Free, Open Education Resources (OERs)

 

Textbooks are already a huge financial burden for students, and due to inflation, they won’t be getting any cheaper. With many Canadian Universities already adopting OERs, Team Ocean will work diligently to ensure OERs are common among classes offered both on main campus and the affiliates. From our experience as Student Senators, we understand western’s administration process and know how to properly navigate through faculty staff. It is this experience that is necessary to cut student textbook costs and promote a more environmentally friendly campus.

 

Pass/Fail Courses

 

Elective and breadth requirement classes unrelated to a students program can often reduce one’s GPA. This may discourage students from exploring courses outside of their degree and decrease enrollment in certain faculties. Team Ocean firmly believes that students should be passionate about their education, and should be encouraged to broaden their academic horizons. We will continue advocating for the implementation of pass/fail courses to incentivize students to pursue other areas of academic interest. After all, as students, we are in a unique time of our lives where we should have the opportunity to increase our knowledge and study diverse topics without serious academic repercussions.

 

Waitlist Implementation

 

Based on clear evidence derived from student surveys and discussions, it has become evident that students are frustrated with our course enrollment system. Many students have expressed concern with getting into mandatory courses. Some students have even acknowledged buying a spot into a class through third-party platforms. This evidently creates another financial burden for many students that they simply cannot afford. Team Ocean will work with the Office of the Registrar to introduce a course waitlist option on student center, similar to the waitlist option available at other Canadian Universities. By determining student demand in various courses, the administration will know when to open up more sections or add online options for certain courses. Further, this implementation will reduce incoming calls to academic counselors and allow them to prioritize consultations with students on campus.

 

 

More Co-op and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Opportunities

 

Many students have expressed dissatisfaction with current Co-Op and WIL opportunities as many of these opportunities are geared towards very traditional career avenues. Team Ocean, in coordination with ALL faculty councils, will partner with local businesses to increase the volume of co-op and WIL opportunities available to students of all faculties. This will help foster a better relationship between Western students and the London community while providing students with additional hands-on experience.

 

Faculty Specific Career Fairs

 

Team Ocean is excited to work with faculty councils to implement faculty specific career fairs which will take place throughout O-Month (September). It is important that incoming first-year students are exposed to the various career opportunities their education at Western can provide. Through exposure to a variety of potential career avenues and learning about various options, we hope students will experience less stress and anxiety when considering a future career.

 

Advocacy Efforts for Smaller Faculties

 

While we understand that the University has placed a large focus on STEM and business programs, we are firm believers that this should not come at the expense of other faculties. Team Ocean will advocate against any further cuts to faculties such as the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Faculty of Music, and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. We hope to work with the respective Students' Councils of each faculty, the Western Student Senators and the Provincial Government in our advocacy efforts. It is clear to us that cutting funding to prominent faculties will only further restrict students from pursuing their interests and exploring new courses in fields such as Writing, Language, Music, Media, Film and many more. It is important that all faculties are treated fairly and equally. It is clear to us that Western must place the same emphasis on these smaller faculties as it does on faculties such as Science and Ivey. We are prepared to start this conversation and support students from all faculties.

 

Development and Implementation of First Year Transitional Courses

 

It is time that we realize that student academics must go beyond what is learned in the traditional lecture hall. The transition from high school to university can introduce many difficult obstacles and discussions that first-year students are often not ready to face. The discussion surrounding diversity and inclusivity continues to grow as our student body becomes increasingly more diverse. As we continue towards a more progressive society, it is time to start educating our first-year students of the importance of this diversity found amongst the student body. Team Ocean will advocate for the implementation of such programs to help first-year students transition to the University’s culture. Upon completion of these programs, students will receive recognition on their co-curricular record.