Re-Charge Policy Guide

8/19/2019 Re-Charge Policy Guide

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POLICY HANDBOOKREiMAGiNE YOUR EXPERiENCE.

RENEW YOUR POSSiBiLiTiES.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ENERGiZE EVERYDAY: PAGE 2 Learn about our plans to RECHARGE your day with achievable goals for Arts spaces, and plans to make

our resources more convenient for you to use!

ENERGiZE BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: PAGE 4 We want to RECHARGE our faculty’s energy by planning smarter, more affordable, more accessible

socials and adding exciting new events and clubs to get involved with next year!

DiSCOVER YOUR POTENTiAL: PAGE 5 Our Academic and funding initiatives will allow you to get the most out of you student experience and

achieve your academic and personal goals!

DiSCOVER BETTER REPRESENTATiON: PAGE 7 Learn about our goals this year to represent your interests on UMSU council and Senate, and our plans

to create a Board of Departmental Senior Sticks!

DiSCOVER YOUR ASBC: PAGE 9 We want to be transparent with our goals, and reflective of your priorities. We have developed a

comprehensive plan to encourage an open dialogue with students about our goals for the year, and have created

opportunities for you to have input on our initiatives!

MEET THE TEAM: PAGE 11 Learn about each member of RECHARGE ASBC and what experience we have that make us suited for ourpositions, and more importantly, to find out if our priorities match up with yours!

OUR ViSiON We know that the Faculty of Arts is a versatile community, full of diverse students from different

departments. It’s important that we are united in order to support each other in our pursuits. Re-charge wants to

strengthen the sense of community between the departments, bring back a sense of pride and enthusiasm about

being in the Faculty of Arts, and be more active and receptive in stimulating your student experience. Our

council and our faculty have provided a lot, but we know we can go further. Our team united can take us further.

We want you to REiMAGiNE YOUR EXPERiENCE, we want you to RENEW YOUR POSSiBiLiTiES and on March 31st

and April 1st, we want you to RECHARGE ASBC!


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REiMAGiNE YOUR EXPERiENCE. ENERGiZE EVERYDAY. While we look forward to tackling many major initiatives this year, it is also important that we take steps to

make each day you spend in our arts complex more enjoyable by invigorating our spaces, and attending to your

day-to-day needs.

MORE CHARGiNG OUTLETS We will advocate to implement more free public charging outlets for students within the Arts buildings such as

the Student Lounge, the Benidickson Reading Room, Greenhouse Cafe, Pangeos at University College and

Elizabeth Dafoe Library.

RELAXATiON ROOM Re-Charge supports student wellness in mind, body and spirit. Student health and wellbeing is essential to

academic success. For this reason, we will advocate for a quiet relaxation room in the Arts Complex, in order to

lobby for mental health within the faculty, and to encourage continuous mental health awareness.

ENLiVEN THE ARTS COMPLEX QUAD We want to clean up and utilize our outdoor spaces to make them presentable and accessible for students. The

quad area just south of the arts lounge presents a scenic and practical space to build the feel of a vibrant

outdoor campus from snowmelt to snowfall. Unfortunately, this potential has become neglected, which is

something we plan to change. We will use this space to create a social hub for relaxation and recreation, as well

as to showcase students with busking opportunities and student group events and fundraisers.

MAKE OUR CONFERENCE ROOM ACCESSiBLE This past year ASBC worked to create a conference room for students to use in the Arts Lounge. We will ensure

that this conference room can be easily booked out free of charge by students for club meetings, group projects,

and more, and ensure that access on weekends will also be available.


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FREE LOCKERS FOR ARTS STUDENTS We will continue to provide free lockers for all arts students. You pay enough to attend University as is, and

should not be emptying your pockets to have a safe location to store your belongings. Lockers will be distributed

at a first-come-first-serve basis at the beginning of the Fall Semester, and we will keep students updated on any

availability that arises throughout the course of the year!

SUSTAiNABiLiTY We believe that sustainability should be a priority for all students, and therefore a priority for ASBC. We will

ensure that every garbage can in the Arts complex is matched with a recycling bin so that students don’t have to

throw away recyclable products. We will also advocate for more water bottle compatible stations, and create the

position of Sustainability Representative to ensure that ASBC is progressive in the field of environmental

protection.

ENERGiZE THE ARTS LOUNGE

The Arts Lounge has always been a space to relax and catch up with friends. We want to utilize this space to itsfull potential and bring in new ideas to ensure that the lounge is always a great place to be. We will provide

board games that can be rented out of A.R.C., advocate for 24/7 access to the lounge and provide Netflix for

students to watch in their free time. We also want to host more events in the lounge, such as viewing parties for

Jets Games in order to provide students with a fun opportunity to connect with each other.

