VUSAC Semi-Annual Report | Fall 2022

SEMIANNUAL

P R E P A R E D B Y J A C K I E K O , C O M M U N I C A T I O N S C O O R D I N A T O R

PRESIDENT Sooyeon Lee

Hi everyone,

I’ve had the privilege of being elected as VUSAC President for the 2022 2023 school year in the Spring 2022 elections. Once I was elected into the position, I began working as the summer office manager and started to think about my goals for VUSAC.

In May and June, I worked with Jackson, the VPI, to hire co chairs for the Academic, Commuter, Equity, Mental Wellness, and Sustainability commissions, as well as staff members for the roles of Office Manager, Chief Returning Officer, Communications Coordinator, Finance Chair, and Chair. Once the hired roles were filled, I worked with Jackson to onboard all new members of council both elected and hired. By having these onboardings, I was able to get council members’ general interests of what they wanted to accomplish on VUSAC, which in turn helped shape my own goals.

In July, I completed the last push of cleaning out the back office which was started in March 2022 when the office reopened. I also started an ongoing inventory of merchandise that VUSAC sold with Lara, the Office Manager, to get a better understanding of our stock. Jackson and I also ran a “How to Plan an Event” and “How to Budget” presentation for council members; these presentations were created in hopes of giving a structured outline of how to create programming and how to best budget for said programming throughout the year.

In August, I began working with Pooja, the Chief Returning Officer, to start planning out the timeline of elections. As this was the first time that elections were in person since Fall 2019, Pooja and I were most interested in seeing how we could best engage the VCU using both in person and online methods. I also edited the Elections Referenda Code (ERC) to allow for campaigning and voting period to overlap, as the separation had led to low voter turnout and engagement in the past. The Fall 2022 elections were overall very successful with both high candidate engagement and voter turnout. I believe that a combination of the change to the ERC and return to in person programming contributed to the success of the elections, and look forward to seeing how the Spring 2023 elections will look for VUSAC.

Once new members of council were elected, I worked with Jackson to do more onboardings as before to see how we could best support council members in their initiatives, goals, and projects. I was also assigned three councillors: Zoe, Juhyung, and Caitriona. Zoe and I have been working on looking into affordable housing in the form of Vic’s property located on 63/65 Charles Street West, as well as continuing to advocate for Vic to bring forward a plan to divest, which has been especially pertinent after UofT’s announcement of the university’s divestment plan. Juhyung and I have been looking into how to best engage students and receive feedback. Lastly, Caitriona and I have been talking about doing a space audit, which I will be undertaking as a personal project for my presidency.

The idea behind the space audit began over the summer when I started to think about how space would be used in the VUSAC office after the office would reopen, which expanded into how space was being used at

PRESIDENT Sooyeon Lee

the Goldring Student Centre (GSC), and at Vic more largely. The method of use, frequency, and accessibility of spaces are all elements to how students interact with student spaces, and as an extension, student life. While I intend for this to be a larger project that eventually looks at the entirely of Victoria College and all of its buildings, at the moment, I want to look at the different spaces of Goldring Student Centre. I’m interested in answering the following questions: How can we bring more students into the GSC? How can existing spaces be more welcoming? Are spaces as accessible as they could be? If not, how could they be improved? How does use of space affect student life? To start the space audit, I have contacted the Office of the Dean of Students and the Board of Regents to ask for information on data and floor layouts of the GSC. Once I have more information, I plan on extending the space audit project to other members of VUSAC who would be interested in getting involved as well.

To prepare for the next semester, I have been working with Amelia, the Arts and Culture Commissioner, and Ninon, the Scarlet and Gold Commissioner, to start planning out larger events that occur in the winter, such as the Gardiner Gala and Highball. Thomas, the Finance Chair, and I have been working to determine an appropriate budget size for these various events and are looking at past years where VUSAC held in person events to estimate these costs.

I also wanted to be transparent about how I spend my time as President. I attend weekly meetings with Ali, the Campus Life Coordinator, to discuss ongoing and upcoming projects that VUSAC is working on. I also have weekly meetings with Jackson, Shane, and Michael the VUSAC Vice Presidents to update each other on our portfolios and to discuss any council or college wide issues that come up. The VUSAC Executive also meet monthly with various members of the Office of the Dean of Students to discuss initiatives and issues pertaining to student life at Vic more broadly. I also meet monthly with President McEwan, where we discuss greater issues at Vic; most recently, we have been speaking about the issue of divestment as well as diversity and inclusion in Vic programs. Lastly, I represent VUSAC through meetings at the Board of Regents, the Victoria College Council and the Alumni of Victoria College.

It’s been a great couple of months so far and I look forward to the rest of the school year and the events it will bring. As always, please reach out to me at president@vusac.ca if you have any questions or want to chat!

VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

Shane Joy

I am excited to share what I have been working on since my election in April. To begin, I spent the summer preparing for Orientation Week 2022 and pursuing some small personal projects of my own. Although not formally tied to my role as VPE (as it is for the President), working as an Orientation Executive took up much of my time, as well as the summer courses I was taking. Despite the time constraints I was dealing with, over the summer I was still able to conduct research on the meal plan policies of the different colleges at the University of Toronto and acquaint myself with the actions taken and policies implemented by Victoria College administrators (President, Principal, Dean of Students, Registrar) over the past several years and how they coincided with their goals. What I found was that Victoria University has done a great deal in recent years to support students and improve the university experience, but there is still much to be desired, and I plan on ensuring that our administrators continue to serve students and are held accountable to their goals and the broader vision of Victoria University.

Following the conclusion of Orientation Week, I was able to focus primarily on work pertaining specifically to the role of Vice President External. Firstly, I have been meeting on a regular basis with Climate Justice UofT to discuss divestment and sustainability at Victoria College, attempting to ascertain how the VUSAC can be of better help to them and their efforts to lobby for divestment from fossil fuels at Victoria and the other federated colleges. Furthermore, myself and other student representatives on the Board of Regents have and will continue to advocate for greater action and commitment to divestment from Victoria University’s highest decision making body. Secondly, following a year long effort from past and present members of council to get the Victoria College administration to end its silence on the racist, misogynistic conduct of some professors such as David Gilmour, President Rhonda McEwen and Principal Angela Esterhammer have agreed to publish a statement committing Victoria University to making its classroom environments and academic offerings more equitable and inclusive for students.

Among the other things I’ve been working on this semester, I’ve done my best to be proactive about conducting advocacy work for the issues about which Victoria College students care but extend beyond the grounds of our campus. For example, following the Ford government’s invocation of the notwithstanding clause for Bill 28, I produced a statement endorsing CUPE workers defending their right to collectively bargain and strike, urging the Victoria College community to support them at the picket line. Another statement I’m working on with the help of the councillors assigned to my portfolio concerns the domestic unrest in Iran. We hope to call attention to the issue and offer the VUSAC’s support for Iranian students at UofT and beyond while also highlighting the fact that government imposed restrictions on women’s bodily autonomy is not just limited to the Iranian regime, but occurring much closer to home than many people realize. We also don’t want to see the issue fade into the periphery, and seek to continue calling for our administrators to do more.

