendipitous walk through the SUB has influenced the course of her entire academic career. “I can take a lot from what I’ve learned in terms of politics and my classes, and apply them on a smaller scale in my role in the DSU.”

Despite her extensive experience, president is a demanding office but Shannon is confident that she’s up to the job. “It is a big commitment, but it’s something I’ve thought about doing… there’s never been a doubt that I wanted to do it, it was just making sure that I was prepared.”
She certainly has the right personality for the job. “I think I’m a very social person. I thrive on getting to meet people, talk to people… I love coming to this university, and being able to walk down the street and say hi to somebody I know.”

She has plans for her presidency, but right now, they’re tentative—before making any big decisions, she wants to wait until the results of the annual general meeting reveal the student body’s concern. For herself, Ms. Zimmerman would “love to work more closely with the sustainability office” — maybe even have them audit the SUB to see what’s working environmentally, and what isn’t. The plan couldn’t have come at a better time, since Dalhousie just unveiled its brand-new College of Sustainability.

Ms. Zimmerman also plans to keep students’ financial affairs under a close watch. “Students need that tuition freeze… it’s really important that we keep it.”

Other student affairs are being dealt with by the Halifax Student Alliance, a municipal lobby group which the DSU helped to found. “Right now, they’re working on a late-night bus… There’s a lot of discussion on it, it looks like things are going really well.”

Shannon Zimmerman will start work as DSU president almost immediately – 40 hours a week over the summer, and at least 30 per week during the school year. She’s very optimistic about Dalhousie’s capacity to effect positive change, both within the DSU and the student body at large.

“We do have apathy at this school, (but) I think that the situation is starting to improve,” she says. More importantly, “The university is a lot more willing to listen to the students’ point of view… the university is listening to those needs.”

Since all things must end, does Ms. Zimmerman have any plans brewing for after her presidency? “That’s kind of the million-dollar question,” she laughs, listing off politics and law school as possible options as well as radio broadcasting. “I used to work at a radio station in Waterloo, and I loved it.” Her future plans, however, just aren’t her current focus. Ms. Zimmerman’s mind is on the present—and the possibilities are vast.