Algonquin Students’ Association Unveils 2021-2022 Priorities
Find out what your board is working on this year.
Published: August 13, 2021
Each spring, students elect eight full-time students to form the next Board of Directors. Once they take office on May 1, they immediately begin connecting with students to learn their wants and needs and use that feedback to create change through policy development.
Over the summer, the SA Board of Directors speak with students to help inform our annual Board priorities. These priorities become our goals for the year, and we partner with stakeholders within Algonquin College to see where we can work together to create change.
The six 2021-2022 SA Board priorities are:
- Assert students’ perspective on Algonquin College’s pandemic recovery plan
- Participate in the planning of the Hi-Flex Multi-Modal delivery system
- Maintain the Academic Integrity of Co-op, Work Integrated Learning (WIL), and Placement Education
- Create a multi-year plan to improve utilization, consistency, and navigation of Brightspace for students and faculty
- Increase awareness of health & wellness resources for students
- Identify and support needs for international students
- Partner with AC to boost events and promotion in support of Student Support Services
- Bring mental health resources to students rather than students to mental health resources
- Increase training for student volunteers
- Ensure student support during all appeals processes
- Strengthen the integrity of SA’s representative structure
- Broaden the mandate of the Class Representative system
- Incorporate Peer Education into the Class Rep Job Description
- Examine the potential inclusion of AC Online students in the SA membership
- Explore the value of increasing benefits for students
- Extend the U-Pass year-round
- Review the Health and Dental plan
- Implement a merit scholarship for all faculties to encourage, recognize, and reward academic excellence
- Re-evaluate all SA bursaries
- Review financial support for international students
- Advocate for housing and transportation as essential services at Perth and Pembroke
- Complete a study to understand the current state of housing
- Implement a strategy to support access to education
- Continue to promote public transit in conjunction with the municipality of Pembroke
- Investigate status of housing for international students
- Reaffirm the SA’s commitment to Truth, Reconciliation, and Indigenization
- Support/visit a local Indigenous community
- Facilitate ongoing education and dialogue
- Launch the “Algonquin Wolves’ identity and narrative on all campuses
- Explore ways to honour the fallen children and survivors of the Residential school system
We’ve laid out the plan for these priorities, and I’m so excited to share our goals for this academic year. In the next few months, we’ll connect with members of the Algonquin College Executive Team, community partners, and students from all campuses to start making these things happen for future Algonquin College students.
If you have feedback, or want to connect on these priorities, I invite you to fill out a student feedback form and we’ll be in touch. Thank you and stay tuned for updates on our progress through the fall and winter semesters.
Emily Ferguson,
President, Algonquin Students’ Association