PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
"Advocacy relies on consultation from students to make sure that our efforts are congruent with the needs of students."
FOCUS
Consultation Training
Consultations across the board have been a difficult task as student leaders are not always provided the training for consultations to be effective. I would like to train the VP Academics of every Faculty council, and the appropriate VP of the Affiliate councils (if they so choose) on how to consult properly using the USC guidelines for consultation. They will be provided resources during training, so that they can in-turn train their own councils on how to consult effectively.
USC Compensation Fund for Consultations
Consultations across the board have been a difficult task as student leaders are not always provided the training for consultations to be effective. I would like to train the VP Academics of every Faculty council, and the appropriate VP of the Affiliate councils (if they so choose) on how to consult properly using the USC guidelines for consultation. They will be provided resources during training so that they can in-turn train their own councils on how to consult effectively. Consultation work is labour intensive for the students that are participating, and many students already feel disengaged. To combat this, the USC will establish a compensation fund, wherein councillors and councils can access money to incentivize students to meet with them (giveaways, draws, etc.). The compensation fund will also allow student leaders to compensate marginalized communities for the additional emotional labour associated with sharing personal experiences.
Transitioning to In-Person
Incoming first-years and second-years do not have the experiences of in-person teaching at the university level. In conjunction with the COVID-19 Return to Campus Education &Planning, Academic Contingency Advisory Group, Ad Hoc Interim COVID-19 Policy Committee, as well as the Affiliate President's and corresponding VPs, I plan on creating an OWL site with best practices for students to succeed in in-person and online class hybrids. A similar resource should also be created for faculty for them to be able to help students in this transition period. These modules will include, but not be limited to:
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Break schedules
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Wellness tips
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Reminders of key dates
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Study-tips for closed and open book multiple choice exams
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Mental-health resources