Alumni Connection: Issue 2 - Volume 2

VOL 2 // ISSUE 2// NOVEMBER 2015

U S CALUMNI CONNECTION

PEOPLE04 // PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERVIEWLearn more about the role of project management within USC to ensure results!

06 // INTERN AND ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT PROGRAM

08 // LET’S GET TO KNOW JAMIE CLEARLYLet’s learn more about this year’s Associate Vice President External Jamie Clearly, and his role and plans for this upcoming year

FEATURES14 // PEER SUPPORT GRAND REOPENINGCheck out the grand re-opening of the new Peer Support Centre!

20 // USC’S 50TH ANNIVERSARYTake a quick look at how USC celebrated its 50th anniversary this year!

36 // MENTORSHIP PROGRAMUSC Alumni now have a chance to contribute their skills and knowledge to the next caliber of leaders. Read more to find out.

CONTENTSUSC Alumni Connection November 2015

NEWS12 // BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATERead more about the new initiatives brought on by USC to help Board of Directors succeed this upcoming year

17 // USC WELLNESS PROGRAMLearn more about USC-initiated program to promote the wellness and well being of its staff, leaders and volunteers

USC ALUMNI CONNECTIONVol. 2 – Issue 2 – 2015

ABOUT THE PUBLICATIONUSC Alumni Connection is a quarterly newsletter published by the University Students’ Council at Western University

TEAMEditor Lindsay MeldrumCreative Director Alyssa Baybayan

WANT TO BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR? CONTACT US [email protected]

USC ALUMNI CONNECTIONRoom 340F, UCC BuildingThe University Students’ Council Western University, N6K 347519 661 2111, ext. 82603

EVENTSEVENTS OVERVIEWFirst semester was jam packed with many events this year. Read more to find out!

32 // NUIT VIOLETTE: FINDING HOMERead more about the success of Western’s inaugural arts and music festival

UPDATES34 // 3 YEARS AND GOING STRONGCheck out the new strides USC has taken to make the Executive Development Program even better!

COMMUNITY40 // GET OUT THE VOTE 2015USC initiated many programs to engage students in voting at this year’s federal elections

41 // YOUR LONDON CALLINGGet out of the Western bubble and become more involved with the London community

42 // ALUMNI FEATURELet’s catch up with Rob Elder, a USC member from 1984-1987

mailto:alumniconnection%40westernusc.ca?subject=Contribute%20to%20Alumni%20Connection

USC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NOVEMBER 20154

ProjectManagementDepartmentBy JEFF ARMOURManaging Director, Facilities and OperationsProject management is an approach used across the world now by corporations, small not for profits and everyone in between. You may think - why does a small corporation like the USC need a process that General Mills requires to launch there next cereal brand. Everybody uses project management every day, but we likely don’t know we are doing it. If you are planning to get groceries and your wife asks you to pick up the dry cleaning at the same time and be home by 7pm you have, on a very small scale agreed to deliverables in a certain amount of time with expectations on all fronts. On a bigger scale this represents the same philosophy

needed to get a lot of the work done the USC tackles every year. Taking a major project and breaking it into parts makes even the biggest undertaking feel manageable while putting accountabilities on those who are involved. My experience is that having accountability is the biggest piece of the puzzle; everyone wants to know exactly what is expected of them with the understanding of how it effects everyone else and the final product.

My name is Jeff Armour and I have been with the USC for quite a while in a variety of capacities. While working as the Food and Beverage manager,

overseeing the Wave and Spoke, the USC hired Cathy Clarke as our General Manager and the project management story for the USC began. Very shortly after meeting her we discussed me pursuing my credentials in Project Management and I started taking the classes in my evening hours and weekends over the course of 3 years. Cathy had identified that the USC has a wide range of services, operations and functions.Bringing them together to achieve executive goals in a short one year term had proved to be challenging in the past and the feeling was that having a conduit and process for

PEOPLE

USC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NOVEMBER 2015 5

this to happen more easily would improve the experience for all. If we fast forward to last year the Executive under Matt Helfand actively engaged the process and mid-year they had either completed their register of 43 projects or had them underway enough that the group felt they could discuss adding more to their platform of work for the year. Exciting and impressive results is now the norm for helping our student leaders achieve what the student body expects from them and more.

It helped a lot that last year we added admin support for this function. Carrigan Cassidy joined the USC just over a year ago in a dual

role as support for the growing productions demands and also to support the growing Project

Management function. She brings an efficiency and organization to the system and spends a fair amount of time keeping the projects coordinated and the executive/staff informed. Carrigan produces charters (detailed breakouts of the project and work involved) as well as a complete register of all projects underway and the status/

progress of each.

