foster care

Erin Sobat

Spring Soon? March 23rd Council Report

Spring is (technically) almost here! We hope that the longer daytime hours are helping you make it through that midterm-paper grind. Just a reminder that we’re currently hiring for a University Affairs Secretary General and two Equity Commissioners. Apply by March 31st!

Highlights from this week’s Report of the VP University Affairs to Legislative Council include:

  • SSMU Equity is hosting a Comedy Night with Hari Kondabalu this Monday, March 20th at 6:00pm
  • Our Students from Care Researcher is organizing a Cafe Collab consultation session with the Social Equity & Diversity Education (SEDE) Office this Tuesday, March 21st at 4:00pm
  • McGill Senate will be discussing the university budget, proposed revisions to Policy on Intellectual Property, strategic enrolment management & student aid this week
  • The Library Improvement Fund Committee is reviewing project proposals for final allocation decisions
  • Nominations for AVEQ executive elections open on Monday, April 3rd

Winter goals completed to-date (italics = since last report):

  • Policy against Unpaid Internships approved
  • Indigenous Solidarity Policy revisions approved
  • Internal Regulations for Board of Directors approved
  • Released first generation students research report
  • Create Indigenous course content advocacy plan
  • Developed long-term student staffing plan
  • Organized Student Senator Info Session
  • Hosted Add-Drop “Know Your Student Rights” campaign
  • Released foster care students research report
  • Launched University Affairs staff hiring
Erin Sobat

Work for us next year! Job Opportunities & March 9th Council Report

SSMU is hiring for 2017-2018! Work under the University Affairs portfolio or in another area at SSMU. Available positions include University Affairs Secretary General, Equity Commissioner, and much more. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2017. Contact SSMU Human Resources with your questions or visit recruitment drop-in hours between 11am-4pm every Monday and Wednesday in March.

Wondering what University Affairs staff do? Check out this week’s Report of the VP University Affairs to Legislative Council for some ideas. Recent UA highlights include:

Winter goals completed to-date (italics = since last report):

 

Erin Sobat

Fostering Post-Secondary Success: Support Programming for Students from Foster Care

SSMU University Affairs has released a new research report, entitled Fostering Post-Secondary Success: Support Programming for Students from Foster Care. This document examines current issues faced by students from the welfare system and their transition to post-secondary education, as well as targeted recruitment, retention, and support strategies in place at other institutions. A survey of student experiences and existing programming indicates that McGill University provides no dedicated support resources for this population, nor do they currently collect relevant demographic data beyond some financial aid applications.

The report makes clear that much more can be done to promote educational access and success for students from foster care entering McGill. Proposed recommendations include developing dedicated financial aid opportunities; conducting targeted outreach and recruitment campaigns; creating specific student mentorship and psychological support programs; and collecting comprehensive data on student admissions and experiences. Any questions regarding the report can be directed to the VP University Affairs.

 

Erin Sobat

Fleeting February: Policies, Policies & more Policies

Despite being the shortest month, February sure has been hectic! Reading Week is close, so let’s push through this last week until the break. In the meantime, check out my February 23rd Report to the Legislative Council for all of the updates.

Recent UA highlights:

  • McGill Senate approved a motion to formally recognize & celebrate Black History Month every year
  • Proposed Policy Against Ancillary Fee Increases will be presented to the Winter General Assembly
  • Bringing SSMU Policy against Unpaid Internships, revised Equity Policy and revised Indigenous Solidarity Policy to Legislative Council this week for approval
  • Releasing research report on students coming from foster care in the coming days
  • Currently reviewing new draft Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) from the administration

Winter goals completed to-date (italics = since last report):

Erin Sobat

Winter is Here: Term Goals & January 12th Council Report

Happy New Year and welcome to the Winter term! I hope that you enjoyed your holiday break and are feeling refreshed. This week, we’re running our semesterly “Know Your Rights” campaign to inform students of their academic rights at McGill. You can check out our website and Facebook event to learn more.

In addition, if you’re interested in learning more about the role of a student senator and/or SSMU Executive, we’ll be hosting info sessions on both topics later this month! The Student Senator Info Session will be on Monday, January 23rd from 5:30-6:30pm and will feature a presentation on university governance, the senator role, and perspectives from your 2016-2017 senators.

Start-of-year highlights:

  • Submitted Senate question regarding McGill governance best practices;
  • Launched Winter Add-Drop “Know Your Rights” campaign;
  • Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) holding a Ratification General Assembly for their new collective agreement on January 9th;
  • Providing feedback on terms of reference for Sexual Violence Policy advisory committee (implementation plan) & campus study panel (review of existing policies e.g. Code of Conduct);
  • Preparing research report on support for students coming from foster care;
  • Library Improvement Fund made first round of allocations in early December;
  • Met with staff from Office of Innovation in December regarding adopting a humanitarian licensing framework for health innovations (as per our Global Access to Medicines Policy);
  • Met with project manager for Promenade Urbaine construction to discuss accessibility issues;
  • Hired Harmful Military Technology Researcher to begin work this term.

Check out our January 12th Council report to learn more about plans for the Winter term.