2012-13 End of Term Report - Vice-President, Campus Life, Yolen Bollo-Kamara

FINAL REPORT OF THE VICE-PRESIDENTCAMPUS LIFEYOLENBO L LO -KAMARAUNIVERSIUNIVERSITY OF TORONTO STUDENTS’ UNIONLOCAL 98 CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS

FINAL REPORT OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT CAMPUS LIFE

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO STUDENTS’ UNIONLOCAL 98 CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS



REPORT OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT CAMPUS LIFEIN THIS REPORT:1. ORIENTATION & UTSUFEST2. EVENTS3. CAMPAIGNS4. CAMPUS GROUPS5. FINAL NOTES

1. ORIENTATION & UTSUFEST

SPARK ORIENTATIONSPARK Orientation 2012 and the first ever UTSUFest were incredible! Thank you to all the Board members, associates, staff, and volunteers who worked throughout the summer to ensure that each event was a success. Additional thank yous to all the division Orientation Coordinators who worked tirelessly to make the college, faculty and UTM Orientations happen.

CLUBS DAYSPARK Orientation began on Wednesday, September 5th with Clubs Day. Almost 300 clubs set up around Hart House Circle, and thousands of students attended and signed up for clubs, collected tons of swag, and watched amazing performances and tutorials on the two stages. From the UTSU tent, we gave away thousands of calendars, agendas, clubs directories and more, and had many opportunities to speak to our members about how to get involved in the Union.

UTSU PARADEThe Orientation festivities on Friday, September 7th began with the annual parade. Thousands of students from all three campuses had a blast as they took over Toronto streets for an hour, chanting, singing, and dancing along to music from the UTSU float and others. Most of the parade ran quite smoothly, but there were a few hiccups, such as Trinity College’s impromptu sit-in at the beginning of the parade. This action put students in danger, as the parade was split up, leaving police unable to account for all members, and resulting in members almost being hit by cars along the march. The UTSU encourages actions that are done in good spirit and in a safe manner, but actions that put others in danger are not welcome at our events. The parade grows every year, and this year we were proud to welcome the new Faculty of Architecture and international students’ contingents, both participating in the parade as separate divisions for the first time.

UTSU CONCERTAfter the parade, students returned to back campus for the free concert and carnival. Dream pop band La Sera beganthe concert, with students enjoying the mellow vocals of Katy Goodman. Following La Sera, headliner Kardinal Offishall brought tons of energy and transformed the concert into a giant dance party. The concert wrapped with Canadian pop artist Anjulie, singing her hit songs “Brand New Chick,” “Stand Behind the Music” and others. Between performances, the executives were on stage, introducing students to the UTSU, promoting upcoming events, and giving away prizes, including an iPad and a $400 Bookstore giftcard.

UTSU PARADEOn Friday night, students from the University of Toronto Scarborough, Mississauga, and St. George campuses filled the entire Guvernment Entertainment Complex for the official Orientation Afterparty. Students took shuttles from outside of Hart House to the Guvernment, and then returned to Hart House, UTM and UTSC. This event was a lot of fun and went smoothly, with no major incidents. The UTSU would like to thank all volunteers who helped make the Afterparty a success!



UTSUFESTThis year, the Campus Life Commission decided to host the first ever UTSUfest, an additional week of events to build community at UofT, with all events free for all incoming and upper-year students.

UTSUFEST STREET FESTIVALThe UTSU closed down St. George Street for an entire day to host the first ever UTSUFest street festival on Tuesday, Sep- tember 11th. Gourmet food trucks, lots of giveaways, over one hundred clubs, and many performances and interactive activities made for an amazing experience for the many thousands of students who stopped by throughout the day. This was a great opportunity for students and administrators to experience the possibilities of a pedestrianized St. George Street. We hope to make this an annual event, and look forward to a successful Pedestrianize St. George Street campaign this year!

BLUE & WHITE QUAD PARTYThe UTSUFest Blue and White Quad Party was held in the Hart House Quad on Thursday, September 13th. This was an amazing opportunity to celebrate school spirit and support Varsity athletes, many of whom were in attendance. Students enjoyed the great music by DJs Planet Otnorot and Vivi Diamond, snacks, the specialty Blue and White drink, and a performance by the Varsity Blues Dance Team.