REFURBiSH STUDY CARRELS Between the Fletcher Study Carrels and the Benidickson Reading Room, there are plenty of spaces for students

to study. However, these spaces have become somewhat run down and are often locked and inaccessible. We

will advocate for renovations and proper upkeep of these spaces, and ensure that they are accessible to students

24/7 (even on weekends and holidays!).


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REiMAGiNE YOUR EXPERiENCE. ENERGiZE BEYOND THE

CLASSROOM. School can be stressful, and your council needs to provide you with opportunities that go beyond the academic

environment. Our social programming initiatives will make sure that the ASBC brings enthusiasm to Arts events

and create a sense of pride in our faculty!

ARTS VS SCiENCE SOCiALIn previous years, this was a social that was looked forward to every year by uniting the two largest faculties on

campus and encouraging friendly competition between them. We will work with the SSA council to bring back

this social and make it bigger and better in the upcoming year!

MORE ON CAMPUS EVENTS We want to focus on hosting socials on campus in venues such as UMSU’s Hub Social Club, the Multi-Purpose

Room and even our very own Arts Student Lounge. Not only does this boost UMSU businesses and save costs,but it’s a location that is accessible to students, and ensures safety through University guidelines and programs

such as Safe Walk.

ARTS iNTRAMURAL LEAGUE It’s time to join in on the inter-faculty rivalry that takes place without us each semester. This year we want to

allow students to participate on teams for activities like Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball and more! We will even

create a new appointed position of General Manager to oversee all of the faculty rec sports teams!

ARTS SPEAKER SERiES We want to bring students the opportunity to engage with established speakers in their respective fields. In

previous years, we have seen lectures dominated by a select few departments within the Faculty of Arts. We will

work with the department councils to bring in speakers from different disciplines in Arts and unite the speakers

under a common banner.

ARTS WEEK We are looking forward to bringing you an ARTS week that will rival the energy of the Greeks and the Engineers.

Our ARTS week will be filled with free programming (both social and academic), packed with giveaways,

competitions between the departments, theme nights and galas at the HUB and the ARTS lounge, and even a

chance to win back some of your tuition!


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RENEW YOUR POSSiBiLiTiES. DiSCOVER YOUR POTENTiAL.Recharge wants to provide you with more than just social events. Academic programming and funding initiatives

will allow you to access resources and support systems

.

ACHiEVEMENT WEEK There are many outstanding resources and opportunities in place within the Arts Student Body Council and the

Faculty of Arts, but we need to do a better job of making them accessible to students. Next September, Our

Achievement Week will solve this problem by creating an interactive showcase in Fletcher Argue to display

information on how to get involved with campus groups, access scholarships and bursaries and apply for ASBC

funding towards service learning and student initiatives and conferences.

FUNDING, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND BURSARIES: School can be expensive. Luckily, our University offers

funding opportunities through the general bursary program and many others which cover members of certain

colleges or departments, or those from different backgrounds. We will display all of these options and make theforms available to you when you visit. We can even help you fill them out! You deserve to be informed of your

opportunities, and it is our job to make sure you are!

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH: Sometimes you need a little help from your friends. The ASBC consistently

provides students with funding to attend academic conferences, student leadership initiatives and humanitarian

projects. We are committed to continuing this, but to make it far more accessible to you. We will do the research

prior to the start of the school year and present you with all of the best initiatives for you to take advantage of

throughout the year. You can sign up at the initiative fair or throughout the course of the year, and we will

design a comprehensive process to designate funding to as many interested and qualified applicants as possible

in a more transparent and inclusive manner.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT: There are great opportunities for students to get involved within the

University and the Faculty of Arts. If you are looking for ways to get involved on campus, our Get Involved Fair

will show you how. Our showcase will highlight Faculty of Arts programs such as the Black Hole Theatre, the Arts

Tribune and various departmental clubs.


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PEER TUTORiNG PROGRAM This is a student lead study group program where a student who has previously taken a certain subject will lead

a group of students in discussion and provide guidance on how to best prepare for the course. The program is

aimed at helping first year students learn valuable study skills and make lasting friendships within their program,

and it presents a great opportunity for .upper year students to refine their knowledge and teaching skills while

building up a volunteer portfolio. We will advocate to make sure each tutor receives a reference letter from the

academic learning centre for their work, for which there is existing precedent. We will display all tutors and

eligible courses at the Arts Resource Centre in Fletcher Argue and advocate for professors to make the

information readily available to students on their syllabi.

