Meet Kim Hutchings, VP Programming & Services in Waterloo.
This week we are introducing you to your Vice Presidents of Programming & Services. Carina and Kim are busy planning #LAURIEROWEEK16 so they may not be at their desks for a chat. Here’s a little insight into Kim’s world.
Kim Hutchings is your Vice President of Programming & Services in Waterloo. Her love of pop culture, especially music, comes in handy when planning events for Wilf’s and The Turret.
What do you do? “I oversee the programming and services committees on the Waterloo campus, including O-Week, Wilf’s and The Turret programming.”
Did you know that Kim was on a reality show that never aired (and will never be found), wants to learn to cook more than a grilled cheese sandwich and has a strong Pinterest game with her love of “crafty things.”
What are your priorities for the Students’ Union? “I want to reach a broader range of students with our programming and service efforts, ensuring there's something for everyone and everyone feels welcome.”
When you get a chance, talk to Kim about anything creative and anything travel and adventure.
Meet Carina Gerlings, VP Programming & Services for Brantford
We’re one month away from the start of O-Week 2016/17 and our Vice Presidents of Programming & Services are working non-stop. They may be a blur running past you in September, so they’ve taken the time give you some insight into their lives.
Carina Gerlings is your Vice President of Programming & Services in Brantford. The recent grad and avid traveller is excited to share her stories with you and vice versa.
What do you do? “I oversee 8 different committees that are responsible for planning programming that enhance the overall student experience as well as informing students about the different services that my department can provide like food requests and safe walks home.”
Did you know Carina’s spirit animal is the unicorn, she says “TYSM” (thank you so much) way too often (as do many people in the Students’ Union office0, she wants to travel the world (she recently visited Amsterdam and France), and she can bake some “pretty awesome” cookies and cupcakes (all Gluten-free!).
What are your priorities for the Students’ Union? “to provide the best programming to the Laurier students that enhances their experience.”
Carina loves fashion, make-up and everything travel. When she’s not busy planning events for you, she’d love “to hear people’s travel stories and look at pictures!”
We’re hiring! We are looking for someone who will provide administrative support to the Clubs and Associations Department. He or she will be highly motivated to work in a fast-paced environment, be extremely well organized, detail oriented, have strong interpersonal skills and excellent time management skills.
Time to Meet Ryley Fletcher, Your AVP Finance & Administration
It’s time you meet Ryley Fletcher, your Associate Vice President of Finance & Administration for Laurier Brantford. A London, Ontario native, Ryley is a passionate Leafs fan and believes they will win the Stanley Cup in 2021. Share your thoughts with @ryleyfletch on Twitter.
What do you do? “My position deals with the human resources, finances, hiring & recruitment, and professional development – among other areas. My home office is Brantford, and I’m willing to meet with anybody that is interested in meeting with me!”
What is one fun fact about you? “I’ve never been to a tropical island or country and want to go really bad. Anyone want to take me on their next adventure?”
What is your secret skill? “I have worked diligently over the past 21.5 years to stay a passionate Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Not many people can handle what I’ve had to go through, but I had the resiliency to do so. And now with Mike Babcock – the future is bright my friends and the bandwagon is accepting newcomers.”
If you have any ideas for the Students’ Union, Ryley wants to hear from you: “Even if it’s not in my portfolio, I can direct you to the people you’re looking for. I also just like to talk so come talk to me about anything you like!”
Ryley stays active on the Laurier Brantford Hiring & Recruitment Facebook page, so check it out if you’re looking to get involved.
Volunteer positions in the Brantford campus are available. Apply online until July 31st!
Meeting Marley Wildish, Your VP of Finance & Administration
If you’ve interviewed for a volunteer position with the Student’s Union, you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Marley Wildish. If you haven’t, consider applying! While you fill out an application, your Vice President of Finance & Administration is volunteering some information for you.
What do you do? “A lot! I oversee the hiring of all our wonderful volunteers, provide support for them like disclosure, training and professional development, and organize volunteer appreciations. I also manage the Students’ Union budgets.”
What’s are some fun facts about you? “I was born in Hamilton and lived in New Zealand for over a year when I was 14. My favourite sports team is the Montreal Canadiens.” Today (July 26) is also Marley’s birthday!
One of Marley’s goals as a VP is to “…increase the mental health of students and our volunteers by providing support and encouraging an appropriate balance between academics and volunteering.”
If you love dogs, hockey or getting involved, come talk to Marley. Follow updates about Waterloo’s hiring and recruitment on Facebook and Twitter for your chance to become part of the outstanding group of volunteers.
