The McMaster Students Union
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
DENVER DELLA-VEDOVA President president@msu.mcmaster.ca 905.525.9140 x23885
With the University’s recent announcement that most of the academic schedule will return to full, in-person learning for the second semester, I imagine we will witness more of a return to the normalcy of campus life in the coming weeks. Specifically, I expect to see restrictions on in-person events hosted by MSU clubs and other student groups lifted shortly; and rightly so, as McMaster students boast a high vaccination rate, our city and province are seeing an overall improving health situation, and now that classes are scheduled to return to the classic in-person model
msu_mcmaster msumcmaster.ca text “MSU” to 71441
for January of 2022, I see little reason to justify the University’s continued ban on student-run events. On campus, the food and hospitality services of TwelvEighty, the Grind, and Union Market, as well as the services of Underground Media + Design are open to the public. As well, students are welcome to sit inside the Grind to enjoy its great selection of coffee and baked goods. Also available to students are the services of the Ombuds office. Ombuds is jointly funded by the MSU and McMaster University. The office helps students navigate conflicts which relate to the policy landscape of the University. If you have experienced any issues of fairness thus far, such as those related to the hybrid nature of this semester, McMaster’s vaccine policy, or issues concerning the administration of your education, the Ombuds office will meet with you to help ensure you have been treated fairly. Learn more by visiting www.mcmaster.ca/ombuds. Though campus life is steadily coming back online, one thing that has not slowed is the MSU’s
The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the Board of Directors of the McMaster Students Union (MSU) to communicate with the student body. It functions to highlight the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.
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advocacy work. As a member of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), the MSU helps shape the policies that come before OUSA’s General Assembly (GA). OUSA is a provincial advocacy group, which represents over 150,000 students in Ontario from across eight post-secondary institutions. OUSA has worked with the government of Ontario to have hundreds of millions of dollars invested into post-secondary programs and support for students. OUSA GA will focus on four policy paper topics: Indigenous Students, Student Mobility & Credit Transfer, Responding to Covid-19, and Accountability & System Vision. The papers are thoroughly researched and reviewed prior to the GA, with further debate taking place when representatives from all schools meet. Once adopted, the policy papers and their specific recommendations become the main lobbying priorities of OUSA. In turn, they are shared with relevant members of the provincial government. Learn more about OUSA at www.ousa.ca.
DENVER DELLA-VEDOVA President
www.thesil.ca | Thursday, November 4, 2021
CHRISTINA DEVARAPALLI Vice-President (Adminstration)
Finally, I would like to highlight the Student Life Enhancement Fund (SLEF). SLEF is a pool of money set aside by McMaster University each year to provide seed capital and financial support for student service providers to expand their infrastructure and improve the student experience. The committee that oversees SLEF is comprised of both university officials and student leaders. However, ideas for new projects come directly from students! Visit http://enhance.mcmaster.ca and submit any idea(s) that could improve student life. No idea is too big or too small. All ideas will be reviewed by the committee for feasibility after the submission portal closes. In January 2022, a list of projects based on these ideas will be presented to students for voting. As annual funding permits, the project(s) with the most support from students will receive guaranteed funding and become a reality. I encourage everyone to visit the SLEF website and share some thoughts on how our campus can improve into the future.
SIOBHAN TEEL Vice-President (Education)
JEGANIYAH (JJ) JAYACHANDRAN
Vice-President (Finance)