What you need to know
The Student Senate Caucus (SSC) is a powerful, but little-known, student governmental organization at the University of Guelph. Following the recent opening of the 2015-2016 nomination period, The Ontarion sat down with the current SSC co-chairs, Arianne Cohen and Thomas Sasso, to learn more about the SSC and its important role in the University of Guelph community.
Nominations for student senators are open until March 13, and elections take place March 23 to 27. Any student wishing to be nominated for SSC elections requires two nominators and a nominee statement.
What is the role of the SSC at the University of Guelph?
Arianne Cohen: SSC is a diverse assembly of elected students who have come together to strengthen the student voice on-campus. We represent students of our various degree programs and colleges on all matters relating to educational policy making (i.e. curriculum/program changes, honours and awards, admission requirements, and even giving out degrees). The University of Guelph has one of the highest number of students on its senate — we are very proud of that!
Thomas Sasso: Our responsibility is to think holistically about the university and make decisions in the best interest of the entire university […] We don’t necessarily all vote in the same way for any decision. In fact, we advocate for each individual student senator to have their voice heard and vote according to their understanding of the issues at hand.
..our goal was to encourage well-informed decisions, tolerance, and activism at Guelph.
What are the various roles included in the SSC? Provide a brief description of each role, as well as highlighting the specific responsibilities of the various senators.
AC: Ultimately, every student senator is required to engage in the work of senate and make sure that their constituents are well aware of pertinent issues as they arise. They must critically evaluate and negotiate complex academic issues, taking into consideration the best decisions for the university as a whole. That being said, the minimum official requirement for each senator is to actively participate at senate meetings (five per year) and their respective committees.
TS: Many student senators sit on one of the senate committees in a designated student seat on that committee. The committees include: Senate Priorities and Planning Committee, Senate Committee on Bylaws and Membership, Board of Graduate Studies, Board of Undergraduate Studies, Senate Committee on Quality Assurance, Senate Committee on Student Petitions, Committee on Non-Degree Studies, Senate Research Board, [and] Honours and Awards Committee.
AC: We also expect Student Senators to attend our caucus meetings, where [the] co-chairs will brief them on upcoming issues and prepare them for upcoming meetings. It is more of an informal discussion, where we ask for committee updates, concerns, or any clarifications that may be needed.
TS: The co-chairs also attend other meetings on-campus as representatives of SSC in order to create more communication between student leaders about the role of senate.
AC: As co-chairs, Thomas and I further act as impartial facilitators […] Each senator comes from a different background and has their own voice, [so] it is important to create a respectful and tolerant environment so that everyone can be heard.
How are senators elected?
TS: Senators are elected following the regulations set out by senate […] Undergraduate students are elected by their degree program […] whereas graduate students are elected by their respective college.
AC: For every 500 [undergraduate] students, there is one elected senator; therefore the number of students elected per program varies with size. Graduate student senators are elected by college in the same manner; however, due to their smaller size, there is only one senator per college.
TS: The number of seats available for student senators are determined by enrolments in the programs and colleges, but there will never be less than 21 seats for student senators in a given year.
How can students get involved with the SSC?
AC: Run for elections! It is a fantastic opportunity to work with faculty, staff, and administration to help shape academic life on-campus.
TS: We actively encourage students to run for senate. It is a great experience with immense opportunities for learning new skills and knowledge, creating vast networks around campus, and having the opportunity to truly shape the University of Guelph’s academic direction.
AC: If you miss this opportunity, there will also be by-elections for any empty positions in the fall.
TS: Even if students aren’t elected, they can still attend senate meetings to hear what is going on (and be granted speaking rights if they wish).
How does the SSC positively affect Guelph students?
TS: The University of Guelph has one of the largest senates in Canada, and has one of the largest student contingents of senators […] When a student senator stands up to speak at a senate meeting or in a committee meeting, everyone listens. Their input matters and will change the way things happen on-campus.
AC: We take into account the student perspective on all academic matters […] Our diversity brings unique opinions and considerations to the larger senate body; we are here to better the university and our education by helping to shape important decisions that affect everyone.
TS: Of all senate groups, SSC is the only group that is guaranteed a place to speak on every senate agenda, at which point SSC has the ability to speak about any issues they wish to address to the room of administrators, faculty, staff, and visitors. That is a powerful position to have.
AC: This year, our goal was to encourage well-informed decisions, tolerance, and activism at Guelph. We need more students, and more voices to continue this into the new year.