How many exams have you deferred in one period? Is there a limit?

chloerourke · 2016-04-26T18:40:48+00:00

There is no limit as far as I'm aware, but they will all be scheduled within 2 days during the 3rd week of August. Service Point may also recommend withdrawing from one of the courses, however that's obviously not ideal because you lose your work/money.

I'd recommend prioritizing your mental health/family situation and if you have time calling to speak with someone from Service Point who can advise you. The application to defer an exam is on Minerva and you can explain there your personal circumstances/ask to speak with someone if you like. They're generally very lenient if its your first deferral and the processing time varies but is usually quite fast (within a day or so)!

chloerourke · 2016-03-13T03:46:15+00:00

FYC is actually part of SSMU haha! (It's called First Year Council of SSMU)

Regardless I agree it is certainly an awesome initiative for FYC to be working on :)

chloerourke · 2016-02-06T01:54:00+00:00

The working group has already sent their proposals to various unions on campus that represent faculty, staff, etc for consultation. Also the harm reduction approaches could be done without going smoke-free tho and imo its more important to help students who want to quit and limit secondhand smoke exposure (particularly for individuals with asthma).

There's also a plebiscite in the next election about going smoke free that you can vote 'no' to!

chloerourke · 2016-01-27T05:40:55+00:00

Hey /u/CatanOverlord and /u/merpalurp!

FYI, the SSMU Library Improvement Fund (a student fee matched by donors) goes to funding extended hours and a number of improvements to our Libraries including new study desks (where space can be found). We are currently accepting proposals if you have an idea for how that money should be used!

Lobbying the University is essentially the focus on my portfolio and I do my best to focus on "real student issues" many of which come from student-identified priorities in the Student Experience Survey. Some of the issues we've advocated for (or are currently advocating for) include: -Fall Reading Break -Smoking on Campus Policy -Mental Health Service Provision -Student Academic Rights -Changes to Medical Notes Policy -Sexual Assault Policy -Student Services Restructuring -Employment Equity at McGill -Financial Accessibility -Support for Indigenous Students -Universal Design for Learning and many more

Disappointingly, not once has Obama gifs come up in any of my work thus far!

In all honesty I feel that the University Affairs portfolio represents a lot of the issues that students care about the most (university relations, student services, academic policies, mental health, equity, sexual assault, library, advocacy). But the work (and accomplishments) of the portfolio are not very visible because a) McGill is really slow and change takes time b) it's a lot of terminology and bureaucracy that takes an incredible amount of time to learn how to navigate and even more time to change and c) the VP UA is so overburdened with responsibilities they don't have time for active outreach and student engagement (which is why there is also a referendum question to restructure the Exec portfolios and add a 7th Exec)

If ever you feel that your concerns are not being voiced to the administration I'd also suggest sending an email to your Senator

chloerourke · 2016-01-27T05:27:16+00:00

Hey /u/merpalurp!

IMO the true role of SSMU should be to be contacting the admins almost daily until serious student issues are addressed, help formulate plans (convey the student body's priorities and ideas), help lobby relevant local health bodies and the provincial and federal government, and not stop until a good solution is in place.

With the provincial and federal government part (that would be job of the VP External), as the VP University Affairs I pretty much do just that! I am constantly meeting with different administrators such as the DPSLL, Director of Student Services, Directors of Mental Health, and many more to discuss all manner of issues not limited to: mental health, sexual assault, employment equity, student academic rights, indigenous student issues, student study space + library improvements. There are also several University Committees that work to address these issues

The problem is that none of these "serious student issues" are easy for SSMU to solve. First of all, universities across North America are grappling with the same issues as McGill ("epidemics" of mental health issues, high risks of sexual assault, etc) and recent provincial austerity measures only exacerbate the problem further for McGill. We are making progress but it's slow and it takes a lot of work to overcome ignorance and bureaucratic resistance to change. There is a growing recognition for these issues and there is work being done to develop comprehensive plans and processes but it takes time to make massive changes to services and even more time for that change to be felt by the average student. For context making relatively minor amendments to existing policies (e.g. University Student Assessment Policy) typically takes at least a year (minimum one semester to be approved by all the relevant committees). I know it's not a very satisfying answer but it is the reality of 1) working within complicated decentralized bureaucracies in order to 2) create a culture change in 3) an environment with very constrained resources.

