volume 1 issue 1 - october 2014

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Have some information that you want to share with your fellow alumnus and would like to see published in the USC Alumni Connection?

Contact the Publication:[email protected] 340F, UCC BuildingThe University’s Students’ CouncilWestern UniversityN6K 3A7519.661.2111 x82603

usc alumni connectionThe University Students' CouncilWestern UniversityAlumni Newsletterv o l . 1 - i s s u e 1 - 2 0 1 4

PUBlication:USC Alumni Connection is a quarterly newsletter published by the University Students’ Council at Western University.

editor:Lindsay Meldrum

art director:Nancy Nguyen

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CONTENTS | usC AluMNi CoNNeCTioN

03 president's noteA big welcome from your 2014-2015 USC President.

13 meet the boardLearn about the changes in structure to the Board of Directors.

21 executive development programThe USC makes improvements to the Transition program for both incoming and outgoing Executive.

EVENTS15 orientation weekGet an inside look at this year’s O-Week!

06 Meet the executive

17 homecomingWestern University and the USC organizes an on-campus Homecoming event!

19 events overviewCheck out some upcoming events for October and November! Special Feature on ChangeCamp Western.

alumni feature23 bob brakGet to know the 1977-78 USC President!

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It is my pleasure to introduce the first edition of the University Students’ Council Alumni newsletter. My name is Matt Helfand and I have the distinct pleasure of serving this year as the President of the USC. As we approach the 50th Anniversary for the organization, my team and I could not be more excited with the recent efforts to strengthen our extraordinary Alumni network. Over the years, the USC has produced leaders in all fields, and the level of connection that our Alumni continue to feel towards the USC is beyond amazing. We hope that you enjoy reading through the content contained in this publication, and if you find yourself back in London, please feel free to drop by the office and say hello!

All the best,

Matt Helfand USC President

HEllO USCfaMily!

president's note u

It is my pleasure to introduce the first edition of the University Students’ Council Alumni magazine. My name is Matt Helfand and I have the distinct pleasure of serving this year as the President of the USC. As we approach the 50th Anniversary for the organi-zation, my team and I could not be more excited with the recent efforts to strengthen our extraordinary Alumni network. Over the years, the USC has produced leaders in all fields, and the level of connection that our Alumni continue to feel towards the USC is beyond amazing. We hope that you enjoy reading through the content contained in this publication, and if you find yourself back in London, please feel free to drop by the office and say hello!

All the best,

Matt Helfand USC President

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usC AluMNi CoNNeCTioN


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MEET THE 2014-2015

ExECUTiVE

MEET THE ExECutive u

SOMETHiNg iNTErESiNg:I have a twin brother, and we have been known to serve as each others scapegoat from time-to-time. I know that if things start to go south in this role I always have that ace up my sleeve.

WHaT yOU'rE HOPiNg TO dO WHEN yOU'rE dONE yOUr TErM:Looking to explore all my opportunities. Given that this is an alumni newsletter I suppose this is a good place to start. If anyone reading this is looking to hire:

- I am an energetic, results-driven individual with management and leadership experience. I have a keen interest in strategic planning, political communications, and client relations. -

WHaT yOU TOOk aT WESTErN:Political Science

H OW yO U B ECaM E i NVO lVEd i N TH E USC:I ran for the position of Social Science President in 2012 because I wanted to improve academic counselling. At the time I did not know that the role had any affiliation with the USC. I suppose it was a pleasant surprise!

WHaT MadE yOU WaNT TO BE aN ExECUTiVE:The role of USC president is likely the most unique opportunity anywhere this side of Texas. So rarely does one have an opportunity to serve their peers in such a meaningful and impactful way. The late Steve Jobs, to his credit or deficit, often spoke about “making a dent in the universe”. In the role of USC president you are well poised to make a dent in the Western universe; and that means a lot to me.

president

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matthelfand

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vp internal

Internal portfolio stood out to me because of its two diverse sides. It is really amazing that I can impact the entire campus community through our advocacy efforts as well as help in-dividual students reach their goals and enjoy their experience through the services and the many coordina-tors that I work with.

