Winter 2024 Caucus Report

On Friday, February 9, VUSAC members, club and levy representatives, and administrators filed into Alumni Hall for the annual Winter Caucus to hear reports and ask questions. 

In their report, the representatives from the Bursar’s Office discussed the finished renovations on the Caven House windows and the EJ Pratt Library roof. Some projects on the horizon include the Vic Chapel revitalization, the Indigenous Garden at Emmanuel College, and the Goldring renovations starting around March. One of the representatives from the office was James Hung, Vic’s new Associate Director of Campus Safety and Emergency Management. Hung said that in entering this new role, the primary focus has been scanning for improvements in emergency management, and figuring out the current relationship with Campus Safety. Hung was asked if there were plans to combat the negative impacts of campus police, to which Hung expressed an openness to hearing student concerns. In response to whether Vic currently owns and operates residential properties, The Bursar’s Office representatives stated that the university is currently in long lease agreements over buildings that may last for decades. Furthermore, the university is “hands off” with these residential properties which they own as landlords. The representatives claimed that the university is always looking to expand student housing options, though they did not mention any plans to revive the Stephenson House student co-op housing project. 

The report by Kelley Castle, Dean of Students, focused on the university’s recent signing of the Okanagan Charter. Castle expressed a desire to create a health-promoting campus, with the well-being of students integrated into all aspects. Specific areas of focus include spaces like the Commuter Lounge, where Castle mentioned a hope that it could function similarly to the Burwash Overnight Study Space by providing commuter students an opportunity to work alongside each other. There were also discussions regarding services, and the need to engage student leaders in the creation of a health-promoting campus. During the question period, Castle discussed next fall’s Orientation, which will now be a full five days long rather than three in previous years. This change will mean shorter days for the volunteer Orientation Leaders, who will be asked to work 14-hour days instead of historic 18-hour back-to-back volunteer days. Castle also discussed an orientation week focused on neurodiverse students following the most recent Minding Our Minds Conference. The goal of the new programming will be to highlight roadblocks neurodiverse students may face and resources to support them in overcoming those obstacles. 

Principal Angela Esterhammer then gave a report, which started with the announcement that she would be stepping down at the end of this academic year after 12 years of service. In terms of her office’s plans for the remainder of her tenure, she mentioned efforts to update Vic courses and programs, done through the Victoria College Council, the EDIA working group, and UofT Quality Assurance which just finished its review of the Literature and Critical Theory program. Esterhammer further shared a notable growth in the Education and Society minor, to the point that they are adding a new faculty member. In response to discussions on the recent rejection of the Creativity and Society major by the Faculty of Arts and Science, Esterhammer commented that Arts and Science, who are facing “budgetary uncertainty”, are not looking to add or expand programs. Other colleges are facing similar issues, such as New College, where UofT is discontinuing the Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health program. Esterhammer shared her disagreement with the decision from Arts and Science but says the Vic will be focusing on the elements it has control over such as programming and infrastructure for Creativity and Society. 

Registrar Yvette Ali shared in her report that the Registrar’s Office recently finished its review of ceremonies, and is now working to change the format of awards ceremonies to better reflect how students want to be celebrated based on data collected through a survey. Ali also wanted to remind students facing financial barriers that the Vic Bursaries are open until March 1st. The office is also preparing for its move into the 3rd floor of the Goldring Student Centre in July 2024 and will be hiring new staff members to facilitate faster service. The Registrar announced plans to hire an advisor specifically focused on the issue of equity and supporting BIPOC students. The office is also developing a co-curricular program to support Black students in the sciences. Students requested updates regarding the Coburn Award, which sponsors a student to study at a university in Israel. The university received significant pushback on the award at the most recent Fall Caucus following the Israeli government’s ongoing attack against Palestinians. Ali defended the award’s continuation by stating it is an “externally held fellowship” which is only administered by the Registrar’s Office, and that has not been given since 2019. Currently, Vic has no plans to give out the award soon because of the Canadian government’s travel warning. Registrar Ali shared that she believes the purpose of the award is to “broaden student perspectives”. About a week before the Winter Caucus, the World Health Organisation announced that by their estimate, over 100,000 Palestinians are either dead, injured, or missing and presumed dead since October 7, 2023. 

This was the first caucus for Vic’s new Director of Equity Inclusion, and Transformative Practices Lesa Williams George. She focused her report on the signing of the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Higher Education. While Vic has signed onto the Charter, the university is still deciding what it will specifically commit to in order to bring the Charter’s values to fruition. Williams George shared that during her first few months, she has focused on outreach to the community, interrogating policies and programming, and looking into accommodations for neurodiverse students. The interconnected approach was also noted in the discussion of the Okanagan Charter, with Williams George stating plainly that “mental health is an equity issue.” 

The next public meeting with Vic administrators will be in March, when President Rhonda McEwen, who was unable to attend Winter Caucus this year, will be hosting a town hall discussion.