WORKSHOPS iN CONNECTiON WiTH THE ACADEMiC LEARNiNG CENTRE We will host open house workshops presented by ASBC and the ALC in the arts lounge in September and January

to give you information on how to properly use each citation method, tips on researching through google

scholar, and lessons on how to construct a proper intro, thesis, conclusion, and outline for an academic essay.

They will also cover common bad study and writing habits, and the basic components of quality literary andresearch essays.

RESOURCE FAiR The University of Manitoba has many resources and policies that are available for students to utilize. These

include counselling services, mental health support mechanisms, stress workshops, and information on violence

and sexual assault. Along with this, the University has resources that can aid with your studies, such as tutoring

programs, accessibility services, and in extreme circumstances, Authorized Withdrawals. The Faculty of Arts itself

also has several support mechanisms that Arts students can utilize in order to achieve success in University.

Unfortunately, many of these policies and programs are not properly advertised and are unknown to the average

student. Recharge ASBC will hold a Resource Fair at the beginning of each semester in order to showcase theseprograms and inform students about the resources that are available to them on campus.

STUDENT SUPPORT FUND This year we saw many students struggle through tuition hikes, budget cuts, and crises abroad that prevented

students from being able to pay for their education. Further, sometimes financial issues arise out of nowhere and

prevent students from being able to succeed. As a council that receives a large amount of funding from UMSU

every year, we will allocate money to a student support fund to support Arts students in times of need. We will

accept applications to access this fund which will be available in A.R.C. We believe that when altruism and

accountability meet, our council makes its greatest impact. It is important to support our students in whatever

way possible, and we will ensure that all leftover funds at the end of the year are deposited to the fund.

Hopefully future councils will continue this initiative, and we can build an effective support system for students

this year, and for years to come.


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CAREER FAiR A degree in the Faculty of Arts can lead to many career opportunities, and we will host a Career Fair that is

targeted to Arts students to ensure that they are aware of the opportunities available to them. We will bring in

experts and employers in a variety of fields related to arts programs to let you know of your future opportunities

and the best way for you to achieve them.

RENEW YOUR POSSiBiLiTiES. DiSCOVER BETTER REPRESENTATiON. It is the job of UMSU Representatives and Senators to ensure that the voices of Arts students are heard on highergoverning bodies. We will ensure that our Reps will relay all opinions of Arts students to the faculty, Senate and

UMSU council in a cooperative and proactive manner. In addition, we will create a Board of Departmental Senior

Sticks to allow departmental councils to be have a say on ASBC decisions.

SENATE OUR SENATOR: As a Senator for ASBC this past year, Allison Kilgour has worked hard to ensure that

changes to the Voluntary Withdrawal Policy do not disadvantage students or prolong their degree. Recharge will

ensure that students are kept updated on changes to this policy through email and social media updates, and we

will continue to push for a VW policy that works for all students.

OUR OBJECTIVE: We will ensure that all new proposals that arise in Senate are clearly communicated to

students, and that students have a say in the policies that affect them most. We will also include updates on

Senate activities in our B.O.D.S.S. meetings and in our Budget Consultation meetings, so that all departments are

kept up to date and can voice their opinions on the issues at hand. Our candidate for Senate has proven that she

can be a strong representative for students, and hopes to continue to advocate for student interests in the

upcoming year.


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UMSU OUR UMSU REPRESENTATIVE: Saif Baloch has proven to be a strong advocate through his work

opposing the International Student Fee Hikes, and advocating for International Student interests to be heard.

Recharge will continue this work by facilitating the process of linking international students with academic

involvement opportunities within the Arts disciplines. This means working with the administration and the

Dean’s office to support academic initiatives.

OUR OBJECTIVE: We will advocate for increased financial aid, social and academic supports for

international students in Arts. Furthermore, we will improve and increase the channels of communication

between both Arts students and UMSU Council, as well as provide incentives to engage and encourage

participation from our constituents within UMSU and ASBC. We will also work to strengthen democratic,

inclusive, accountable and collegial governance of the Faculty. Our candidate for UMSU Rep is committed to

achieving these objectives through consultation, reflection, and study of existing rules, procedures and practices

within the Faculty.

BOARD OF DEPARTMENTAL SENiOR STiCKS (BODSS) Clubs, societies and collectives have a long tradition of being part of the Arts Student Body experience. As clubs

grow and evolve there should be more opportunities to collaborate, expand and ultimately widen the network of

students across departments. Creating a Board of Departmental Senior Sticks will create more direct student

representation by allowing students to have their specific departmental interests accounted for on ASBC.


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RENEW YOUR POSSiBiLiTiES. DiSCOVER YOUR ASBC.