The in person return of the VUSAC’s semesterly Caucus Meeting as well as the December 6 Memorial Service has been really exciting to plan. Carrying over the changes made by my predecessors to how the

VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

Shane Joy

meeting is facilitated, the VUSAC’s Fall 2022 Caucus will once again be increasingly discussion oriented, with the elimination of many of the required reports from clubs & levies. Such a change helps to cut down on the length of Caucus, leaving more room to ask questions of our administrators and discuss topics relevant to the Victoria College community. The December 6th Memorial Service, too, will remain relatively unaltered. It will be great to see these events successfully carried out following an exhausting several years online.

Over the coming weeks, I hope to finish the planning and facilitation of Caucus as well as the December 6th Memorial Service, and continue working on the Iran statement. Over the longer term, I hope to continue my research into meal plan prices and food accommodations available for students at Vic and beyond, and I will be aided in this endeavour by my placement on the Food Services Committee, from which I can suggest improvements to the quality, accessibility, and pricing of food offerings available to students at Victoria College based on what I gather. Furthermore, I believe the growing consensus on campus among students, faculty, and staff of the imminent need for divestment from fossil fuels and Victoria University’s oil well means that such a transformational achievement is not far off.

VICE-PRSIDENT INTERNAL Jackson Leslie

Hi Vickies!

My name is Jackson Leslie, and I am this year’s Vice President Internal. In a nutshell, it is my job to maintain the structure and well being of council and the office including rules and culture, oversee internal affairs, and support members of council. I am super excited to shed some light on the work that I have done since being elected in April, and I appreciate you taking the time to read this.

April was a transition period for me and the rest of the newly elected members. I met with Nerija, the VPI for the previous summer, so I can get a better understanding of the role and where to direct most of my attention to. I also met with Jerico, the previous president, and the current president, Soo, to draft a summer timeline and get more insight into the responsibilities during the summer period.

In May and June, our top priority was to hire staff members and co chairs. The hiring process involved releasing job postings, reviewing applications and sending interview invites to prospective candidates. I would create interviewing questions, organize various hiring panels, and chair the interviews to ultimately allow us to select the best candidates for the positions. All positions were filled by our June 24th meeting. More on our equitable hiring policy can be found on the VUSAC website.

Throughout this time, Soo, our president, and I had onboarding meetings with all members of council (executive, commissioners, staff and co chairs). It is a very light meeting where Soo and I get to know council members and see how we can best support them in their role and their personal initiatives. I also organized an executive “retreat,” an afternoon online meeting, where we set long term and short term goals.

Once onboardings and hiring were over, it was time to start check ins. Check ins are another easygoing meeting where I see how folks are doing personally and also take the opportunity to discuss how they have been progressing in the role and what I can do to best support them. Though only mandated to happen once a semester, I aimed to and, for the most part, have been able to have them more regularly (once a month). This continued for the rest of the summer and fall semester, with a pause during September/October (due to the way VUSAC dates fell). I have been able to support members in planning events as we geared for in person return and held a “how to plan and budget” event alongside Soo, as we know this would be the first time for most myself included.

During the months of August and September, I began planning for VUSAC’s fall retreat. It is a fun filled weekend, or so I think, where all members of council receive training and attend workshops, but most importantly, get to bond with each other to create a cohesive unit. I reached out to different internal and external facilitators to start drafting themes and a timeline for the retreat scheduled for October 15th and 16th. An extension to this was planning a First Aid & CPR training for some members of council (we all passed!) to be held at the end of October.

Due to a rough adjustment during the beginning of the semester, I haven’t been able to pursue any personal goals of mine. I am excited to see them come to fruition during the winter semester, so stay tuned for next

VICE-PRSIDENT INTERNAL

Jackson Leslie

semester’s semi annual report.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, any initiatives or need support, please feel free to send me an email at vpi@vusac.ca

Slay, Serve, Survive, Jackson

VICE-PRSIDENT STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Michael Elsaesser

Hello Vickies! My name is Michael, and I am this year’s Vice President Student Organizations on VUSAC. To preface my semi annual report, I wanted to note that I am indebted to the other members of the executive and many others who have helped me transition into this role this term as I was voted in and ratified on VUSAC’s September 30th meeting. I have been honored to join this incredible team, and help our student organizations operate at their best this year as more things re open, and student life begins to roar back vibrantly.

Club Ratification:

As VPSO, I am responsible for facilitating the ratification of VUSAC clubs each year. Applications continue to be open for any student who wishes to start a club during the school year. I still continue to review, follow up on, and bring forward these applications for ratification at VUSAC’s Regular Meetings. So far I have been able to help four clubs with their ratification since October. In case anyone would like to start a new club, I would direct them to the Club Application Form under the Student Resources section of the VUSAC website. It is always great to have new additions to student life here at Vic so that every student can explore their passions and find their group!

Club & Levy Check Ins:

As VPSO, I am required to meet with each Levy Head three times a year (once in the summer and once each semester), and each Club Head twice a year (once each semester), to better grasp what each student group is up to and how I can support them in their work. I hope to have all of the fall check ins done before our fall caucus. During these meetings, I review how the clubs and levies have been operating so far, help resolve any issues they face, and start planning for the rest of the year. One of the main points which has come up in these meetings has to do with transitions into club and levy head positions. Multiple levy heads were unable to access their bank accounts and needed help gaining signing authority. I have begun looking at methods to assure that these transitions are smoother going forward so that as student leaders take on positions, they are set up for success and can properly fulfill their new role from the start. I am very excited about all the initiatives they have planned and completed so far, and I look forward to the big events coming next term!

All Clubs Meeting:

The VPSO is mandated to chair a meeting for all club heads. The All Clubs Meeting will be taking place at the start of next term, and will be an opportunity for clubs to raise issues and discuss their experiences with other clubs and myself. During this fall term, I have been planning this meeting and making sure that all possible information they need will be available.

Equity Training:

This year, after consultation with many clubs and levies, the VUSAC Equity Commission and I have decided to establish a new in person framework for club and levy executive equity training. We hope that this training will allow for more in depth and specific conversations to occur. Equity is a top priority for VUSAC, so we want to make sure that we handle this training with great care to help prepare the club and levy executives for any issues they may face, and prevent concerns from arising. I hope to have this training done as soon as

VICE-PRSIDENT STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Michael Elsaesser

possible, so that all of the student organizations will be prepared for the year moving forward. Once sessions begin, I will track the number of participants to assure that they’re all on course to meet VUSAC’s requirements, and follow up if they’re not.

One of my notable projects moving forward this term is looking into our levy VISA, which unfortunately has been inactive and without a levy head for around a year. There have been conversations at VUSAC about if it would be better to revive VISA or absorb it as a VUSAC commission. I have been looking at how VISA has operated in the past, and what its financial situation is currently. I more than welcome any feedback from international students on what they feel would be best to represent them in student life. I am also planning on sorting through the VUSAC club storage with our fantastic office manager so that it is easier for clubs to get their needed equipment. I am also in the process of collecting information to update the club and levy handbooks since much has changed in terms of event policies, and I hope to make them more comprehensive and accessible to help these groups navigate all things Vic and VUSAC.

