EXECUTIVE REPORT VICE PRESIDENT INTERNAL MEETING DATE: October 23 rd, 2013 Item: Author: Purpose of Report: Executive Progress Report: October Samanta Krishnapillai, Vice President Internal For Receipt Recommendation: It is recommended that the Council receive this report. Portfolio Progress: Ally Western Ally Western is working on three awesome projects to bring ally training to staff and faculty, to create ambassadors for the program and to have a check your privilege campaign for early November. Pride Western Outober! This month featured events that supported a major theme for this service this year: the coming out process. We had a highly successful 2G5G event featured around Coming Out, a book club meeting, NoH8 photoshoot, and a few more things before the month wraps up. Collaborating with the success centre to revitalize Out in the Office conference from 2010. Sexual Health & Consent Education We had a highly successful Safe Sex Awareness day that featured a panel presentation and a sexologist at night. This day showed us that event based awareness days were having more reach than the awareness booths are. We are
currently working on our Sexual Violence Prevention day that will be happening early November. Women s Issues Network W.I.N is in the process of working closely with me to plan the Women in Leadership conference, as well as are developing various video series to promote gender equality and feminism. Food Support Service We had our first ever Student Hunger awareness day that featured interactive atrium activities that involved erasing hunger on campus. I think it was the first installment on a very important discussion to be had on campus. Also, it is great that we have a food bank but if we re not advocating on student hunger and financial accessibility on campus then we re just providing a band aid solution. Health & Wellness Health and Wellness has its first event on Oct 23 rd that features SHS launch of the mental health module online. They are also having a Pour Safe, Drink Safe event in the Wave for Alcohol & Substance Abuse Awareness on October 29 th. Ethnocultural Support Service The service is in the process of planning a Culture Show Western goes Global for International Week in November. Purple Voices PV Commissioner met with my AVP and the Social Media Commissioner to figure out a strategy for the campaigns within it. Launch date for PV is Nov 15 th! EnviroWestern Tar Sands event to discuss the environmental impacts of Tar Sands in Canada happened this month. The event had a great turnout of both faculty and students. A healthy discussion weighing the pros and cons is what closed the night up.
Accessibility The commissioner is looking to broaden the scope of Accessibility so that its not just physical accessibility but accessibility as it is defined by OUSA (at least as a starting point). This includes financial accessibility, accessibility for aboriginals, and accessibility for mature students, etc. This is a new spin on what this portfolio could be providing. Teaching Quality & Awards For information on how to nominate a professor email usc.teaching.awards@uwo.ca! We have also launched a teaching quality program where students can submit feedback to professors that would be anonymously sent to the prof. Looking to officially launch the program by the end of the month! www.westernusc.ca/teachingquality Campus Advocacy October 23 rd featured a great opportunity that had never really been done before which is connecting faculty presidents, faculty VP academics and senators with OUSA steering committee. SASC / Learning Services Slow month for these two portfolios, November looks to bring awareness on appeals and developments on the Team Whelan Platform point on USC Tutors. Creating a resource online with spark notes versions of academic priorities. Projects, Opportunities and Issues: Peer Support Centre November council meeting will bring forth a policy paper on space usage and the mandate of the PSC. This was tasked to me by the LTSPR Standing Committee, as this group felt that the space should be more accessible to all students and more professional looking.
Peer Support Network Was directed by the Long Term Service and Program Review Standing Committee to coordinate an external review of the PSN. Looking to get this going in November to help provide some direction for the PSN going forward. Managing a New Portfolio: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly I ve been working closely with the President and VP External to talk about priorities of the slate. I ve also been working with our staff to determine the right fit of the PSN. We re moving towards determining what is a good use of a VP s time and what staff members are needed to make sure a good use of time occurs. Definitely a work in progress for me. Sexual Violence Prevention Policy UWO Reviewed a first draft of the SVP and working to ensure students and their concerns are being heard. My huge priority is to make sure these policies that we develop are shared with students through educational campaigns and really explaining how to support survivors, Mental Health Working Group Creating a terms of reference to ensure students remain part of the discussion on Mental Health. Advocating to this group of stakeholders to have a point person on campus to triage issues and refer students to the right place to obtain support. Broadening membership of committee to include front line individuals like profs and academic counseling. Western s One Love For Upper years Working to develop a successful program that will carry the same themes to students that O-Week does. Working closely with the VP Student Events and our staff to execute this.
USC s Women s Leadership Conference: 228 / C-100 Showcase for USC/WesternU I m incredibly excited for this conference that will feature Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, two Western profs, as well as discussions on barriers to leadership. This was a huge priority of mine for WIN and I encourage anyone to come out! Presidents Committee on the Safety of Women Working with PCSW to address students that feel very scared on campus and only safe in the PSC. This concern is extremely alarming and we are hoping to partner with the university to determine next steps for this group of students and others that feel unsafe on campus. Multifaith Online Feedback Did an online feedback call and asked faith group clubs what they thought about our strategy regarding providing a 24/7 prayer space next to Chaplain s Services and then broadening the programming mandate of the Mustang Lounge multifaith space to include programming for all clubs (after providing faith groups with first dibs on the space each month). OUSA & VP Internal With the governance change we acknowledged that it would be beneficial for the VP Internal to attend the General Assembly for OUSA this year. Looking forward for the opportunity! Board of Director Training Being a BOD isn t something you expect in this job when campaigning. It is however an important job and being able to take a continuing studies course on effective board governance. It really helped better mentally prepared myself for this. Head Start Women in Politics Working with Women leaders across campus and Joni B, a local politician on
determining why women don t hold public office positions. The first initial meeting brought a lot of big issues to light that transcend just politics and covers leadership roles across professions. Upcoming: Educational Campaigns from the University Working to determine the best way to collectively get administration together and to continue messaging that residence tries to provide students with but across campus for upper years. These types of messaging s have to be reinforced often and not just heard once in passing IF you were lucky enough to live in residence. The 2 nd Year Experience Research shows that 2 nd year students experience the highest level of stress. Looking to figure out how to best support these students and equip them with skills that range from learning skills to life skills (laundry, cooking, etc.) Upcoming Dates: - October 24 th Town Hall PSC/PSN Rm 373 - October 28 th 228 Conference ft. Sheryl Sandberg - October 29 th Alcohol and Substance Abuse Awareness Days - October 30 th Teaching Nominations deadline - November 4-5 th Sexual Violence Prevention Days - November 7 th Check your Privilege Campaign Launch - November 13 th Western Goes Global Cultural Showcase - November 13 th Ethnocultural Support Service Awareness Day - November 19 th Pride Day - November 26 th Everyday Feminist Day Sign-Offs
Author: Samanta Krishnapillai President Review Pat Whelan