Our Council needs to be more visible and accessible. We have plans to better advertise our events and resources

to the students, as well as making our counsellors more available and transparent with our financial decisions

and policies.

SAFE AND ACCESSiBLE OFFiCE SPACES Our counsellors are mandated in our bylaws to maintain office hours to provide service to students. We will

coordinate and sustain our office hours throughout the year to provide service in the A.R.C and other ASBC

offices to any concerned student from 9am-4pm. Further, we will all hang safe space banners on our doors to

promote the ASBC as a place of acceptance and non-discrimination. While ASBC counsellors will not be required

to act as a professional counseling resource, we will be briefed with basic counselling skills in order to be a

person to talk to in a time of immediate crisis, and act as a liaison to guide you to the appropriate counselling

resources in place at the university.

ADVERTiSE RESOURCES Making resources accessible and known to students is something that should be the focus of our council all year

round. The Arts Resource Centre should be a place to access these resources in a convenient way. ‘Our doors are

always open’ is a mantra our slate takes seriously, but when we cannot be in our offices, information about all

ASBC resources should be available to you at your convenience. ASBC resources such as the peer tutoring

program and academic workshops, as well as information about faculty academic advisors, counselling resources,

volunteer campaigns, upcoming arts faculty events and student groups you can get involved with will all be

displayed in pamphlets on the door of A.R.C. to ensure that they are accessible to students. We will also make

tickets to ASBC Socials and Events available to purchase directly through A.R.C.

ACCESSiBLE MiNUTES AND BUDGETS: Social media is a great way to reach as many students as possible with the council information that you are

entitled to. We will be making our meeting minutes, yearly budgets, and updated financial records readily

available for you to see. If you disagree with something we have done, we want to hear from you so that we can

work towards the best solutions for all students. We will also be updating our Community Link page more

frequently to provide you with updates on council initiatives, as well as recognizing accomplishments of our

members, and advertising departmental events such as Black Hole Theatre productions, the Political Studies

Students Conference and our new Arts Speaker Series.


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STUDENT BUDGET CONSULTATIONS In our opinion, the ASBC has not done enough to make all students feel that they are active members of our

council. To increase transparency and participation, we need to sit down and talk with you about where your

money is going.

LET’S TALK: We want to create an open forum to discuss our plans for the year, and hear your opinion

on what we could be doing to serve you better. In September and January we will host an open house to discuss

the faculty budget and how it affects the students and our council, as well as talking about our own budget and

the initiatives we plan to support. As Arts students, this is a great opportunity for you to voice your opinions

about policies we should adopt that would help your student experience. Further, this is a great way to get

informed about our council’s responsibilities and ask any questions you may have about our initiatives, or how to

get involved. We want our bi-weekly council meetings next year to be attended by more than just counsellors in

order to get a more comprehensive view of your needs within our faculty, but that requires us to reach out and

engage you in a transparent manner.


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MEET THE TEAM

JAKOB SANDERSON: PRESiDENT

Hi, I’m Jakob, and I’m a second year student in theFaculty of Arts majoring in Political Studies. In

addition to being crowned one of Canada’s 14

smartest people by CBC this past November (very

inexact), I have been serving as the Executive

Assistant to the President this year on ASBC and

am involved within the Black Hole Theatre

Company, having appeared in two shows this year.

Additionally, I have been involved in charitable

initiatives such as Siloam Mission and D'arcy's ARC.

I am passionate about student engagement andoutreach, and my presidency this year would focus on uniting the departments and students in the Arts Faculty

and providing you with a transparent and accessible council to voice your concerns.

OYINDAMOLA ALAKA: ViCE PRESiDENT

Hi I’m Oyindamola (Oyinda) and I am a second

year student in the Faculty of Arts majoring in

Women’s and Gender Studies. Ever since my first

year, I have been heavily involved on campus. I am

the President of the University of ManitobaNigerian Students’ Association (UMNISA) and I

recently founded the University of Manitoba Afro

Caribbean Students’ Association through which I

organized the “celebration of black culture” event

and a flash mob both in honour of Black History

month. This year I also served as the Career

Services Representative for ASBC and co-organized the “Arts career round table 2016” with the Faculty of Arts

Dean’s office and Career services. I currently sit on the Senate Committee for Academic dress and the University

disciplinary committee. Alongside this, I am very involved in my community through volunteerism for

Folklorama, Nigerian Association of Manitoba Inc. (NAMI), Egbe Omo Yoruba Association and am a member ofthe Justice for Women group on campus. I am passionate about equality and social justice and would strive to

bring these characteristics to ASBC if elected as your next Vice President. As a young female and a voice for the

international community, I would ensure equal representation for these communities on council.


