Blog

Hi everyone!

My name is Siobhan (she/her) and I’m the Vice President of Education at the McMaster Students Union. I’m so excited to be a member of the Steering Committee this year and can’t wait to work with OUSA to advocate for students both at McMaster and across Ontario.

 I’m originally from Beaverton, Ontario, where I lived up until I moved to Hamilton to attend McMaster. After five great years, I graduated from the Political Science program and ran in the VP elections for the 2021/2022 year. In the past, I’ve been involved with the MSU through the Municipal Affairs Committee where I worked in a team to advocate for affordable, safe, and equitable student housing. At the same time, I worked on the Ancillary Fees Policy Paper as we researched non-tuition fees and resources available to students.

Hello there! I’m Nathan R. G. Barnett, my pronouns are he/him, and I am a settler who lives, works, learns, and exists on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, covered under the Williams Treaties. I’m also the Vice President of University Affairs (VPUA) at the Trent Durham Student Association (TDSA) for the 2021-22 year and if that looks a little familiar to you, that would be because I was also in this role last year! I’m so excited to be able to continue doing this work and to develop and learn more as a student leader. Now, when I’m not busy working, I love reading, sewing and watching (mostly re-watching) the same 5 TV shows I’ve seen a million times but that still get me every single time. 

Hey Folks! 

My name is Erin Quinn, I use she and her pronouns, and I am currently serving as the Vice President of University Affairs for the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union. I am extremely excited for the opportunity to represent my peers at Laurier as a member of this year’s OUSA Steering Committee.

Hey everyone, my name is Austin Hurley. I'm the Vice President of External Affairs for the Brock University Students' Union (BUSU) and the representative for Brock students on OUSA's Steering Committee this year.

A little background on who I am:

I'm originally from Sault Ste. Marie, but I have lived across Canada, from Edmonton, Alberta to St. Catharines, Ontario, where I currently call home. Moving around as much as I did while growing up proved difficult, but the life lessons, experiences and skills I've acquired have made me grateful for the experience.

Hi everybody,

My name is Ryan Sieg, I use he and him pronouns, and I am the Vice President of University Affairs at the Queen’s Alma Mater Society (AMS).  I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to work with OUSA as a member of the Steering Committee and to push for positive change for students across the province.

I originally wrote this article before the Kamloops Residential School mass grave discovery. Since this was recently brought to light, it has also been stated that 1 in 5 Indigenous children died while attending Red Deer Residential School. I have been experiencing pain over this news. Across Canada, many Indigenous Peoples have felt the generational trauma and/or experienced the terror of residential schools first hand. I want to send my love and prayers to others who are in pain, to those who have lost loved ones from past and present genocidal acts, and to all Indigenous People facing the trauma from generations of eradication efforts.

The pursuit of racial justice for Black communities in North America has been a centuries long struggle. Established in 2013, the #BlackLivesMatter movement was born as a modern-day fight against the continued state violence that harms and violates Black lives. Despite being around for several years now, this movement had significant global momentum in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, one year ago this week. Conversations about systemic barriers that impede the progression of Black livelihood were rampant, and many organizations from different sectors that typically would not have issued statements, came out with various commitments to reducing and eliminating these barriers. Post-secondary institutions were among the many that released calls to action, citing different short- and long-term actions that would be undertaken to improve the post-secondary experience for Black students, staff, and faculty.

Hello everyone! My name is Ashyana, and I am excited to join OUSA as a Summer Research Intern for the next four months. 

I have spent the past four years at Western University pursuing an undergraduate degree in Political Science. Throughout my undergraduate experience, I have been heavily involved in my campus community. Most notably, I served as the President of Western’s Indo-Canadian Student’s Association – the largest South Asian club at the university, and a Research & Policy Commissioner for Western’s Gender Equality Network. While very different endeavours, at the intersection of gender, and ethno-cultural identities, these opportunities made it abundantly clear that there is no singular university experience.

My name is Emily DuBois Brooks, and I am an Indigenous student attending Wilfrid Laurier University, as an upcoming fourth year Sociology student. Over the last seven months, I have been working alongside OUSA as an author on the Indigenous Students Policy Paper, which primarily aims to decolonize university campuses and academia, and provide accessibility and cultural representation for Indigenous students in order to create safe and inclusive academic practice, culture, and institutional space. This summer I am honoured to accept the opportunity to become a member of the team as OUSA’s Special Projects Intern. Moving forward, my continued goal is to include as many Indigenous perspectives in the creation of our policy paper as possible. Through the process of Indigenizing our campuses and academia, we must also commit to Indigenizing our own methods of including Indigenous voices through our practices. By honouring this commitment we are dedicated to incorporating Indigenous methodology and community-based approaches into the core of our practice, which will create unity among perspectives but also represent the unique needs and voices of each participating student.

Chi-miigwech!

Wow! I can’t believe we’ve made it through this year and that I’m writing my final update as OUSA President.

To be honest, I struggled writing this last update. Reflecting on this year, I have had such an incredible experience working in student advocacy and as OUSA President, but I don’t want to paint a rosy picture and wrap up my year on such a positive note without first addressing the immense challenges post-secondary students have faced this year.