Looking back on the starting point of this we have moved a long way from where we were and as a result we are more effective and transparent in the work being accomplished.

“EXCITING AND

IMPRESSIVE

RESULTS IS NOW

THE NORM”

PEOPLE

Left to right: Carrigan Cassidy and Jeff Armour


Intern and Associate Vice President ProgramThe mission statement of the Intern and Associate Vice President Program is “to develop a meaningful relationship between students and USC staff in order to promote mutual learning and experience”. This Program allows for the Executive, staff and students to learn from one another in order to improve existing processes and impact the Western community. It is unmatched in allowing students to discover how to run a successful corporation, how to

serve the community-at-large, and learn valuable leadership skills. We can see this with the 247 applications we received in our previous 2015-2016 recruitment cycle for the twenty internship positions available. The ability to make a difference in their peers’ lives while gaining real world experience illustrates why these coveted spots always have individuals wanting to return for another term. The Program

this year consists of twelve Internships and eight Associate Vice President (AVP) positions. The differences between the two are that interns work on the departmental side of the USC and the AVPs are delegates of the Executives who work closely with the coordinators in their respective portfolios.

PEOPLE



Intern and Associate Vice President Program

PEOPLE


The PositionsINTERNS

AVP

GOVERNMENT SERVICES Supervisor: Nick SoaveDomenic Bitondo Advocacy Research Kaitlyn Groulx Council Clerk

PROMOTIONS Supervisor: Aaron McMillanAlyssa Baybayan Graphics & Marketing PromotionsJenai Kershaw Social Engagement & Marketing PromotionsJarrell Williams Events Marketing & PromotionsEmily Ross Western TV Jordan Rapps Western TV Productions Mac Siwocha Promotional Photographer & Videographer

PROMOTIONS & COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS Supervisor: Nick VassiliouMichael Yu Purple bikes

HUMAN RESOURCES Supervisor: Karla PachecoJoanna DiFazio Human Resources

VOLUNTEER RESOURCES Supervisor: Val AggelopoulosLaura McCuagi Volunteer Resources

INFORMATION SYSTEMS Supervisor: Geoff PimlattTechnological Infrastrcuture

STUDENT EVENTSSupervisor: Taryn ScripnickImraan Mukri Campus EventsAlexandra Adamo Clubs

INTERNAL Supervisor: Alex BenacSanasi Jayawardena Campus AffairsBianca Braganza Peer Support

EXTERNALSupervisor: Lindsee PerkinsJamie Clearly External

SECRETARY TREASURERSupervisor: Jonathan EnglishLindsay Banks Finance & Internal AuditAndrew Chorney Chief Returning Officer

COMMUNICATIONSSupervisor Kevin HurrenKyle Simons Communications

PEOPLE


Network, connect and stay up to date with USC alumni!

https://www.linkedin.com/company/2230834


Let's get to know

Jamie ClearlyQUICK FACTSPOSITION: AVP ExternalSUPERVISOR: Lindsee Perkins, VP ExternalYEAR & PROGRAM: 4th year, Honours Specialization in Physiology

PEOPLE



HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE USC?My first role with the USC was in first year as a Leadership Developer (LD) for the External portfolio’s REACH (previously CYOA) conference. From there I was on the executive for the Early Outreach Program for two years. In third year, I was asked by VP External Jen Carter to be a Research Intern. In this role, I wrote the USC’s policy on International Students and was one of four authors on the newly approved OUSA Tuition policy. I decided after these experiences to apply as Associate Vice-President External.

IN WHAT OTHER CAPACITIES HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED?Currently, I am the internal affairs officer for the Science Students’ Council. In this role, I am the chair of the Governance Committee, which is tasked with updating our current constitution. I also act as the council CRO during election season. I am also working with Sophie Helpard, USC President on creating a USC policy committee where individuals

will be tasked with writing policy papers throughout the year. Finally, I am a faculty of science soph.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED AS A RESULT OF YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE USC?The AVP and intern program has provided an amazing opportunity for involvement on campus. I have learned efficient organization, time management, and how to be an effective leader. Additionally, the program has inspired me to continue in advocacy efforts, specifically in the field of provincial student issues and health advocacy. The USC has also provided me with the opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals who I can collaborate and share ideas and initiatives with. In addition, I appreciate the convenience of working on campus and the flexibility of working on my own time.

WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT PORTFOLIO PROJECTS?We are currently running our federal Western Votes campaign. We were overwhelmed with the response this campaign has garnered as our students were waiting for over 90 minutes on campus to vote at the polls. I will also be representing Western at the upcoming OUSA General Assembly where we will be discussing policy on student financial assistance, teaching and assessments, and student support. Finally, we are working on a tenant rights campaign for this November, which is designed to help students with signing their leases. This year, we have hired a taskforce, rightly named the External Advocacy Taskforce (EAT), which is a group of 8 individuals, which help us run and create advocacy campaigns on campus to inform students about what is happening outside of the Western gates. Our hope by having EAT is that our students become more invested in student advocacy and making the student voice heard.