SOMETHiNg iNTErESTiNg:I spend most of my time and money on horseback riding, but I love travelling almost as much as much as riding my horse, James.

WHaT yOU'rE HOPiNg TO dO WHEN yOU'rE dONE yOUr TErM:After this year I will be returning to Huron to finish up my degree and from there, I am hoping to apply to a master’s program related to me-dia and communication.

aNyTHiNg ESlE yOU'd likE TO SHarE:I am unbelievable excited for the year ahead and looking forward to meeting a few more of the fantastic USC alumni that are a part of this network.

WHaT yOU TOOk aT WESTErN:Honours specialization in Political Sciencewith a minor in Globalization at Huron University College

H OW yO U B ECaM E i NVO lVEd i N TH E USC:I joined the USC in my second year as a Huron Councillor after getting involved with a presidential cam-paign in my first year and learning a little more about what the USC was. I was the President of the HUCSC and had an amazing year learning the in’s and out’s of student politics and building a great group of friends through both the HUCSC and the USC who all taught me just about as much as that role did.

WHaT MadE yOU WaNT TO BE aN ExECUTiVE:I was planning on going on exchange for my fourth year of study, but when Matt asked me to run with him as VP Internal, I realized that not only did I not want to leave Western just yet, but that there was still so much I could do to give back for all the amazing things I had learned and experienced already. From there, the

emilyaddison

SOMETHiNg iNTErESiNg:Despite the fact that I was a ballet dancer for almost 14 years, I am embarrassingly clumsy. It is inevitable that I will do something to embarrass myself this year!

WHaT yOU'rE HOPiNg TO dO WHEN yOU'rE dONE yOUr TErM:My area of interest is in International Relations, specifically Corporate Social Responsibility and Development. After I am done my term, I am thinking about applying to grad school to further study this topic. I am very interested in how we can utilize community consultation in order to tailor CSR initiatives to

stem meaningful development across the world.

aNyTHiNg ElSE yOU'd likE TO SHarE:I am looking forward to meeting a lot of you this year and am thankful to be a new member of the USC family!

WHaT yOU TOOk aT WESTErN:Honours Criminology

H OW yO U B ECaM E i NVO lVEd i N TH E USC:Last year I served as the President of the King’s University College Stu-dents’ Council and this was my first interaction with the USC. Through King’s I met Emily who was then the President of Huron and it was Emi-ly and Matt who inspired me to be-come further involved at the USC.

WHaT MadE yOU WaNT TO BE aN ExECUTiVE:I really loved my time at King’s and I find working for students extreme-ly rewarding. When Emily and Matt approached me and asked me to run as their External, I was unsure about whether I would be the best person for the job. I am now happy to say that I have settled in to my new role and the USC and am loving every minute of it.

vp external

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jencarter


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vp finance

more. After spending four years in student politics I knew in my heart that I wanted nothing more than to spend the next year of my life giving back to the organization that’s given me so much over the past four.

SOMETHiNg iNTErESTiNg:I was once stung by a cactus which left a weird scar on my arm but now I swear that I don’t react as severely to bug bites and plants like poison ivy. Then again, I’ve gotten pretty good at recognizing what poison ivy looks like and avoiding it so that might just be a placebo effect.

WHaT yOU'rE HOPiNg TO dO WHEN yOU'rE dONE yOUr TErM:I’d like to go back to school to get a professional designation so that I can give my career a bit of direction. For now I’m keeping a few options open.

aNyTHiNg ESlE yOU'd likE TO SHarE:I spent the last weekend reading over reports and files from the last 20 years out of the VP Finance Archives. The process helped me put a few things that I was struggling with into perspective. Every year brings its own set of crises, and every exec has their own way of handling them. No issue is as dramatic as it probably seemed at the time, and unless we really mess up, the corporation will still be standing tomorrow. The USC’s seen a lot of smart, creative, and talented students walk through its doors and I can’t wait for the day when I can count myself among its many proud alumni.