ACADEMIC COMMISSIONER

Dhir Shah

Dear Vickie,

One year ago, as Victoria University opened its doors to me, I became part of a family. The journey ahead was unknown, but I commenced it with the hope of learning something new. I perceive that we are learners and teachers simultaneously. As I reflect, there is a lesson that I learn everyday learning to learn. I ask myself: “What could I have done differently today to make myself more productive?”

Wearing the shoes of an academic commissioner is not about the title it is an opportunity to listen to you, an opportunity to learn from you, an opportunity to represent you and an opportunity to guide you. My team, comprising of Amanda Li (Academic Co Chair), Stephanie Cui (Communications Coordinator), Jessie Liu (Outreach Director), Jiwoo Oh (Event Manager), Mariejo Hay (Advocacy Director), Sarah Wang (First Year Representative) and the entire VUSAC, and I have a purpose you!

From academics to campus life and more, Victoria University is home to about 4,000 students and counting students not only associate with the university as a college but engage with it regularly. As I stepped into office, I was astounded with my formed perception that less than half of the student population is actively involved with VUSAC and / or its branches. I justify my perception in part with the results of the fall 2022 elections in which the voter count (vusac.ca/elections) appears to be in the hundreds. To what extent my perception is a reality will involve an extensive analysis of VUSAC’s outreach and engagement. However, I infer that VUSAC, and the commissions need to strategize for an expanded outreach and a more involved community

This year, my team and I intend to focus on the commission’s outreach and engagement. Therefore, I proposed the designing of a survey to assess and analyze student needs and experience, in order to improve engagement, inclusivity, and diversity at the university, promote holistic development and improve student well being and experience. In order to encourage participation, we will conduct a draw in order to give away ten study care packages to members of the community. While there are many information channels available for students to stay abreast with, some are not active. Before taking office, I noted that the Academic Commission’s webpage is inactive. Inactive channels are potential sources of low community engagement. In view of this, my team and I have agreed to develop a more interactive webpage for students to engage with. Complementing this process, we will host a logo designing competition, to aid with re branding the Academic Commission. The winning logo shall symbolize the commission more accurately.

Holistically, my team and I shall be hosting a variety of events throughout the year. While some events are intended to encourage socialization, others are intended to assist students with their educational development. To improve inclusivity and account for diversity of events, we will extensively analyze the data from the survey to cater for student needs.

Yours Faithfully, Dhir Shah

ACADEMIC CO-CHAIR

Amanda Li

As the Academic Co chair, my primary role is to assist the Academic Commissioner with working towards accomplishing our goals and initiatives for the Commission. Taking on this position in early summer, I also assumed the responsibilities of a Commissioner in the beginning. Being a new member of VUSAC, I dedicated much of my time to learning more about the following programs and events that were executed in the past years by the Commission to help lead a growing team.

Throughout July, we welcomed five new members in various roles to help support the Commission prepping for the following school year ahead of us. It was a pleasure to have Dhir join us in October as the Academic Commissioner, and I look forward to working with our two new councillors Medha and Charlie this year.

We started this school year collaborating with Victoria College’s learning strategist Ben, in helping students prepare for the transition back to in person tests. Following this, we planned an anti procrastination night for students, a fun study session to promote productivity. Recently, we released a survey asking the students here at Victoria College what they wish to see from this Commission, using survey results to implement more engaging workshops and events in the best interest of the students. Moving forward, we hope to continue collaborating with the other Commissions, building our relationship over all here in VUSAC, along with serving the best possible resources to aid students academically and support for their career journey.

ARTS & CULTURE COMMISSIONER

Amelia Collet

Assembled Commission

The Commission was able to add four new members to the team in the positions of Events Coordinator, Social Media Manager, Content Lead and First Year Representative. The application, created via google form was opened on August 16th and was closed on August 31st.

The Bob Sketch Comedy Revue

Work on The Bob began over the summer with hiring the show’s directors. This year the show is directed by The Bob veterans Audrey Lee and Davide Sallese. Once the directors were hired, they sat on the hiring committee to hire producers for this year's show. Hannah Wineburg and Ethan Dimaria were selected as this year’s co producers. Following this, the directors held auditions and selected the cast for the show. As this is the first year in a while that The Bob will be in person, there have been some changes from the last couple years, but we are looking forward to the show returning to in person. The Bob’s performance dates are coming up, with the shows scheduled for December 7th and 8th.

VUSAC Clubs and Levies Fair

The Arts and Culture Commission had a booth at the VUSAC clubs and levies dinner earlier this year to increase the reach of the commission, introduce new students to our events, as well as talk to students about what programming they would like to see this year.

Tote Bag Painting Social

We hosted a tote bag painting social, which was a success. Students gathered in the Vic quad to paint, relax, and converse with each other. We ordered 80 tote bags, which were all claimed within the first half hour of the event.

Home for the Holidays Event

The Commuter Commissions will hold the annual Home for the Holidays Event on November 24th, which we will be participating in by having a booth. This will be a joint booth with the Scarlet and Gold Commission.

End of Term Events

As the end of November approaches, we are hoping to host a coaster painting event similar to the earlier tote bag painting event where students have the opportunity to socialize and create art with a practical medium that may be useful to them. In December, the Art and Culture commission is hoping to host a snowflake cutting event. This is a fun way for students to create art and perhaps even winter decor for their homes in a low stress environment.

Planning for Winter Term

Planning for the 2023 Gardiner Gala has begun and we have been meeting with the Dean’s office to start arranging the details. We have also started reaching out to student groups who would be interested in sharing their art at the event.

COMMUTER COMMISSIONER

Maarib Kirmani

Haseeb

At the start of my position as Commuter Commissioner, I began planning for the summer and sat on hiring panels for VUSAC staff positions, specifically for Chair, Communications Coordinator, and Finance Chair.

With the assistance of the hiring team, I hired Emilie as Commuter Co Chair, who I worked with last year on VOCA. Emilie and I interviewed and hired 10 Upper Year executives for our Administrative, Advocacy, Collaborations, Communications, and Events duos in July.

In August, we onboarded our executive team and together we assembled and painted a Little Free Library. The library is now open in the Commuter Lounge and available for Victoria College students and staff to exchange and donate books. We also had pancake training with Rheannon, a former Commuter Commissioner, where we learned how to run pancake brunches, and successfully hosted one during Commuter Orientation!

Starting in September, we hosted a booth at “Dinner with VUSAC and Levies” during Orientation and answered students’ questions about VOCA. By the end of the month, we hired three first year executives, Jacob, Armiti, and Alexandria. We began our bi weekly team meetings and started planning events for the Fall semester.

September also marked the return of weekly pancake brunches in the Cat’s Eye which has had incredible turnout! We serve an average of 150 students per week. We collaborated with the Commuter Dons and the Dean’s Office where they flipped pancakes for the day. I have had a great time meeting more commuter students through the brunches this semester.