The Students’ Union is looking for new recruits to join our rank of great volunteers this year. The Brantford and Waterloo campuses have open opportunities to be a member of our committees, with the chance to contribute to the Laurier community in positive ways.
Below’s a list of open positions - applications must be submitted through social.yourstudentsunion.ca. Visit our website for information on the hiring process and how to get involved with the Students’ Union.
Brantford:
Clubs Communications
Coordinator position
Healthy Lifestyles
Executive and general volunteer positions
Hawk Team
Executive and general volunteer positions
Peer Connect
Executive and general volunteer positions
Outreach
Executive and general volunteer positions
Foot Patrol
General volunteer positions
EcoHawks
General volunteer positions
Hiring & Recruitment
General volunteer positions
The deadline to apply for Laurier Brantford positions is Sunday, July 31st at 3 pm!
Waterloo:
Peer Connect
General volunteer positions
Food Bank
General volunteer positions
Healthy Lifestyles
General volunteer positions
Foot Patrol
General volunteer positions
Students’ Rights Advocacy Committee
Executive volunteer position
Outreach
Executive and volunteer positions
The deadline to apply for Waterloo positions is Monday, August 1st. Get your applications in before the spots fill up. Not sure you want to volunteer just yet? Follow Brantford or Waterloo’s Hiring & Recruitment on Twitter for updates on more opportunities throughout the year.
Meet your Students’ Union President, Tyler Van Herzele
Your 2016/17 Executive Team are hard at work creating a magnificent year for new and returning Golden Hawks. If you haven’t met or seen who your execs are, each week we will introduce you to the them. Up first - your president, Tyler Van Herzele. Meet the recent Concurrent Education graduate and Game of Thrones enthusiast that wants to hear from you.
What Does Tyler Do? “I represent the voice of Laurier’s undergraduate students. As your representative, I bring forward the issues that affect them to the University to help with decisions. Within the Students’ Union, I set the direction of the organization for the year to help enhance our programming for the students.”
Did you know…”Since coming to Laurier, purple has become my favourite colour, and I have found a strong passion for representative administration.”
Tyler’s secret skills include being “reasonably decent” at Guitar Hero and knowing more about Game of Thrones “than is probably healthy.”
A couple of Tyler’s goals are: “Professionally, I want to make myself as accessible to students as possible! If my job requires me to represent the students, I should know who they are. I hope this leads to a lifetime of supporting and advocating for students. Personally, I want to collect as much Game of Thrones memorabilia as possible!”
What are Tyler’s priorities for the Students’ Union?
To increase transparency between the Students’ Union and the undergraduate student body through communication and feedback channels;
To bring awareness to WHY the Students’ Union does what it does, and to create a student-administration connection panel;
To continue advocating for students concerns at the institutional, provincial and federal levels;
To continue to create a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere at all of the Students’ Union events and with the services we offer.
Tyler is working to increase the connection between students and the administration. If you ever see Tyler in our office or around the campuses, feel free to talk to him about Game of Throne theories, sports (”not player specifics”) and what makes you excited to be a Golden hawk: “Hearing about your goals and aspirations inspires me to no end! So come say ‘hey’ regardless of the topic!”
To the Special Constable Service Advocates, We Thank You!
On June 23rd 2016 the Board of Governors passed the University’s annual budget. By doing so, Laurier has taken the next step in ensuring student safety on campus by extending Special Constables Services to 24/7 in Brantford. The Students’ Union, along with many other university partners have been advocating for this for many years and all those years of hard work culminated in this announcement (you can find it here: http://bit.ly/295fBwN).
Although this major success occurred during my term in office, it was those who came before that put the time and effort into this major advocacy push. Subsequently, I would like to take the time to specifically thank the Students’ Union advocates who had a hand in making this a reality. While not exhaustive, this is a list of some of the Students’ Union’s key players who helped get us to where we are today.
Thank you to Sean Madden (Vice President University Affairs- 2011/12) for bringing the issue of safety on the Brantford Campus to the students and starting the push for more enhanced services.
Thank you to Holly Kaiser - (VP Campus Experience Brantford- 2011/12) for providing the first tangible result, installing safety buttons and the Emergency pole on the Brantford Campus.
Thank you to former Presidents’ Michael Onabolu, Annie Constantinescu and Sam Lambert for continuing the push for change and for working logistically with the University in conjunction with their respective Vice Presidents’ of University Affairs Chris Walker, Stephen Franchetto and Rick Camm.
A very special thank you to former President Olivia Matthews who along with Laura Bassett (VP University Affairs 2015/16) and Raelle Ricci (Associate Vice President of University Affairs - Brantford 2015/16) took the numerous years of planning and made the push a reality.
