EXECUTIVE REPORT 2014/2015 - UTSU · EXECUTIVE REPORT 2014/2015 November 28, 2014 ... favour of the...

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EXECUTIVE REPORT 2014/2015 November 28, 2014 | 4:00 - 6:00 | UTM Campus 13

Transcript of EXECUTIVE REPORT 2014/2015 - UTSU · EXECUTIVE REPORT 2014/2015 November 28, 2014 ... favour of the...

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EXECUTIVE REPORT

2014/2015November 28, 2014 | 4:00 - 6:00 | UTM Campus

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Happy November!

Since we met last, the Executive Committee has been hard at work with events, campaign planning and Exam De-stressors.

In the past few weeks, we have hosted a number of clubs and service groups training sessions. We have also been following up with our Commission priorities for the year through meetings and preparing materials for our campaigns and events.

Speaking of collaboration, we also hosted a very successful XAO with a number of collaborative members. We have also held a number of other events such as the Great Barrier Hunt, UTSU’s Got You, and so much more!

We have a number of new services ready for this semester including a new Places4Students, a weekly breakfast program, a new printer, and our Blue Crew program.

As always, we encourage Board members to get involved in all of, campaign planning, our commissions, and many of our upcoming events.

We hope that you study hard and enjoy your winter break, and we look forward to seeing you in the new school year!

All the best,

University of Toronto Students’ Union Executive Committee 14

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PRESIDENT

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The UTSU Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday, October 29 in the OISE Auditorium. We had record attendance, with almost 500 students present and hundreds more represented by proxy. One of the key issues discussed was a proposal to change our Board structure, to comply with changes to the legislation under which we are incorporated, to improve the efficacy of the Board of Directors, and to ensure the structure supported our mandate to advocate for student rights and a more accessible University. The proposal voted on shifting towards at-large representation, as a result of changes to the legislation under which we are incorporated, and to add a particular focus on issues related to first-year students, athletics, commuter students, sustainability, and issues affecting LGBTQ* students, racialized students, international students and other groups, in accordance with our mandate as a students’ union. A majority of UTSU members at the meeting voted in favour of the proposal, but it did not reach the required two-thirds majority.

We have reopened the consultation process, and encourage members to submit new proposals as soon as possible, for review by our legal counsel and to be shared widely. Proposals can be submitted to Cameron Wathey, Vice-President Internal and Services at [email protected]. Board members are encouraged to share this information with their respective constituencies. For more information, please contact President Yolen Bollo-Kamara at [email protected].

BLACK LIVES MATTER RALLY

The Executive Committee has endorsed the Black Lives Matter Toronto rally group meeting taking place on Tuesday, November 24, protesting police brutality and anti-black racism everywhere. Board members are encouraged to attend tomorrow's rally. For more information, please contact President Yolen Bollo-Kamara at [email protected].

STUDENT COMMONS CAMPAIGN

We have been working on a campaign to show support for the student commons project and ensure that it is passed in the next year. Students have been paying a levy toward the student commons for seven years, since voting in favour of a referendum to pay fees into the building, to be managed by the UTSU. For more information, please contact President Yolen Bollo-Kamara at [email protected] or visit the website at www.studentcommons.ca.

PROVOSTIAL UNDERGRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

On November 17, I attended the second Provostial Undergraduate Advisory Committee meeting, which includes the presidents of the first-entry college and professional faculty student societies. At this meeting, the discussion focused on the newly-released report of the Provostial Advisory Committee on Mental Health. There was general consensus that the University should make mental health a priority by increasing support for students with mental health concerns, including reducing wait times for Counselling and Psychological Services, and proactively promoting mental health on campus through academic and other policies. There was also concerns about the lack of student involvement in the Provostial Committee and minimal consultation. For more information, please contact President Yolen Bollo-Kamara at [email protected].

