In the 2022-23 academic year, the Office of the Vice Provost introduced two new, tri-campus, platforms to enhance the administration of student clubs. The first, Simply Voting Elections and Referenda, revolutionized the online election and referendum system for student societies, academic societies, course unions and departmental student associations. After filling out the agreement form, chief returning officers (CROs) participate in informative sessions covering Simply Voting, election best practices and strategies to boost democratic engagement. The intuitive and aptly named Simply Voting makes the process for CROs less cumbersome with a much faster setup and implementation process.
The second, the Student Organizations Portal (SOP) came online in July 2022. Clubs and Leadership Development within Student Engagement onboarded student leaders on the St. George campus to these new systems including training and new resources.
The Student Life Officer, Recognized Campus Organizations, reviewed 678 individual SOP requests and worked with roughly 150 student groups to amend their constitutions to match institutional policy. Student Engagement declined none of the applications, and zero groups withdrew their recognition requests. Developed by the Office Vice Provost in consultation with Clubs and Leadership Development, SOP serves as a comprehensive database for all U of T recognized student organizations, offering features such as up-to-date group listings, centralized event calendars and opportunities listings.
This user-friendly portal empowers student clubs, providing them with essential tools to streamline communication, event planning and the promotion of opportunities within the University community.