BLUE & WHITE SPIRIT GAMEUTSUFest wound down on Saturday, September 15th as hundreds of students watched the Blues men’s football team play the Windsor Lancers at Varsity Stadium. Despite losing the game, the Blues played a great game and gave it their all.

2. EVENTS

PRIDE & THE PRIDE PICNICOn Wednesday, June 27, the UTSU hosted the first ever Pride Picnic on our lawn, in collaboration with LGBTOUT, OUT@UTM, SC:OUT, UTMSU, SCSU and the Queer Caucus of the Graduate Students’ Union. This event was an opportunity to celebrate Pride on campus and recognize Pride Toronto’s roots at UofT. Hundreds of students stopped by to enjoy a variety of food options and participate in a number of activities, including an informal discussion on harm reduction strategies and the politics surrounding Pride. Thank you to all the groups who participated, members of the Board and the Campus Life Commission for ensuring the success of this event.

The Union also participated in the larger University of Toronto Pride Planning Committee. The theme of UofT Pride was Celebrate & Demonstrate. Thank you to all the queer and trans student groups, students, faculty and administrators that supported the week. Thank you specifically to Allison Burgess and Scott Clarke from the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office for there support in all UofT initiatives. Events included: THE HOMOHOP | Friday, June 15 PRIDE & REMEMBRANCE RUN | Saturday, June 30 PRIDE PUB | Tuesday, June 19 DYKE MARCH | Saturday, June 30 PRIDE PREP PARTY | Tuesday, June 26 PRIDE PARADE | Sunday, July 1 TRANS MARCH | Friday, June 29

CARIBBEAN FOOD FAIROn Wednesday, August 1, the UTSU, the West Indian Students’ Association and the Black Students’ Association at UofT celebrated Caribana on campus with the fourth annual Caribbean Food Far. Hundreds of students attended and enjoyed the many Caribbean foods available, and the soca, dancehall, reggae, and calypso music. The event was also an opportunity to connect those who were interested in participating in the Caribana parade and other official events. Thank you to BSA, WISA, and members of the Board and Campus Life Commission who volunteered for this event.

DIWALI FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS The UTSU collaborated with Hindu Students’ Council from November 14-16, to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. All events were very successful and well attended, including the $3 lunch at the Sanford Fleming Pit on Thursday, November 15, and the exciting Diwali Mela (fair) on the evening of Friday, November 16, which included participation from other campus groups, sari-tying and other contests for prizes, and culminated in fireworks on Front Campus.



INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ ORIENTATIONThis year, the UTSU worked with the Centre for International Experience (CIE) to organize International Students’ Orientation events. Throughout the last week of August and first week of September, we participated in CIE’s “Get Involved” presentations to discuss ways that international students can engage with the Union. We also designed and led themed campus tours like “Get Active!”, “Campus Eats”, “Study Hotspots”, and “Service Sites”. We were able to give away kits that included swag and supplementary info for each tour to each student that participated. Thank you to all the Board members who assisted in running the campus tours. The highlight of the International Students’ Orientation events was Friday, September 7th, with the CIE Welcome Reception. We were able to speak briefly to the hundreds of students there, before accompanying a continent of students to the parade mustering location and providing SPARK Orientation t-shirts to the entire contingent.

THE BIG BBQOn Friday September 21st, the UTSU co-hosted a barbecue on front campus along with campus clubs and college councils including the Muslim Students’ Association, Innis College, VUSAC, Hindu Student Council, Egyptian Students Associa- tion, Afghan Students Association, Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students Union, Organiza- tion of Latin American Students, Power 2 Change, and the Arab Students Association. This event showed the immense reach of collaboration, and was very well attended. The initiative was meant to bring together students from various groups thatmay not usually collaborate on events. The event received very positive feedback from students as an opportunity to learn more about what our campus clubs and organizations are do- ing to make our campus a great place to be.