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VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

ACTIVIST ASSEMBLY

In the last few weeks, University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union, Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students, Scarborough Campus Students’ Union and Graduate Students’ Union have shown interest in creating an Activist Assembly and combining efforts for some events and workshops. The Assembly will be held in the winter semester for effective planning between the campuses and student Unions. Some of the workshops will include: International Student Rights and the differences between OHIP and UHIP, Anti-Oppression and Equity training, a Know Your Rights workshop and an Education is a Right panel revolving around the Drop Fees campaign. Students’ concerns will be a large focus of this assembly. To end the event, there will either be a coffee house spoken word event or a film screening. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

DROP FEES

This year, in addition of working with the previous campaign of ‘The Hikes Stop Here’, the Community Action Commission decided to bring back the Drop Fees campaign and work off of issues happening around the province and at the University of Toronto. The Commission has been creating material and an event around this campaign. The Commission decided that creating a notebook on the campaign and tying in the launch of this campaign into the Activist Assembly will largely help with creating buzz on campus. The Commission also discussed creating a sub-committee that would only focus on the Drop Fees campaign. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

OUTREACH

These past few weeks we have been reaching out and informing various divisions about all the services the UTSU provides its members and about our upcoming events. We have also created contests and games for the upcoming UTSU’s Got You event to keep

students entertained. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

COMMUNITY ACTION COMMISSION

The last Community Action Commission was held on November 20. The commission discussed updates from the External portfolio along with approaches to the Drop Fees campaign and how to launch it. In the Commission, approaches to the international students rights campaign were discussed. The Commission discussed the Mental Health report from the University and whether or not the commission should issue a response to the report. For more information, please contact Vice President External, Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY PANEL AND WORKSHOP

This year, we have has been working in collaboration with various campus groups including the Black Students’ Association, African Students’ Association, Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students to hold a panel and a workshop revolving around the international day against police brutality. This event’s goal is to get conversations started on campus and to educate students. The date has been set for March 13 for the panel and workshop. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

PLAY THE GAME: THE PARAPAN AM WAY

This is the first year the UTSU has teamed up with the UofT Equity Movement and a number of campus groups for this event. This was a space where individuals were able to experience accessibility barriers in sports. Students were also able to meet gold medalist Adam Lancia. The event was held on November 21 in the Benson Student Lounge from 12:00-17:00. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

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VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

THE GREAT BARRIER HUNT

This event was a space for students to discover barriers at the University of Toronto St. George campus through a scavenger hunt. Students who participated audited the Goldring Centre, TYP Building and Gerstein Library. Participants were able to meet back in OISE to discuss their findings. The event was held on November 21 from 12:00-15:00 and was run in collaboration with the Students for Barrier Free Access, APUS, OPIRG and UTSU. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

JACK.ORG UOFT MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS COLLABORATION

This past month, the Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian has met with members of the Jack.Org UofT group to speak about raising awareness about mental health on campus and creating a community on campus, especially during exam periods and midterms. Events and actions in the planning stages are a balloon pit, stop signs for mental health and outreach during UTSU’s Got You. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

CHEVRON’S DIRTY HANDS CAMPAIGN

This campaign is a nation-wide campaign to expose the dirty hand of Chevron and to learn about the poison this company left in the Ecuadorian rain forest. The Executives are in the midst of planning a documentary screening and a forum for students to learn more about the campaign. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

BLUE CREW TRAINING

On November 14, we held our second Blue Crew volunteer training session. This is where students were taught what we do and the campaigns and events that will be coming up in the next

semester. We also spoke to students about any external opportunities available to them. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

PLACES4STUDENTS

The Associate of the Vice-President External and the Vice-President External have been working closely with Places4Students to create a safe, alternative way for students to find off-campus housing in the GTA all on one website. The website is now fully updated with information on how to find housing, roommates or even post your own rentals. Flyers for students are being made to hand out for the first week of the second semester and to post over social media over the break. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

RIGHT TO HOUSING RALLY

On November 21, members of the Executive attended the Right to Housing Rally at Yonge and Dundas Square. Canada is the only G8 nation in the world without a National Housing strategy, and yet our government still continues to cut funding to housing and homeless programs. This rally was to raise awareness and raise the concerns that people have in the GTA. For more information, please contact Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian at [email protected].