PEOPLE


BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATEBOARD ORIENTATION DAY AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE USC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

By JONATHAN ENGLISH USC Secretary Treasurer

As you know, the USC created an Executive Development program a few years ago in an effort to provide an additional level of support to our student leaders. Bringing in USC alumni to facilitate sessions that offered both hard and soft skills to our Exec provided them with an opportunity to grow in areas where they were interested as well as prepare them for their roles in office. This program has been so well received by the

Exec that we have now created sister programs to offer our student leaders USC-wide. We have started with the Board of Directors and will be rolling out the same opportunities with our Volunteers and AVP’s this year. Moving forward, we will take this year as an opportunity to look at Council and what opportunities would benefit this group; officially rolling the program out to Council next year.

Each year we have a Board of Directors Orientation Day, which is an opportunity to introduce the Board to our organization and provide valuable information and learning opportunities

to set them up for success in their year. This year we were able to up the ante, providing additional sessions with a variety of learning outcomes.

MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR AND STRENGTHS FINDERS SESSIONMBTI and Strength Finders survey prior to the meeting. Strengths were reviewed. The session reflected on the dynamism of the Board, and how individual strengths will create positive direction.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Scott Courtice, USC Managing

NEWS


BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATEBOARD ORIENTATION DAY AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE USC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Director of Government Services provided a comprehensive overview on the topics of strategy and risk, but also the high-level view in which the Board should situate itself in the organization.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT UPDATE AND LABOUR RELATIONS TRAINING Karla Pacheco, Senior Manager of Human Resources and Serafina Vavala (2001/02 VP Campus Issues now Human Resources with the Globe and Mail) provided the Board an update on the CBA, as well as some of the factual context

necessary to enter the CBA negotiations. Serafina provided a wealth of information with regards to labour relations.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, READING STATEMENTS, AND RISK MANAGEMENT Carrie Passi, Senior Manager Finance and Administration along with PriceWaterHouse Coopers (Auditors) provided an introductory session building on both basic and advanced knowledge in developing the financial eye for assessing the variety of financial reports that will be provided to the Board over the upcoming year.

UPCOMING SESSIONS FOR 2015/2016• RISK MANAGEMENT

Bruce Palmer, 1982/83 & 1983/84 VP Communications

• BOARD RELATIONS Nick Iozzo, 1998/99 VP Education

• BOARD RECRUITMENT Janet Culliton (formerly Belch), 1982/83 President

• BOARD EVALUATION Jordan Bitove, 1986/87 VP Operations

NEWS


PEER SUPPORT GRAND REOPENINGBy TAMARA SPENCER Peer Support Centre Coordinator

NEWS


The Peer Support Centre Grand Re-opening took place on Tuesday, September 29th, 2015. The purpose of the event was to showcase the program’s progress since having received a generous donation from the Johnson family. The event included a guided tour of the new space in UCC 256 and 258 as well as talks from a few integral members of the Peer Support team to give guests a sense of what has been done this year to improve the program. It was also an opportunity for student volunteers to meet with the donor family whose generous donation has made the program’s progress possible.

The Centre is run by several different stakeholders; Alex Benac, USC Vice-President Internal oversees the USC’s responsibilities. I work as the Peer Support Centre Coordinator, managing the daily activities of the space (including programming activities such as an LGBTQ+ discussion group, yoga, and healthy eating demonstrations), plan promotional events and Awareness Days, and act as a first point of contact to the space’s almost 40 volunteers. This year proved to be the most competitive yet, with the successful candidates chosen from an applicant pool of approximately 160 students. There is also an Associate Vice President Peer Support, Bianca Braganza, who assists the Peer Support Coordinators with the logistics of Awareness Day planning and programming initiatives.

Western University partnered with the program this year, offering one of their psychotherapists from Psychological Services, who developed a comprehensive three day training program for all volunteers. This training took place over the

NEWS


summer before the volunteers started their first shifts to ensure that they were prepared once the Centre opened its doors. The training is consistent with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s standards. The Johnson Family and their generous donation has provided the centre with the opportunity to relocate to a more inviting and accessible space for students. It has allowed us to improve our volunteer training program by involving Psychological Services and has enabled us to be able to provide volunteers with ongoing training throughout the year. We have also had the opportunity to work with multiple stakeholders

at Western to develop new tracking systems; including client intake forms, volunteer logs, and student satisfaction surveys, to ensure that our program is meeting the needs of Western students. We look forward to an exciting and successful 2015-2016 year!