There are still many questions to be answered. Questions like: “When will the services be functional?” “How will this affect student space on campus? “ Or “ How will this change Students’ Union programming?” I look forward to the year ahead as we will address these questions together and take the next steps to enhance student safety here at Laurier.
With many thanks,
Tyler Van Herzele
President and CEO
Wilfrid Laurier University Students' Union
75 University Ave., W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5
Office: 2nd Floor Fred Nichols Campus Centre
103 Darling St., Brantford, ON N3T 2K8
Office: 1st Floor Student Centre
www.yourstudentsunion.ca
[email protected]
519.884.0710
@students_union
BREAKING NEWS: 24-Hour Special Constable Service Coming to Brantford!
In a huge advocacy win for the Students’ Union and its partners on the Brantford campus; today, the Wilfrid Laurier University Board of Governors has approved an increase of the service hours to the Special Constable Service.
The SCS will be transitioning to become available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in Brantford. This will allow for better safety and security for Laurier students, staff and the greater community as well. We believe this marks an overdue and necessary change to student life at Laurier.
The recent decision to change the hours, “…means the Students’ Union is able to implement services and programs not previously available to Brantford students,” says president Tyler Van Herzele. “We’re glad to see that both campuses can now receive an equitable experience.”
The Students’ Union, the Dean of Students’ Office, Residence Life, Special Constable Service and the greater Laurier community have been working together for the past number of years to increase student safety measures at the Brantford campus, including a physical campus safety audit and emergency response buttons.
As a result of this decision, our Foot Patrol service will be looking to extend its hours in an effort to further increase the safety of the Laurier community. A start date has not been announced, but we will provide an update when this news is available on the Students’ Union website.
Visit the Special Constable Service website for details on their service, and the Services & Programs section of yourstudentsunion.ca .
The on-going collective agreement negotiation between the University and CUPE 926, the union representing the Laurier custodial, trades and ground workers, has seen some movement on the University’s side.
The University has now requested a “No Board” report to be issued by the Ministry of Labour and for two days of mediation to try and reach a settlement. The “No Board” report provides 17 days for an agreement to be made, but should there not be a settlement at the end of that period the University intends to move forward with the new employment conditions in its final proposal, dated January 28, 2016. CUPE will then have a number of options, including the legal right to withdraw services, or strike.
The services provided by CUPE and the University are currently fully functional and the impact on the students at Laurier Waterloo has been minimal to date. The Students’ Union will continue to update you with information regarding these negotiations as updates become available.
Contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns, or visit www.labour.gov.on.ca.
Now Accepting Applications for the Student Life Levy!
Do you have an inspiring idea of how to make student life better at Laurier? If so, apply for the Student Life Levy Summer Funding.
The Student Life Levy supports special projects that enhance student life. Any undergraduate student can submit an application for funding to make their idea a reality. The fund is financially supported by undergraduate students at WLU.
All the details and application form can be found on http://sll.yourstudentsunion.ca.
See the study space in the concourse of the Fred Nicholas Campus Centre in Waterloo? That space was funded through the SLL! Need more ideas? Check out the past projects on the website.
As we welcome our new Student Executive team, we also welcome Ron Bauman as the Communications Strategist, who will be joining the Marketing Team at the Students’ Union. Here’s some insight into Ron:
What does Ron do? “I update and create content for the Students’ Union communication channels - website, social media and other marketing materials - that are available for students.”
Fun Facts About Ron: He has a degree in Popular Culture from Brock University and appeared in a short documentary on the making of a Christmas film in Meaford, Ontario.
What are your personal and professional goals? “I want to visit the town of Horgen, Switzerland, where I traced my family’s history to the 1300s. I also want to help the Student Executives and their committees achieve their goals of delivering interesting content to students.”
What are your secret skills? “I am pretty handy, whether it’s helping to build or repair things around the house or making personalized greeting cards instead of buying dollar store ones. The skill I am proudest to display is naming all 478 Survivor contestants in order of their finishes (including returning players) - a memory skill I wish I applied more to my studies.”
Come talk to me about: “whatever you’re passionate about. I enjoy learning about people and their stories. My story would include a healthy obsession with reality television (see above), reading celebrity memoirs, testing my cooking skills, cruise ship traveling and my super-sized family.”
Breaking Down the Federal Budget. What Does It Mean For Students?
Last week, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, with Minister of Finance Bill Morneau, delivered the first liberal budget of this government. While much of the attention on this budget has been on the close to $30 million deficit the liberals will be running in 2016-2017, there is much to be commended for in terms of post-secondary education. We covered the provincial budget in our previous blog series, and now we’re turning our attention to what exactly this new federal budget means for students.
