At Sheridan Student Union, our goal is to create an exceptional student experience through student focused programs, services, and advocacy.

The world is changing and so are we!

Upon suspension of classes and subsequent campus closures due to COVID-19, Sheridan Student Union began planning how to best continue supporting Sheridan students throughout this transition. Working closely with Sheridan College to determine student priorities, fast action was taken in assessing the modification of services and processes to best support the current and evolving needs of the student body while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our community.

Here are some ways we are working to continue our support for Sheridan students:

Food First

The Virtual Food First program was developed to provide students facing food insecurity with access to electronic gift cards in lieu of being able to access the SSU Food Bank.

Health & Dental

Continued support provided through student Health & Dental coverage for all domestic students at Sheridan College. Support available online and over the phone.

Continued support provided through Empower Me – a mental health service that connects students with qualified counselors and life coaches, remains accessible 24/7 online.

Clubs

Continued support provided for all academic and social clubs and associations at Sheridan College and introduced a new platform, Clubs Corner, for students and Clubs to connect virtually.

Services

Continued support for students who require access to our services and supports. Student Union staff is available virtually by appointment and via email. We continue to offer services like Food First, Health and Dental Coverage and Empower Me as well as Legal Advice, Grad Photo Bookings, Tax Assistance and more!

Events

Multiple online events and information sessions take place weekly to inform students, build community, and provide entertainment for students virtually.

Fees

In light of great uncertainty surrounding the Spring / Summer term and a desire to assist students however possible, SSU eliminated the collection of the SSU Student Life Fee, SSU Building Fee and the SSU Capital Fee for the Spring /Summer term.

SSU committed to serving our student community safely and effectively in whatever virtual ways we could, however some of our operations required full shutdowns, including the entirety of our food and beverage operations, and all of our live programming. We are preserving our organizational ability to bring these important services back to Sheridan students once we return to campus!

Operations

Student Spaces

Despite some significant delays to our project schedule, the building of our new Student Centre at the HMC Campus continues in earnest, and we look forward to the opening of that facility very shortly!

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

Sheridan Student Union President, Kyle Budge

It should be no surprise to you that this year has been a challenging one. Everyone has had to overcome a lot this year, but here we are, almost at the end of 2020. The SSU has gone through some changes this year, as I’m sure many of you have as well, but we are still committed to giving the most we can to every student at Sheridan College. From clubs, to events, to services, we’ve had to reassess every department within our organization to ensure that we can still provide the most value to you, and help create the best #SheridanLife we can.

Looking back, 2019 seems so long ago. The year started like any other, business as usual, but so much has changed since then. The Student Choice Initiative was struck down in Court, we had to readapt our Clubs Corner Platform, we brought the INS Market to our Davis campus, brought Booster Juice to our TRC campus, and that’s not even speaking about the pandemic that happened too. A lot of our plans changed after that, but we improvised, adapted, and overcame.

With everything now being online, we have had to find new ways of connecting with our students in meaningful ways. I know I’ve really missed meeting students on campus and interacting with everyone in person. If you haven’t checked them out yet, our entire events programming is now online. Your old favourites like Bingo, Open Mic Night, Paint Nights, and even concerts are all online for you to enjoy from your own home. We’ve been looking into other ideas for online events as well, so if there is anything cool you’d like to see, why not let us know and we’ll see what we can do?

We’ve readapted our Clubs Corner platform once again to our best version yet. It is a much more powerful platform to connect you to a club, it eases the process of starting a club, and makes it easier for clubs to conduct their activities and connect with their members. We’ve seen a record number of new clubs start up this year too. There’s no time limit to starting a new club, so if you’ve ever wanted to start your own club, it’s never been easier. Or if you want to just check out which clubs are available to join, head on over to Clubs Corner and take a look.