CULTURE SHOWOn Friday, November 23, we hosted the first ever Culture Show at Bader Theatre, to showcase and celebrate the talent and diversity within the UofT clubs community. The show included a variety of vocal, dance, and instrumental performances by the Chinese Undergraduate Association (CUAUT), Erindale College African Students’ Association (ECASA), Fo’real Hip Hop Dance Crew, Greek Students’ Association (GSA), UTM Hindu Students’ Council (HSC), Indian Students’ Society (ISS), Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS), Queer Writes, Rhythm, Silhouettes Dance Company and the Tamil Students’ Association (TSA). The event was a huge success in raising funds and food for the Food and Clothing Bank. We hope this event will be the first of an annual tradition, and look forward to working with even more groups for a bigger and better show next year.

UTSU’S GOT YOUThis year, the UTSU reached out to more students than ever before through our exam destressors. Members of the Board and the Campus Life Commission produced and distributed thousands of late-night snack bags, including sandwiches, fruit, and often granola or chocolate bars, as well as a variety of hot and cold beverages. We were also able to expand the amount of study spaces visited, and add additional days in November and April. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped out during these sessions.

November 19, 2012 – Robarts Library April 8, 2013 – Ivey Library and Robarts LibraryNovember 20, 2012 – Robarts Library April 9, 2013 – Gerstein Library and Robarts LibraryDecember 6, 2012 – Kelly Library and Robarts Library April 10, 2013 – Kelly Library and Robarts LibraryDecember 10, 2012 – Pharmacy Building and Robarts Library April 11, 2013 – Burwash Dining Hall and Robarts LibraryDecember 11, 2012 – Ivey Library, Sanford Fleming Library, April 15, 2013 – Pharmacy Building, Bora Laskin Law Library and Robarts Library and Robarts LibraryDecember 12, 2012 – Robarts Library

MONTREAL READING WEEK TRIP This year, the UTSU, University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union, Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, and the York Federation of Students worked with tour company ISX to deliver the Montreal Reading Week Trip to students. The trip was a success, with over 300 students attending between the three campuses. The optional activities offered included skating, bowling, a visit to the Montreal Bio dome, skiing, and a tour of Quebec City.



WINTER WEEK OF WELCOME The second annual Winter Week of Welcome was held from January 15 to 20, 2013, and proved to be even larger and more successful than the inaugural event last year. We relied on a number of volunteers to pull off this hectic, though exciting week, and I want to thank everyone who helped out with these events.

PANCAKE BRUNCHThe Winter Week of Welcome began with a pancake Brunch in Wilson Lounge in conjunction with the Black Students Association, West Indian Students Association and African Students Association. The event saw a huge turnout and lots of excitement for the remainder of the week.

WINTER STREET FAIRThe fair on Willcocks Commons consisted of free hot chocolate, Tiny Tom’s Donuts and Smoke’s Poutinerie. The first 200 visitors to the food trucks were treated to free meals. Over 27 containers of hot chocolate were distributed and students were asked to fill out the Taskforce on Food Services surveys. Thank you to the volunteers that dedicated their time to hand out hot chocolate, food vouchers and UTSU materials in the cold weather.

BASKETBALL COURT-TIME & BULLS GAMEDuring the day, students were able to play in three-on-three basketball tournament with Toronto Raptors swag as prizes. A total of nine teams participated with numerous individuals coming out to witness the tournament. The Raptors versus Bulls game was also a huge success with all the tickets being sold out the week before the event.

WINTER CLUBS FESTIVALThe Winter Clubs Festival was held in collaboration with the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. In the past, the Winter Clubs Fair has shifted from a few tables at Sidney Smith, to fifty tables at Medical Sciences and Bahen atriums. This year, the clubs festival was expanded to the Varsity Dome with over 100 tables and numerous tents. The event also featured a performance stage, golf field, soccer field and free skating. The event saw a large turnout over the course of the day, although the space was difficult to access and difficult to fill.

WINTER CONCERTThe WINTER CONCERT featuring Shad and Unbuttoned, co-hosted with Hart House. The event saw a massive turnout and a very positive response. In addition to music, students were able to make personalized buttons, get henna tattoos and eat some free food. Thank you to all the volunteers that made coat check as smooth of a process as possible.

HOCKEY SHOWDOWNThe final event of the Winter Week of Welcome was the Hockey Showdown that saw the Varsity Blues take down the Ryerson Rams in women’s hockey with a score of 4-3.



