More than $37,000 raised for Food Room on Giving Tuesday
We are beyond thankful to all those who helped us raise over $37,000 to help support food security for hundreds of students!
Sadly, food security is a challenge faced by too many in our community, including many students. Last year alumni, faculty, staff and friends helped us raise more than $30,000 allowing the Community Food Room to host almost 3,000 student visits. This year, we are proud to be able to support even more students!
Donations made on Giving Tuesday—which were matched by the J & W Murphy Foundation—will help provide access to nutritious food and other essentials, allowing students to better focus on their studies while here at Saint Mary’s.
We are truly grateful for the support of our alumni, faculty, staff, friends and community surrounding Saint Mary’s students with care and support as they finish their fall semester.
Learn more about the SMU Community Food Room: hear from Coordinators Yeshani and Simba.
Free access to the Homburg Centre for "Get Fit Week"!
SMUfit's holiday gift to faculty and staff is our "Get Fit" week, December 11-17, 2023!
All faculty and staff will receive free access to the Homburg Centre, including:
The weight and cardio rooms
Drop In fitness classes
Pilates Classes
Steam and Sauna
Community Room booking
Drop-in sports
As a bonus, any faculty/staff who decide to purchase a membership during “Get Fit” week will receive an extra 15% discount on their already discounted membership. We are looking forward to seeing you in December!
Meet your mental health Peer Supporters: Claudia and Ama
Did you know that Saint Mary’s offers a Peer Support Program for students?
Hired and trained annually by the Counselling Centre, Peer Supporters are upper-year Saint Mary’s students who offer mental health support to fellow students. They have lived experience with mental health and understand the challenges of being a student. The Peer Support Program is confidential and open to all students.
All students are welcome to drop by during their office hours, no appointment needed! You can stop in to talk about university adjustment, managing stress, relationship issues, mental health, coping strategies, and more.
Ama Saah, Peer Supporter
Ama Adua Saah (she/her) is a 4th-year student pursuing double majors in Accounting and Economics. Hailing from Ghana, she is deeply passionate about mental health because of its significance and impact on quality of life.
Claudia Tattrie-Leck, Peer Supporter
Meet Claudia (she/her), a caring peer supporter in her fourth university year. Originally from Porters Lake, she's studying psychology. She takes comfort in her artistic pursuits, which include reading, drawing, and keeping an art journal.
Peer Support Drop-in Schedule Fall 2023
Continuing until December 16
Tuesdays
10 a.m. – noon in The Counselling Centre SC406 | Hosted by Claudia
2:30-4:30 p.m. in Loyola Residence LR105 | Hosted by Ama
Wednesdays
2-4 p.m. in the Library Study Room 3 | Hosted by Ama
Thursdays
1-3 p.m. in Sobey Building SB159 | Hosted by Claudia
Strategic planning underway for Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health
Discussions underway at the October 23rd Strategic Planning Meeting.
On October 9 and 23, Saint Mary’s University welcomed over 40 students, staff, faculty, and sport industry professionals from across Canada and the US to participate in strategic planning for the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business, and Health.
The new Centre's mandate is to enhance, produce, and deliver socially responsible approaches to sport through the lenses of business and health.
Centre Director Dr. Cheryl MacDonald organized the sessions to inform the development of priorities in support of the mandate, specifically as they relate to marketing, community engagement, research, and the SMU student and athlete experience.
“It was important to have a diverse group of voices in this conversation, not just from the SMU community but also from experts in the field,” said Centre Director Dr. Cheryl MacDonald.
Prominent advocates in the sport community included Jessica Platt, the first openly trans woman in professional hockey, and Mark DeMontis who founded the Canadian Blind Hockey Association. Additional industry experts included Maritime Women’s Basketball Association Executive Director Crystal Watson and Jennifer Cotterill, a Senior Manager in Event Operations for the Events East Group. Centre Research Associate and author Dr. Brian Kennedy of Pasadena City College in California also attended.
Kieran Block, the first Black national-level parahockey athlete in Canada and a current Master of Counselling student, joined from Edmonton, Alberta. Notable alumni who participated in the in-person meetings included former Huskies Soccer athlete and current CBC Sports commentator Signa Butler and former Huskies Hockey athlete and recent honorary degree recipient Bob Dawson.
Early feedback from the sessions suggests that Centre priorities should include student experiential learning opportunities within the sport business industry, research on athlete wellbeing and mental health, and programming that pays special attention to the experiences of marginalized members of the sporting community.