NEWS


USC Wellness ProgramBy CASSANDRA RODENHURST

Human Resources Coordinator and Chair of the Wellness

Committee

Wellness is a state of good health for the mind, body and spirit. The philosophy of the University Students’ Council is to give full-time employees the best experience of work-life balance by offering valuable programming that fits each need. The USC’s Wellness Program is about creating health in every aspect of the employee’s life. Last year was the Wellness Program’s first official year with special programming tailored to include

social, physical, intellectual and emotional well-being both during work and afterhours to maintain this balance.

The Program awards participants for living a healthy lifestyle with incentives, both intrinsically and extrinsically, through our Bingo Card initiative and challenges everyone each day to be at their best. We are dedicated to offering various opportunities, from book clubs to intramural sports teams, to maintain this

level of activity in health and wellness within our organization.

Wellness is about giving back to allow room to thrive; at the USC we are not only committed to providing this to individuals, but the community around us. We have participated in various community programs, such as the Big Bike fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation in which staff raised $2150, Peer Support’s Food Bank and currently My Sister’s Place.

continues to next page


WELLNESS PROGRAM 1.0USC has always been dedicated to offering an all-encompassing health and wellness benefit to our staff. We supplement staff with a renewed Wellness Benefit each fiscal to engage in initiatives that better their health and life. This ranges from gym memberships, reading materials or participating in cooking classes. With our diverse operations and services we try to tailor as much of our programming as possible to allow for everyone to attend and this reflects in the different initiatives we host throughout each year.

The program kick-off was in June 2014 with the Wellness Fair; this was an opportunity for external providers to showcase various methods you could become involved in afterhours. Alongside the Wellness Fair we launched the Bingo Card, which is a program based upon the accrual of stamps for each initiative you participate in throughout the year. The ultimate goal was to have a stamp placed on all sixty squares in order to qualify for an addition to your Wellness Benefit.

During the first year we had:

• Walking Group Tuesdays and Thursdays

• Big Bike• Stress Management

Presentation • Intramural Volleyball• Book Exchange

• Food Bank Donations• 1-hour lunch time yoga

sessions• Salad Lunches and Healthy

potlucks• St. Patrick’s Day – Eat your

Greens smoothie and vegetable lunch

• Life coach seminar

“REMEMBER ALUMNI: ANYONE CAN INCORPORATE HEALTH AND IMPROVE WELLNESS INTO THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES, WHETHER IT BE PARKING A LITTLE FURTHER AWAY OR TAKING A FEW MOMENTS FOR YOURSELF THROUGHOUT THE DAY.”

NEWS


LET’S ALL STRIVE TO BE

THE BEST WE CAN

BE IN 2016!

NEWS

WELLNESS PROGRAM 2.0The USC offers this Program each year that is only matched by the best employers in the country. Attending various workshops and being able to network with other wellness providers, we found that we offer a competitive and above standard program which many organizations are not as fortunate to experience. With this in mind, we are applying for the GoodLife Fitness:

Health & Wellness Leadership Award that will be announced at GoodLife’s Annual Health & Wellness Leadership Summit in November. We surpass the criteria thanks to the engagement of our staff, our leadership team in promoting these practices and our culture in advocating for the employee’s well-being.

This year’s agenda includes:

• JUNE Big Bike, a Walking Group twice weekly, the Pe domete r-Step - I t - Up Challenge, Healthy Breakfast

• JULY Walking group twice weekly, Bubble soccer, Couch to 5K running program, yoga

• AUGUST Walking group twice weekly, yoga, salad lunch provided

• SEPTEMBER Intramural Basketball, Wellness Photo contest

• OCTOBER Weekly Yoga, healthy potluck, My Sister’s Place donations

• NOVEMBER Cooking Classes, a recipe swap and cookbook collaborations, weekly yoga

• DECEMBER Weekly yoga, distribution of cookbooks

• JANUARY Book club, yoga refresher, smoothie day


March 26, 2015 marked 50 years of incorporation for the University Students’ Council! Since this is such a big milestone, we celebrated accordingly over Homecoming weekend 2015. We had a number of alumni travel long distances (Hong

Kong, UK, California, etc) to come celebrate the Anniversary with us. We started the morning off with the ‘USC Early Riser’; a morning social where staff and alumni chatted over coffee, tea and muffins in the USC main office. The whole room was buzzing with excitement for the rest of the days’ events. We even had a surprise visit from the first-ever USC President, Ron Wonnocott (1954-55) and the first-ever female USC President Margaret O’Grady (Wickware)! continues to page 22

USC’S 50TH ANNIVERSARYBy LINDSAY MELDRUM USC Executive and Alumni Development Officer

NEWS


From page 20 Following the morning social, we hosted a tour of the UCC Building showcasing what we have been able to accomplish over the years with regards to convenience and accessibility for students.