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The past month has been a very exciting month of planning for upcoming events in the new semester. Along with all the events we are planning, we have also been working with the school on a number of initiatives such as the Co-Curricular Record, as well as providing services to our students through various programs such as UTSU’s Got You. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

FROST WEEKThis year, we are rebranding Winter Week of Welcome to Frost Week, which is much simpler to say and remember, and more fitting to the spirit of the events. Frost Week will take place next semester from January 12 – 16, and we are striving to make each day filled with exciting events for students to partake in. To provide a brief overview of the week, the Monday will be our free pancakes program, followed by the Art Festival in the evening; Tuesday will be the Clubs and Career Fair; Wednesday will be the Unity Through Diversity Food Fair, where we are collaborating with clubs to bring a variety of cultural food to campus for everyone to sample; Thursday will be the concert, and we will announce the headliner soon; Friday will be esports finals tournament, featuring the League of Legends game. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

ART SHOWThe Art Show committee have been working hard for the past month in finalizing the event space and making efforts to make it a collaborative event with other groups. I am happy to say that the event has been finalized to take place at Woodsworth’s Kruger Hall, and that so far we’ve had a great number of submissions from students who are looking forward to participating in this event. For more

information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

ESPORTSI have been working extensively with the UofT League Association in creating our first ever esports tournament. We have currently established all the final details regarding the tournament rules and formats. In the coming month, we will be following up with sponsors and striving to provide the best prizes we can in order to incentivize the best players to come forward and put on the best show we possibly can. We are also looking to solicit esport stars to attend our event in order to draw more publicity and encourage turnout. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

UNITY BALLAs outlined in my speech to the board, this year I plan to host the Unity Ball at a better venue than Chestnut Residence. I am happy to report that we are now hosting the Unity Ball at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel, whose facilities is much more fitting for the occasion. The prices are also being adjusted moderately to cover the increase in cost. It is hoped that the improvement in the quality of food alone will be able to justify the slight increase. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

UTSU’s Got You

This year we have expanded our UTSU’s Got You program significantly in order to better serve our members. Having done a test run earlier, we are confident that this event is a great way of engaging our students, and it is fast becoming one of our pillar services. Board members are encouraged to come out on UTSU’s Got You nights to engage with their constituents and hear their suggestions and thoughts. We are also looking to expand the program by working with fellow college and

VICE-PRESIDENT CAMPUS LIFE

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VICE-PRESIDENT CAMPUS LIFEfaculty councils. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

CLUBS TRAININGWe have held our last two clubs training sessions for the 2014 year in November, for clubs that have missed the long term funding deadline but would still apply to short term or start-up funding. Turnout has been great as always, and club executives are now hopefully more aware of the process that funding has to go through before they are able to access funding. Two final sessions will be held in the new year. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

FUNDING APPLICATIONSThe Clubs Committee have dedicated many hours in the past month to review as many funding applications as we possibly can. As you will see in the attached club committee minutes, each application was reviewed and discussed at length in order to ensure that the amounts given to each club is fair and fitting their need. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at

[email protected].

CO-CURRICULAR RECORDAs the university seeks to enhance the students’ experience here on campus and encourage extra-curricular activities, we are also actively engaged in this process. Vice-President Campus Life and Vice-President University Affairs attended the first CCR evaluations meeting to screen and approve campus initiatives that have applied to be CCR recognized. It is hoped that the majority of the students here who have contributed to making our campus more vibrant will be recognized for their time and effort. As such, we will continue to invest our time in making sure this initiative becomes as encompassing as it can. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life, ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

CAMPUS LIFE COMMISSIONThe Campus Life Commission has had three meetings in the past month to ensure that all events are planned well in advance and with sufficient attention. To maximize efficiency, the Vice-President Campus Life ZiJian Yang has created a sub-committee for each event in order to facilitate more coherent conversations and a task-oriented approach to event planning. For more information, please contact Vice-President Campus Life ZiJian Yang at [email protected].