WHaT yOU TOOk aT WESTErN:Bachelor of Health Sciences

H OW yO U B ECaM E i NVO lVEd i N TH E USC:I started my journey through student politics on my Faculty and Resident Councils as a Faculty Rep/Liaison. I spent the next two years as an Exec on the Faculty of Health Sciences Students’ Council before being elect-ed to the University Senate and as the Speaker of Council for the USC.

WHaT MadE yOU WaNT TO BE aN ExECUTiVE:I thought that I was filling out a credit card application but it turned out to be a declaration of candidacy form. The rest is history...

But seriously, first and foremost I had a vision of what I thought students should be getting from the USC. Fundamentally, I see student government as being all about students sitting down to discuss student issues, followed by students sitting down with admin-istrators to bring our issues forward and arrive at meaningful solutions. To me, the USC is that and so much

andrewlalka


aNyTHiNg ElSE yOU'd likE TO SHarE:My goal is to finish my term with more “wins” than “losses” on my record. I like to think my greatest, longest lasting impression during my five years here will be the evolution of culture in various aspects, and I know that has the potential to be a huge asset beyond the USC walls.

WHaT yOU TOOk aT WESTErN:BMOS with a Specialization in Global Studies

H OW yO U B ECaM E i NVO lVEd i N TH E USC:Through Orientation Staff 2013.

WHaT MadE yOU WaNT TO BE aN ExECUTiVE:The ability to better students’ rela-tionship with the city through events

SOMETHiNg iNTErESiNg:I’m a huge race fan.

WHaT yOU'rE HOPiNg TO dO WHEN yOU'rE dONE yOUr TErM:Get a job in the NASCAR industryworking on the Green Initiative or with sponsors and do an MBA in North Carolina.

vp student events

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samuelkilgour


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vp communicationsemersontithecottWHaT yOU TOOk aT WESTErN:Honors Specialization in Political Science at Huron University College

H OW yO U B ECaM E i NVO lVEd i N TH E USC:During my first year, I represented Huron students as a USC Residence Representative.

WHaT MadE yOU WaNT TO BE aN ExECUTiVE:The opportunity to bring positive change to the university community, help our student government realize its potential, and develop both per-sonally and professionally was par-ticularly intriguing.

SOMETHiNg iNTErESiNg:When I was six, I scored two goals in my first ever soccer game. It was epic.

WHaT yOU'rE HOPiNg TO dO WHEN yOU'rE dONE yOUr TErM:I’m hoping to attend business school or work in marketing when my term comes to an end.


USC ALUMNI CONNECTION

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by Scott Courtice, Managing director of government Services

MEET THE BOARD

left to right: Andrew lalka, Matt helfand, Domenic Bitondo, Akash Brijpaul, isaac Jacobi, Sanasi Jayawarden, Paul Demarco, hirad Zafari, and Scott Kerr

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In 2013-2014, the Council separated the ‘Executive’ from the ‘Board of Directors.’ The USC now has three branches: the Council, the Executive, and the Board of Directors. The Board is composed of students at large, as well as the VP Finance and President. The President is no longer chairperson of the Board ex-officio, but can run for the position if they wish. This year a student at-large member, Isaac Jacobi, was elected chairperson.

This change was the culmination of a number of years of governance changes at the USC. The goal of the

change was to strengthen the objectivity, effectiveness and independence of Board decision-making. Having at-large members as opposed to Executives provides more objective oversight over management because the members don’t work shoulder to shoulder with management each day. It also allows for the Council to appoint students with specific skills and backgrounds well suited to sitting on a Board of Directors; such as finance, strategy, and legal training. Board members sit for two-year terms, so the new structure builds in more continuity so that the or-ganization doesn’t experience a 100% turnover in leadership each year.