Next our alumni headed down to the USC Tailgating tent to celebrate some more before the football game began. It was a beautiful sunny, warm day and we had another great turnout of alumni in and out of the tent throughout the afternoon.

The sun went down and the official 50th festivities began. The Wave hosted food, drinks, a photo booth, DJ and of course Rick McGhie to keep the entertainment and good times flowing. We had a

number of alumni head down to the VIP tent at ‘HoCo on the Hill’ to check out Coleman Hell, Sloan and Our Lady Peace live in concert; we even managed to sneak a couple of lucky groups to catch Our Lady Peace backstage!

Thanks to all who came out and made the event a success and a special thanks to those of you who took time out of your busy schedules to contribute to the 50th Planning Committee; your dedication to the USC and your fellow alumni is second to none. Cheers to 50 more years of the USC!

NEWS

“THANKS TO ALL WHO CAME OUT AND MADE THE EVENT A

SUCCESS!”


NEWS


Don’t miss out on alumni news!

Check our website for updates!

https://sites.google.com/a/westernusc.ca/usc-alumni/


eventsoverview


PurpleFest 2015 took place on September 13, 2015 and featured Down with Webster and Neon Dreams. In the past this event has changed from year to year. This year the USC wanted to take over the event and have a “Welcome back to Western” event for all students as well as a

“Return of Down with Webster” event since last year’s concert was canceled for Orientation week due to inclement weather. The event had about 5000 attendees, which was a significant increase from previous years. We’re hoping to continue to build and improve the event for years to come!

PURPLE FESTBy TARYN SCRIPNICK VP Student Events

EVENTS

“THE EVENT HAD 5000 ATTENDEES, WHICH WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE FROM PREVIOUS YEARS”


USC DAYBy LAURA MCCUAIG, Volunteer Resources Intern

The inaugural USC Day was launched Thursday, September 10th on Concrete Beach. The day featured displays from USC services and promoted the various volunteer opportunities available to students through the USC. It was a beautiful sunny day and with a live broadcast from CHRW on the stage, and the Spoke handing out smoothies and french fry samples, the volume of students on the beach was overwhelming.

Thanks to our wonderful Executive, AVPs, and Coordinators who embraced the hot sun to talk with students about the role of the USC at Western and some of the amazing opportunities at the students’ disposal. Katie Shuter, the Charity Coordinator at the USC said, “We were overwhelmed with interest from the students.” The event was a huge success and served to show the students the integral role the USC has in shaping the Western experience.

EVENTS


CLUBS WEEKDuring the week of September 14, the UCC had over 1,000 students visit the booths set up for Clubs Week! With approximately 10,000 undergraduate students, 600 club executives and over 150 ratified clubs, the USC Clubs System is one of the best offered in a Canadian university.

Choose from Academic, Business/Finance, Arts, Sports, Hobbies/Special Interest, Music, Cultural/Spiritual, Community Volunteer/Philanthropy; our diverse club system offers numerous options for the many students looking to get involved.

EVENTS

“USC CLUBS SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE BEST OFFERED IN A CANADIAN UNIVERSITY”


The Volunteer Fair was our second official event this year, held September 21st – 24th in the UCC atrium. The first day hosted exclusively internal organizations within Western offering volunteer opportunities to students. Over the course of the next three days, we had over 40 different non-profit organizations from the London Community participate.

Many students filled the atrium, engaging with the various representatives to inquire about volunteer opportunities. The feedback from both the organizations and students have been extremely positive, it was definitely a huge success!

We are looking forward to the year ahead as we have many exciting things planned for our USC volunteers and students!

VOLUNTEERFAIRBy LAURA MCCUAIG, Volunteer Resources Intern

EVENTS


The 2nd Annual Craft Beer Festival took place on September 23rd on concrete beach. It was a chance for students to taste, learn about brewing processes, meet the people who actually brew the beer they love as well as try a few new potential favourites. The hope was to broaden students’ horizons by exposing them to a wide world of exciting craft beers brewed in London and surrounding area. The craft brewery industry is booming with new micro-breweries popping up all the time and is a segment which is gaining more and more market share every year.

The 2015 Beerfest was operated on a much larger scale than last year; we had double the capacity, more breweries involved, more food options, more live entertainment and bigger and better prizes. We gave away a lot of cool beer swag with was donated by some of the breweries including hats, shirts, jerseys, glassware, coolers and the grand prize for the winner of the stein holding challenge won Beats by Dre headphones. The event was a huge success we doubled the total amount of students who participated from last year, the weather was incredible and everyone had a fun and safe experience.