Our services department has also worked very hard to ensure that we continue to provide all of our services to students despite the virtual limitations. Our health and dental plan is still just as comprehensive as it has always been. It may now actually be easier for you to connect with a rep online to discuss your plan or submit a claim. Our Food First food bank has become virtual, and you now have even more choice with what groceries you receive because we are giving you a grocery gift card to buy what you like. The process has changed a little, but we’ve made sure we are offering support to students who need it most and will continue to find ways to improve all our services and tailor them to what you need.

As for all of our food services, well, they’ve been closed of course. But all your favourites will still be there when we can all be back on campus.

This year has been challenging for everyone, but we are still hustling to make sure we give you the best year we can. We want to be there for you, no matter what you need, so never be afraid to reach out and ask for help, support, guidance, or if you just want to connect with a real person and chat. We’re going to be virtual for a while, but we’re here to help you make the most of it. Before you know it, we’ll all be back on campus hanging out with friends, attending events, and stuffing our faces with food from the pubs. Until then, I hope we can continue to make your #SheridanLife the best it can be!

Kyle Budge

President, Sheridan Student Union

A MESSAGE FROM OUR BOARD

Noel Abingwa, Chair of Sheridan Student Union Board of Directors 2020-2021

With just a few weeks left before the end of the year, it’s a time to reflect on some of the highlights of the year. 2020 has indeed been a year like no other, especially with the COVID-19 outbreak and how it changed the dynamics of our society. Every student of Sheridan, in one way or another, was affected by the unfortunate effects of the outbreak. The focus of many organizations just like the SSU, has been to support its members to not only survive these tough times but also to thrive.

The SSU has been diligent in keeping its operations running and serving its members during these times. Given the restrictions on in-person activities, the SSU encountered quite a number of challenges and had to reluctantly close most of its in-person services temporarily and transitioned some of those to virtual platforms. Thanks to the steadfast efforts of our staff, this process was seamless and very efficient.

Despite all the various challenges, the SSU recorded some significant progress during the year; making progress with the construction of our HMC 2A building, signing a new contract to ensure that our members have high quality health and dental coverage and acquiring a new software to help clubs organize their activities virtually with lots of cool functionality. Furthermore, to help our members during these challenging times, the SSU adopted a budget deficit while cutting membership fees, and at the same time creating student jobs.

These are just a bucket list of some of the things the Board of Directors have worked with the staff to bring to the SSU community. We will continue to pursue more opportunities to support our members and the Sheridan community in the days ahead and we will come out victorious against COVID-19. It is an honour to serve and represent Sheridan students and we continue to rely on your support and feedback to create more impact.

Thank you, stay safe and blessed,

Noel Abingwa

Chairman of the Board
On behalf of the 2020-2021 Sheridan Student Union Board of Directors

Meet Your Student Leaders

The Sheridan Student Union is a student led organization and we are governed by a student elected Board of Directors. Students are voted in by their peers to represent their interests, needs, and ideas within the SSU. They make up our Board of Directors and help advocate for student life and change on campus. SSU also works directly with hired student leaders throughout our organization who help enhance your #SheridanLife!

meet the teams

Student Leadership

VICE PRESIDENTS

Your Vice Presidents work with the President and other student leaders to advocate for the best student experience at Sheridan College.

Shannon Umerez, Board of Directors

“The Board of Directors has overcome many challenges this year. We have been through long hours of discussion, learning, contemplating and organizing, to uphold our promise as a Board while having to deal with new situations the pandemic has brought forward. Through my time as a member, I have seen the passion, sincerity and eagerness of my fellow members to make our school experience as great as it can be. With the help of the students and our school, we continue to work through our challenges one step at a time. We stand together as students, bringing voices to our peers, and we stand tall - even through our remote settings. I'd say that is a pretty great accomplishment! This is a year of many struggles, with many more solutions. We are in this together!”

CLUBS COORINDATORS

Your Clubs Coordinators are your go-to for all things Clubs at Sheridan College. Whether you are looking to join or start your own club, they can help!