Roseann Runte grabbed the captain’s seat only a year ago with flourish and a basket of cookies.
The Charlatan (TC): How would you define your role as Carleton’s president and vice-chancellor?
Roseann Runte (RR): I have the privilege of providing leadership to a most extraordinary community. . . . Baking cookies is not in my job description but it is one way I show the students that they are important and that I personally care about them.
TC: What do you love most about Carleton?
RR: I love the cutting-edge research, the community feeling, the outstanding faculty, staff and students, and the beautiful campus. I love the softly falling snow on the long needles of the pines, the exuberant shouts of skaters on the canal, the joyful colours of the tulips and fall leaves.
TC: What is the most important piece of advice you have for the frosh of 2009?
RR: Enjoy this special time in your lives. Enjoy spending time with some of the great books in the library, with the experiments set up in the new chem labs, with friends debating the meaning of the universe on a sunny day in the quad. Try something new: writing for the newspaper, chess, debating, acting, dancing, aerobics. Finally, when the president offers you a cookie, remember that Carleton is indeed a special place where people care about you.
Erik Halliwell, president of the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), said he has focused on student life and interests since his first year.
The Charlatan: How would you define your role as Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president?
Erik Halliwell (EH): I think I can define my role as CUSA president with one word: advocacy. I think it’s the job of the CUSA executive to advocate for students and help them through their university experience. Whether it’s pulling off a wicked orientation week for first-year students, to delivering on promises made.
TC: What do you love most about Carleton?
EH: I think my favourite thing is its scenic qualities. There are few campuses in Canada this size that have the green space we do. With the river on one side of us and the canal on the other, this campus’ greener parts are
uplifting.
TC: What is the most important piece of advice you have for the frosh of 2009?
EH: One: take every opportunity you can to get involved. It’s easy for four years of your life to speed past you with little to say for it. My second piece of advice is balance. Balance your social life with your academics. It might sound really cheesy to say, but start your assignments early so you aren’t stressed and can spend more time socializing.
Chris Infantry broke into the residence life scene last year when he filled the spot of a former executive that resigned, and ran to rule the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) for the 2009-10 year.
The Charlatan: How would you define your role as RRRA president?
Chris Infantry (CI): Constitutionally the position has set roles and duties. However, I’m going to do my best to go beyond those expectations. I’d rather be seen as the overall “go-to guy” for residence students.
TC: What do you love most about Carleton?
CI:I know this is a very bland answer, but because I hate the cold I love Carleton’s tunnel system the most . . . As unhealthy as it is, there was a point where I did not go outside for almost two months because the tunnels were so convenient.
TC: What is your favourite place on campus and why?
CI: I’ve always been a “rez boy” so I would have to say my favourite place on campus is the RRRA office. This is especially the case this year as we just set up a RRRA lounge in the office. There are couches, a big screen TV, a PS3 and most importantly, character and positive vibes.
TC: What is the most important piece of advice you have for the frosh of 2009?
CI: Find a balance! The university experience is not only about attending class and reading textbooks. Try to graduate from Carleton with something more than just a degree. What exactly that something is, is up to you.
Matthew Bellamy is one of Carleton’s most popular history professors and was a finalist for TVO’s 2009 Best Lecturer competition.
The Charlatan: How would you define your role as professor at Carleton?
Matthew Bellamy (MB):As a history professor my role is to change people’s perceptions of the past. I want to make my students fall in love with history, the way I did as an undergraduate here at Carleton University. I want them to see the world through the eyes of others, to develop a sense of context and coherence while recognizing complexity and ambiguity.
TC: What was being a first year like for you?
MB:It was exciting because at no point previously did I have such freedom to choose what I wanted to study. Whereas high school often felt like something I just had to get through, with people constantly telling me where to go and what to do, university was an environment in which there was — and is — an enormous amount of liberty. At no other time in your life will you have as much freedom to do exactly what you want to do.
TC: What is the most important piece of advice you have for the frosh of 2009?
MB: You will find as you progress through your studies that you will learn as much, if not more, from your peers as from your professors. I am positive that you will find what I found when I first began teaching a few years ago: that the students at Carleton University are some of the best in the country; they are kind, courteous, eager to learn and generous with their insights. So enjoy your first-year experience!