The overall goal of the event was to raise some money for charity, teach students about beer and have a little fun in the process. We were able to raise over $500 for the USC Food Bank; very much a students helping students approach.

PARTICIPATING BREWERIES:Refined Fool, Beau’s, Muskoka, Miller, Tobaggan, Amsterdam, Mill St., MacLean Ales, Steam Whistle, Big Rig, Triple Bogey, Nickelbrook, Carlsberg, Labatt’s, Sleeman

BEER FESTBy CRIS CERVONI, Wave Night Manager

CHECK OUT THE BEER FEST PROMOTIONAL VIDEO!

EVENTS

https://www.facebook.com/wave.spoke/videos/vb.206752339379800/899307770124250/%3Ftype%3D2%26theater

https://www.facebook.com/wave.spoke/videos/899307770124250/


STAY UPDATED WITH USC EVENTS!

Check out westernusc.ca

http://westernusc.ca

http://westernusc.ca


Nuit Violette is an outdoor, late-night art show that mirrors Nuit Blanche events. The purpose of the event was to develop a greater sense of the appreciation of arts on campus, specifically as it relates to students. We collected art in a variety of mediums, including: visual art, spoken

art, musical art and arts research. In addition, the McIntosh gallery had an exhibit opening that evening, and the Visual Art Supporters’ Association (VASA) ran several arts-focused events in the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre. Between the three coordinated

NUIT VIOLETTE:Finding Home

By JARED BOLAND-RHYNO Nuit Violette Executive Director

EVENTS


events, campus lit up to celebrate the lesser-known talents and mediums of expression of the students who attend this institution.

The theme of this year’s exhibit was Finding Home, which is appropriate for a number of reasons: first, our hope was that through the development of this initiative, we could create a home for the arts on campus; second, we hoped to have the art we collected be able to create a significance in the space they occupied; finally, through the variety of mediums we collected, we hoped to find ways to make the interplay between the media as natural and comprehensive as possible. In this way, the creation and maintenance of the space was critical to the success of the event.

Considering this was the first year, we had a great turnout; 1600 folks including students, staff, and Londoners came through. Seeing as it was received so well, the goal is to secure it as a permanent

addition to the events calendar on campus. Within five years, my hope is to have the event touch broader areas of campus. The members of our community crave a greater arts presence on campus; that is evident from the reception of and the attendance at the event. The hard work of Josh Clark, Senior Manager USC Events, and his team, as well as the generous financial support of Taryn Scripnick, USC VP Student Events, this event was made possible. I would very much like to include my thanks to them.

“THE STUDENT REVEALED TO ME THAT THIS WAS THEIR FIRST YEAR AT WESTERN, AND THAT AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS EVENT, FELT AS THOUGH THEY HAD MADE THE RIGHT DECISION IN CHOOSING WESTERN AS THEIR ALMA MATER. INDEED, THIS INDIVIDUAL HAD FOUND

HOME.”

EVENTS


With the success of the Executive Development Program over the past three years, the USC has taken strides and opened the program up to serve all USC student leaders and volunteers. What came from this was the USC Student Development Program which we would be able to provide these development opportunities to not only our current Executive, but extend the opportunity to provide this level of support to our Board of Directors, Council, AVPs, Interns and other USC Volunteers. We started with the Board of Directors and will be making the program available to our volunteers, AVP’s and Interns next month. We anticipate the Council roll-out to be set for the Council meeting 2016.

Tim Shorthill (2001/2002 Communications Officer) made a visit to the USC to share some insight on how to effectively delegate within the Exec portfolios. The group learned a lot of tips and tricks that they have successfully integrated into their roles

Executive Development Program3 YEARS AND GOING STRONG:

UPDATES


Executive Development Program3 YEARS AND GOING STRONG:

After moving on from his role as USC President in 2012, Andrew Forgione went on to work with the Government of Ontario in a number of Issues Management roles. He participated in the program by providing a number of effective strategies for the current Executive to use throughout the year

This years’ Executive have already had a number of sessions facilitated for them by our alumni and have more lined up for the rest of the year.

So far they have had the opportunity to sit down with Paris Meilleur to discuss Crisis Communications, Steve Deighton went through Managing Priorities, Andrew Forgione worked with the

group on Issues Management, Tim Shorthill provided insight on Effective Delegation and Serafina Vavala reviewed Office and Union Politics.

We have more exciting and informative sessions set up for the Executive for the rest of the year in which we will provide updates in upcoming issues. Stay tuned!

