It is elections season at Brescia, the best time of year to get involved! If you are wondering if you should join the BUCSC, you should know that the current members had the same thought before they got involved. Here, the BUCSC members have shared why they decided to join the Council.

“I wanted to be a part of the student voice and help make student life better! I also found that I wasn’t always aware of what Council had to offer so I really wanted to help with getting the word out!” – Vanessa So, Website Commissioner

“I wanted to be more active and get to know more people at Brescia, Also, I thought it would give me great experiences to apply to the workplace.” – Nadin Moussa, Diversity & Inclusion Commissioner

“It’s my last year of undergrad, so if not now then when? I wanted to get involved and make a difference in the Brescia community.” – Michelle Lau, Wellness Commissioner

“Advocacy is a big passion of mine, and representing students is a great way to advocate for others.” – Alison Lengyell, Chief Returning Officer

“I wanted to get involved on the Brescia campus and give back to the school that gave me so much during first year.” – Julia Sun, AVP Student Support

“I am an advocate for change and I love meeting new influential people. I feel a need to voice other students’ opinions and wants, and I strive to be involved in a good community.” – Brooke Huffman, First Year Residence Rep

“I had a family member on Council in my first year, and she convinced me to sign up. I got my position, and have rejoined every year!” – Katie Vezina, USC Rep

“I’m really interested in community development and the charity commissioner position seemed like an amazing opportunity to support the London community as well as encourage students to learn more about, and hopefully participate in, local initiatives that address community issues.” – Madison Sweet, Charity Commissioner

“I wanted to get involved as a first year and be a part of of the behind-the-scenes of Brescia.” – Emily Petch, First Year Off-Campus Representative

 

If you are interested in joining the BUCSC next year, nominations are open now! You can find more information and the nomination form on the website here. If you have any questions, you can contact the chief returning officer at cro@bucsc.ca. We hope to see you on council next year!

Reading week is a time for a lot of students to travel home and see their families, but one student group travelled far from home this reading week- to Japan. A Brescia class of sociology, nutrition and dietetics, and family studies students took a 10-day trip to Chiba Prefecture, next to Tokyo, to visit Wayo Women’s University.

During the trip, the class covered a lot of ground. Visiting Japanese landmarks like the SkyTree, DisneySea, and the Kamakura Buddha were among their trips. The group also toured the Wayo campus and its food labs, and visited a japanese nursery and primary school. While the sociology and family studies students visited the Japanese parliament to learn more about the society, while the foods students took a tour of a hospital’s kitchens to take a look at food production in Japan. These were just a few of the many places the class visited during their 10-day trip; their days were packed! “Experiencing a culture that is very different from our own was a really cool experience. And the food was great,” said Esmé Panarello, a families and nutrition student who went on the trip.

Now the trip is over and the students have returned to their regular classes, but a new part of the experience has already begun. Some food and nutrition students from Wayo University have come to visit London for two weeks, and they also have a full schedule planned. Aside from attending classes and touring Brescia’s food labs, the students look forward to a trip to see the Toronto Lightning play, and they will see a London Knights hockey game too. A Kinsmen Sugarbush trip will give a close look at Canadian culture, as well. The Wayo students have a lot to look forward to, and Brescia’s students look forward to showing them around.

During the Bell Let’s Talk Day Event held by the Wellness Education Peers at Brescia, Michelle Lau, the BUCSC’s Wellness Commissioner, collected anonymous questions from students- questions which they have always wanted to ask a psychotherapist. The purpose of this event was to break down some barriers or concerns students may have about seeking therapy as well as to get a better understanding of resources that are available to them. The questions were answered by Sheldon Hill, a psychotherapist at Brescia. Here are just a few of the questions and answers- all the questions asked at the event were answered by Sheldon, and they can be found here!

Who is the psychologist at Brescia that I can go talk to?

Dr. Gilby is a private practitioner and psychologist who comes to Brescia to meet with students. She can provide short or long term therapy and she is based out of Ursuline Hall. Her rate is $100 per session, which can be reimbursed through the student health plan (up to $750.00). You can book an appointment with her by emailing rgilby@uwo.ca .

How do you know if you’re mentally ill?

If you’re seeking a diagnosis, I’d encourage you to attend a family doctor at Student Health Services and explain your experience. It is difficult to consider if our experience falls into mental illness because we are unable to contrast our experience to that of others. Sure, you can talk to friends about their experience and yours may sound more severe, but when it comes to experiencing emotion dysregulation or unhelpful thinking patterns, it’s difficult to compare those to others. A doctor would be the best place to start if you believe you have a mental illness.

