Students’ Association Board of Directors Announces Their 2024-2025 Priorities
Check out what the Board is working on!
Published: September 30, 2024
Hello Wolves!
I’m pleased to share some of what we’ve been working on over the summer and give you an idea of what is to come for this year.
The Students’ Association Board of Directors spends the spring and summer collecting feedback from students to develop a focus and goals for our work term in office.
Since we began our work in May, we have spent over 150 hours talking directly with students, hosted meetings with the Class Representatives, two focus groups, and several tabling sessions where students could talk to us directly.
We sorted through this information to see what issues mattered most to students and what had the biggest impact on their lives and success. Our priorities this year focus on three areas:
- Academics – We want to make sure that the information you are learning is current and of the highest quality possible. We also want to make sure that at graduation, you have the skills and education needed to find a job in an evolving job market.
- Transportation – This is a major cause of stress for many students. In Perth and Pembroke, there are no public transportation options that are sustainable or reasonable for a student. We will continue our work with the College and the community to advocate for viable options. For Ottawa, we will work with the College and OC Transpo to make sure they understand the student experience and advocate for better service.
- Mental Wellness – College can be a stressful time for anyone. It often comes at a major transition point in someone’s life, and it is a significant investment of time and money. There are already many amazing support services offered on campus, so we want to make sure that the services that are offered match the specific needs of students.
There are two major themes for our goals this year: improvement and community. We want to take services and offerings that are already good and make them great. We also want to focus on collaboration and realistic solutions. None of the major issues facing students are going to be solved by a single person. These goals require partnerships with Algonquin College, with OC Transpo, with community leaders in Pembroke and Perth, and with the many different services on campus.
The last several years have changed many things for many people, but they haven’t changed our values and our ambitions.
Our mission is to create an environment that inspires a passion for student success. We strongly believe that the Algonquin College community is already a great and strong community. We know that students at Algonquin College are resilient and can rely on each other for support.
We want to build on that idea in the coming months and continue to strengthen our community so everyone can grow to their full potential and be successful. We can accomplish this by working together, by listening and learning, and by teaching and supporting each other. Algonquin College students make up a pack, and we are made stronger together.
The College experience is a fantastic opportunity to try new things, find yourself, and grow. It is important to maintain the balance between the academic and the social aspects of this experience. You will learn just as much from your classmates and the time you spend doing other activities, as you will from your classes.
If you want to learn more, please join us on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, in E133 (the Corner Lounge) at noon for our Annual General Meeting! You must have a valid student card with you to attend. I look forward to working for you in the coming academic year – stay tuned for updates on these priorities in the coming months.
Maria Silveira,
President