Over the past two years OUSA embarked on an ambitious mission to redefine quality in terms of student success. In this new paradigm, a quality education is the consequence of student success inputs, which lead to a graduate who is prepared to use the skills and knowledge developed in University. This is an interesting concept, because it breaks down the notion that a quality education only happens in the classroom. Now, more than ever, students in Ontario are scrutinizing the entire university system and saying that each component must be focused on the creation of successful students.
Now, this is wonderful and it will mean a fundamentally better education for students in Ontario, but it also means a lot of work. This new view challenges a lot of what happens on our campuses. A new discussion needs to happen. This discussion will entail a great deal of work for student representatives and a willingness to confront administrator who are not used to always thinking about the success of students first. It is a complicated challenge, but one that I am excited to see us move forward with.
Even more excitingly, it has been exciting to see the language of student success enter into the vocabulary of student representatives across the province. A clear example of how students are pushing against stale dialogue at the University of Waterloo has surrounded how the calendar dates are set for the Fall Tern.
At present there is a motion from the University Administration to implement classes on the Thursday of Orientation Week. This has been viewed as a radical change at the University, which has a long tradition of a large full week Orientation. However, it has been a change the administration claims is a necessity to fit enough examination days into calendars with a late Labour Day.
As Senate prepares to discuss the proposal, the student senators have emerged unwilling to accept vague response. Instead, student representatives are asking questions about how to best formulate a university calendar to ensure student success. Students are calling on senate to consider student mental health, academic preparation, and proper orientation to the campus before making a decision about how to set the University calendar. Further, students are starting to ask questions about how breaks are scheduled throughout the year. What this means is that through the lens of Student Success the conversation moves beyond a simple filling of criteria to a whole new conversation that adapts the University into an environment that is nurturing of students.
-Justin Williams
