PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ COUNCIL
27 February 2019
February Council Meeting Recap
The University Students’ Council (USC) met on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, for the fifth regular meeting of the USC for the 2018-2019 school year.
Council received two presentations from internal stakeholders. First, USC Allyship Coordinator Layne Clarke discussed best practices in allyship. Following Layne’s presentation, SPO Gabriele affirmed that “the Allyship Network is a critical service on campus that consistently provides informative messaging about allyship to our campus community.” Gabriele said she was thrilled to see the Allyship team presenting to council and engaging in a collaborative learning process that fostered productive and meaningful discussion among student leaders.
The second presentation was from Secretary-Treasurer Bejan regarding the 2019-20 USC budget. Bejan reminded council that the USC’s 2019-2020 financial plan will be delayed due to the changes announced by the provincial government earlier this year and will be presented later than normal. The USC continues to work diligently and in collaboration with our stakeholders to understand the impacts of the announcements and plan accordingly.
Three motions were presented to council. First, Councillor Campbell moved to establish an Orientation Week Mental Health Working Group. The motion was referred to the Student Experience Standing Committee for further review. Motion 2 was moved by Councillor Liu to approve the Public Arts Commission Review. The motion passed unanimously. Finally, Motion 3, to Amend the Community Standards Policy to Include Discrimination Against Identifiable Groups, was moved by Councillor Teja and also passed unanimously. The third motion builds on a previous motion to address anti-Semitism on campus by prohibiting hatred against any identifiable group including, but not limited to, those outlined in the Ontario Human Rights Code.
As per usual, the meeting concluded with Executive Reports and Reports from Committees. President Pratt shared commentary regarding the Broughdale Task Force, community meetings, and committee meetings surrounding unsanctioned street parties. “As student leaders we recognize this is a community question that demands a community answer. We’re happy that our calls for all stakeholders to come to the table have been answered and are excited to continue our work to represent the students who contribute significantly to the local community and economy”.
During his presentation, Vice President Chang expressed his pleasure with the outcome of Local Advocacy Week earlier this month. “The USC had a very successful advocacy week, meeting with politicians at all levels of government and across the city. This week is our premier opportunity to lobby on local issues that specifically impact our our students while they live and study in London.”
The USC Executive appreciates the efforts and contributions of this council throughout the year. The final meeting of the current council be the Annual General Meeting on March 10th, 2019 at 11:00 am at The Wave. Incoming and outgoing council will attend and a number of important issues and motions will be discussed, including the Student Programs Officer elections. All community members are welcome to attend.
The University Students’ Council (USC) is a student-led organization that exists to advocate for and represent the over 30,000 undergraduate students at Western University. Our mission is to enhance the education experience and quality of life for all undergraduates at Western University and our vision is that students have the power to change the world.
To enhance the educational experience and quality of life for all undergraduates at Western University
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Mikaela Harrison
Communications Officer
communications@westernusc.ca
Nicholas Waltenbury
Associate Communications
associate.communications@westernusc.ca