Hi Badgers,
I hope you are all doing great and enjoying your Fall semester so far. I am really excited to share my September and October updates with you all. I know this one covers two months together, but between courses and work, time just flew by!
September was full of energy and new beginnings. I got to volunteer at some awesome Welcome Week events like the Community Fair, Sexy Bingo, and the SomeKinda R&B Festival. I was also part of the Welcome Wagon where we visited students at their houses to welcome them to the community and drop off goodie bags. One of my favourite parts of the first week was bringing the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) to the Community Fair. They hosted a booth to share who they are, what they do, and how Brock students can get involved. A few of you who stopped by even applied to join me at the OUSA General Assembly in Sudbury, which was amazing to see.
In the second week, we hosted our first A-Team meeting with a great turnout of passionate students ready to make change. The General Manager, Executives, and Clubs team gave updates on our priorities for the year, and members got the chance to learn more about BUSU committees and apply to join them. We also introduced our new Advocacy Volunteer Group, which all three executives will be leading together. Later that week, the BUSU and GSA executives met with President Lesley Rigg to introduce ourselves, share our initiatives, and talk about her support for our work.
The third week was a busy one. Fiona and I met with MPP Jeff Burch to talk about provincial student priorities, including affordable housing. He was very supportive and even offered to write a letter to the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security about one of our key priorities related to student housing. That same week, Fiona, Natalia, and I met with Mayor Mat Siscoe of St. Catharines to discuss issues that matter to students such as housing, transit, and gender based and sexual violence in the downtown area. We also talked about the lack of a bus stop near the Marilyn I. Walker campus, and how students currently have to climb up a steep hill to catch the bus. The mayor said he will look into better lighting in the area, and Natalia will be working with him to explore connecting a bus route to the downtown campus.
After that meeting, the executives joined in on the fun at the Grape Stomp, which was such a blast. Later, we went to cheer on the Badgers at the Steel Blade Classic, which was also my first ever hockey game. Sadly, we did not win, but it was still an amazing experience and a great effort by our team.
That week I also worked with BUSU’s policy writer to edit the Accountability and System Vision Paper for OUSA. The BUSU executives met with Katie Keays to discuss the Gender and Sexual Violence Advisory Committee and how we can collaborate more closely. Natalia and I also attended a town hall hosted by MPP Peggy Sattler, the NDP Shadow Minister for the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. Over thirty colleges and universities were represented, and we had a productive discussion about Bill 33 and its potential impact on students.
I wrapped up September by selecting our delegates for the OUSA General Assembly in Sudbury.
October was just as exciting. I met with all our GA delegates to get them ready for the assembly, and Fiona and I met with MPP Jennie Stevens to talk about the same provincial issues. She also supported our letter to the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security on affordable student housing. I filmed a podcast episode on advocacy that will be coming out soon, so keep an eye out for that.
In the second week, Fiona and I met with Hon. Sam Oosterhoff, who was very engaged and open to hearing our priorities. He showed interest in our proposed sexual violence policy for establishments with liquor sales licenses and was supportive of increasing the maximum amount employers can claim as a tax credit when hiring co-op students.
That same week, the BUSU executives met with the St. Catharines Downtown Association to talk about the rise in gender based and sexual violence incidents downtown. With Isaac’s closing for the construction of the new Student Center, we know more students will be spending time downtown, so it is important to keep these conversations going. The Downtown Association was incredibly supportive and even offered to connect us with local businesses where we can talk directly about creating safer environments for students.
During Reading Week, our delegates submitted feedback on OUSA’s three policy papers. I met with them to go through everything and send in our final input. I also had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Convocation ceremonies again this fall and celebrate the amazing achievements of my friends and my brother who graduated. It was a proud and heartwarming moment.
In the fourth week, I chaired the first meeting of the VPEA Advisory Committee where we discussed our yearly goals and ways the committee can contribute. One exciting project in the works is an Advocacy Toolkit that I am hoping to complete within my term. On October 23rd to 26th, we attended the OUSA General Assembly in Sudbury, and you can read more about what we did at the GA here 2025 OUSA General Assembly (GA), Wrap Up!
To finish off October, I met with Hish Cliford, President of the Niagara College Student Administrative Council (NCSAC). We talked about our advocacy priorities at different levels of government and explored ways to collaborate more between Brock and Niagara College to strengthen the student voice across the region.
That wraps up my updates for September and October. Thank you so much for reading. I wish you all the best for the rest of the semester, and I cannot wait to share more updates with you soon.
Sincerely,
Aaditya Gupta
Vice President, External Affairs
Brock University Students’ Union