Posted on May 1: He lives and breathes student life

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Neville_Boney_250.jpg” caption=”Neville Boney”]It was exceptionally quiet in his room. Hours had passed since the last student shoved a ballot into a voting box.

After months of campaigning, Neville Boney could do nothing but wait. It wouldn't be long until he would find out if he would assume the very big responsibility of McMaster Students Union (MSU) president at one of the most monumental times in university history — the year of the double cohort.

As 2 a.m. rolled around, Boney had the same sinking feeling he did two years earlier when he lost the 2001/02 MSU presidential election to Sam Minniti. Then the phone rang. “Neville, we have a bit of an issue with tabulating the votes.” The feeling sunk deeper. “Maybe you should come in.” Silence. “We're just kidding Neville. You won! You won!”

Since that unforgettable night, Boney has had barely a second to let it sink in. But he knows he is becoming president at a crucial time in university history, when twice as many high school students are seeking entrance into university.

“The double cohort is sort of a big blink in a trend of more students going to university,” he says. “We have some huge changes in terms of space and location and we really need to ensure that we don't go off track.”

Neville, 25, was born in Grenada, and at age 10 moved to Oakville with his parents and six younger brothers. Since coming to McMaster in 1997, he has developed a passion for the University. Now, with a kinesiology degree behind him, working on a second degree in French and with experience as MSU vice-president administration, he has a lot of ideas as to how to make McMaster a better place.

Making the new student centre more student focused is one. “I want to address seating in the student centre. At lunchtime you walk around and there are people just sitting in the hallways and on the ground because all of the seats are taken up,” he says. “Having some practical furniture, I think, is the first step to making sure that the student centre is a student centre.”

Engaging more women in student politics is another. “Why hasn't there been a female MSU president in 15 years,” he asks. “That is quite disgusting and shocking and I made that an election issue because I wanted to raise it to the students and make sure they are aware.”
The absence of a female president is not just a coincidence, he says. “It has to be something that we're doing within the University that prevents women from seeking this position. There were seven candidates last year and not one of them was a female.”

Improving the Hamilton community is also on his list. “We need to make Hamilton more like Hamilton instead of trying to make Hamilton like Toronto,” he says. “We have a number of students graduating every year. Why not try to keep them here?”

To do that, students' needs should be addressed, he says. “If you want students to stick around, you need to treat them well while they're here. You need to make sure they don't watch full street buses drive past them and you need to make sure they're not taken advantage of when they are out looking for a house,” he says. “I had the displeasure of having to look for a house a couple of years ago and some of the places that people wanted to rent to me for $300 were terrible.”

Yes, Boney has a lot on his plate. He knows that. But how does he feel about it? So far, so good, he says, with a grin that fills the room. “Being the president-elect is quite cool.”

Boney will take the reins from Evan Mackintosh May 1, and for now is learning the ropes, meeting with people, doing lunch. “I have been waiting for this for such a long time,” he says. While he hadn't intended to run for the position until the beginning of this year, he's glad he did.

But who is Neville, aside from the politics? “I'd love to tell you that Neville loves to read and Neville loves to watch the news,” he laughs. But when it comes down to it, Neville is a typical student.
And like many students, he knows how to have fun. “It's not something that changes because of where I am now. When I do go out Thursday nights it's to have a fun time, not to think about when my paper is due. I know how to focus on things at appropriate times.”

Staying in touch with students is essential, he feels. “You need to remain in tune with what it's like to be a student, because if you lose touch with that then you can't necessarily advocate on their behalf.”

That's why student leaders are not paid a lot of money, he says. “If you're getting paid a lot of money and working full time it takes you out of the student environment.”

Boney lives and breathes student life. “I understand what it's like to be tight on cash; I understand what it's like to have to wait for the bus or live on campus,” he says.

And to make that experience even more real, he plans to take a couple of classes next year. “It will allow me to understand what it is like to be in a cramped, crowded classroom; understand what it's like to have a paper due that you haven't started working on for whatever reason. If you maintain that mentality, then it's a lot easier to see in the end where you need to go. Even if you don't have a chance to talk to students, you are like them, so you understand their perspective on things. Being a student is essential to the job.”