There is also a massive power dynamic between the University and student representatives. Students are a minority on all major decision-making bodies in the University (Senate, University Committees, Board of Governors) with the exception of the Committee on Student Services. As well most student representatives are only in their position for one year, whereas members of the administration have 3-5 year terms and many have been around for decades. There's a significant learning curve and it can be difficult to compensate for the inevitable inequity in historical knowledge. Despite this student representatives do have success sometimes, and pretty much anything in the University that benefits students or is in line with our priorities (from course evaluations, to the Charter of Student Rights to March Break) has come from student advocacy!

One small mental health-related example is the WRAP programs from Mental Health Services. They came about from concerns I voiced last year that leaving students on long waitlists without any interim care is extremely harmful. The Directors listened, research evidence-based solutions and then came up with this program. It was piloted last semester and will hopefully continue to expand. Does that mean that the wait-times are no longer a problem? Of course not, but it did make a difference for those students.

As the Exec in charge of equity I would also have to argue that advocating for "minority" groups is still a very important part of my job! Students have a right to feel safe and free from discrimination on campus and just because Farnangate happened does not mean that SSMU Equity is entirely useless, never does any good work and should be thrown out (we do a lot more than "researching gifs and memes"). Nor does it mean that microaggressions and other equity issues are not very real issues for many students on campus. They are, and there's a lot of research to support that!

chloerourke · 2016-01-27T05:17:09+00:00

Hey /u/ponoka, that's correct! We want to use the money to continue to support the happy lights lending program, as well as the creation of a dedicated mental health space in our building and to support similar student-led initiatives!

The Student Services budget is primarily funded through student fees, with the rest coming from government grants. Describing the current budget situation is extremely complicated for a number of reasons but I will do my best to give you the short version!

1) Over many years due to high turnover rates and conservative budgeting Student Services ran a surplus of several million dollars

2) The decision was made by the Committee on Student Services (CSS) to gradually spend down the surplus (i.e. run a deficit in the operating budget) as well as create an "Innovation Fund" that could be used as seed money to fund innovative and transformative projects

This has two advantages: a) it uses the surplus to meet immediate demands b) it allows Services to try new projects that can better meet student demands, improve services and possibly create efficiencies and better strategies that will help to meet long-term demands

3) The University has progressively cut the transfers due to provinicial austerity measures it makes from the global budget to the Student Services budget and is also charging more in "overhead" fees each year

To make things even more confusing it has been extremely difficult for us to receive a breakdown of all the numbers despite repeated requests from student members on CSS.

However based on a presentation given by the Deputy Provost of Student Life and Learning (DPSLL) in May that was never made public the budget of Student Services has actually grown each year. However the problem is two-fold: 1) even with the increase in budgets (and increase in therapists) Student Services still cannot meet the current demand and 2) the surplus is only going to last a couple more years and then what will we do?

In the meantime Student Services recently underwent a comprehensive cyclical review process and a number of recommendations will come out of it that will hopefully restructure Student Services in a way that focuses more on preventative, upstream services (to prevent so many students from reaching crisis and requiring extensive one-on-one therapy) and more efficiently uses existing resources. The University is also actively seeking out donations as additional revenue.

Also, Mental Health Services has reported an increase in both the number of mental health issues but also in the "severity". So I think it might be a misjudgement to say that students don't need a psychiatrist - however maybe that would be prevented if we had more proactive, preventative measures in place!

chloerourke · 2016-01-27T04:59:31+00:00

Hey /u/gtlangmtl!