Our lovely duos have been up to lots this semester with more events happening soon. Specifically:

• Administrative (Michelle and Baishen)

: Updated announcements on the whiteboard in the Commuter Lounge, tracked pancake inventory

• Advocacy (Leeanne and Zaiboon)

: Fall programming survey, Back to School Indigo gift card giveaway, PRESTO ticket giveaway

• Giveaways (November and December)

• Collaborations (Jiwoo and Aimee)

: Trivia Night with the Commuter Dons (50 attendees)

• Movie Night with Scarlet & Gold + Exam Jam Jeopardy with Academic Commission (December)

• Communications (Tiffany and Alishba)

: Regularly posted on Instagram, updated our website, created a branding kit for our social media

• Fall photo contest (November)

COMMUTER COMMISSIONER

Maarib

Kirmani

• Events (Anne and Spencer)

Haseeb

: Tote bag painting on the Quad with the Arts and Culture Commission (80 attendees)

• Spotify Frame Paint Night (November - 60 attendees)

In October, Emilie and I hosted a Taylor Swift Listening Party, a co-chair event to celebrate the release of her new album. We had around 30 students attend.

On November 24th, we are hosting Home for the Holidays in Old Vic. We are planning for 12 student groups and 3 VOCA duos to run different holiday market booths such as candy grams, ring toss, and more. Students can win raffle prizes such as fully loaded PRESTO cards and Victoria College merch. We are expecting 200 250 attendees.

Working with VOCA and VUSAC has been incredibly rewarding. Emilie and I look forward to collaborating with more student groups at UofT at pancakes next semester. We will also be hosting Commuter Appreciation Week in collaboration with other colleges in March.

COMMUTER CO-CHAIR

Emilie Nero

When I was hired to be the Commuter Co Chair this summer I was thrilled to work once again with Maarib, the Commuter Commissioner, on VOCA. Together, we hired our fantastic VOCA Executive team and started planning for the school year. Our main goals this semester were to bring back VOCA’s weekly pancake brunch after a two year hiatus, expand Home for the Holidays as a Holiday Market, and continue to run monthly programming and events that are ‘commuter friendly’.

In September, we successfully brought back VOCA’s weekly pancakes which happened in the Cat’s Eye every Tuesday from 10 am 1 pm. I assigned all 81 of the free lockers in the Commuter Lounge, which will be re assigned at the beginning of the winter semester. In October, our Advocacy Duo gave away single ride presto tickets to commuter students. We completed our Executive Team with the additions of our First Year Execs, as well as our VUSAC Councillor. My attention in late October and November has been focused on Home for the Holidays. We have expanded the number of booths and student groups at the event from last year. Home for the Holidays will be happening on Thursday, November 24 from 5 8pm in Old Vic. I hope to see you there!

My time on VUSAC and managing VOCA has been very fulfilling and exceptionally fun, especially after two years of online events and school. I look forward to the winter semester and Commuter Appreciation Week, which will occur in March 2023.

EQUITY COMMISSIONER

Diana Vink

The Equity Commission is VUSAC’s Commission focused on advocating for the needs for Victoria College students and addressing and solving equity based concerns at Vic. The Commission works to plan equity related events, promote resources at Vic and UofT, and listen and advocate for student needs in the Vic community. Having been elected in the spring, I’ve been working with VUSAC over the summer as well throughout the semester to hire co chairs and staff members, including my co chair Cam.

Over the summer, we hired a four person executive team for the Equity Commission, consisting of three General Executives, Maria, Nikita, and Vedika, and one Social Media Executive, Cynthia. Recently, we signed on our Councillor, Catriona, and are super excited to work with her on future projects! Our general membership and general meetings are open to everyone. We have had two general meetings, one fully remote and one hybrid in the VUSAC office and online. So far, our team has been working tirelessly to provide resources to students in line with our goals. Thus far in the semester, the commission has begun to:

1. Compile resource sets for students on various topics that they may need assistance with, including 1. Mental health support, 2. Disability and accessibility services, 3. LGBTQ+ support, 4. Sexual violence support, 5. International study programs, 6. Financial/scholarship resources, 7. General student needs, including support with healthcare and academics.

2. Provide DivaCups to students, charging a subsidized rate of $15 in order to more consistently and sustainably provide them throughout the year.

For the remainder of the semester, we have plans to hold several events to foster community within Vic, as well as to participate in events run by VUSAC and other organizations. We plan to:

1. Run a booth at VOCA’s Home for the Holidays Event, centered around sharing favorite media (music, film, shows, books) of the year, 2. Run a “Meet the Commission” event, in which students can come meet our Commission team and decorate t shirts,

3. Take students to the show “Red Velvet” at Crow’s Theatre, which tells the story of the first Black man to play Othello.

4. Time permitting, hold a “Doc N Talk” where students can have open discussions around a documentary or guest speaker.

My Co Chair, Cam, and I have also been in contact with the Dean’s Office to discuss affordable and safe housing options for any students that may be unable to return home for the holidays. Furthermore, Cam and I will be speaking at the Vic One Judy LaMarsh reception on the importance of equity and the work of the Equity Commission following the November 23rd lecture. Other concerns we hope to bring up and work on solutions for in the future include the accessibility of life saving swimming lessons, the accessibility of

EQUITY COMMISSIONER

Diana Vink

Burwash Dining Hall, and assisting in the audit of student spaces. We plan to open a form for student concerns to support student interests, and look forward to continuing to work with and for students! With any ideas, feel free to reach out to equity@vusac.ca.

EQUITY CO-CHAIR

Cameron Miranda-Radbord

The role of the Equity Co Chair is to support the Equity Commissioner in fulfilling their responsibilities to the Vic Community. To that end, this semester, I have worked with Diana to deliver tangible results for Vic students.

1. Organizing and supporting events including field trips to local theaters, Home for the Holidays, and a meet the exec activity

2. Continuing our successful free menstrual products program and subsidizing diva cups for students who want them

3. Working toward a gender affirming gear giveaway in collaboration with Vic Pride

4. Maintaining an active commission with several executive members and bi weekly meetings open to the student body

In addition, I have supported the Commission's responses to several Equity related challenges on campus and provided advice to organizations at Vic seeking to make their programming more equitable. I have pushed administrators to improve housing access during the winter break and continued last year’s work around pushing for changes to the dining hall. I am grateful for the hard work of Diana and the membership of the Equity Commission, who led many of these efforts.

Going into the Winter, there remain many challenges for the Commission to address. With tuition rising, COVID 19 continuing to pose a threat, and the persistent refusal of the University to divest from fossil fuels, student advocacy is crucial. If you’re interested in equity on campus, please reach out to equity@vusac.ca we are always looking for general members!

MENTAL WELLNESS COMMISSIONER

Julie Seeger

Hello! My name is Julie and I’m the current Mental Wellness commissioner. This semester has been off to a great start, thanks to our incredible exec team and co chair, Vincent. His report has highlighted some of our initiatives this semester, and I’d like to discuss our upcoming goals for the rest of the year!

December

We will be partnering with the Academic Commission for an Exam Jam, an event which has been a tradition for the past few years. We will also be partnering with the Arts and Culture Commission for an arts and crafts event to promote stress relief. As a commission, we will be hosting an event dedicated to stress relief and taking the time to support ourselves individually during times of immense stress.

Student Panel

We hope to host a student panel in the winter semester featuring students at Victoria College to discuss mental health on campus. We believe that open and honest dialogue and conversation regarding mental health is needed to destigmatize issues surrounding mental health and to create policies which will best support students. We will be releasing a form that will allow students to submit questions anonymously in the new year.

