News Brief: KSA plans events for fall semester, discusses updates on SUB building
The next KSA council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 30. (File photo)
The Kwantlen Student Association held their council meeting on Aug. 19 in a hybrid format to discuss the fall semester and the Student Union Building (SUB).
KSA President and International Student Representative Armaan Dhillon, Students with Disabilities Rep Lesli Sangha, Women’s Rep Manmeet Brar, and Langley Campus Rep Karan Singh were in attendance.
Council could not approve the meeting minutes of July 15. This included items like possibly adding legal services to Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s students health plan.
Brar, VP student life, said the KSA is organizing a table for student orientation to inform students of the KSA and give away “swag items” as a welcome gift.
The RCMP Meet and Greet event name changed to “Pop with a Cop” due to adding more guest speakers like the Surrey Police, but will still take place on Sept. 20 at 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.
KSA programs including ActiveKSA, the Volunteer Program, and the Peer Support Program will soon start looking for volunteers to prepare events.
Dhillon, VP university affairs, said the KSA has been talking to KPU President Alan Davis and Office of Vice President Steve Cardwell about the SUB and hopes to begin construction before the end of this year. At the moment, they still need to obtain a location near the Surrey campus, but KPU is planning to have meetings with the KSA at least once per semester to make a finalized plan.
The MultiPass is being updated on information about their programs and services, preparing the shuttle for the fall semester, and updating stock tickets and passes. The KSA is also trying to partner with car sharing service Evo for students to have more access to car sharing services. Before the pandemic, students were able to access this service.
Executive Director Ben Newsom said on-campus upgrades to onsite technology at the Richmond and Langley campuses are set to be complete in September at KSA offices.
The KSA and KPU are also discussing strategies for the upcoming by-election that might be helpful, after complaints they received during the general election.
Dhillon commented on the passing of recent KPU graduate Jasskirat Singh and wished his family condolences. He said that for any students affected by this passing, they can reach out to the KSA for help or lead them in the right direction to other services.
“As KPU students ourselves, we understand the challenges and pressures of being a student, and the desire to want to pursue a brighter future to give back to our families,” Dhillon said.
At the executive meeting on Aug. 17, Dhillion said a free menstrual product dispenser will be placed in the washroom close to the KSA office and Sangha wants to ensure members are monitoring it to make sure it doesn’t run out.
Sangha also shared concerns about the deadline on KPU’s OSS portal for the general awards and is planning to talk to the university about changing the deadline to make it more accessible to students.
The next executive meeting is scheduled on Sept. 9 at 11:00 am and their council meeting on Sept. 30 at 10:00 am, both in hybrid format.
