VUSAC’s agenda for 2018-19
The Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (VUSAC) is Vic’s student government, and liaises between students and college administration.
This summer, VUSAC’s executive board has been working to fulfill its mandates, which range from the allotment of funds to clubs and levies to planning social events and implementing equity initiatives. This year, Victorians have much to look forward to from their student government.
Devon Wilton, Vice-President External of VUSAC, elaborates on some of the council’s activities leading up to the academic year: “VUSAC’s been working on a lot of different projects so far this summer, and we’ll keep up the work once the school year starts,” says Wilton. “Personally, I’ve been working on VUSAC’s proposal to rename Ryerson House and the Ryerson Vic One stream, collecting student feedback on Goldring [Student Centre], and looking at how we can increase ease of access to gender-neutral washrooms on our campus.”
In addition to pursuing new initiatives on campus, VUSAC also works to maintain ongoing services for students and to encourage student engagement with the council. Nick Shyshkin, Vice-President Internal of VUSAC, describes some of the different ways in which VUSAC aims to continue serving the student body. “One of [the] biggest goals under my portfolio is to make the VUSAC office a more open and accessible space for students,” he says. “We offer a wide range of services, including five-cent-per-side printing, free tea and coffee, a charging station, safe sex supplies, free menstrual products, and more! We want students to come into the office and use the space, be it for studying or using our services.”
In addition to the executive leadership of the council, VUSAC also includes several commissions dedicated to student life, including the Arts and Culture, Equity, Scarlet and Gold, Sustainability, and Academic commissions. These commissions play an important role in the initiatives and events that VUSAC organizes.
According to Georgia Lin, VUSAC’s Equity Commissioner, her commission’s activities will include “running a self-defence workshop series in late September for women and trans students at Vic, hosting month-long thematic programming for Women’s History Month in October, and organizing more fun events to engage Vic students with equity work on campus.”
The Arts and Culture Commission, headed by Carleigh Campbell, also works to promote student engagement and expression on campus.
“The most important role in my portfolio is providing students with spaces and resources in which they can safely express and create […] through activities and initiatives that target issues of sustainability and equity, and how these things intertwine with arts and culture. The most popular events put on by my commission are The Bob Comedy Revue and the Gardiner Gala,” says Campbell.
VUSAC’s scope is broad and covers many aspects of student life. There are many ways in which students can get involved with VUSAC, according to Shyshkin.
“We have our Fall Elections, where students can run for a Councillor position. We have eight spots available, with three specifically reserved for incoming students,” he says. “As a Councillor, you have a vote during Council meetings, you represent the interests of students, and you are assigned two to three portfolios underneath Commissioners, Vice-Presidents, and Staff. If you do not want to sit directly on Council, you can apply to be a part of our other Commissions […] where they collectively take on advocacy work and plan events for the school year. We also have the Highball Committee and Winterfest Committee which fall under the Scarlet and Gold Commissioner, where it’s all about helping plan large-scale events at Vic!”
VUSAC’s office is located in the Goldring Student Centre, room 127. Find them at www.vusac.ca or on their Facebook page.