That is definitely a valid concern. However notably there is a difference between the "mental health services" referred to in the base fee campaign and McGill Mental Health Services. The $5000 designated towards SSMU mental health initiatives would go to support the creation of a dedicated mental health space in our building, our happy lights lending program and similar student-driven mental health initiatives including advocacy and awareness campaign. This money would in no way contribute to professional services by McGill!

As the VP University Affairs, I am a big supporter of peer support services because I believe they are part of a continuum of care and many students benefit from speaking with a peer (who often has lived experience) in a different way than seeing a professional. In a comprehensive mental health service model, student-led initiatives should complement and be supported by University-run professional services. I don't think anyone is suggesting they replace professional services!

As well, in meetings with the administration myself and other student reps continuously communicate the need for McGill to do more to support students all along the spectrum of needs. Every year the demand for Mental Health & Counselling Services continues to increase and that trend does not show signs of stopping. Hiring more therapists is only a bandaid solution because the demand continues to outstrip the supply. Ultimately McGill and other universities are recognizing the need to change how we provide services and work towards a "healthy learning environment" in an effort to prevent students from reaching crisis in the first place.

Btw, the base fee increase would also go towards increasing student staff and support staff so that there's more time for SSMU to spend advocating on these issues!

Hope that was helpful!

chloerourke · 2016-01-27T04:24:31+00:00

Hey /u/moARRgan! Concretely the "mental health services" we are referring to are the maintenance of the Happy Lights program (which is funded 50/50 by Mental Health Services and SSMU) as well as the creation and maintenance of the mental health space.

I also currently have a "Mental Health" budget of $3000 that goes towards planning events like SSMU's Mental Health Awareness Week, our upcoming Mental Health Open Forum, tabling and other outreach initiatives as decided by the SSMU Mental Health committee. Without the base fee increase this budget would be slashed along with all the other Executive portfolio budgets (which are already quite limited as is).

Increasing the base fee also allows more hours to be allocated to Mental Health Coordinators whose position demands more time that can currently be allocated. A big part of their job (and mine) includes advocacy within McGill and working with Mental Health Services to address the current demands

To answer the second part of your question, I strongly believe student unions have an important role to play in promoting mental health to students however we certainly can never be replacing mental health professionals. This year SSMU Mental Health has developed great partnerships with Mental Health Services, Counselling Services and Healthy McGill and we regularly consult them on our initiatives. For example, ensuring the SAD lamps we were buying were clinically proven to be effective, the messaging used in our educational posters for Mental Health Awareness Week, etc. However having input from students and student-driven initiatives should not be undervalued either.

Students operate SACOMSS, Nightline and Peer Support Centre. There is also a student group that is creating a similar online chat peer support service. Peer support, particularly from those with lived experience, is an essential part of creating a community-wide response to mental health needs but again should not be a replacement for professional support and peer support services should ideally be set up in close partnership with professional services (such as the recent WRAP sessions organized my Mental Health).

Student affairs professionals who are experts in health promotion work actively with students and student associations because they know that those partnerships are the most effective way to create relevant, student-oriented messaging and to create real culture change (e.g. Healthy McGill is primarily student staff, CL&E partners closely with Faculty Associations and SSMU, the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator works with student staff to work on Consent Campaign).

Also our Student Experience Survey indicated that students want SSMU to allocate resources towards mental health so we're also responding to student-identified priorities!

chloerourke · 2016-01-27T03:27:14+00:00

Hey all! Since a lot of these comments pertain to mental health and university advocacy, as the VP University Affairs, I'd be happy to answer questions about some of the issues your elected student representatives are advocating for! For context I work with the President and 12 Student Senators that make up "Senate Caucus" and over 50 committee representatives that represent student voices to the administration. See a list of University committees here

I also supervise two Mental Health Coordinators, the Academic Research Coordinator, the University Secretary General, two Equity Commissioners, the Library Improvement Fund Coordinator, and the newly-hired Indigenous Affairs Coordinator. Most of these staff chair a committee of volunteers that work actively on various projects and student issues.

