SU Reps organize Frozen-themed event for student parents

By Gayathri Peringod, December 5 2019—

Students’ Union representatives will be hosting an event for students who are parents this Sunday at Tuxedo Park Community Hall.

The event, “Education and Social Work’s Frozen Adventure,” is hosted by the SU representatives from the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Social Work.

“The event is a family holiday party, and the theme is Frozen,” said Georgia East, the Faculty of Education representative. “There’s going to be games and food and crafts, and we have some special Frozen guests. Elsa, Anna and Olaf are all going to be in attendance.”

The event is free to attend, and all members of the campus community are invited.

“We’re also inviting faculty from both of our respective faculties to come to the event whether they want to bring their kids or their grandkids,” East added. “So it’s also a great opportunity for networking and professional development for the parents while the kids can enjoy all the Frozen fun.”

Marie Beaupre-Olsen, the representative from the Faculty of Social Work is the co-host of the event alongside East.

“One of the main reasons we wanted to host this event is that within the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Social Work, we noticed that there are quite a few students who are also parents,” said Beaupre-Olsen.

“Within the faculty and the university, there’s not much support or events that are specifically catered towards students who are equally as parents, for them to bridge their family life with their academic life. We want to bring awareness to them but also to others that it is possible to be a post-secondary student while also being a parent.”

The planned event is an interdisciplinary effort, with relevant faculty associations assisting with its planning and implementation.

“I think it would be really important to recognize that we have shown will have seen a lot of support from our respective academic clubs and our faculty,” said East. “The Education Students’ Association and the Social Work Students’ Association have all been really supportive and involved with the event.”

Jonah Secreti, vice president communications of the Education Students’ Association, spoke to the event’s importance.

“Since education has a very diverse population in it, the average age of the program is a lot higher than most traditional programs in university and a lot of students and my classmates have their own children,” he said. “[It’s important to have] an event that they can go to that’s more accommodating of your responsibilities as a parent at the same time as a student.”

The event will be held this Sunday from 3–6 p.m. at the Tuxedo Park Community Hall.