“What is going to make this Centre unique is its focus on social responsibility in the context of its connection with Athletics and Recreation as well as the Faculty of Arts and the Sobey School of Business,” said Dr. MacDonald. “I’m grateful to everyone who has generously shared their time and energy with us. The Centre will be better and stronger as a result of this collaborative work that will set a precedent for excellence in its future endeavours.”
New speaker series: Men's Elite-Level Ice Hockey Culture
The Centre is continuing on with previous programming plans including a free monthly online speaker series on men’s elite-level ice hockey culture and a weekly online writing group beginning in January 2024 for students and scholars working on socially responsible approaches to sport in the areas of business and/or health.
The speaker series, which begins Wednesday, November 22nd, will feature academic experts in the field such as Dr. Courtney Szto of Queen’s University, Dr. Taylor McKee of Brock University, and Dr. Janice Forsyth of the University of British Columbia.
Meet our 2SLGBTQIA+ and Accessibility Wellness Ambassadors
Did you know that you can access peer-based mental health support through the Counselling Centre? Along with professional counselling services, they offer drop-in peer supports, bi-weekly art and mental health programming, programs geared toward specific communities and more!
Two of the Counselling Centre's student staff this year 2SLGBTQIA+ Wellness Ambassador Jo (Left), and their Accessibility Wellness Ambassador Zoë (Right). Wellness Ambassadors coordinate wellness-based social programs for members of their communities. Jo hosts bi-weekly Queer Board Games Nights and monthly Trans Student Drop-Ins. Zoë works as a part of the Counselling Centre and Fred Smithers Centre offering social programs to students who are part of the blind, deaf, disabled and neurodivergent communities. All students are welcome to attend events and learn about their work.
Jo and Zoë both have training to offer one-on-one peer support. Want to set up a chat with one of them? Send them an email and learn more about what they do on the The Counselling Centre's Peer Support Page.
Jo McKenzie (they/them), 2SLGBTQIA+ Wellness Ambassador
2SLGBTQ.Wellness@smu.ca
Zoë MacDonald (she/her), Accessibility Wellness Ambassador
Accessibility.Wellness@smu.ca.
Input wanted for Campus Active Transportation Plan
Do you dream of a more active transportation (walking, cycling, scooting, rolling, etc.) friendly campus?
Your voice matters and we want to hear from you! Saint Mary’s is beginning work on an Active Transportation Plan, an initiative aimed at improving the current active transportation network and shaping a more sustainable campus for the future.
Please join us on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 for an Open House to learn more about the initiative and to provide your input!
Where: Loyola Academic Conference Hall, Room No. LA290
When: There will be two sessions: 9:30–11:30 a.m. and 1:30–3:30pm
Who: All those who use SMU Campus (staff, students, faculty, Homburg)
Celebrating excellence: Saint Mary’s faculty recognized for external research funding
At a recent celebration, researchers at Saint Mary’s University were recognized for their success in securing more than $12 million in external funding to engage in important work in their fields. The funding received was in the form of research contracts, Canada Research Chair positions and tri-council grants.
Research by Saint Mary’s faculty covers diverse topics such as policy changes to protect women migrants and refugees against violence and the examination of 2SLGBTQ+ poverty in Canada to improve livelihood and social well-being. Secured funding also supports research that examines the sustainable trade of goods, improves plant health and nutrition, investigates the effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems, assesses biodiversity conservation and Indigenous health and well-being.
A celebration to honour 97 researchers from faculties of Science, Arts, Sobey School of Business and two staff from the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre took place in the McNally Theatre Auditorium on October 6. The quality of research happening here at Saint Mary’s University is something that we should all be proud of, congratulations to all of those that have been recognized.
Employee Recognition Awards: Check out nominees and recipients!
The 29th Annual Employee Recognition Awards are quickly approaching, with the celebration event to be held on Wednesday, November 8.
This year, close to 70 faculty and staff are celebrating service milestones at Saint Mary’s! Curious to see who among your colleagues will be receiving service awards? You can visit this site to learn more.
The Saint Mary’s community has responded positively to the new Santamarian Awards, nominating a total of 11 individuals and 5 teams from across the university. These awards were established to recognize colleagues who make a positive contribution to our work culture while embodying our values. See the nominees here.
Winners of the prestigious President’s Awards for Exemplary Service will also be announced at the celebration ceremony. Guests and award recipients will have the opportunity to connect and celebrate with colleagues over some refreshments following the award presentations.
Be sure to save the date and RSVP for this special event!
Kane Writers Award: Apply by Nov. 30
The Edna and Velma Thomas Kane Writers Award supports aspiring writers of African Nova Scotian and Black/African descent. Valued at $30,000, the award will be presented to an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Arts upon graduation from Saint Mary’s.
