A Message from the President

The past year since our last AGM could almost be described as “business as usual.” We aren’t exactly recovering from the pandemic anymore, there hasn’t been a lot of governmental interference with post-secondary or Student Union operations, and while inflation is still high, we have been managing it for the last 2 years. But still, “business as usual” isn’t quite right.

This past year we have seen some strains on our students through food insecurity, economic strains through rising cost of living, global political situations that have created uncertain or dangerous situations for individuals and their families, and a variety of other factors that have made focusing on academics harder than ever. So, while we could look at our operations and see that we’ve levelled out and are returning to normal, our students have faced anything but normal situations.

Over the past year, your SSU and your student leaders have been working hard to shape the organization into one that can provide solutions and supports for the wide variety of challenges that the world throws at you. From expanding our services to provide free menstrual and sexual health supports and refining our Food First program, to facilitating larger events and engagements for more fun activities on campus, to expanding our clubs through additional funding and support. We hear what students need, and we do our best to provide. We can’t fix all the world’s problems, but we can find solutions for your individual needs, or at least give you a fun escape to relax and enjoy yourself every once in a while.

One fun escape that we’ve facilitated this year has been taking over the Graffiti Hallway at the Trafalgar Campus. This hallway is located on the first floor of C-Wing as you pass into SCAET. It has been a landmark of the Trafalgar Campus for many years, but the college was unable to continue supporting the work needed to keep it going. Instead of letting the Graffiti Hallway disappear, the SSU stepped up and are now supporting student expression in the hallway. Self-expression and leaving your mark is an important value for us at the SSU, so we wanted to make sure that such an iconic project didn’t disappear. We have been looking into ways to bring the same idea and concept to other campuses, so keep a look out. And if you haven’t made your way over to the Graffiti Hallway yet, you should take a look!

In celebration of our expanding International student community, we have spent the last year focusing on how we can bring more cultural celebrations to Sheridan. You may have heard about, or hopefully attended, a number of these events throughout the year. The year isn’t over yet, and there will still be more celebrations for you to take part in. We hope these events have been authentic experiences for everyone, both as those for whose culture we celebrate, and those attending to learn more about different cultures and experiences. If there are any specific events from your culture that we missed throughout this year, let us know so that we can celebrate them with you next year!

With this academic year drawing to a close soon, we are hoping to keep the support going. Whether you are a first semester or last semester student, tell us what we can do to make the next few months memorable to you. If we can’t achieve it before the end of the year, then I hope we can be writing about it as a huge success in next year’s impact report!

Kyle Budge

Sheridan Student Union President 2020-2024

A Message from the Board of Directors

As we approach the end of the 2023-2024 Academic year, it is the perfect opportunity to reflect on all that we’ve accomplished this year.

We started off the Fall semester with a splash of pink, welcoming students back to school with a plethora of ‘Barbie’ themed events for Frosh Week. There was ‘BarbieWorld’ roller skating, Barbie themed pub nights and pink headphone disco.

Creating safe and inclusive spaces for Sheridan students has always been at the forefront for the SSU and our initiatives over the past couple of years have reflected that. In 2022, we opened a new Student Centre at HMC, in collaboration with Sheridan College and the Sheridan Athletics department that featured a range of amenities including a dedicated club’s space, quiet rooms, student lounges, and three new food outlets. This year, Kyle Budge and Ritz Carlton, our President and VP of Engagement, have been hard at work designing and creating an updated Student Centre for the Trafalgar campus. Stay tuned to see updates on what the changes are going to look like and when it will be available for students to use!

The Den at Davis, a food outlet at the Davis campus, has also been undergoing renovations for the past couple months or so. The makeover will see the Den increase its seating capacity and new furniture will allow for a more comfortable and inviting environment for students. While the official date is still being finalized, students can rest assured that details about its reopening will be circulated to all.

2023 has been a tumultuous year, with many students facing economic concerns due to an ever-increasing cost of living. Taking this into consideration, the SSU allocated $20,000 to a new SSU initiative, the Indigenous Student Emergency Fund. This fund, dedicated exclusively to Indigenous students, aims to ease financial burdens that would otherwise impact their academic journey. We understand the challenges our students face, and we are committed to supporting them every step of the way.

The SSU has always strived to operate our organization with student input and feedback as our top priority. Keeping that in mind, last semester we circulated a Marketing and Events survey form for students to fill out and provide feedback on the SSU events they attended over the Fall semester and any events they would like to see in the future. We believe that the best events are the ones that students truly want, and the results from this survey will help us bring them to life.

Acknowledging and acting upon feedback from students, the SSU also installed multiple board games for students across all three campuses. Students interested in using foosball tables, board games and carrom boards are now free to do so.

As we wrap up this academic year, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support and engagement. Your feedback and suggestions are not only welcome but encouraged, as we strive to make the SSU an even better advocate, and reflection of the Sheridan community.

Cheers to another year of growth, resilience, and success!

Want to learn more?

We put together a year in review for you, highlighting 23 ways we supported your #SheridanLife in 2022-2023!