Similarly to the provincial budget, Justin Trudeau’s liberals have taken a pretty serious overhaul to the student financial aid system. Like Wynne’s provincial government, the federal government has eliminated tuition, education, and textbook tax credits in favour of an upfront, transparent, and predictable financial aid system. Here’s our explanation on why we have advocated for the reallocation of tuition tax credits.
Reformation of the Canada Student Loans Program (the federal portion of OSAP) will begin with providing increased grants to low- and middle-income families, as well as increasing the threshold for when students must start paying back their OSAP. Finally, part-time students will see increase assistance as well as new model in determining how much OSAP a student is eligible for.
Grants? What grants?
The 2016 budget proposes to increase Canada Student Grant amounts by 50% according to the following:
Current Program
- $2,000 per year for students from low-income families
- $800 per year for students from middle-income families
- $1,200 per year for part-time students
Proposed Changes
- $3,000 per year for students from low-income families
- $1,200 per year for students from middle-income families
- $1,800 per year for part-time students
Impact
- Help students cover their costs without increasing student debt loads. Reallocation of tax credits will get the aid to students faster and when they need it most.
These changes will be in effect for the 2016-2017 academic year. These amounts have not been updated since 2009, and as a result, 100,000 students from middle-income families will receive increased assistance. In addition, approximately 247,000 low-income students will benefit from these changes. In total, these measures will provide assistance of $1.53 billion over 5 years, as further enhancements will be coming in the 2017-2018 school year.
What if my family is above “low- or middle-income” status?
The current model of low- and middle- income thresholds will be replaced with a sliding scale, under which grant amounts will gradually decline based on income and family size.
Making Debt more manageable
Under this new federal budget, students will not be required to pay back their OSAP until they are making a minimum of $25,000 annually before taxes. This is a change from the current threshold which is $20,210. This better reflects the poverty level in Canada, is a better reflection of minimum wages, and helps to ease a students’ transition into the workforce.
Changing eligibility of Canada Student Loans
Under the current Canada Student Loan program, in determining eligibility, students are required to submit their income as well as their financial assets. This new budget is proposing to change this type of assessment for the federal portion of OSAP, which makes up about 60% of the financial aid system.
In 2017-2018 students will be assessed using a-rate contribution model. Students will only need to contribute a single flat amount each year towards the costs of their education instead a percentage of their income. This means that students will be able to work and gain valuable labour market experience without having to worry about a reduction in their level of financial assistance. This will also benefit mature learners, as many of them work during their studies or have significant financial assets such as houses.
We hope this helps explain a little further what this new budget will mean for students. Check back next week for a blog covering what both the provincial and federal budgets combined will mean for students.
We’re hiring! We need someone with a flair for writing copy that is as clever as it is engaging, can hang with the best on our social channels, and can whip up a communications strategy (and keep a cool head!) in a crunch.
We’re looking for a full-time Communications Strategist with the right stuff to support the Marketing Communications department.
The university is currently working on its proposed budget for the 2016-2017 school year, and there are some changes coming. We wanted to reach out to you now before the budget is officially released to talk about some of the changes that will be happening this year, and what that means for all of us.
First and foremost, I would like to remind everyone that we are a separate entity from the university. This is a great thing, because it allows us to fully advocate on your behalf as students freely and without restraint. However, at the end of the day, this means that we also are not purview to all decisions made. That said, we have a great partnership with the university, and nobody wants to see any significant cuts when possible. Our common goal is always creating a great student experience that enhances your academics as well as extra-curricular activities.
BUDGET
Let’s start with the new Responsibility-Centered Management Budget Model or RCM for short that the university is transitioning towards. The model was endorsed by the Laurier Senate and approved by the Laurier Board of Governors in Winter 2015.
An important distinction to make is that the RCM style budget will only be modeled (i.e. ghosted) in order to get university staff and faculty used to its intricacies, but will be fully implemented in the 2017-2018 budget.
What the RCM budget model changes is that instead of all budgets being centralized, it gives individual unit leaders control over their individual budgets. This creates accountability for those leaders to reach specific targets. The model also supports multi-year planning by allowing these individual units to align their decision-making with the university’s academic plan and strategic priorities.
You’re probably wondering what this means for you as a student. For the next year, the RCM change will not impact you. The university budget will affect you, but the RCM model will not be actively be in play.
For more information about Laurier’s RCM Budget Model or FAQs, click here.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we find out more concerning the new budget structure.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2016/2017
This year, the university will be reallocating funds to support their identified strategic investments within the university. Strategic investments were identified by each individual department and the respective senior administration of the University.