Mental Health @ Vic Research

The needs of students at Vic continue to evolve as time passes, and a survey is a great way to identify those gaps. We will be asking students to provide feedback on mental health surveys and policies within UofT and Vic to identify how both (1) the Mental Wellness Commission and (2) the University of Toronto can best support individuals to reach positive mental health. This will be released in the new year.

Mental health is a difficult but very important topic in student life, with many contributing factors creating a landscape that is at times, difficult to navigate. Our commission to dedicated to navigating these issues, but we know that there are things that we can always miss! If there is something you would like to bring to our attention, please reach out either via email at mentalwellness@vusac.ca or over Instagram @vic.mentalwellness ! Together we can implement positive change and make this campus better for future Vickies.

MENTAL WELLNESS CO-CHAIR

Vincent Espenida

The Mental Wellness Commission strives to continue our mission of shifting towards in person events following the pandemic. Here are some events that the commission has planned for this semester.

Plant Giveaway

The success of this event last academic year has promoted our commission to bring back the plant giveaway where students have the opportunity to take a plant home. In addition, we provide insightful research surrounding plants and their benefits on our mental health through environmental psychology.

Mental Wellness Walk

This event is an opportunity for students to improve their overall well being by walking with commission members and exploring the beauty of our campus. We also provide information detailing how walking benefits our mental health.

Bi-Weekly Tea Party

This cozy event is a great way to destress, have a snack and a cup of tea, and get to know commission executives and the community. We hope that this event allows us to build a more close knit community while gaining peace and tranquility for our mental health.

Journaling Workshop

There are a lot of benefits that journaling provides to our mental well being. The commission plans to have a workshop that gives students the resources needed to learn how to use a journal to improve overall well being.

As Mental Wellness Co Chair, I will continue my efforts, alongside your Mental Wellness Commissioner, to organize and execute events focusing on mental wellness for the Victoria College community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at mentalwellnesscochair@vusac.ca

SCARLET & GOLD COMMISSIONER

Ninon Crestois

Due to the COVID 19 Pandemic, the Scarlet & Gold Commission has had limited opportunities to fulfill its usual portfolio events. The Scarlet & Gold Commission has made it its mission for the academic year to increase safe in person engagement and revitalise the Victoria College social scene through the return of highly anticipated events like the Semi formal & Highball. Many students at Victoria College today have only ever heard of these socials since the last ones to occur were in 2019. It is my hope that these can once again become key parts of Victoria College’s student life.

Engagement

The Scarlet & Gold Commission is dedicated to creating events that reflect the wishes of the community at large. To best execute this, the More Scarlet, More Gold? Survey was shared through various platforms to collect student feedback for event planning. The survey indicated a clear eagerness for in person events. Additionally, the Scarlet & Gold Commission has joined every other commission in creating its own Instagram page. The Scarlet & Gold Commission prior to this was the only committee without one which was made it difficult for people to find our events specifically. With this additional social media platform, we hope that we will be able to promote our content in a more streamlined way and it should allow us to obtain input from students in a more informal way.

Events in the Fall Semester

The Scarlet & Gold Commission has hosted several smaller events both online and offline for students to start interacting with our commission again. While Falling for Vic is typically a pub night event, the uncertainty of the start of the semester made me decided to downgrade the event scale. I instead hosted a karaoke night in the Cat’s Eye where turnout was much better than anticipated. Students really seemed to enjoy the informal nature of the karaoke night and we extended the event till the Cat's Eye was supposed to close due to student’s enthusiasm. For Halloween, an online costume contest giveaway was launched, and it garnered decent responses.

To finish off the semester, the Scarlet & Gold Commission will be collaborating with VOCA for a Christmas Movie Night. Additionally, with the Arts & Culture Commission, we will be setting up a booth at VOCA’s Home for the Holiday Event.

Upcoming Events

Next semester, the Scarlet & Gold Commission is planning to revitalise our two big events: the Semi Formal and Highball. The planning for the Semi formal is well on the way, with a venue confirmed and a team hard at work. The Semi-formal will serve as a fun back-to-school event at the beginning of the winter semester welcoming students back to campus. Additionally, talks for Highball have begun. I will soon be staring the process of hiring for the Highball committee, which should allow us to start the planning process early as well. The feedback from the Semi formal will serve as a guiding experience to ensure that Highball can be successful as possible!

SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSIONER

Amy Mann

A lot of work needs to be done at Vic. The focus of the Sustainability Commission this semester has been on advocacy on behalf of Vic students to see these changes occur. Below I have summarized some of our main projects this semester. Our meetings are on Fridays at 4 and are open to all Vic students. If you are interested in getting involved in any of these projects, I encourage you to stop by! (There are snacks, too.)

Divestment

The Sustainability Commission has worked closely with Climate Justice U of T this term to push Vic to divest from fossil fuels. We have done banner drops, collected signatures for the petition, and organized a protest. As a result of years of activism from Vic students, the Board of Regents (the body with the power to divest) has made a committee to study divestment. We are expecting to hear a decision from them next term. After the BOR hears the committee’s findings, they will (hopefully) vote on whether to divest. Our goal is to keep the pressure up on Vic leading up to this vote.

Vic’s Oil Rig

We were appalled to learn this term that Vic owns an oil rig in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. That means it is directly perpetrating the very crisis that it purports to be concerned about! Our preliminary goal has been to increase awareness at Vic about the oil rig since most students do not know about. We are working with the Strand to publish an expose on it. The Board of Regents is the body with the power to decommission

SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSIONER

Amy Mann

the oil rig. We plan to strategize more about how to apply pressure on the Board to decommission it next semester.

September 23rd Climate Strike

Our commission organized a U of T feeder strike on September 23rd . Our demands were: 1) A more bold emissions reduction plan at least match the City of Toronto’s plan of net zero by 2030 ; 2) Federated colleges divest; 3) Integrate sustainability into programming. Thanks to all the students that joined us in the streets for these goals. The strike was a great start getting the University’s attention. There is more work to be done to get them implemented! We have the power to shape U of T we saw this with the divestment campaign, and so many others. We need students to stay engaged and join us to fight for people over profit.

Sustainability Blog

Our commission is working to create a sustainability publication to discuss issues related to climate change at Vic. In our first issue, we will explore students' perceptions and experiences of climate change. We are accepting submissions. Contributors will receive a 10$ gift care of their choice. Please check out our Instagram @vic.sustainability to find out how to submit to our publications.

Seed Library

We have started a seed library program to promote seed literacy among Vic students. They are shelves that

SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSIONER

Amy Mann

contain an assortment of free seeds for students. They are available at two locations: 1) outside the VUSAC office; 2) E.J Pratt Library. We encourage students to stop by and pick up some seeds to plant. If you need help planting the seeds or have any questions, please reach out to us and we would be happy to help.

Thrift Sale

We had a very popular thrift sale in October. If you missed this thrift sale, stay tuned. We are planning to have another one in the winter semester. All clothing will be sold for a dollar each.

SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSIONER

Rebecca Muscant

My role as the VUSAC Sustainability Co Chair thus far has been a very eventful one. The sustainability commission’s goals this year have been primarily divided into two categories: events / education and advocacy. I have taken on a lot of the advocacy work, as well as worked to support Amy and other commission members in running our events.

