SLC wraps up semester with updates on independent investigation and student advocacy
By Vama Saini, December 8 2024—
The final Students’ Legislative Council (SLC) meeting for the semester took place last week. Key topics ranged from the upcoming Board of Governors meeting to significant policy concerns and upcoming student leadership events.
Siraaj Shah, the Board of Governors representative, presented a pre-report for the Dec. 13th Board of Governors meeting. Shah suspected the action item sent from GFC for an independent investigation into the events of May 9th would be on the agenda.
“This investigation is going to have significantly more breadth than what the university has taken on so far,” Shah said, highlighting the limited scope of the third-party review by MMP.
“The breadth of the review is not enough to understand what happened on May 9. The call for an independent investigation ensures we know the full extent of what occurred, including reputational harm, reported injuries and other key areas,” he continued.
VP Mateusz Salmassi asked whether the MMP third-party review report might deter the board from pursuing a broader investigation. Shah acknowledged the concern.
“Because of the limited breadth of the MMP report, there is a higher likelihood that the board will consider an independent investigation,” Shah said.
VP Academic Jessie Dinh brought attention to revisions in the university’s sexual and gender-based violence policy discussed during the December 5th General Faculties Council (GFC) caucus. She expressed concerns about the exclusion of experiential learning programs like internships and practicums from the policy’s protections.
“If a student were to be in an experiential learning opportunity, such as an internship, practicum, clinical or work placement, they would not be able to use this policy if they needed to submit a complaint,” Dinh explained.
The SU has raised this issue with the policy’s working group and expects further discussion.
Dinh also celebrated a significant win for student representation. The Faculty of Kinesiology and the Cumming School of Medicine now have voting seats on their faculty councils.
“This is a significant achievement for the SU and students in those faculties,” said Dinh.
Dinh also announced the Fall 2024 Elected Official (EO) bonuses, funded by the President’s budget, which recognize faculty representatives who go above and beyond their roles.
“Their efforts in bridging the gap between students and faculty while managing their own demanding schedules are what make the SU effective in its work. Every councillor has a lot to be proud of,” said Dinh.
Several faculty representatives were honoured for their outstanding contributions.
Councillor Julia Law, the inaugural representative for the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL), was commended for establishing her faculty’s Student Association, assisting with local area funding and encouraging student engagement in critical SU consultations.
“She has not only excelled at the core responsibilities of her role but has accomplished so much more than we would have ever expected,” Dinh said.
Faculty of Kinesiology Representative Elbert Tom was celebrated for securing a voting seat on the faculty council, strengthening relationships with faculty and collaborating with the Kinesiology Student Society to develop a first-year student guidebook and career-focused videos.
“These efforts have significantly enhanced the resources available to students in his faculty,” Dinh noted.
Cumming School of Medicine Representative Hannah Kim was recognized for her pivotal role in shaping provincial advocacy efforts, reinstating the pet therapy program and securing voting seats on her faculty council.
“She has played a key role in helping the SU advocacy team formulate specific asks to the provincial government on behalf of medical students,” Dinh said.
Faculty of Arts Representative Simchah Atanda received praise for his leadership in addressing program suspensions within his faculty. Atanda’s efforts also strengthened communication between the Faculty of Arts Student Association and the SU.
“This is the first time we are addressing these issues head-on with the Faculty of Arts, even though we should have done so before,” Dinh said.
Attention was also drawn to the SU Leaders Dinner scheduled for January 16th.
“It’s incredibly important that councillors mark this off on their calendars,” said Salmassi. “This event, held in the medical ballroom, provides an invaluable opportunity to connect with municipal, provincial and federal leaders,” said Salmassi.
Salmassi initiated the question period by addressing Tom regarding his October report, which outlined a goal to “highlight student strengths” and encourage instructors to implement more diverse assessment methods. Salmassi asked Tom to elaborate on the changes he envisions for the Faculty of Kinesiology.
Tom explained that his advocacy stems from a meeting with the faculty’s Teaching and Learning Committee, where students shared ideas for evolving assessment practices. These included tailoring assignments to better reflect varied learning styles.
“We consolidated suggestions from undergraduate, graduate and other student representatives,” Tom said. “The Associate Dean Academic intends to share these insights with instructors and professors before the winter semester so they can incorporate however many of these items [to inform] different teaching styles.”
Tom also mentioned attending a Student Success Centre workshop on assessment principles in higher education.
“I’ve gathered insights from students across other faculties, like science, engineering and arts, to see what kind of suggestions they were bringing up so I could share them at the next GFC meeting,” he added.
Salmassi then addressed Faculty of Arts Representative Edom Girma, asking how he ensures accessibility for Arts students, given that his October report noted no academic concerns raised directly by students.
Girma clarified that concerns had indeed emerged, including the pausing of admissions to certain Arts programs, such as classical religion and language studies. He highlighted his efforts to address this issue in meetings with SU representatives and the Faculty of Arts administration.
Girma emphasized his outreach efforts, including class talks, social media engagement and office hours, as key tools for maintaining accessibility.
“I’ve been doing class talks these past couple of weeks and that gave students the opportunity to bring up any concerns they had regarding their education with us,” he said.
Bakana asked Salmassi about the structure he proposed to the SU Communications staff for operationalizing initiatives. The question referenced page eight of Salmassi’s October report, which highlighted his goal to improve the communication of progress updates to students.
Salmassi elaborated that his proposal involved monthly meetings between SU executives and the Director of Marketing and Communications to streamline updates.
“We [aim to] have that one-on-one opportunity at the end of every month, maybe after we’ve written our monthly reports so that all the ideas and all the initiatives are fleshed out, and then it’s easier to communicate that to the communications team. [We can brainstorm] on how to turn that into maybe an Instagram reel or a Reddit post,” he explained.
Salmassi then asked Bakana about her initiatives to secure greater financial aid for international students. Bakana revealed that her discussions with International Student Services had highlighted a gap in the promotion of scholarships and bursaries.
“Often, students aren’t even aware of the financial resources available to them,” Bakana noted.
“I aim to communicate these concerns with the registrar’s office to see if we can come up with a solution to get these scholarships out there and get these students the money they need because the university is unnecessarily expensive, especially for international students,” Bakana continued.
Following the question period, Salmassi emphasized that these questions set a constructive tone for the discussion and added interactivity to the meeting.
“These are friendly questions designed to foster collaboration and encourage transparency,” Salmassi said.
For agendas, minutes and upcoming meetings, visit the SU website.