Hi Huron! Happy New Year! It’s been a whirlwind of a semester, and I have a few updates for you:
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
The team supported the organizers of the walkout against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence on September 17, working with different faculty councils and the Society for Graduate Students. On September 20, we organized a Take Back the Night walk attended by 160-170 people across Western. Transportation was organized for all students looking for a safe ride back home. We advocated for (1) drink covers, now available at the welcome desk, wellness centre, and the Beaver Dam; (2) sexual assault testing kits, which will be able at Huron this semester; (3) a Huron-specific foot patrol, who are currently being trained; (4) late-night transportation for night classes and exams; (5) mandatory consent and disclosure training for all members of the Huron community; and (6) additional lighting near the back flats, tunnels, and other dimly lit places on campus. Finally, the team is working on a guide with frequently asked questions to report assaults to both Huron and the police. We’re working closely with the administration to create a safer environment for students on campus.
Hybrid Learning, Accommodations, and Classroom Accessibility
The team worked to promote greater flexibility and accessibility in classrooms over the summer and fall. We circulated reports on greater accessibility in hybrid learning environments, small ways to create more equitable classrooms, and the utility of using online educational methods in in-person classroom settings for greater accessibility. These efforts were made in response to directives from the Dean’s office, which restricted professors from using online methods in fall semester courses. At the directive of the General Assembly, we introduced three motions to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Council – which is a committee comprising the President, the provost and dean, the registrar, all FASS professors, and other members of Huron’s academic and student support staff – to accommodate all students who are unable to attend class through pre-recorded lectures, zoom, etc., to continue to accommodate overseas international students, and against deregistering unvaccinated students. After extensive debate at the FASS Council, the faculty vote extended accommodations to overseas international students but declined accommodating students at large using online educational materials. The vote against the deregistration of unvaccinated students also failed. However, a subsequent motion concluded that the Teaching and Learning committee will define and determine the use of online educational materials in the future. The Student Affairs Associate, Emily Poirier serves on the committee, and all concerns regarding COVID-19 related classroom accommodations can be directed to her at affairs.associate@myhuron.ca or myself.
Truth and Reconciliation
The Student Affairs team organized a fundraiser to support the Woodland Cultural Centre’s Save the Evidence Campaign to acknowledge Huron’s ties to the former Mohawk Institute Residential School. The team successfully raised $1200 through a used book sale and by creating and selling orange shirts for Orange Shirt Day. We also collaborated with Huron’s institutional events team to organize two events to mark Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We invited Huron Alum and former HUCSC VPSA Natalie Cross and History Professor Dr. Tom Peace to speak about their research on Huron’s involvement in the residential school system, followed by a talk by Dr. Joyce Greene on reconciliation in the Canadian university landscape. Finally, the Equity team is working on writing a land acknowledgment and statement of actions in relation to the Truth and Reconciliation commission’s calls to action. We welcome feedback and input from all members of the Huron community, please reach out to Equity Associate, Victoria Fernandes at equity@myhuron.ca.
Health and Wellness Resources
The Community Food and Household Supplies Pantry is open! Located in a secular space adjacent to the Diocese of Huron Archives, opposite the stairs to the library in the academic wing. The pantry contains perishable and non-perishable food, snacks, personal hygiene products, and household supplies like dishwasher tablets, laundry detergent, etc. The pantry is restocked every two weeks and is available to all members of the community, no questions asked. In addition, the Wellness team of the Student Affairs portfolio created a wellness resource guide. The guide includes information for therapists, doctors, affordable vet clinics, dentists, discount grocery stores, and other resources in the London area. This was supplemented with Wellness Wednesday conversation circles every other week, which covered themes like financial wellness, academic wellness, reflection, and more. If you have more recommendations, please contact the Wellness Associate, Serena Kirschen at mywellness@myhuron.ca
HUCSC x CURL Collaboration
The first round of HUCSC x CURL academic collaborators submitted their final reports with policy and programming recommendations to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as mentorship and collaboration among student-faculty mentor pairs. In addition, the collaborators created a four-episode podcast showcased at the 2021 CURL Fall Exhibition to promote research ethics amongst the student body. The second part of our collaboration, the CURL Newsletter is underway and almost ready for publication! Applications for the second round of academic collaborators will open at the beginning of the next semester, and we’re excited for more students to shape institutional policy and programming. Please reach out for more information!
Student Support and Programming
We hosted three anti-racism learning groups in collaboration with Huron Writing Services, a last-day-of-classes wellness day for all students, and an information session with the Western Off-Campus Housing Office.
Other Efforts
Internal efforts included event sustainability and accessibility checklists for the student events portfolio, website and social media accessibility changes with the communications team, and size-inclusive and sustainable merchandising spearheaded by the finance portfolio.
Committees
Committee-work over the semester included supporting Huron 1Read programming, research ethics approvals, hiring the new Coordinator for Teaching and Research, and approving an interim process for dispersing experiential learning funds. We also added two student seats: a HUCSC representative on the teaching and learning committee and a student at-large on the research ethics board. If you have any questions about the committees I serve on, please reach out!
We have lots in store for the next four months, and I can’t wait to see you all online and hopefully, in person very soon! Please email me if you’d like to chat. Happy New Year!
URVI MAHESHWARI, VP STUDENT AFFAIRS
VPSTUDENTAFFAIRS@MYHURON.CA