In terms of initiatives from this year, we started off strong in September with the U of T climate protest in collaboration with the city wide strike. We joined forces with Stop Ecocide U of T and Climate Justice U of T to plan a feeder strike for students before the larger strike itself. We also held a poster making session for anyone looking to make posters for the strike.

Additionally, we planned a meet and greet session where we handed out seed packets in order to encourage seed literacy. Moreover, we tabled at the UTSU clubs fair and around campus to collect signatures for the divestment petition. Our Diva Cup giveaway was very successful, with all 20 gone within one day.

More recently, we have held a clothing drive and thrift sale, along with a lecture by Gideon Forman from the David Suzuki Foundation. We have also created a seed library in EJ Pratt and one in the VUSAC office. Finally, we are working on two different advocacy projects: a sustainability blog and a policy review where we are analyzing Vic’s sustainability commitments with the goal of making recommendations for future improvements.

CHAIR

Anne Huynh

At the start of my term, I met with the VUSAC President, Vice President Internal and Office Manager to discuss the logistics of our fall meetings. We settled on 7 biweekly meeting dates, in addition to a budget ratification meeting. In terms of a date and time for our meetings, we decided to continue with Fridays at 5:30 PM as that seemed like a time when most people would not have class. As for the format, we wanted to bring back in person meetings as U of T planned to return to in person instruction and activities. We did discuss ways in which we could possibly do hybrid meetings, however, it did not seem plausible in the end. Therefore, we have been hosting completely in person meetings thus far. They are currently being held in the Copper Room in the Goldring Student Centre.

I chaired two meetings over the summer a general meeting in June and a club ratification meeting in August. These meetings were held online to accommodate everyone’s summer plans.

As for the fall semester, I have chaired 6 meetings so far, including co chairing the fall budget ratification meeting. I created placards for everyone to help make the additions to the speakers list more manageable. We also introduced a system to help differentiate between wanting to be added to the speakers list and making a direct. Council members requested snacks for our meetings as they are relatively long and run during dinner time. As a result, I have been providing snacks at our meetings which has received positive feedback. Meetings have been running relatively smoothly and the discussions have been very fruitful.

You can find the meeting package for every meeting on our website at https://www.vusac.ca/meetings usually within 24 hours before the meeting. All VCU members are invited and encouraged to submit discussion items to talk about during the meeting, as well as attend the meeting even if you don’t have anything you want to discuss in particular.

In October, VUSAC held a fall retreat where I gave a presentation on VUSAC’s meeting procedures. This was to help inform members of VUSAC on how meetings are run and what their responsibilities are in regards to meetings.

If anyone has any questions or concerns about VUSAC meetings, please feel free to send me an email at chair@vusac.ca and I would be happy to chat with you!

CHIEF RETURNING OFFICER

Pooja Ajit

As the Chief Returning Officer for VUSAC this semester, my main duty was to run Fall elections, manage queries and set up the voting site. I was hired for the position in summer 2022 and spent most of summer reading and comprehending the VUSAC constitution and Elections and Referenda Code (ERC), to better understand how to run elections as well as all the rules and regulations I needed to keep in mind. This year, we decided to shift elections back to 100% in person as the campus was opening up and we thought it would create more interest in joining VUSAC.

Before the nominations period, the VUSAC president, Sooyeon and I focused on going over the ERC and curating the nominations package. During the nominations period, Sooyeon and I held two Q&A sessions about the elections; one in person and one online. Both had quite a low turnout, suggesting we might need to publicize the sessions more I will definitely post about them on the CRO account for the Spring elections.

During the campaigning period, Sooyeon held an All Candidates Meeting (I got sick) using the slide deck I gave her which went smoothly as I did not get a lot of questions about postering rules or other instructions given during the ACM. Town hall occurred the next week, with a high amount of attendance from VUSAC members and candidates however, not a lot of people uninvolved with the elections came. I plan to also market this more next year and ask people to send in their questions for candidates on Instagram. I largely spent the campaigning period answering questions and approving posters, Instagrams, and candidate statements. There were only 3 penalties issued and compliance with the rules was quite good.

This year, we allowed the campaigning period to overlap with the voting period, instead of ending it before and I believe this had a huge effect on engagement and turnout as 14% of Vickies voted! This is one of the highest turnouts in years, likely because of the return to in person programming as well. We will definitely keep this overlap between campaigning and voting for the next election. Voting itself ran very smoothly, with no one reporting issues with the voting site and ratification of the new members at the October VUAC meeting happened without issue.

Over the next few months, I will turn my attention to the Spring elections, for which we have started working on the tentative dates and timelines. I will review the ERC to see where the Spring elections differ from Fall and how I need to adapt my approach to managing it. I have brainstormed some ideas on how to make the election period more engaging, like having a day in the life Instagram takeover by the VPs and President so people feel less intimidated by the roles and having a stronger Instagram presence. I hope to maintain or increase voter turnout for the next election and hopefully get more students involved with VUSAC next year!

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Jackie Ko

It was a busy, but stimulating, experience to work as the VUSAC’s Communications Coordinator since May. My duties range from promotion of events to communications with internal and external bodies of the Vic community.

My first and foremost responsibility is the management of VUSAC’s social media accounts: Instagram and Facebook. I have created two new communications request form for 2022 23 school year for the council members, clubs, and levies. I have continued last year’s policy of keeping at least a week for me to process the requests. However, I’ve tried my best to process them within a day or two from the submission date. One of the plans I have made when hired for this position was to make the Instagram account’s feed more consistent through setting up a colour scheme. I have made cover pages for repost requests from other student bodies and made a template to maintain VUSAC’s official colour scheme throughout the posts. Moreover, I also dealt with the communication through the accounts and emails. I reposted various events onto the story and responded to inquiries from Vic students.

Another main duty is the management of the VUASC website. I started off the year with updating VUSAC council members’ profile on the website. The page is currently updated with the entire council members after the Fall election. I regularly update the website with meeting documents, council documents, opportunities, and more. This year, VUSAC decided to compile a menu within the website for all the commissions. Each commission has one page allocated for themselves to put all necessary information. Currently, the Academic, Commuter, and Sustainability commissions have their pages updated, with the Arts & Culture Commission’s page soon coming up. Other commissions are still in the process of submitting their designs, which I hope to finish within this year.

I also have the duty to compile and send monthly e newsletters to the subscribers. I have sent three newsletters so far, and one more will be sent out for the month of December. Recently, VUSAC has decided to change the monthly e newsletters to bi weekly due to the decreasing rate of submissions from VUSAC members, commissions, clubs, and levies. This decision was made according to the opinion that it was not feasible for the members to plan out an event a month in advance. The bi weekly newsletter will start from the month of January. Also, I will be sending out the newsletter to all Vic students through Listserv rather than the subscription form to increase engagement.

There are few plans in mind in the upcoming weeks. I have discussed with the President, Sooyeon Lee, to arrange an Instagram takeover from any members who wish to participate. This will be an opportunity for VUSAC to promote ourselves, gather feedback, and answer any questions from students who might have felt discouraged to do so in person. I will also be working to arrange an anonymous feedback form to collect opinions from Vic students, which had been lacking recently. Moreover, I am planning to arrange a weekly or bi weekly post that would work as a summary of upcoming events and office businesses. This will be able to increase promotion of VUSAC events in a timelier fashion.

