I hope you are all having a fun and safe return to campus. My name is Nikiel Lal and I am your UFV Student Union Society President. I am beyond excited to meet you all this coming school year! For those of you that may not know what we do, we provide services, events, and advocacy for our student body.

This summer we have been hard at work preparing for our return to campus and working on advocacy both provincially and federally. We have lots of fun things planned to ensure you can make the most out of your post secondary experience here at UFV, including our Kickback event happening on September 22nd.

I would also like to introduce Vice President External - Ashley McDougall, Vice President Students - Claudia Daboin, and Vice President Internal - Adam Magalhães. Together we work to ensure you have a positive student experience here on campus and around the community.

I encourage you to take advantage of our programs and services and to reach out to us at anytime if you have anything you want to see happen this year. I wish you all an amazing fall semester!

NIKIEL LAL, UFVSUS President

+ Meeting with the Mayor of Abbotsford, Minister of Advanced Education and Skill Training and local MLAs:

Friday, May 13th, 2022

Meeting with the Mayor of Abbotsford, Minister of Advanced Education and Skill Training and local MLAs

May 13th was a busy and exciting day for the Student Union Society Executive team. SUS President, Nikiel Lal, attended the seventh annual Mayors Breakfast on Friday morning at the Tradex, along with UFV Administration and staff. President Lal had the opportunity to discuss the work of SUS with local businesses and stakeholders within the community. Mayor Braun praised the Abbotsford community for its resilience in the aftermath of the floods and other challenges the last few years have brought.

The SUS Executive team had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training - Anne Kang, Parliamentary Secretary for Skills Training - Andrew Mercier, and the MLA for Abbotsford-Mission – Pam Alexis. During this meeting, they discussed various topics, including UFV student issues, student housing, and plans for advocacy in the next year. After the meeting, they all joined UFV Administration as they toured the UFV Abbotsford campus. The Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, Anne Kang, announced the province will be funding $70.3 million into new student housing. SUS is excited about this news as we recognize the need for affordable housing and food security. After the announcement, the SUS Executives had further opportunities to connect with other MLAs and Indigenous leaders.

Additionally, there were discussions with Mayor Braun regarding the future of Abbotsford and the future plans for SUS. We are committed to ensuring that students are fully supported and can have a positive post-secondary experience here at UFV. As we continue to work with the province and UFV on advocating for students, we look forward to continuing to provide students with strong leadership. We appreciate the commitment demonstrated to our campus by the provincial government.

We look forward to engaging more with Mayor Braun and Minster Kang over the upcoming months and are very grateful for the invitations extended to our team.

+ Fall Reading Break – News Update:

Last term, SUS began advocacy for a Fall Reading Break under the Vice President External portfolio as a way of supporting students’ mental health. Fall Reading Breaks are common at most major Canadian universities and are effective at relieving stress and anxiety for students. We have submitted a report recommending the implementation of a Fall Reading Break to the Undergraduate Education Committee of UFV’s senate, where Vice President External, Ashley McDougall will present this recommendation this Friday, May 20th.

The results of SUS’s recent Student Priorities Survey have displayed overwhelming support for a Fall Break, with a large majority of students indicating that a break in the Fall semester would greatly benefit their mental health. We have been strongly advocating for the implementation of a Fall break, which would provide a vital reprieve for students at a time of the year when stress and anxiety are at an all time high. We are hopeful to see the advancement of this important advocacy project on Friday in order to support the mental wellbeing of students at UFV in the Fall semesters.

We look forward to updating you soon.

If you have any questions about student advocacy please contact Ashley, SUS VP External at vpexternal@ufvsus.ca

+ The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Advocacy Update:

Last week, SUS learned that the 3-year fast track Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which allows 12 students to graduate one year earlier than the 4-year program, had been cancelled due to a lack of instructors. SUS advocated to UFV to find a solution for the current students impacted by this decision, who were now faced with undue stress and financial insecurity.

UFV responded to our advocacy efforts, and Health Sciences have reinstated the program for the Summer 2023 semester. This will allow these students to graduate in December 2023, instead of September 2024. Although graduation will be one semester later than their initial schedule, BSN students are happy with the decision to continue the fast-track program.

SUS is grateful to be able to support and advocate for all students. If you have any questions about student advocacy please contact Ashley, SUS VP External at vpexternal@ufvsus.ca

+ 2021-22 Recap from President Nikiel Lal

+ SUS responds to UFV's decision to return to in-person learning starting Jan 24,2022

January 21st, 2022

Hey everyone, Thank you for your continuous feedback and taking the time to fill out our survey. We understand that this is a tough time for everyone and that there are varying concerns. SUS will continue to advocate and support UFV students however we can! UFV has responded to our initial letter, in which we have quickly reacted and sent a response back. Our main priority is your safety and we will continue to listen and support you during these times. We will continue to monitor and voice your concerns as quickly as we can.

Read the response letter

+ SUS Executives advocate for a delay in the return to in-person classes

January 19th, 2022

Hey everyone,

I hope you have all been having a good first few weeks to the semester. I would like to thank everyone who completed the survey, SUS has been working hard to hear all students voices during these uncertain times. It has been a hard few weeks for everyone, we understand that everyone feels a certain way in regards to returning to in-person learning. It is evident that it is causing undesirable stress to everyone’s mental health. I have read through all the comments people have shared in the survey we have put out. I can resonate and feel for both sides and can confidently say that SUS is trying our best to support all students during this time. As it was clear based on the survey, UFV students want a further delayed start to in-person learning, however, do want to return given UFV is able to provide transparency on enhanced safety protocols and measures. We are advocating and voicing your concerns and doing our best to help you. As always please continue to reach out and voice your concerns, regardless of how tough times may be, I am honored to be able to serve you all and constantly look to improve as a leader.