Floyd Kane BA’92
2024 award criteria:
To be eligible, undergraduate BA and BES students must:
be graduating from Saint Mary’s in 2024,
be Canadian citizens or permanent residents,
identify as Black/African descended, with priority going to African Nova Scotian students,
have good academic standing,
have demonstrable financial need, and
aspire to a career in writing, broadly defined.
This award was established through the generosity of alumnus Floyd Kane BA’92, a writer, lawyer, filmmaker and creator of the acclaimed TV series, Diggstown. It aims to reduce financial roadblocks for graduating students by supporting them in pursuing further studies, training or self-directed projects to advance their writing aspirations. Broadly defined, writing can include (but is not limited to) creative writing, spoken word, film/television writing, digital publishing or an academic career path in an arts and humanities discipline.
Application deadline: Thursday, November 30, 2023
Learn more and apply today! https://www.smu.ca/arts/arts-awards-andfunding.html
Related reading
Academic Integrity Week: Oct 30-Nov 2
Academic integrity is the foundation of higher learning. It refers to a set of ethical values relating to how we treat our sources of knowledge, and how new knowledge is constructed and shared with others. The values of academic integrity go beyond student citation mistakes, plagiarism, and cheating, as the technical manifestations of violations associated with it. Academic integrity is a shared responsibility among all members of the University community.
The aim of this week-long event is to engage students, faculty and staff in learning and sharing with others how they can uphold academic integrity to increase student success and promote the ethical values of scholarly dialogue and respectful knowledge creation.
Schedule of events
Faculty Panel on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and AI (Academic Integrity)
Monday, October 30
3-4:30 p.m.
Virtual Event
The panel will be moderated by Dr. Karen Grandy, Chairperson of the Academic Senate and the Senate Committee on Academic Integrity. Panelists include Academic Integrity Officers, members of the Academic Integrity Appeal Board, and Education Developer Julian l’Enfant from The Studio for Teaching and Learning.
Bring your questions, challenges, and ideas about maintaining Academic Integrity in our classes now that Artificial Intelligence tools are widely available for everyone to use.
Zoom link
Meeting ID: 826 4860 0695 Passcode: 603419
Citation Station: activities, fun AI resources and prizes
Tuesday, October 31
1-4 p.m.
Student Common Space, 5th Floor of the Student Centre. Drop-by station.
Visit us at the Citation Station on the 5th floor of the Student Centre from 1-4 p.m. to learn about citations and plagiarism, to receive writing and referencing help on your papers and for the chance to win prizes!
Avoiding Academic Mistakes Workshop
Wednesday, November 1
11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Virtual Event
Chat with the Writing Centre and Library staff about academic integrity and get tips to help you with writing a paper, assignment, or test. Learn how to avoid common academic mistakes! This workshop is designed to provide you with resources to help with your writing, research, and proper citations/references.
Zoom link
Passcode: academic
Intersections Between Copyright and Academic Integrity
Thursday, November 2
2-3 p.m.
Virtual Event
Copyright is more than knowing the limits of what you can copy. Whether you’re using images, videos, or scholarly sources, there are many scenarios where knowledge of copyright can be helpful – from knowing how to apply exceptions found in the Canadian Copyright Act to what you need to know before you submit your completed thesis. Join Suzanne and Patricia as they explore the intersections between copyright and academic integrity.
Presenters:
Suzanne van den Hoogen MLIS, University Librarian and Copyright Officer
Patricia Langille, MA, Copyright Assistant
Microsoft Teams link
Meeting ID: 229 086 915 918
Passcode: PzxmqJ
Mental Health Series: Information for staff and faculty
Faculty and staff play a crucial role in supporting student mental health and wellness. The Counselling Centre is here to support you navigate these conversations!
Our Mental Health Series is a 4-part training opportunity that equips you with the knowledge, resources, and tools to better support student mental health. The Fall 2023 dates for the Mental Health Series are below. Please Register here!
Mental Health 101: Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress
Monday, October 16,1:30–3:30 p.m. (in-person)
Mental Health 202: Practical Approaches for Supporting Students Who Are Stressed, Anxious and/or Depressed
Monday, October 30,1:30–3:30 p.m. (hybrid!)
Mental Health 303: Suicide Risk and Facilitating Referrals for Students
Monday, November 20,1:30–3:30 p.m. (in-person)
Mental Health for International Students
Monday, November 27, 1:30–2:30 p.m. (in-person)
You can now access Mental Health 101 on demand! This course is now offered virtually through Brightspace, in addition to in-person sessions. Email counselling@smu.ca to register or if you have any questions.