VICE-PRESIDENT EQUITY

XAO 2014

All XAO events this year were completely free admission for students.

TA-NEHISI COATES Our keynote speaker this year was brought to the University of Toronto in collaboration with the Arts & Science Students’ Union (ASSU). Coates is the senior editor for The Atlantic, and wrote a particularly excellent piece on a case for reparations for Black Americans. He lectured in Isabel Bader Theatre followed by an audience Question & Answer session. The room was packed and admission was free. For more information, please contact Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar at [email protected].

LGBT SALSA WORKSHOPThis event was hosted in collaboration with the University of Toronto LGBT Dance Club. This groups hosts dance lessons in a unique way that ensures inclusivity. For example, the ‘lead’ is not determined by gender, but simply by who is interested in leading, unlike most dance workshops. The event was successful and enjoyable. Participants danced socially after the lesson. The event took place in the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport and admission was free. For more information, 19

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please contact Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar at [email protected].

FIGHT LIKE A GIRL BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU SELF DEFENSE WORKSHOPThis event was hosted in collaboration with Open Mat Mixed Martial Arts Academy (openmat.ca). They throw a free women’s workshop once a month called “Fight Like A Girl” where jiu-jitsu techniques are taught to be used as self-defense. We used the Lower Gym in the Athletic Centre and the workshop was very informative. Attendees all expressed their enjoyment after the event ended and many students sent emails asking about future workshops. Admission to the event was free. For more information, please contact Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar at [email protected].

NIGHT OF EXPRESSIONThe Open Mic Coffee house was the last event of eXpression Against Oppression and it was held at Sammy’s Student Exchange. There were about a dozen performers ranging from poets, to break dancers, to keyboard players, to guitar players, to singers. The night was very successful and had a wonderful turnout. Many expressed interest in performing at future events, if given the opportunity. Admission was free, and free snacks, coffee and tea were served. For more information, please contact Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar at [email protected].

CANADIAN FEDERATION OF STUDENTS LOBBY WEEK Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar had the opportunity to visit Ottawa for a week to speak on behalf of not only our local students’ unions, but also the demands of students across the country. Sardar had scheduled meetings with various Members of Parliament throughout the day with two-to-three people

meeting with each MP. Sardar and other student representatives asked for a number of recommendations at the National level, including increasing non-repayable grants for students, removing the funding cap for the post-secondary support programs, increasing youth employment through strategies mirroring that of Germany’s dual system of vocational education and ending unpaid work. For more information, please contact Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar at [email protected].

UNPAID INTERNSHIPS Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar met with MPP Peggy Sattler’s staff and has arranged a press conference to take place at our University. On January 19, 2015, we will be inviting MP Andrew Cash, MPP Peggy Sattler, and many others involved in the labour realm to speak on the issues surrounding unpaid internships and how it impacts students and youths. We look forward to hosting this event. For more information, please contact Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar at [email protected].

DECEMBER 6 VIGIL/POLYTECHNIQUE FILM SCREENING We have been meeting with various departments across the University for a few months to plan a vigil. This year for the Montreal Massacres 25th Anniversary, we have invited various speakers to attend the Vigil at the benches, including President Meric Gertler who has confirmed his attendance. This will take place on December 4 at 12:00. We will be dedicating wreaths and Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar will be delivering a speech. This event is incredibly important and we encourage students to attend. Additionally, on November 25, we screened Polytechnique – a film created to illustrate the tragic events of December 6, 1989. This event took place on the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Buttons are also being sold in our office. All proceeds are going to the Native

VICE-PRESIDENT EQUITY

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Womens’ House. For more information, please contact Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar at [email protected].