Sincerly,

Nikiel Lal

Read our advocacy letter to UFV

+ President Nikiel Lal's remarks on his first month in office

Hello everyone!

It has been an honor and privilege to be serving as your student union society President for over a month now! The team and I have been hard at work to ensure there’s a lot to look forward to during this year. As we being to shift back being able to gatherinperson,we have working on a strategy to ensure a safe and fun return to campus. I am also happy to announce that we have finalized our shuttle agreement which will be ready for September, we are about to release our teamgoal plan next monthand will be publishing our3-year strategic planin the fall!Additionally, Vice President Internal -DuncanHerd, andI are both delegates of the Alliance of BC Students (ABCS)and Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) which we have both been heavily involvedwith and advocating for students at the provincial and federal level.As there is so much to look forward to in the coming months,I am excited to continue ourworktogether and provideyou with the best post-secondary experience possible.

Sincerely,

Nikiel Lal

+ SUS ESTABLISHES THE STELOMETHET - DR. ETHEL GARDNER BURSARY

May 25, 2021 SUS dedicates this bursary to Stelómethet — Dr. Ethel Gardner in honour of Ethel’s incredible legacy in higher learning and her dedication to her Stó:lō culture and Halq’émeylem language she loved to the core of her being. For more information, please visit the UFV Giving Page: https://giving.ufv.ca/news/students-supporting-indigenous-students

+ FINAL MESSAGE FROM SUS PRESIDENT, JESSICA LEVESQUE

April 30,2021

"Today is my final day as your President at UFVSUS. When I decided to run for this role back in early 2020, it was with the knowledge and experience of having already worked within the organization that drove my ambitious goal of reshaping the UFV Student Union Society. I saw the potential of what a strong, connected student union could do for our community and I wanted to help lead that change and see its potential fulfilled, we needed to re-build SUS with a strong foundation. Today, UFVSUS is practically unrecognizable compared to even just one year ago. From implementing the many internal systems to increase accountability and using new tools to improve the productivity of our team to establishing our new multi-year strategic plan that focuses on core values and creating more student opportunity, I am so proud of the massive amounts of work that have gone into improving SUS. As we enter this new year, with 2020 behind us and endless possibilities ahead of us, I know that with the leadership skills and experience of our new Student Union Society President, Nikiel Lal, we will continue to reinforce the positive impact in our community while increasing the influence of our student’s voices. With a strong organizational foundation, our abilities to grow and improve have become possible and I look forward to continuing to contribute to this work as the new Programs and Services Manager at UFVSUS. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of the UFV Community for their support and for the ongoing opportunity to learn and become better. To all UFV Students, I am so proud of you all for working so hard this year towards your goals. I truly hope you can take a moment to recognize the massive effort you’ve put in to get to where you are now. YOU ROCK! And just like that, my year serving the UFV Student community as Student Union Society President comes to an end.
*    Jessica Levesque (SUS President 2020-2021)*

+ SUS MEMBERSHIP APPROVES NEW BYLAWS

Following the first SUS AGM in two years, on April 14th the Membership approved the proposed bylaw amendments in an incredible 80% supermajority vote! These amendments are the culmination of 8 months of hard work, with VPI Duncan Herd, President Jessica Levesque, Governance and Finance Manager Tania Smart, and Executive Director Olivia Lake de Meza all leading the charge in making sure that students are fairly represented on the SUS Board of Governors. The new bylaws can be found on the SUS website but if you are curious about any specific changes made, please contact Duncan at vpinternal@ufvsus.ca for a full list.

+ SUS LAUNCHES THE NEW WEBSITE!

In partnership with Jelly Marketing, our team has been working hard to create a new website. We are so excited to introduce you to an updated, accessible and resourceful platform where you can explore your Student Union Society. Here you will find more about what we do, how we serve students, our various programs and services and how you can get involved.

President Message

+ WINTER 2020/2021 ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN

Let’s face it, it has been an unexpectedly rough year for everyone one way or another. SUS are here to advocate on your behalf to UFV! We asked for a change in withdrawal dates and penalties, an extended Winter Break, a reduction in Ancillary Fees and an all-student Townhall for the Winter semester.

+ SUS CONTRIBUTES TO EMERGENCY STUDENT FUNDING

In December SUS contributed $2000 to the UFV-SUS Food Bank and $8000 to a newly established Emergency Fund for Indigenous Students. We would like to thank the Advancement and Alumni Relations Team for the match contribution which has doubled the dollar amount to both of these funds.

+ LIVE CHAT ROOM

So it is easier for us to connect, we have implemented a Live Chat Room where you can access our on-line information desk Monday-Thursdays 9am-2pm.

*Times may vary due to staff availability and high volume requests.

+ COVID-19 Updates

For up-to-date information about the SUB and any changes due to COVID-19 please visit our updates page.

+ SUS Presented With UFV Ripple Makers Lifetime Paddle

In November 2020, SUS received the UFV Ripple Makers Lifetime paddle in recognition of SUS’s cumulative gifts to UFV scholarship and bursary funds, which total more than $490,000 You can read the UFV article here.

UFV Ripple Makers Lifetime Paddle