The Council continues to have the final say on the budget to keep the power in the hands of elected officials, but along with management, the Board is able to provide an important per-spective about the fiscal prudence and long-term sustainability of budget decisions.

Scott CourticeManaging Director, Government Services

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events | f e a t u r e USC ALUMNI CONNECTION

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Western’s Orientation Week 2014 was a huge success for a record breaking number of first year student participants! With the help of 750 upper-year Orientation Volunteers, incoming students were welcomed to campus during 7 days of programming to introduce these students to the social, academic, extra-curricular, cultural, andother learning environments on campus. This year we saw approximately 98% of incoming students purchase their Orientation Pass, which allowed them to participate in programming including Campus-Wide events, late night programming, as well as Faculty,

Residence, Affiliate College, and Off-Campus events. Despite some rain during the week, some successful events included the Campus-Wide Dance Party that featured the Bingo Players on our main stage located on UC Hill to kick off the week, and the iconic OneLove Rally that featured Jessi Cruickshank, Trevor Boris, Shane Koyczan, and Steven Page that promoted inclusivity on our campus! The hardwork, collaboration, and understanding by administrators and student leaders across campus made a difference in the lives of our incoming students!by Sophie helpard,

orientation coordinator

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This year marked Western’s first on-campus Homecoming celebra-tions. Concrete Beach was packed with purple pride as both students and alumni enjoyed music, games, food, face painting, free pancakes, singing along to Rick McGhie, and a performance by country music star Gord Bamford.

events | f e a t u r e usC AluMNi CoNNeCTioN

by kevin chao, associate Vice-President Public affairs photos by: mark millar

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Meanwhile at TD Stadium, the Mustangs football team trounced the University of Toronto Varsity Blues with a 63-15 victory, with the spirited cheering of nearly 12,000 fans. With such a successful first year, Homecoming celebrations on campus are sure to become a Western tradition.

Game day photos by: dev Vasile

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Sexual Health & Consent awareness dayoct. 21Sexual Health and Consent Education has partnered with the Middlesex London Health Unit for our Awareness Day programming. The main event, called #GetTestedWestern, was created to provide urine testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia to students in order to beat the Guinness World Record for most individuals tested for STIs in a 24-hour period. The purpose of having our Awareness Event in the form of a “Get Tested” campaign is to raise awareness regarding the prevalence of STIs on campus (London has the highest rates in Ontario among university-aged in-dividuals), to show students how easy it is to get this sort of testing done, and perhaps most importantly, to break the stigma surrounding sexually transmitted infections and getting tested.

my culture is not a costumeoct. 20-24Ethnocultural Support Service is running a ‘My Culture is not a Costume’ campaign next week to educate students about cultural appropriation, is it is especially prevalent during Halloween.

western's hunger gamesoct. 28-29Food Support Services will be holding it’s inaugural Hunger Games event in the UCC atrium on October 28th and 29th. Students will have an opportunity to learn about the services we offer, issues of hunger and food security, as well as some information regarding nutrition with some help from Brescia’s FRESH team, by playing a number of different games, all with the opportunityto be entered to win some amazing prizes.

rememberance day ceremonynov. 11The annual USC Remembrance Day Ceremony will take place in the Mustang Lounge and will feature several memorial opportunities and a chance to pay respects to our nations defenders and troops.

play it again, samnov. 17-22Theatre Western will be performing Woody Allen’s play “Play it Again, Sam” at The Grand Theatre in London’s downtown on November 20th, 21st, and 22nd. The hours of work put into the production and the dedication of the volunteers are sure to be on full display in a play about a recent divorcee re-entering the dating scene.

july talknov. 17-22July Talk is an Alternative rock, garage rock, and punk blues band. We are pretty sure they are going to get big, so we wanted to have them before they start playing on bigger stages. With a dedicated fan-base, the show is sure to be a hit. Performing at The Wave.

events | W H a t ` S N e X t usC AluMNi CoNNeCTioN

events o

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The Student Feedback Executive Committee organizes ChangeCamp, it is held twice a year, once in each semester. We invite all western students, councils, committees, clubs, faculty members, administrative position and members of the London committee to come. This year it will be held on November 25 and March 10.