Does it get easier or do we get better at managing?

This is a much more opinion-based, anecdotal answer as this question seems a little philosophical. Does life get easier? Not really – life tends to come in waves with times of ease and challenge coming and going. Life is complex and life as a student can be chaotic.
Can we get better at managing? Absolutely. One hundred percent. As we continue to learn about ourselves and expectations from others, we develop new skills and acquire new knowledge. If we remain engaged and open-minded, we are able to become better at managing challenges. Sometimes this means managing on our own, but it also means leaning on our social supports – friends, family – when we need to. And with time, those supports become stronger, more solidified and reliable.

These are only a few of the many questions students had. Sheldon was kind enough to answer each one, and all questions and answers can be found in this Google doc. Whether you are looking for your question, or you just want to know a little more about mental health services at Brescia and Western, Sheldon’s answers are a worthwhile read. Please take a look!

This year’s race for the BUCSC president was marked by immense student engagement and participation. After an extraordinarily well-attended presidential speeches event on January 30, polling opened for 2 days, and the students made their voices heard. Finally, on February 6, Mikaila Hunter was announced as next year’s BUCSC president. Here is a brief introduction to Mikaila and her campaign platform, as well as a look at what students can expect from next year’s student council.

Hunter is a 3rd year food & nutrition student with a minor in political science. She has been involved with Brescia’s councils since first year, when she was a floor representative on Clare Hall’s residence council. The following year, she served as the BUCRC’s president, which also led her to her position on the BUCSC as residence representative. This year, she is the BUCSC’s president, and may now look forward to holding the same position next year.

Hunter’s campaign was popular with voters because of her student opportunity-focused platform. She focused on a continuation of the initiatives she has begun this year, but also expressed new goals to serve particular student groups, such as international students and clubs members. Additionally, she focused on improving accessibility for students by creating a mental health policy for student council positions and offering student services such as tutoring in more languages. Another great focus of the platform was student feedback-based research for how to improve the BUCSC’s services.

Hunter’s four-point platform focused on tutoring and work opportunities, accessibility in the classroom, student wellbeing, and student involvement, but this year’s campaign season directed the focus toward a major issue for Ontario’s students; the OSAP cuts upcoming in the next school year. Hunter has already worked to respond to the OSAP changes by bringing concerns on behalf of students. The changes also mean uncertainty for the student council, as funding has become far less assured in the coming year. During her campaign, Hunter assured students that she would seek to maintain the services that student council offers irregardless of budget changes.

Although Hunter will have one term’s experience when she is the BUCSC’s president next year, she will face changes and new challenges. The student body’s vote of confidence in her favor is certainly a signal that Hunter will be a capable leader for the BUCSC next year. Students may look forward to seeing her lead council and fulfill her campaign’s goals in the 2019-20 school year.

The BUCSC is proud to support Brescia’s students in many ways; that means hosting social events, providing resources, and advocating for students, among other services. However, one of the BUCSC’s services that is often overlooked is the BUCSC awards. These awards and their monetary support are a way for the BUCSC to express thanks and recognition to Brescia students who exemplify Brescia’s excellence.

Awarded annually to honor students who embody the spirit of Brescia, the awards seek to recognize students with a wide variety of experiences and contributions to their community. The Spirit award, for example, focuses on involvement at Brescia, while the Francolini Memorial award is for students whose community involvement is specifically outside Brescia. A new award for this year is the Shiloh Roberts Compassion award, which recognizes an international student who embodies compassion in their community. There are plenty of awards, and each recognizes different values and lived experiences. It is well worthwhile to look at the awards to see if you would be a good match for any of them.

There are 19 awards available this year, and students may apply for more than one award if they wish. There is a lot of variety, so it is important to look through each award description and determine which ones for which you are a good candidate. Then, all that is left to do is fill out the applications, which are quite quick and easy to fill out online. They are available, alongside the award descriptions and requirements, at the dedicated BUCSC webpage. Applications close on February 13, so now is a good time to get started on applying.

Brescia students are defined by their bold leadership, dedication, and compassion, and that is something to celebrate. The BUCSC wants to recognize the students who best exemplify the Brescia spirit through their involvement with the Brescia community, and who positively impact the people around them. These awards and the monetary support they provide are a thanks and an encouragement for students who embody the best Brescia has to offer.