Meet Elaine Patterson! Originally from Minessota, Elaine is majoring in English literature and double minoring in Communication studies and French language. Elaine is one of those people who radiates positivity and warmth; she says she feeds off of the energy of people she works with, which is why she will do a great job as the incoming VP Student Life. Read on to find out more about what motivates Elaine and why she would pick a pair of heels if she could wear one pair of shoes for the rest of her life.
Idil Copur for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill): Hey Elaine, thank you so much for doing this interview with Her Campus McGill. You’ve recently been elected as the SSMU VP student life. Congratulations! Could you tell us about what your position includes?
Elaine Patterson (EP): There are 3 main parts of the student life position – they are clubs, services and mental health initiatives, and I really will be focusing on those three. I’m really excited for this position because it’s a new role and it’ll be like laying the ground work for what the position will be like. I’m excited to take it on and try and make it my own in this coming year, which is something I’m really used to doing. When I worked on Rez Life, I was only the second person ever to hold that position so it was a very formative year for that role. I’m comfortable with taking things as they come, with improvising, and I’m really looking forward to making this portfolio something that people will want to run for in the future.
HC McGill: What are some of the goals you hope to achieve by the end of next year as the VP student life?
EP: Mental health is one of the main things I’m really looking forward to working on in this position. I’m really excited to help mental health services integrate into the student life portfolio and make sure that that transition goes smoothly. The main way I want to do that is by having this mental health services round table, because one of the things I constantly hear is that students go to a mental health service and get shifted over to counseling; it becomes this shuffle of back and forth where students aren’t being attended to in an efficient way. So with this mental heath services round table, I want to make sure that all of those mental health services are aware of what every other service does. I also hope to have mental health services attend the services summit, which is what the other third of my portfolio does. Services summit is basically like this training session for services to understand how they can best serve students at McGill. I think it’s really important for mental health services to attend this summit so that they feel supported by SSMU the same way other services are. And in terms of clubs, there are a lot of small things that are in the works and other things that I’m confident I will be able to accomplish next year. The current portfolio in charge of clubs and services is great, and one of the things we talked about doing next year is creating a handbook for clubs’ executives; it will be something they can refer to when they need information and resources to be a successful club for students.
HC McGill: You put a lot of thought into this, so you must be really excited to be finally implementing your ideas!
EP: Exactly! Seeing it get more structured in my brain is overwhelming admittedly, because it seems so much, but that just gets me even more excited.
HC McGill: It sounds amazing, and I can already tell you’re really passionate about this! Now one of the things that stood out to me during the campaign period was that you were the only female student who decided to run for a position in SSMU. Did this come to you as a surprise?
EP: I was surprised largely because currently the AUS executive team has gender parity. The current SSMU executive team also has 3 men and 3 women execs on that team. It has been coincidental that it worked out that way for these teams, and when I was going into the whole campaign process I still saw women in these positions in my periphery, but once the McGill Daily’s cover page came out, it was all men and just me in the corner. That’s when it hit me I guess. I think there are probably a multitude of reasons as to why that may have happened, and the only one that I’ve thought through and I think is a plausible reason is the fact that unfortunately there is still a negative language around women pursuing leadership positions. There is still this ongoing perception that women aren’t supposed to initiate that drastic change, and I can see why women wouldn’t want to be subject to that. I was very surprised that this happened, but it also made me very determined to win the election because I do think that it’s very important that we have as much representation as possible on that executive team. If that means that there is only one woman who is working with that team, then I’m going to be that woman and do my job.
HC McGill: Well, that’s a lot of responsibility, but you definitely seem ready to take it on!
EP: Definitely! One of the panelists I saw on Trailblazers conference said something that really stuck with me so I immediately wrote it down: “Feminism is not about being against men; it is about being for something.” It gives me chills even when I say it! I won’t go into working on this executive team thinking I will hate all the men I’m working with. I will go into that team and say, “I’m the only woman here, so let’s all fight for something.”
HC McGill: Is there anything you think we should do as a community to encourage more women to take the initiative to run for administrative positions?
EP: That’s a great concept to think about. I don’t have any concrete ideas right now, but I think that in general we just need to be kinder to one another, which sounds easy enough and yet, given how the past election cycles have gone, clearly it is still an issue. Knowing how to respect people running for positions and not being hostile towards them to change the scary stigma around the SSMU elections would be a good place to start.
HC McGill: I know that you’ve always been very active outside of classes – you’re the AUS VP Communications at the moment, and you were also the Carrefour Residence Hall Council’s VP Communications during your freshman year. What motivates you to keep going?
EP: Caffeinated tea (laughs), but also feeding off the energy of people that I’m working with. Even on really tough days, I do know that the work that I’ve done doesn’t go unnoticed by everyone. Even if it’s the smallest thing, it does make me feel like I helped someone.
HC McGill: Definitely, the more you put yourself out there, the more you impact other lives.
EP: Totally! It’s this horrible cliché, but it’s true; you get out what you put in.
HC McGill: What can you say you’ve learned from these past experiences that will help you to succeed as a young woman going into the work force in a couple of years?
EP: This is definitely easier said than done, but having confidence in yourself, knowing you can do something that makes someone’s day, and not being afraid to make mistakes. I’ve messed up so many times in my life; I just let it roll off my back, and I just need to remember that if I have the confidence that I learned from those mistakes, I can move forward and not make them again. Then I’ll feel like I’ve succeeded.
HC McGill: Any tips about time management you can give us?
EP: I’m old fashioned; I write everything down in my agenda. Invest in an agenda that works for you. Building off of that, I color-code everything. I have a different colored pen for every single class! I also think it’s important to know your limits; know that you’re allowed to say no to things. I’ll be perfectly honest, but tonight I’m going to go home and watch a movie and then go to bed. There’s no shame in going home and having a night for yourself. Taking time for yourself is more productive than you think.
HC McGill: I guess to wrap up, is there anything you would like to say to young women who want to be a part of something they’re passionate about but are intimidated by various reasons?
EP: If you’re down, invest in a pair of heels. That’ll make you feel powerful! I’m a strong believer that if you look good, you feel good. Just anything to make you feel like you’re put together – and for me it’s heels! I think that can alleviate a lot of self-doubt people can have about pursuing what they want. And also, find somebody who you feel is approachable to talk about whatever you want to go into. I really hope that a year from now when somebody decides to run for VP student life, they won’t be scared to come and talk to me about the position and that they will be just as passionate as I am about making it a better position.
Photos are interviewee’s own.