Change Camp is a forum that works towards the goal of creating a Western Community based off of the voice of the student population. It allows students to come into a room and discuss issues on campus whether it is about the operations of the University’s Student Council, academic and faculty concerns, or buildings and facilities on campus, students can participate in this forum and speak directly to the USC and the Western community. These individuals can take active

steps to address their concerns.

ChangeCamp is based upon the idea that an effective platform of change depends on the input and participation of a diverse array of perspectives. This platform allows the sharing of ideas towards the goal of creating a new vision on Western Campus.

VErvi ewCHaNgECaMP WESTErN

feAture uP-coMing event

by Simi solebo, student feedback coordinator

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As you may be familiar with, every year the USC transitions in a new group of student leaders to fill their term in office as the USC Executive. Over the past two years, we have been making an effort to significantly improve this transition period for both the incoming and outgoing Executive with the creation of the ‘USC Executive Development Program’ or EDP as we have been abbreviating it to in the office. The vision for EDP was a program that would run for the full length of the Executive’s term in office. This program offers workshops and sessions that offer both hard and soft skills to the Exec that prepare them to successfully transition into their role as Executives as well as prepare them for life outside of the

USC when their term is up and they are transitioning into the work force.

We figured that the best place to start our hunt for facilitators for these sessions would be our very own USC Alumnae as naturally, our past Board members and Executives can relate to the unique position of our student leaders. Additionally, it is always great to see where you and what you are doing! We have offered sessions based on skills that you have acquired throughout your work and life experiences in general. As this program runs for the full term of our Executive, program updates will be addressed in each issue of the Alumni publication.

To date, we have been privileged t o p r o v i d e t h e f o l l o w i n g s e s s i o n s t o o u r E x e c u t i v e :

Crisis Communications – Paris Meilleur

Staff Relations/Work Relationships –Nick Iozzo

Leveraging Your USC Experience – Bob Brack

Community Involvement – Josh Morgan

Managing Priorities – Steve Deighton

Positive Image: Building Professional Relationships Internally and Externally – Rachel Halpern

Translating your Personal Brand into your Work Search – Perry Monaco

Government Relations and Effective Advocacy – Jason Grier

Partnerships – Sacha Kumar

Working with Teams – Chris Sinal

The exec are pictured with rachel Halpern, 08/09 VP Communications (top right, second from end). Rachel facilitated a session for the Executive Development Program on 'Building Positive Relationships with Internal and External Communities'

ExECUTiVEdEVElOPMENT PrOgraM


by lindsay meldrum, Corporate governance & Executive Services Officer

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The three-day international astron-omy meeting that Meg Urry hosted at Yale this past June was over, but she wasn’t done. Urry stood at the front of the lecture hall in the Loria Center and called up to the 90 or so colleagues who, stretching their legs and making dinner plans, had al-ready begun to rise from their seats. She asked them to stay until the se-nior administrative assistant who had organized the conference could return to the auditorium. It wouldn’t be fair, she said, if they didn’t thank Laurelyn publicly.

Urry dashed into the hallway, re-turned without Laurelyn Celone, urged her colleagues to remain where they were, dashed back into the hallway, returned without Ce-lone. Urry continued to reassure the audience for several more minutes, through an increasingly pained smile, until at last Celone appeared. Urry relaxed into a real smile and pre-sented Celone with a box of flowers, and the audience applauded.

Was it a woman thing, what Urry did?