“THE USC HAS TAKEN

STRIDES AND OPENED

THE PROGRAM

TO SERVE ALL USC STUDENT LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS”

UPDATES


In an effort to better connect students within the USC to development programs and ensure that they have a meaningful experience with the organization, the USC has begun investing in various programs to facilitate some of those broader outcomes. As a hallmark of this initiative, the USC is launching a mentorship program to connect current students with the organization’s alumni.

The USC Mentorship program engages our student leaders in experiencing professional job shadowing opportunities, consultation opportunities and developing lasting relationships with professionals that possess experience and skills in areas they are considering as a career,

or in particular industries that are of interest to them to explore.

The USC Mentorship Program is designed to connect our student leaders with USC alumni, allowing them the opportunity to gain valuable experience and advice for career development. The relationship between the mentors and the mentees is viewed as a partnership and the length of the mentorship match is dependent on what tier of involvement the mentor and mentee engage. The Mentorship program is not intended as a job placement service for our student leaders, but is offered as a tool for seeking career path advice from successful and experienced USC alumni.

By LINDSAY MELDRUM USC Executive and Alumni Development Officer

UPDATES



Mentees involved in the program can expect to gain relative experience and knowledge as well as foster genuine and lasting relationships with their mentors through job shadowing opportunities, email and phone communication and potential one-on-one meetings (depending on availability and location). Mentors involved in the program are motivated by a common passion; their experience with the USC, as well as the opportunity to provide support and guidance to the next generation of highly driven individuals. Mentors derive gratification from witnessing mentees become more confident and professionally creative having gained more insight and knowledge.

The program aims to prepare mentees to identify interests and passions aligned with personal values and professional goals. This is an opportunity for our student leaders to experience a higher level of support when they leave their terms in office with the USC and head out into the working world.

The program provides the opportunity for mentors to pass along personal experiences, advice and support to our student leaders by having been a part of the same unique experience and environment with attributing the perspective of life moving forward from the USC and where they are today.

continues to page 38

“THE USC MENTORSHIP PROGRAM ENGAGES OUR STUDENT LEADERS IN EXPERIENCING PROFESSIONAL JOB SHADOWING OPPORTUNITIES, CONSULTATION OPPORTUNITIES AND DEVELOPING LASTING RELATIONSHIPS”

UPDATES


This form of mentorship would be viewed as a temporary partnership with the length of each match last a duration of approximately four months (one term). Should the mentor and mentee develop a relationship that would exist to surpass the 4-month term is at the discretion of the individual parties.

The goal of this tier of mentorship is to provide the student leader with advice or support either during their term in office, or providing the mentee with support while they are transitioning out of their leadership role and moving into the workforce and adjusting to life after the USC. Again, the Mentorship program is not intended as a job placement service, but is being offered as a tool for student leaders seeking on-the-job or career path advice (or both) from experienced USC alumni.

The Three Tiers of Mentorship

CONSULTINGThis form of mentorship can range from one-time phone calls or emails from student leaders to a mentor requesting support or advice with a particular task or issue they are experiencing during their term in office (ie. budget, governance, troubleshooting, etc) to a continuous conversation or one-on-one meetings with regards to an ongoing task or issue (strategic planning, crisis communications, issues management, etc).

The expectation for mentors involved in consulting would be to make available to respond to the occasional email or phone call from our student leaders. These mentors would volunteer themselves, or be approached by program staff should a student leader be looking for an alumni that is well versed in a particular topic. The goal of this tier of mentorship is to provide student leaders with support while they are in office and working through tasks and issues in which they are looking for support.

JOB SHADOWINGThis form of mentorship would be executed with the mentee visiting the mentors’ place of employment and shadowing them for one half or one full day; depending on the agreement between the two individuals.

The goal of this tier of mentorship is to provide the student leader with a realistic perspective of what a day in the life of, would look like should they choose to look for work in that particular industry or profession. Since our student leaders are embarking on a very important milestone entering into the workforce and deciding on what path to follow with their careers, it is a great opportunity for the mentee to experience in person what a particular job would be like.

MENTOR/MENTEE MATCHES


FOR THE MENTORS: Mentors can be located anywhere in the world to participate, as majority of the support that our mentors will provide (with the exception of job shadowing), can rely strictly on communication via phone or email. Having said that, the goal of obtaining mentors is to essentially compile a pool of mentors in which we can group according to profession, experiences, or topics that the mentors would be interested in providing support on. This way, when our student leaders provide the program staff with their preferred criteria, we are able to look at our pool and choose mentors based on these categories to ensure we are matching appropriately.

There is no minimum time restriction required to participate as a mentor; you may be called on once in a student leaders term (June – May), or you may be called on occasionally over a number of years; it is dependent on the needs of the student leaders each year.

