We catch up with Grace Hovem, Quest University Students’ Association (QUSA) Communications Officer. Grace is in charge of QUSA’s design projects, social media, managing their websites, forms and emails. On top of all that, she’s scheduled to graduate in Spring 2020. So…she’s busy!

For those unaware, QUSA used to be called Students’ Representative Council (SRC). Why the change?

We made the change to QUSA because we incorporated and became a “society” under the BC Societies Act. This means we are legally recognized as separate from Quest. Still, QUSA is very much tied to Quest—it’s in our name! We made the change for many reasons, one of them being for legitimacy. Quest was the only university in Canada without an incorporated student association!

Being legally separate is a good thing for both QUSA and for Quest. Incorporation means we can make agreements with the university that are legally binding, and in the future, QUSA can do things like get our own insurance, or even own our own building one day. Changing from the SRC to QUSA was a necessary and inevitable step, and we’re excited we made it happen this year!

That makes sense. QUSA seems very important to the Quest community.

QUSA is integrated into so much of the Quest student experience. A lot of our involvement comes from our role as a funding body. Every major student-run event on campus is made possible through student funding. If you go to the bouldering gym, or to the Arts Bay, or on an Adventure Club trip, your experience is made possible through QUSA. Aside from funding, we are an advocacy body for students. Board members (formerly called “ministers”) are sitting on various committees and working groups within the institution, seeking out student voices, and helping those voices be heard by those with the power to make change.

Tell us a bit about your position with QUSA.

I am the QUSA Communications Officer. It’s a staff position, meaning that I was not elected, and I don’t have voting power.

Anything exciting coming up QUSA-related that we should know about?

Always! Currently we are in the process of electing next year’s board, which is very exciting. Also, now that we are officially a society, we will be having our first-ever Annual General Meeting! It will be on April 18 at 4:15pm on the Third Floor of the Library Building. Everyone is encouraged to come, participate in democratic processes, and learn about what it means to be a part of QUSA!

Finally, what’s the best thing about Quest?

I love how passionate the people are! And that doesn’t mean everyone is passionate about the same thing, or even that everyone is all-in to academia, but everyone I’ve encountered at Quest really cares about something. That spark is really what makes our community.

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