I’m Jonah Pickle. I’m a third year neuroscience major originally from Calgary, Alberta, and I’m currenting serving my first term on the ULSU as an Arts and Science representative. A few things I like to do include skiing, reading and procrastinating. I appreciate the smaller population of our school for the connections it enables you to form with your peers and professors; I think that this is one of the greatest benefits of attending a mid-sized university. I’m also a fan of the geography of our school, especially the views and the wildlife on campus. Coming from a city larger than Lethbridge, I admire and I’ve learned from the kindness and humility exuded from the people here. Having already served a term on the ULSU, I know I’ve benefited from the insights I’ve gained into the inner workings of the University and the Student’s Union and I think that this knowledge will make me a more effective representative during my second term.

I do not believe the school is doing an adequate job of fostering an environment where staff and students feel comfortable to voice dissenting opinions, at times, and I think this is ultimately an impediment to the quality of education that we’re receiving. At the end of the day, we might very well be wrong about what we think we know, and I think the best way to move towards a truth about the world is to discuss issues and ideas from a multitude of perspectives. I wouldn't want us to stop ourselves from getting there by preventing any sides of an issue from having a place at the table. I disagree with the University’s labeling of particular words and ideas as ‘harmful’ as a way to justify the silencing of them. I also disagree with the identity politics that I believe are occurring on campus, regardless of the intended outcomes that are used to defend it. From what I can tell, students don’t want to be coddled, and don’t want the administration to ‘protect’ them from ‘dangerous’ ideas. We are here to learn about the world, the good and the bad, and I believe the best way to do that is to view things through a broad spectrum of interpretations. On a separate note, I’m interested in how to build a sense of community, and foster school spirit amongst such a culturally diverse population through the creation of shared traditions. I’d like to see more events to bring the whole school together, and more niche communities develop where people can interact with others who share an interest. If you’d like to speak with me about any of this, or anything at all, please reach out and I’d be happy to have a conversation.