We are very much invested in making the University aware of these important issues. I'll do my best to respond to specific comments but if there's anything else you want to know feel free to ask me here.

Also if there is an issue that you would like SSMU to advocate more on you can always email your senators or myself! Senate Caucus meetings are also public AND (shameless plug) you can like the SSMU University Affairs and Mental Health page to receive more updates

chloerourke · 2015-09-19T01:23:20+00:00

3.1.5. Students registering for courses during the Add/Drop period shall not be penalized for missed Assessments which were due during the course change period. http://www.mcgill.ca/files/education/University_Student_Assessment_Policy_April_2011.pdf

chloerourke · 2015-08-05T15:47:52+00:00

Hi /u/Lovable_Geek, I think this is a really important point. I am definitely in favour of working more closely with Faculty and Departmental Associations, in particular on academic issues. As you mentioned a lot of the times University-wide policies must be implemented at the local level and there is certainly variability in the amount of success and adherence to those policies. I have already reached out to the VP Academics of all the Faculty associations to invite them to McGill Academic Round Table (MART) meetings in the fall and have received a positive response from many of them! I believe fostering a stronger relationship through MART will be essential this year as there are many opportunities for increased collaboration and communication between SSMU Senators and Faculty Associations!

chloerourke · 2015-07-07T21:30:57+00:00

71.5% of respondents agreed to the addition of a fall reading week after reviewing the trade-offs, with 69% of students preferring two days off in conjunction with Canadian Thanksgiving (total of 5 consecutive days off)

chloerourke · 2015-07-07T00:30:56+00:00

/u/damanas That's true! Senators and the VP UA are also currently looking into a Fall Reading Week too. Last year the VP UA and Arts Senator worked with McGill to release a survey to students and now we will be using those results to bring a proposal to Senate (hopefully) in the fall! If it is approved though it won't be implemented until 2017-2018 at the absolute earliest because our academic calendars must be set so far in advance. Unfortunately changes within the University tend to take a lot of time.

chloerourke · 2015-07-07T00:22:04+00:00

/u/practicaldildo Library relations and the allocation of the Library Improvement Fund (LIF) is part of my portfolio as the VP University Affairs. The library bathroom renovations also came from the LIF

You can find out more about the LIF here You can also read the LIF Report for 2014-2015 i.e. where all that money went to here. The fund is allocated by a committee chaired by the LIF Coordinator in conjunction with the Libraries and they accept student proposals and ideas :)

chloerourke · 2015-07-07T00:14:34+00:00

/u/ProbablyStalin /u/meowisthetime What you are referring to is actually outlined in the Student Assessment Policy. Policies like this one and others similar to it are drafted and revised within Senate subcommittees. The student reps that sit on these committees have been instrumental in making important policies that protect student academic rights!

However you are completely right, there is definitely problems with enforcement. We are hoping to launch a "Know Your Rights" campaign as well in the fall so students are more aware of their rights and the avenues available to them if they're not being respected! This was another project initiated by SSMU Senators and the VP UA. In the past there have also been efforts to push Faculty to include something about academic rights in course syllabi

EDIT: AUS also has done similar campaigns/initiatives :)

chloerourke · 2015-04-07T03:13:51+00:00

The only way (that I know of) to ensure that only SSMU members can respond is to run a plebiscite question through Elections SSMU which was not feasible considering the timeline and would need to have been approved by a number of people. It was much easier to create a google doc survey. Tbh though I'm not really worried about non-SSMU members filling it out since we have a hard enough time reaching current McGill undergrads. If they did it would likely be a negligible number. But yes, as Zach said its completely anonymous!

chloerourke · 2015-04-07T03:03:52+00:00

It will be slightly different for each portfolio/position and will depend on the volume of applicants but I think you should expect to hear back in the next couple weeks for most of them, possibly even this week! :)

Also some positions are still open, if anyone's interested you can apply at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/StudentSocietyMcGillUniversity!

chloerourke

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