Lastly, I have compiled this report as a part of my duties. I hope you enjoy!

FINANCE CHAIR

Thomas Keough

On VUSAC’s Financial Position

As students and staff at the University of Toronto have largely returned to in person programming this year, VUSAC has been financing many more events that take place on campus. Naturally, in person events cost more than online ones I expect that budget utilization will be higher this year as a result Moreover, I have recommended that VUSAC runs a tight budget for the Fall term. This frugal budgeting guideline has been functioning well enough so far, as we have been able to fund the vast majority of expenses for all student organizations at Victoria College while maintaining a strong financial position as we enter the Winter term. As Highball will make its return and as commissions and clubs plan capstone events for the end of the academic year, I anticipate the Winter term will be much more costly than the Fall term

On the Fall Budgeting Process

Fall budgeting proceeded rather smoothly. Student organizations were given a three week window, from the end of August to the middle of September, to submit their budget requests. Most were submitted on time, with minor extensions granted for several budgets. In the four day window between the budget request deadline and the first Budget Ratification meeting, the Budget Steering Committee was able to meet. This meeting proved indispensable in quickening the Budget Ratification meeting, though it would have been beneficial to have more BSC meetings prior to ratification.

On the Winter Budgeting Process

As budget ratification meetings tend to be long, it is one of my priorities to streamline it in the Winter term. I intend to give student organizations a four week window to submit their budgets over the course of December and January. In addition, I want to have at least two weeks between the budget request deadline and the Winter Budget Ratification Meeting, which will take place in late January. This will allow the BSC to meet several times and give student organizations time to review and potentially rebuild their budgets prior to ratification.

On Levy Audits

I plan to commence levy audits after the Winter budgeting period ends. I intend to include VUSAC’s VPSO, Michael Elsaesser, in this process. It is likely that only one set of levy audits will be conducted this year. This is because I want to focus my efforts on the Winter budgeting process to ensure that it runs as smoothly as possible.

On Budget Utilization

As we near the end of the Fall term, I will gain a clearer picture of budget utilization this term. I intend to present figures concerning utilization at a VUSAC meeting by the end of the Fall term. I am also considering building a report to publish on the VUSAC website so long as I have the time to do so.

If you would like to further discuss the topics of this report, please send me an email at finance@vusac.ca.

Best, Thomas Keough

OFFICE MANAGER

Lara Athena Reyes

Back-Office Organization

I was hired in the summer and got to work with our President, Sooyeon, and aimed to create a comprehensive inventory of the back office. However, this proved to be a challenge, as there was an overwhelming amount of items in storage. We managed to organize the merchandise, anticipating the start of the fall term. I plan to create a logical schematic and reorganize the back office to be an easy to navigate storage space. Additionally, I plan to work with our VPSO, Michael, to organize the club storage area as well.

Meetings

A large part of the responsibility of being office manager is my role in taking minutes during VUSAC meetings. While transcribing the first few online meetings were a breeze, I soon had to face the reality of in person meetings. Initially, I trusted the recording transcript, but soon found that it could be unreliable, and instead started doing as much as I could to transcribe live. But, the main challenge I still face is getting out of the transcribing ‘zone’ to speak up during meetings. Meeting minutes can be difficult, but it’s a good opportunity for me to actively listen and comprehend each person’s input during meetings.

Office Services

The majority of our foot traffic was and is due to students looking to print. I’ve been working to try and make the office space less of a printing destination and more of a social study and safe space for students. In October, I held a Bingo giveaway to invite more people into the office and see the space we offer. I also began decorating, with cut out pumpkins and leaves available for doodling, and an open ended question wall. For November, I plan to have the office beverage themed, as per the suggestion of council. One aspect of the office I definitely plan to improve is the snack management. I made the mistake of meeting demand in October, and as a result, didn’t have enough snacks to last us through the end of October to early November. From now on, I plan to ‘ration’ the snacks and schedule when the snacks are available, so that a supply can last for all the weeks the office is open.

Moving Forward

With the first few months already past, I’m eager for the remaining weeks of the fall semester, and the winter semester! I plan to start summarizing meeting minutes in bullet point form for easy readability and accessibility at the office, called ‘Minutes in a Minute’. I’m excited as well for the monthly decorations and would love to hold mini events at the office.

On a more general note, I have full confidence in our council’s grit and passion to carry us through the year as we reach our personal and collective goals as leaders and students of Vic. If you have any suggestions, questions, or concerns, then please feel free to email me at officemanager@vusac.ca !

COUNCILLOR

Caitriona Federico

Since being elected, I have begun my work on the council working with Soo on a space audit. We have begun with the Goldring Student Centre, examining each of the rooms and atriums available, their primary uses, their frequency of use, and reasons for that. Through this project we hope to find ways to use space more efficiently and effectively to ensure that students are getting the most out of the spaces that are available to them. I am in contact with the Dean’s Office about some of the spaces and their intended uses and am continuing to contact administration regarding funding that should be went into certain spaces such as the study lounge, and why they were developed the way they are.

My specific interest in this project is examining the accessibility of spaces, beginning on Goldring. Looking at the physical and financial accessibility, as well as other forms to ensure that all students have equal access to the spaces that are intended to support everyone, including areas such as the commuter lounge. This is important especially in a building like Goldring with so many different levels, and in a place where the majority of our student events take place.

I have also begun working with the equity commission on some of their projects and will continue to meet with them to help out with initiatives that they are running such as Diva Cup sales and field trips that help make Vic a more equitable place to be.

COUNCILLOR

Carolyn Gao

“...And love in action is service,” a quote by Saint Teresa of Calcutta. A quote I have strived to live by for service has always been a huge part of my life. From volunteering as a classroom monitor in elementary school to being a member on my high school’s Blessed Edmund Rice Team, BERT, that focused on service through action, faith, and prayers. I now find myself in my second year at Victoria College and serving as an Upper Year Councillor on VUSAC.

Since assuming my role as an Upper Year Councillor, I have been assigned to the Scarlet and Gold Commission as well as the Mental Wellness Commission. In both my portfolios, I look forward to being able to serve the Victoria College community by making the time they spend here memorable.

Scarlet and Gold Commission

One of my portfolios is Scarlet and Gold. I am most looking forward to planning Semi formal, and Highball. Especially coming off COVID, where there has been limited in person interactions between peoples, much less huge dances, and parties, I look forward to making Semi and Highball an event for Vickies to remember.

Mental Wellness Commission

My other portfolio is the Mental Wellness Commission. I would like to be able to lessen the stigma around mental health and make it less of the “scary and daunting” topic that it is made out to be. I look forward to working with the mental wellness commission to create a space where people can feel safe and focus on their mental wellness through various events.

COUNCILLOR

Juhyung Yun

To start, it is my immense pleasure and joy to be able to actively participate in the Victoria College community as a first year councillor. Gratefully, I have been assigned to the Mental Wellness and Commuter Commission, and the President as well. Hence, currently, I am working with other councillors to run a booth at the upcoming H4TH event and have also proposed a communication box outside the VUSAC office to promote easier and more direct communication between students and VUSAC. I have also expressed my concerns regarding the need for more initiatives regarding platforms that will support and enhance Victoria College students’ connection with one another.

