Hi Badgers!
I hope you're all having a fantastic summer! This is my first monthly update, and I’m excited to share what I’ve been up to since stepping into the role of Vice President, External Affairs. This update covers highlights from May, June, and July.
I officially began on May 13, and since then, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many amazing people and settling into the role. One of the most energizing experiences so far has been connecting with incoming students and their families during Smart Start. It’s been a joy to welcome them to Brock and introduce them to BUSU and all the ways they can get involved right from day one.
Over the past few months, I’ve also been finalizing my executive priorities for the year, which will go to the BUSU Board of Directors for approval at their next meeting. There are some exciting projects in the works that I can’t wait to share with you once approved!

In my third week at BUSU, I attended the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) Opening Retreat, where I collaborated with eight other student union executives who, like me, serve as directors of OUSA. Together, we worked on shaping OUSA’s advocacy and organizational priorities for the year.
I’m also thrilled to share that I’ll be one of the authors of OUSA’s Tuition, Ancillary, and Incidental Fees policy paper, which is set for ratification at the Spring 2026 General Assembly at Western University. In addition, I’m serving as Editor for the Accountability and System Visions policy paper, which will be presented at the Fall 2025 General Assembly at Laurentian University.
OUSA has also been hard at work submitting formal feedback to the Ministry regarding Bill 33 through Ontario’s Regulatory Registry. You can read the full submission here: (OUSA Submission: Bill 33 Regulatory Registry - OUSA).
On another OUSA-related note, I’ve been working with our VPUA, Natalia Rodrigues-Rana, on an article for OUSA’s Educated Solutions titled, “The Struggle Between Enriching Theoretical Academic Experiences and the Pressure of Preparing Students for the Workforce”.
Educated Solutions explores the unique challenges faced by Ontario’s university students, providing a forum to address the concerns of our province’s undergraduates. The content features contributions from individuals and groups working to improve the post-secondary system.
BUSU President, Fiona Seabrook, and I also attended OUSA’s Presidents Roundtable and Lobby Training in Toronto, where we had valuable conversations with other student leaders and OUSA’s home office staff.
If you are interested in learning more about OUSA, check out their website here: About - OUSA.

During July, our BUSU team had the opportunity to meet with MP Chris Bittle at his Ice Cream Social to discuss student housing at the federal level (plus, we enjoyed some delicious free ice cream - Chapman’s chocolate cone gets a solid 7.5/10 from me!).
To wrap up July, our executive team attended the Regional Opportunities for Advancement & Developing Skills (ROADS) Conference at McMaster University on July 24–25, which was a great opportunity to learn, collaborate, and grow as a team.
Thanks for reading, and I’m looking forward to keeping you all in the loop with more updates soon!
Sincerely,
Aaditya Gupta
Vice President, External Affairs
Brock University Students’ Union