UNITY BALLOn Friday, March 1, the UTSU hosted the fourth Annual Unity Ball at Chestnut Residence. The event was sold out for the first time ever and was a great success. Below is a list of award recipients chosen by the relevant Commission Chair and the Clubs Committee. This year, we increased the amount of awards given to students and clubs, including adding the People’s Choice Award, which was based on online votes, and dividing Event of the Year into Event of the Semester, due to the number of very strong nominations. Thank you to Kate MacMillan, Chantelle Suhku, and James Li for all of the work that made the event a success. Thank you as well to Silhouettes Dance Company, Jacob Raggiunti and (will hunt down name and insert here) for their incredible performances.

Academic and Student Rights Commission Award: Outstanding Publication Award:Transitional Year Program Preservation Alliance Juxtaposition Global Health Magazine

Sustainability Commission Award: Outstanding Creative Arts Award:University of Toronto Environmental Action Tales of Harmonia

Social Justice and Equity Commission Award: Outstanding Cultural Club Award:Journalists for Human Rights and Orphan Sponsorship Program Chinese Undergraduate Association & Indian Student Society

Community Action Award: Outstanding School Spirit Award:Pakistan Development Fund South Asian Alliance

Outstanding New Club Award: Outstanding Graphic Design Award:Indonesian Student Community Equity Studies Students’ Union

Outstanding Academic Union: People’s Choice Award:Economic Students’ Association Orphan Sponsorship Program

Outstanding Executive Member AwardAisha Raja, President, Muslim Students Association & Nadia Hosseinzadeh, President, Polish Students Association

Outstanding Executive Team Award:Brazilian Culture in Canada (BRAZUCA) & Greek Students` Association

Event of the Semester Award:Summer: Black Students Association, High School ConferenceWinter: Hindu Students Council, GarbaFall: Muslim Students Association, Organization of Latin American Students, Egyptian Students Association, Hindu Students Council, Power 2 Change, Afghan Students Association, Arab Students Association, The Big BBQ

3. CAMPAIGNS

I <3 THE BLUESThe I<3 the Blues campaign was launched this year to support Varsity athletics and build blue and white spirit and a greater sense of community at Uoft. The first major event was the Blue and White quad party, as part of UTSUfest, which also helped to promote the Blues vs. Windsor Lancers football game on Saturday, September 15. We also worked with Varsity athletics to promote the Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Volleyball home openers, and a Women’s hockey game vs. the Ryerson Rams as part of the Winter Week of Welcome. We look forward to expanding this campaign and collaborating with groups across campus over the next year to build school spirit and more support for our Varsity teams.

MEN’S FOOTBALL LAUNCH | Saturday, September 15 WOMEN/MEN’S VOLLEYBALL HOMEOPENER | Friday, October 26 WOMEN/MEN’S BASKETBALL HOMEOPENER | Friday, November 9 WOMEN’S HOCKEY | Sunday, January 20

CIUT BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Univerersity of Toronto Students’ Union holds three seats on the CIUT Radio Station Board of Directors. The Union participated in providing feedback andoverseeing radio station finances and operations. This is the second year that the Union has known about it’s seats on the board. It is recommended that the Policy Booklet be updated to ensure the Union continues its participation.



OFFICE OF SPACE MANAGEMNT & OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE CAMPUS GROUP SERVICES REFORMThe University of Toronto Students’ Union has been calling on the University of Toronto to better support campus groups. The Union is happy to have participated in the development of several new projects this year including the creation of the Student Initiative Fund, and reforms in the campus booking program, policy on campus recognized groups and access to audiovisual equipment. The Union will continue to work with the University to develop better timelines for recognition, improvements to campus group services and expanding the online space booking website.

4. CAMPUS GROUPS

CLUBS RECOGNITIONThis year, the Union provided recognition to over 300 clubs. UTSU recognition affords clubs access to all UTSU support services, including funding, photocopying, discounted banner printing, equipment rentals, consultation and training sessions, and access to the new UTSU Box Office service.