Our position on the Student Affairs Advisory Committee allows us to advocate for our own strategic investments within the student affairs portfolios including Learning Services, the Diversity and Equity Office, Athletics & Recreation, Co-op & Career, the Wellness Centre, etc. We want to see these student services serving you with the appropriate amount of resources.
Furthermore, one of the largest asks we’ve made of the university during this budget season is the addition of 24 hour Special Constables Service in Brantford. We understand that this is an expensive request, but we strongly believe it is necessary to ensure the safety of our students on campus. We are looking forward to seeing a budget that is inclusive of this, among other requests.
I realize this is a lot of information to take in all at once, so if you have any further questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you,
Olivia Matthews
President & CEO
Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union
[email protected]
A Letter from the President: St. Patrick’s Day at Laurier
Hello, As we are on the eve of St. Patrick's Day, I just wanted to reach out to you one last time to talk about the major updates and safety points surrounding the day. There's been so much talk going around and we hope that the messaging has reached you either as a student who wants to celebrate or one who couldn’t care less about the green theme of March 17th.
Please be safe. I hope you have our lovely emergency contact magnets on your fridges but throw those telephone numbers in your phone in case you need them tomorrow. Check out the app store for our Laurier SafeHawk app which gives you updates during emergencies and gives you responsive resources at a finger tap. Be the Golden Hawks we know you are and look out for one another. It’s what makes our community so great.
Please be respectful. We as Laurier students are a part of the greater Waterloo community. We have neighbours from our school and also our city. Respect that some of your fellow students will be attending class tomorrow. Let them do it without distractions. In being considerate, please also recognize that our neighbours don’t want to clean up your garbage at the end of the day. Please help us in keeping our community clean. To help you out, the Students’ Union will be having our EcoHawks committee do a street clean up on Friday morning – feel free to join us!
Please be an active bystander. If you see a friend tomorrow in a vulnerable situation, help them out. On too many days of the year, we ignore our peers who are facing difficult situations. Help us in making St. Patrick’s Day a safe experience for one another. If you see something happening that’s wrong, let someone know. Check out the Consent is Golden webpage for information on how to achieve consent here. There will be many services to access during the day to help you out in difficult situations including Special Constables Services, the Waterloo Regional Police Service and hired security. Please remain respectful towards these folks as they keep our community safe tomorrow. Always know that you are welcome to reach out to us at the Students’ Union as well.
Thank you for your time and for being patient as we’ve spent the last weeks getting our messages across. In closing I would like to remind you that whatever your plans tomorrow; be safe, be considerate, and yes, have some fun too.
Thank you,
Olivia Matthews
President & CEO
For additional services & resources:
WLU Special Constables Services
519.884.3333
Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region
24 Hour Support Line 519.741.8633
Welcome to our final piece covering the proposed 2016-2017 Ontario provincial budget. We’ve already spoken about how the budget will improve access to post-secondary education, and the upgrades to our transportation. Today, we are looking at the proposed changes that will lead to improvements for our Indigenous student population, as well as making positive changes to the online learning model.
Improvements for Indigenous Students
As the Province of Ontario is focused on improving access and success for Indigenous learners, $97 million will be funded to support key initiatives that will help more First Nations, Metis and Inuit learners access high-quality postsecondary and training opportunities. The Government will be engaging this spring with Indigenous and postsecondary education partners to create a policy for Aboriginal Institutes and better define their place within the postsecondary education sector.
The government has made it a priority to acknowledge and teach the history and legacy of residential schools in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada recommendations.
The government has planned to invest $5 million dollars over a 3-year period into the education sector from 2016-2017 to 2018-2019. This funding will be used to help develop resources on the history and legacy of the treaties, residential schools and indigenous people in Ontario. This development will enhance teaching resources, and provide learning opportunities to build skills among Ontario educators to create and encourage greater critical thinking and deepen the understanding of Canadian treaties.
Changes to Online Learning
The government is continuing to expand access to high-quality online learning opportunities for students through eCampus Ontario to provide you with more flexibility and choice.
The first phase of the eCampus Ontario project is to provide students province-wide with a one-window access model to more than 13,000 online courses, and over 600 programs offered by Ontario colleges and universities.
The province has created ONtransfer.ca which works toward greater access to transfer credit opportunities. Desgined to help ease student hardships, this program makes the process of transferring from one postsecondary institution to another more steamlined. This program makes new tools available to help students navigate our postsecondary education system. ONtransfer.ca holds over 120,000 course equivalencies and over 1,300 pathways which allow students to know how many credits they can expect to receive before they transfer.