In the upcoming months, I intend to work closely with my associated commissions to work towards creating a more all encompassing and supportive community. With the Mental Wellness Commission, I aspire to focus on finding ways to effectively spread more awareness of mental health resources already provided at Victoria College and University of Toronto in general. Furthermore, as a member of the Commuter Commission, I intend to organize more events that are inclusive and welcoming for commuter students. Lastly, alongside other councillors including the international councillor I also aspire to create a cultural appreciation event to not only provide the opportunity for students to show their culture but also for other students to learn and experience other cultures.

COUNCILLOR

Kate Mochina

As a first year Councillor my role on VUSAC so far has been very flexible. This fall, I have been assigned to the Scarlet and Gold Commission as well as the Arts and Culture Commission. In the past month the Scarlet and Gold Commission ran their annual costume contest in which I helped to create a social media post to advertise the event. As we move into the next few months the commission will start planning the Semi Formal in January and High Ball at the end of March. As for the Arts and Culture Commission we will soon begin discussing various goals for the year in the next few weeks.

Aside from the commissions I have been assigned to, I have also been helping with other VUSAC events such as Home for the Holidays which is run by the Commuter Commission. Along with my fellow first year Councillors I will be helping to run a booth and support other VUSAC members during the event. Additionally, through my office hours so far I have been adamant about making the VUSAC office a place where students can come to express any concerns and ideas and my goal is to create a space that is comfortable to do so.

I am excited to work with the many wonderful people and help to make Victoria college students feel welcome and supported by VUSAC. I am very excited for this opportunity to help make Victoria College a safe and fun place for students and hope that I also continue to grow in this position throughout the rest of the year!

COUNCILLOR

Luca Carnegie

Back in the fall, I promised in my election platform that I would work to get an online Burwash dining hall Menu created, bring more Arts and Culture events to Vic students and spearhead a project to bring custom Vic jackets to the student body as well. I wanted to share a few updates on these promises and how I’m turning them into real action.

I've started work on both the online Burwash/Ned’s menu and my jacket initiative. I’m currently trying to compile the Burwash and Ned's lunch menus into data readable by the website and it should be ready for students by the beginning of the exam season, so keep a watch out for that! I’ve also assembled a team and are currently investigating suppliers that could supply the custom Vic jacket for us affordably whilst also seeking approval and funding from Vic Marketing and Student Projects. We should hopefully be able to start taking orders by early next semester! If you want to get involved with designing a jacket that will be a symbol of our college, please let me know!

During my time on VUSAC so far, I’ve also been closely involved with the scarlet and gold commission and will be helping to plan semi formal, Gardiner Gala, and Highball, which we are excited to bring back to you all after three(!) years away.

Hopefully this give you a good picture of what I’ve been doing as councillor thus far! If you want to get involved in any of my initiatives, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line at lucacarnegie@vusac.ca :)

COUNCILLOR

Medha Barath

I am very excited to be a First Year Councillor on VUSAC this year and utilize the flexibility of the role to pursue a variety of projects.

I have recently been assigned to the Academic Commission, Vice President External, and Finance portfolios and am looking forward to pursuing certain ideas under these. One of these is expanding the peer tutoring program at Vic beyond Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry as we have multiple students in our college who are in other programs and would benefit from having this additional resource, especially when they are a part of large classes. I also hope to contribute to improving affordability and the general dining experience for students under the VPE’s portfolio.

Being on VUSAC has also been a great way to engage with the community at Vic. I am excited to be helping out with a booth at the Home for the Holidays celebration for commuter students. I have also been holding weekly office hours and hope to facilitate an environment where students can convey any feedback or ideas they have.

While I am still acclimating to this role, I am looking forward to representing student voice here at Vic through my time at VUSAC.

COUNCILLOR

Tariq Harney

I am excited to share with you what I have started working on and what I hope to work on for the rest of the year. In my role as an upper year councillor, I have had a lot of flexibility to explore what I am interested in doing at VUSAC and thus far have been assigned the VPE and Sustainability portfolios.

In my first month or so I have had the chance to get to know my fellow VUSAC members and have started working with the VPE on drafting a statement for what we, as a student body, expect of the College and University in response to the Iran crisis.

Working on the sustainability side of my portfolio I have begun putting together a sustainability blog. Ideally, this blog will serve a few different purposes. Firstly, it will create a forum where students can share their frustrations and experiences with climate activism through open student contributions. Secondly, it will provide some much needed comic relief about an existential crisis. And most importantly it will help students looking to find like minded peers with experiences in a field that affects all of us.

Finally, in the following months, I will be talking to the administration about how we can make meal plans more reasonable for students. I will be working on a solution for leftover meal plan points which currently expire but should be allowed to carry over.

COUNCILLOR

Zoe Lazaris

Going into my position, I had a couple of goals: affordability at Vic, divestment from fossil fuels, and better responses to mental health crises.

On affordability, I reached out to the UTSU as they are doing a report on dining halls. Given the success of VUSAC’s Burwash Report from last year, (shout out Tazneen/Rebecca!) I wanted to put them in contact with UTSU! As well, I continued my research in the archives about Stephenson House (which used to be an affordable cooperative residence for students). Using the information I found, I started advocating for the space to be used for student purposes again and for Vic to re open affordable residence options that don’t require meal plans.

With respect to divestment, I can not share specifics because of my BoR confidentiality agreement. But, I have been advocating for divestment at the board level, and have also been advocating for divestment from the oil well Vic currently owns.

Next term I want to focus more on how Vic can have a more trauma informed response to mental health crises that does not involve calling police on students. I will be meeting with the Provost of UofT later this month to discuss.

I also met with President McEwen and Principal Esterhammer about equity and diversity in Vic programs, following conversations last year about David Gilmour. They will both be working with VUSAC in the future to further this conversation!

I also attended the Provostial Undergraduate Student Advisory Group where I got to meet leaders from other student unions. I got the contact of a number of student union leaders and reached out to them about working together next term!

INTERNATIONAL COUNCILLOR

Charlie Sun

I have planned four events for international students. And one of the events got to be cancelled due to safety concerns. Another event is a mental wellness workshop for international students. I have put a great effort into this event, trying to reach out to the team and corporate with them a lot of communication with the Dean’s office and schedule for the events. However, due to the natural sensitivity of mental wellness events, it has been rejected by the Dean’s office. I am rethinking doing a bubble tea chat time that is much more chill and easy to set up. I am also considering combing the Karaoke night and the Christmas party as one event named Christmas Karaoke Night.

Currently, I am working with Michael and Jenn on this event. During the planning and actual implementation of this event, I realize that individual effort can be quite powerless, and forming a team will be much better and more efficient in implementing events. Considering this year, 2022 is a hard time for all international students and the international student government team, as VISA is not running, and the international student’s commission still hasn’t been set up. I realize that we need a team to overcome all the challenges together and make a spark in the dark. Hopefully, after 1 2 years, it will eventually lead to a well bonded international community.