WOMEN IN POLITICS We have invited the Association of Political Science Students (UTAPSS), the Campus Conservatives, the U of T NDP, the Young Liberals and Equal Voice U of T to meet about this conference. This meeting is designed as a ‘consultation meeting’ to chat about what each group would like to see brought to this conference, suggestions of potential panelists (politicians) that are connected to fitting our theme and generally any overall constructive ideas before we go ahead and set a date. This event is tentatively scheduled to take place at the end of January 2015. For more information, please contact Vice-President Equity Najiba Ali Sardar at [email protected].

VICE-PRESIDENT UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS

FALL READING WEEKI am on the edge of completing my Fall Reading Report and will be presenting a copy to the Board of Directors at our November Meeting. In this report, the Vice-President University Affairs Pierre Harfouche highlights the case for a Fall Reading Week, with a particular focus on Mental Health. The report was slightly delayed due to the release of the Mental Health report and Harfouche felt it was important to include elements of that report in the Fall Reading Briefing. The briefing will be sent to the Vice-Provost as soon as he gathers feedback on it and will be sent to the Deans of the various faculties for initial consultation. The goal is for the University to strike a committee(s) to look at this issue in detail (i.e. Residence, Faculty Schedules, Orientation Programming, Mental Health, Tuition and Summer Courses). For more information, please

contact Vice-President University Affairs Pierre Harfouche at [email protected].

COUNCIL OF ATHLETICS AND RECREATION UPDATE

The Faculty of Kinesiology will be hosting a series of events in the next few months to promote the PanAm Games. Vice-President University Affairs Pierre Harfouche encourages students to attend these events and to promote them to other students who may be unaware of the games being held in Toronto.

The council is also working on the budget proposal, which is being submitted to the Council of Student Services. The budget highlights the increases, which the Council believes are necessary to maintain and improve existing services. The Board will be voting on these increases in the months to come.

Since October, the Goldring Centre has officially opened to all students. Students should visit the centre and encourage classmates to use the facility.

Finally, the Council has elected its last student member. Board members looking to be involved with improving athletic services on campus should apply for a student position on the Council of Athletics and Recreation in the spring. Students serve two-year terms and it is an excellent opportunity to get engaged in the provision of services. For more information, please contact Vice-President University Affairs Pierre Harfouche at [email protected].

HART HOUSE BOARD OF STEWARTS UPDATEHart House has just recently completed a review of its committee structures and has provided a set of recommendations for the Board of Stewarts to adopt. The recommendations range from highlighting the need for a common space for Hart House committees to store equipment, collaboration and working on initiatives and highlighting

VICE-PRESIDENT EQUITY

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VICE-PRESIDENT UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS

governance changes. The recommendations received mixed reviews by students on the Board of Stewarts and a very negative review by alumni of Hart House. The warden has promised increased consultation on the recommendations before implementation of the report and has delayed his administrative response to the report as a result of the comments from the Board.

Hart House will also be undergoing a long needed restoration in a few years (approximately 3-5 years). The restoration will involve renewing plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling and many other mechanical aspects of the building. The restoration will also make spaces more usable such as the courtyard, which will be become enclosed to enable access even in unfavorable weather conditions. I will forward a copy of the restoration plans as soon as they are made public, but before they are approved by the Hart House Board of Stewarts. Vice-President University Affairs Pierre Harfouche is authorized to discuss certain details of the plans with members in a more private setting, so please do not hesitate to contact him if you require more information.

Board members who have a connection or are interested in Hart House should try to communicate with Harfouche to receive a copy of the report. Your comments will help advise future discussions at the Board of Stewarts. For more information, please contact Vice-President University Affairs Pierre Harfouche at [email protected].

CUIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The UTSU appoints 3 members to sit on the University of Toronto Community Radio Board of Directors. For the next year, Vice-President Internal & Services Cameron Wathey, Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian and Harfouche are those individuals. The CUIT has recently completed a campaign to get a new transmitter when their 27 year-old transmitter recently broke down. Their fundraising campaign raised $100,000 from listeners and

was successful in keeping the radio station operating. Operationally, the CUIT has paid off the debt it has accrued as a result of less than stellar financial controls. For more information, please contact Vice-President University Affairs Pierre Harfouche at [email protected].

SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSIONER

FOSSIL FREE CANADA DIVESTMENT CONVERGENCEFrom November 9 to 11, the Sustainability Commissioner and seven members of Toronto350 attended Fossil Free Canada’s Divestment Convergence in Montreal and were able to meet with divestment campaign organizers from schools across the country. We attended work shops and lectures led by various organizers of the divestment campaign and learned about a variety of topics ranging from engaging students to the economic arguments for divestment. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected].

FOSSIL FREE ART BUILDHeld on November 10 and hosted with Fossil Free UofT as part of Divestment Action Week, this event invited students to make posters and banners in preparation for the march taking place two days later. Approximately 30 students attended this event. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected].

FOSSIL FUEL DIVESTMENT DISCUSSION PANELThis event took part of Divestment Action Week on November 11. Organized by Fossil Free UofT, this event encouraged a discussion of the issues surrounding the university’s investments in the fossil fuel industry and what divestment could look like for the university. Panelists included 22

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SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSIONER

Doug MacDonald, Jeanne Moffat, and Jane Ambachtscheer and the panel was moderated by Katie Krelove. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected]

FOSSIL FREE UOFT MARCHThe highlight of Divestment Action Week and led by Fossil Free UofT, the march served a dual purpose of demonstrating to the university administration that students were aware of this issue and to raise student support and interest in the issue. An estimated 200 students attended the march with various campus clubs and organizations represented including Women and Gender Studies Students’ Union, Peace, Conflict, and Justice Society, Oxfam, Toronto Undergraduate Geography Society, Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (VUSAC), International Students Association (INSA), Trinity College Environmental Society (TCES), Environmental Students’ Union (ENSU), U of T BEES, University of Toronto Environmental Action (UTEA), and U of T Greenpeace. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected].

RESOURCE FAIROn November 22, the Sustainability Commissioner and the Vice-President External Grayce Slobodian attended the University of Toronto Family Housing’s Resource and Environmental Fair to offer information about the services that UTSU provides to residents. Since the fair attracts many families with young children, a craft activity was organized to help the children better understand what they could do to be more sustainable. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected].

SUSTAINABILITY MAPWork continues on creating a Sustainability Map for the neighbourhoods surrounding campus. The goal of the map is to educate students on locations near campus that will help them live more sustainable lives. This month, the map was shared with various clubs and campus groups to add their submissions in preparation for a launch of the online map in January. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected].

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GREEN DRINKS After a successful Green Drinks social in October, the event returns this November with a collaboration with the Environmental Students’ Union (ENSU). Green Drinks will be hosted with ENSU’s Pub Night at Jack Astor’s on November 28 at 5:00pm. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected].

ECOFESTPlanning continues for EcoFest, which will take place as a month-long event in March. The Commission is currently brainstorming events and looking for collaborations and partnerships with other campus organizations. Some events in the planning stage include a gala celebrating BikeChain’s 25,000th visit and acquiring student-discounted tickets for the Water Doc Film Festival. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected].

DO IT IN THE DARKPlanning for Do It In the Dark continues, as the Commission continues to talk with individual colleges and UofT Facilities regarding the feasibility of implementing this event. Do It In the Dark is an energy conservation challenge in residence halls. It is planned to run for four weeks from March 2 to March 27, during EcoFest. For more information, please contact the Sustainability Commissioner, Riley McCullough at [email protected].

SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSIONER

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