In an ideal world, the question wouldn’t matter. In an ideal world, Urry wouldn’t have been the first woman to chair Yale’s Department of Physics; she would have been a department chair, period.* She wouldn’t have received the Women in Space Science Award from Chi-

ard from Chicago’s Adler Planetar-ium, wouldn’t have been an Ameri-can Women in Science Fellow. She wouldn’t have featured prominently in a 2013 New York Times Maga-zine article titled “Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science?” In an ideal world, she would simply be one of the more influential astron-omers of her generation, and she wouldn’t be pursuing what she calls “a second career” devoted to “the women thing.”

But Meg Urry long ago learned that she doesn’t live in an ideal world.

Once, she thought that maybe she did.

As a graduate student in physics at Johns Hopkins University, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she attended a class that the professor began with a comic greeting: “Good morning, gentlemen and Meg.” Urry didn’t need reminding that she was the only woman in the room, nor that the room was a microcosm of the field of physics. All she had to do was look into the offices of the physics department, look around the auditoriums at physics meetings, look at the lists of authors on physics pa-pers, and she could see she was an outsider.

When she first heard that someone named Beatrice Tinsley was an as-tronomer, Urry didn’t know who she

The three-day international astron-omy meeting that Meg Urry hosted at Yale this past June was over, but she wasn’t done. Urry stood at the front of the lecture hall in the Loria Center and called up to the 90 or so colleagues who, stretching their legs and making dinner plans, had al-ready begun to rise from their seats. She asked them to stay until the se-nior administrative assistant who had organized the conference could return to the auditorium. It wouldn’t be fair, she said, if they didn’t thank Laurelyn publicly.

Urry dashed into the hallway, re-turned without Laurelyn Celone, urged her colleagues to remain where they were, dashed back into the hallway, returned without Ce-lone. Urry continued to reassure the audience for several more minutes, through an increasingly pained smile, until at last Celone appeared. Urry relaxed into a real smile and pre-sented Celone with a box of flowers, and the audience applauded.

Was it a woman thing, what Urry did?

In an ideal world, the question wouldn’t matter. In an ideal world, Urry wouldn’t have been the first woman to chair Yale’s Department of Physics; she would have been a department chair, period.* She wouldn’t have received the Women in Space Science Award from Chi-

www.westernusc.ca

http://westernusc.org/

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Gazette asked why it went so well and I answered that it was probably because students were stoned instead of drunk, and so were passive rather than aggressive. A couple of students wrote to the Gazette accusing me of promoting the use of marijuana, then several more wrote in to defend me. Which was interesting because I don’t think I ever stated a view pro or con, I just answered the question. A rather vigorous debate followed over the rest of the year, not just in the Gazette but in other local media as well.

MEMOraBlE EVENTS frOM yOUr yEar:Up to 1977 students were allowed to bring alcohol to football games in wineskins but due to some injuries the previous year, alcohol was banned. It was expected that there would be much resistance at the first football game but in fact there was almost none.

The second issue was decriminalization of marijuana, which arose when I was interviewed about the booze ban after the first football game. The

WHaT yOU PlaNNEd ON dOiNg aS a CarEEr afTEr yOU lEfT THE USC:I wanted to be a lawyer and/or work in politics when I started at Western but ended up having too good a time in extra-curricular activities - the Student Police and USC - to get the marks to get into law school. I did end up working in politics a few years later, no doubt the student politics experience helped me get that job.

WHErE yOU liVE aNd WHaT yOU dO:I live in Ottawa. After 30 years in the Foreign Service as a visa officer, two years ago I accepted an offer to be the President and CEO of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). We are the regulatory body for the Canadian immigration consulting profession, which includes over 3000 Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCIC). Under Canadian law, it is illegal for someone to provide immigration advice unless they are a RCIC, a lawyer, a notary in Quebec, or a paralegal in Ontario.

alumni feature usC AluMNi CoNNeCTioN

bob brakusc president 1977-78

volume 1 issue 1 - october 2014

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