VUSAC (Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council) is Victoria College’s student government. It typically consists of 20 elected members. Of these, four executives and seven commissioners are elected annually in the Winter semester, and nine councillors are elected in the following Fall semester. There are also five staff positions.
VUSAC offers many in-person and online services to Victoria College students. Need to print and have spare coins? VUSAC’s office printing is five cents! If you have thought of starting a club, they can also help you get the necessary funding and resources to get started. They also sell cozy merchandise in Vic’s Fall colours (because Canada is cold). The executives, along with certain commissions, also advocate for student concerns and needs to Victoria College’s head administration and the University of Toronto.
The council is headed by four executives. The President is VUSAC’s spearhead and oversees the council’s general plan for the year, including budgeting and representing VUSAC in meetings with other student bodies from the larger University of Toronto community. The Vice-President External is the bridge between VUSAC and external governing bodies, such as the Dean’s Office and the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU). The Vice-President Student Organizations is the main contact for clubs and levies at Victoria College. They support and provide resources about budgeting and other information to these groups. The Vice-President Internal is the backbone of the council and is responsible for maintaining the office’s culture and rules.
The nine councillors have a more general role on council, supporting different commissioners and executive portfolio initiatives. They are elected each fall and nominations for the 2021-2022 school year open September 3, 2021.
Regarding the global pandemic and the University’s reopening strategy, President Jerico Raguindin said that they are “waiting on the Dean’s Office, the University of Toronto’s senior administration and public health guidelines to figure out when [they] can provide in-person programming in the Fall. [They] hope to provide in-person programming as soon as possible […] it is crucial to get students back to campus and re-building the in-person Victoria College community experience.”
VUSAC’s seven commissions plan events and provide services regarding their respective portfolios: Commuter, Equity, Scarlet and Gold (formal events), Academic, Arts & Culture, Mental Wellness, and Sustainability. Commissioners run each committee, often with the help of a co-chair. Teams of students help each commission with specific concerns like social media, budgeting, and planning events. These events include Highball (the annual formal), the Bob Comedy Revue, and more. Though applications for joining these commissions’ teams will be released come the Fall semester, new members are always welcome to meetings—check out VUSAC’s social media or website to stay updated on the latest opportunities!
The upcoming (all online) Fall election will be for nine councillors. There will also be a by-election for Equity Commissioner, Arts & Culture Commissioner, Mental Wellness Commissioner, Commuter Commissioner, and Vice-President Internal. By-elections will also be held for the Victoria University Senate (VUS), the Victoria College Council (VCC), and the Board of Regents.