CLUBS FUNDINGTraditionally, the Clubs Committee has allocated four different types of funding: Individual Academic Endeavour Grants, Summer Funding, Long-Term Funding and Short-Term Funding to our clubs. This year, the Union added Start-Up Funding, for new clubs or clubs that have not applied for UTSU funding in the past two years. This has been a great opportunity to support many new clubs and initiatives on campus. Reconsideration Funding was also created this year, to give the Committee the ability to allocate any leftover funds to clubs who demonstrate need for additional funding as a result of unforeseen circumstances. Both new types of funding have proved to be useful in helping the Clubs Committee to serve Union clubs better, and we look forward to continuing to offer them in conjunction with Short-Term, Long-Term and Summer Funding.

2012-13 Funding DeadlinesSummer Funding Deadline: Friday, June 15, 2012Long-Term Funding Deadline: Friday, October 19, 2012Start-Up Funding Deadline: Friday, January 18, 2013Short-Term, Individual Academic Endeavour Funding Deadline: Friday, March 1, 2013 Reconsideration Funding Deadline: Friday, March 1, 2013

2013-14 Funding DeadlinesSummer Funding Deadline: Friday, July 5, 2013Long-Term Funding Deadline: Friday, October 18, 2013Start-Up Funding Deadline: Friday, January 17, 2014Short-Term, Individual Academic Endeavour Funding Deadline: Friday, February 7, 2014 Reconsideration Funding Deadline: Friday, March 7, 2014

Individual Academic Endeavour Grants are now overseen by the new Bursary and Grants Committee, and no longer fall under the purview of the Vice-President Campus Life or Clubs Committee, although clubs are still encouraged to tell their members to apply for the grants.

CLUBS TRAININGIn order for clubs to be eligible for funding, they must receive UTSU recognition and attend one Clubs Training Session per year. This is an opportunity for them to learn about the UTSU’s five commissions, events, campaigns and services. They also receive equity training and learn how to put together a good funding application. Below are the dates for the training sessions held this year: Thursday, June 7, 2012Thursday, July 19. 2012Friday, July 20, 2012Friday, August 10, 2012Saturday, August 11, 2012Saturday, September 22, 2012Saturday, January 12, 2013



CLUBS POLICYBoth the Clubs Committee and the Policy & Procedures Committee has been diligent in reviewing and implementing new clubs policies. In addition to creating two new sources of funding, the committees created new schedules for funding distribution, clearer definitions for each type of funding and consistent language. In addition to modifying the clubs policy, the committees created a new policy that guides the clubs box office and club rental services.

CLUBS TOWNHALLDue to changes in the clubs policy, the Union felt that it was necessary to host a clubs townhall to explain the new policies and their justifications. The townhall was hosted on Monday, November 12, 2012. A number of campus clubs and academic students’ unions were present to listen and ask questions to the new policies, while also indicating ideas for other policy changes, new club services and lobbying efforts to reform the Office of Student Life and other university services. A motion was submitted to the February General Meeting to host more club townhalls in the future.

CLUBS COMMITTEEThank you to all the members of the Clubs Committee for contributing their time and energy to allocate clubs funds, review the clubs policy and create new ideas for services and campaigns. Thank you to committee members: Yasmeen Emadi, Agnes So, Sanchit Mathur, Will Zhang, Ibad Cheema, Nikki Yorgiadis, Ryan Degan, Corey Scott, Shaun Shepherd, Anna Zakharoba and Eraj Ahmed.

5. FINAL NOTESI would like to take the opportunity to thank all Directors, staff, volunteers and members of the Campus Life Commission for their outstanding contributions towards campus life at UofT. Through the hard work of many individuals, we’ve been able to expand our programming and events – from offering sandwiches, snacks and drinks to more people at more study spaces this year, to hosting the first ever UTSUfest, launching the I <3 the Blues Campaign and much more.

I also want to thank our campus clubs, sister students’ unions, and other partners across the university – Diwali, the Pride Picnic, and the Culture Show are just a few examples of amazing events that were made successful through our collaboration.

It has been an incredible year, and I look forward to seeing the efforts of the 2013-2014 Board of Directors to continue to build campus life at UofT.

In Solidarity,Yolen Bollo-KamaraVice-President Campus LifeUniversity of Toronto Students’ UnionLocal 98 Canadian Federation of Students

2012-13 End of Term Report - Vice-President, Campus Life, Yolen Bollo-Kamara

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