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KATIE FINLAYSON: SOCiAL PROGRAMMER

Hi I’m Katie and I am in my second year in the

Faculty of Arts. I am an energetic person, and I’m

happy to chat with everyone I see. I have

recently become involved in campus events and

have gained a passion for creating an exciting

and fun student experience. I am running for

Director of Social Programming because I know

how much a fun night can be needed in order to

take the stress off of school stress for an

evening. I want to be your Social Programmer

because I feel I have the knowledge, experience,

and enthusiasm to make your year exciting, and help you create memories that extend beyond the classroom. If

you get a chance, come chat with me in the halls this week, as I am always ready to talk about what you want at

our socials next year, whether it be music preferences, food, or theme! I am open to catering to your needs and if

elected, I will work diligently to make our events as fun and enjoyable as possible!

HANNAH BURNS: ACADEMiC PROGRAMMER

Hi I'm Hannah, and I’m in my second year in the

Faculty of Arts majoring in Psychology. I have

been heavily involved on campus with student

life, am the Director of Public Relations for

World Vision, and have served as the Assistant

Academic Programmer this year on ASBC. I want

to run for Director of Academic Programming

because when I first arrived at the University of

Manitoba I struggled to adjust to the study

habits required. I got involved to with ASBC and

the University volunteer program to help

students make their adjustment to University

easier. I want to continue this next year, and if

elected I will work tirelessly to ensure that students receive the help that they need to succeed academically.


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RICO ILAG: ARC DiRECTOR

Hi, I’m Rico and I’m a second year student in the

Faculty of Arts. I am passionate about

advocating for equality and social justice, and

have been heavily involved with initiatives that

support these. Through a Social Justice

Committee I had the opportunity to collaborate

and discuss ideas on the Canadian Museum of

Human Rights with the former Governor

General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean. I have also

worked closely with MP Joy Smith by helping

compile signatures to campaign in support of

the motion C-153 to put a national action plan in place to combat human trafficking. I also volunteer for the Air

Cadet Program, which I have served in for seven years, receiving the promotion of Warrant Officer 2nd Class in

2014. In 2012, I was approached to become a radio panellist for a newly created segment on CJOB 68 which

broadcasted for 3 years. This allowed me to improve my ability to understand and communicate with others by

answering phone calls and discussing high school issues with fellow students. Last year I served as the Arts

Resource Centre Director, and I am currently a Senator on the Arts Student Body Council. Through my previous

experience as ARC Director, Director of Marketing, and Senator, I have become very aware and passionate about

the issues Arts students may face. Being able to relate to these issues and ideas, I believe that if elected, I would

be extremely capable of continuing to advocate for what the students want and need!

SAIF BALOCH: UMSU REPRESENTATiVE

Hi, I’m Saif, and I’m a third year Criminology

major minoring in Political Studies. I am

running to be your UMSU Representative for

Arts Student Body Council. This year I have

identified major issues that surround both

domestic and international students. I’ve been

heavily involved in the international tuition fee

hike and budget cut campaigns to voice the

concerns of students over the university’s

budgetary process. I think it’s safe to say I didn’t

like what I saw last year when the university

budget was implemented and I felt as though I

could make a difference by getting involved.

This is why, as an international student, I advocated for full transparency of university finances and increased

public funding for post-secondary education. This year, I am ready to be more involved within the committees,

and I will continue to be a strong voice in both ASBC and UMSU Council.


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ALLISON KILGOUR: SENATOR

Hi, I’m Allison and I’m running to be re-elected as one of your

Senators in the upcoming year. I’m a third year political

studies major, with a minor in sociology. This past year I

served as a Senator for ASBC and sat on the Senate Executive

Committee and the Appeals Committee. I also worked on

putting together a proposal that successfully postponed the

introduction of a new Voluntary Withdrawal policy for the

University. I have been a strong representative for student

issues on the Senate and I hope to continue this, in order to

ensure that the VW policy (and any new proposals that are

brought forward) are implemented in a way that coincides

with student interests. Along with this I am currently a

member of Justice for Women, a volunteer for the Canadian

Diabetes Association, and have been an advocate on campus

for issues such as Women’s rights and mental health. I am

also highly involved in policy and political work, serving as a

Campaign Director on a Federal election campaign this past

fall. I am passionate about ensuring that students are supported by their university and that the policies in place

benefit students rather than limit them. If elected, I will do everything I can to ensure that Arts student’s voices

are heard on the Senate, and that all available support mechanisms are properly advertised and accessible to

students.

Re-Charge Policy Guide

Documents

Transcript of Re-Charge Policy Guide