For more information or to sign up as a mentor, please contact the USC Executive and Alumni Development Officer, Lindsay Meldrum ([email protected])

INTERESTED IN BEINGA MENTOR?

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!

UPDATES


mailto:lmeldrum%40westernusc.ca?subject=Mentorship%20Program


GET OUT THE

VOTE 2015

By LINDSEE PERKINSVP External AffairsThe Western Votes campaign is an initiative targeted at getting students to the polls! We know that students are consistently juggling academics, extracurricular, work and other activities throughout the school year so we wanted to make the campaign as easy to comprehend as possible.

Our main focus for the campaign was over social media through videos, Facebook events, infographics, Twitter updates, and more. We also had a booth set up in the UCC atrium allowing students to ask questions about voting, the candidates in our riding, or the parties. To target students who may have not been on campus or in the UCC, we made non-partisan lawn signs that were spread out around the greater near campus

COMMUNITY


Your London CallingThere is a culture at Western where many students stay within what is referred to as the ‘Western bubble’ as it is comfortable and familiar. Although we try to provide all the services students need right on campus, there is so much to explore in London!

Last year, the USC partnered with city stakeholders to create a website called “Your London Calling.” The goal of the website was to connect students with London on multiple different levels. Students can use this website to learn about where to eat, places to work, where to have fun, and more.

CHECK OUT YOURLONDONCALLING.CA HERE!

neighbourhoods reminding students to vote. The campaign started on September 27th and ran until October 19th. We focused a large chunk of the campaign from September 27th to October

9th as we had satellite polls on campus that wereextremely convenient for students. On Oct 19th, we also have four polls set up in residences for students who live on campus.

COMMUNITY

CHECK OUT THE

VIDEO FOR WESTERN

VOTES CAMPAIGN!

http://yourlondoncalling.ca



https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DC_QYMi3FDyk

https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DC_QYMi3FDyk


ROB ELDER VARIOUS POSITIONS (VOLUNTEER AND FULL-TIME STAFF 1984-1987)

ALUMNI FEATURE

THEN…I was the Entertainment Productions Assistant Manager for one year (1983 – Jeff Gold) and then became the Manager of Entertainment Productions the following year. During my time as a student and after graduation, I was heavily involved with the USC, as many of my friends held either VP or Presidential roles throughout my time at Western. I was also involved with CHRW as a part-time DJ and ran shows with Dave Freeman (the Station Manager at the time). After leaving the USC I travelled across Europe with a friend for seven months visiting thirteen countries.

MEMORABLE EVENTS FROM YOUR YEARS...We executed a number of successful Orientation Events and Shows in my time. I also have many fond memories of the establishment of the Western Charity Ball with all of my friends. Lots of programming at the Spoke Tavern and Alumni Hall including the launch of Yuk Yuk’s Comedy nights, Mr, Visit, the Westernizer and Campus TV. I was lucky enough through great connections


with Concert Productions International (Toronto) and Don Jones (Centennial Hall) to have brought many top name acts: Tears For Fears, UB-40, INXS, Howard Jones, Paul Young, Juluka, The Cult, The Tragically Hip, Glass Tiger, Anne Murray, Bruce Cockburn, The Fixx, the list continues…. The most notable success was turning a money losing office into an extremely profitable one!

NOW…After my time with the USC, I was offered a number of Entertainment related positions, but I took a different road and joined an Industrial Distribution firm in Toronto as Marketing Manager. I have subsequently run that firm (Ontor Limited) for 29 years having grown it to 52 million in sales and almost 100 employees. The firm was awarded Canada’s 50 Best Managed Awards in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Three years ago I sold the Industrial Systems Division to a prominent Canadian Electrical firm but continue to run our flagship Heating, Refrigeration and Ventilation business out of our Toronto head office. We cover the Country coast to coast with a strong salesforce

serving our Industry. I continue to also work with a number of start-up firms on side projects and as a board member helping one firm with a recent sale to a major Tech firm in the US.

ADDITIONALLY...I enjoy spending time cottaging and travelling with my family (Tracy Glynn, Western), my son Nicholas who is a currently a Computer Science Major with Advanced Entry Opportunity, Miranda who is attending BSS in Grade 10 and our leader Mocha (King of the Family-Fluffy white Dog). I also play a ton of competitive doubles tennis and still enjoy and play a lot of music! I have until recently been disconnected from Western but am excited to have re-connected largely due to my son’s decision to attend and it is great to be able to get back in touch with such good friends made while living and working in London

ALUMNI FEATURE

ROB ELDER VARIOUS POSITIONS (VOLUNTEER AND FULL-TIME STAFF 1984-1987)

ALUMNI FEATURE

Alumni Connection: Issue 2 - Volume 2

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Transcript of Alumni Connection: Issue 2 - Volume 2