Student Choice Initiative Update

Earlier this year, the Ontario Government announced the ‘Student Choice Initiative’, which enables students to opt-out of paying certain ancillary or incidental fees covering a range of services.  This policy directive was implemented for the Fall 2019 semester.

Last week, we became aware that the Ontario Divisional Court struck down the policy allowing post-secondary students to opt-out of fees.  In the court filing, two student groups (Canadian Federation of Students and York Federation of Students) argued that the government did not have the authority to interfere in the relationship between universities/colleges and their students.

We are now seeking more information surrounding the implications of this court decision on Sheridan College students as well as more direction from the Province surrounding any implications this decision may or may not have on ancillary fee collection guidelines.

As the Student Choice Initiative was introduced through a governmental policy directive, we are monitoring the situation to see what course of action the government chooses to take. Until such time as we receive a new directive, Sheridan Student Union and Sheridan College will continue under the current directive which allows students to opt-out of paying certain ancillary and incidental fees.

We will continue to keep you informed of any future changes to this practice.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ANCILLARY FEES VISIT:
HTTP://MYOTR.SHERIDANCOLLEGE.CA/ANCILLARY_FEES.HTML

President's Update: Student Choice Initiative

We have been and will continue to work with the College administration to clearly define how the “Student Choice Initiative” will affect our services and your on campus experience moving forward. As always, our goal is to advocate for your best interests, and to ensure you continue to have access to important SSU resources. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us.

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2017 Annual General Meeting Recap

With nearly 70 students in attendance, the 2016-2017 AGM was a great success, encouraging nearly three hours of valuable student feedback and engagement.
 

We began with an inspiring visit from Spencer West: an acclaimed Me to We keynote speaker and author. Spencer joined us to share his experience with overcoming obstacles and building community. After losing both his legs from the pelvis down at the age of five, Spencer went on to climb and summit Mount Kilimanjaro with only his hands, a wheelchair and teamwork. Spencer’s presentation was sincerely humbling and will undoubtedly remain an inspiration to all those in attendance. 

Sylvia Ibrahim - SSU President, Spencer West - Guest Speaker, Tyler Bogaert - SSU Board Chair

Sylvia Ibrahim - SSU President, Spencer West - Guest Speaker, Tyler Bogaert - SSU Board Chair

The membership then approved our 2015-16 audited statements, the 2015-2016 AGM Meeting Minutes and ratified our incoming 2016-17 board members.  Sylvia Ibrahim, President of the Student Union took the members through the operational successes, including partnerships welcoming a Syrian student in cooperation with Sheridan and World University Service of Canada, our Espresso Yourself art initiative in our coffee houses, enhanced programming at HMC, health care kiosks, our Friendship Bench initiative, our first Pride Week initiative and a planned car share program.

Our Incoming President, Enrique Ponce, was introduced and approved by the membership at the meeting, saying, “Thank you, everybody!  I’m really excited to become President.  Some of you might know me from my role as an EVP for the past few years.  I’m hoping to use that experience as President, and while I’m very familiar with HMC, I’m looking forward to taking the time to get to know the other two campuses better.”

Tyler Bogaert, Chair of the Board, also presented the major accomplishments of the board over the past year, including the approval of a Student Centre in the HMC2A expansion, sustainability upgrades to the Trafalgar Student Centre, investment in the student portal to support and enhance club life, and continued investments in supporting the shuttle bus along with encouragement of a student referendum surrounding the ongoing future of this service.

Sheridan students voting on SSU by-laws at 2017 Annual General Meeting

Sheridan students voting on SSU by-laws at 2017 Annual General Meeting

Thoughtful student discussion also led to membership approval of several by-law changes including;

  • making all fee-paying Sheridan College students eligible to run for the Board of Directors, instead of just full-time students,

  • changing all bylaw language to non-gender specific language, 

  • clarifying the President’s duty to identify a process to select Board Chairs, 

  • and the Board’s right to determine how they will select a Secretary of the Board. 
     

“I am thrilled with the exceptional turnout for the 2017 AGM, and appreciate all of the student leaders who participated in such a significant event. Our AGM is one of the most direct and impactful ways for students to participate in SSU, and I’m grateful for all those who contributed their time to join us for this important meeting.” — Sylvia Ibrahim, SSU President

Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s Annual General Meeting! For more photos of Spencer and our Annual General Meeting, click here. For more information about our Board of Directors and how to get involved, visit our Governance page.

SSU Welcomes Enrique Ponce as incoming President!

Meet Enrique: your new President!

Enrique Ponce - Current EVP at HMC, incoming SSU President.

Enrique Ponce - Current EVP at HMC, incoming SSU President.

Following the successful conclusion of current President - Sylvia Ibrahim's - term, Sheridan Student Union's hiring committee set out in search of a new President to lead the organization.  

This hiring committee was assembled by SSU’s Human Resources Manager and was comprised of voting members of the incoming and outgoing SSU Board, along with Associate Dean Matthew Rempel.  That committee is now happy to announce that Enrique Ponce will assume the role of Sheridan Student Union President as of May 1, 2017.

As President, Ponce will provide oversight and leadership to approximately 250 full and part-time staff, oversee an operational budget of over $4.6 million, and serve over 22,000 Sheridan students.

Enrique Ponce is very familiar with the SSU, having served the organization as Executive Vice-President (EVP) for HMC for the past two years. In addition to his role as EVP, Enrique has been very active on campus as the former Sergeant-at-Arms for Sheridan Toastmasters, and the President and Co-Founder of the Smash Stress Club at HMC. 

Enrique is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Business Administration – Marketing Program, and is currently pursuing studies in Sheridan’s Bachelor of Business Administration – Marketing Management Program.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Enrique for 2 years now and I am confident that he will do a tremendous job! He has a great understanding of how the SSU operates and his vision for the future puts the students first! He is also our first HMC president which is very exciting given the many upcoming & exciting changes with the campus.”
— Sylvia Ibrahim

As incoming President, Enrique looks forward to the role, saying, 

“The last 2 years I’ve had the chance to make a positive impact on the lives of students within the HMC community as EVP for the SSU, and now I’m really looking forward to bringing the knowledge and experiences I’ve gained into this new role to continue making positive changes for the whole student body with new, exciting initiatives and projects.”

Enrique is the first-ever Hazel McCallion Campus (HMC) student to be hired as the President of Sheridan Student Union and will commence his period of authority on May 1, 2017.  We are lucky to have Enrique continue at the SSU and develop into his role as President. 

Click here to view the full press release. 

Sheridan Student Transportation Survey Report

Sheridan Student Union and Sheridan College are pleased to announce that the Sheridan Student Transportation Survey, seeking to better understand student transportation preferences and potential solutions to Inter-Campus Shuttle capacity challenges, has concluded.

See what Sheridan students had to say....