Hey y'all!
Inspired by Annette’s post about the MoveU Crew, I’d like to share some of the fabulous features of the HealthyU Crew that I’ve been fortunate to be a part of in a communications role. I love being able to share our successes and achievements around campus— especially because an awesome team of students and volunteers are responsible for planning and executing the campaigns and events! Perhaps you’ve seen them at Clubs Day, Street Festival, in libraries and common spaces, and at walkabouts around campus... Here's a snapshot of each of the four themed-teams that make up the Crew!
The HealthyU Crew is a combination of four healthful initiatives: HappyU, FuelU, MoveU, and SafeU
Student-run conferences have become a big part of my involvement in campus activities. By “conference,” I refer not to a United Nations-like assembly of prominent politicians in suits but to a much less intimidating form that has really enriched my learning experience.
Student conferences may not be on such a large-scale level as a UN General Assembly... but a Con Hall psych class may give it a run for its money.
I’ve participated in a few and have had great experiences with them. Smaller events will often be free while larger events may require a fee that covers food, speakers, or renting out the space. In January, I attended the UTGB Student Leadership Conference where we discussed the impact of international short-term volunteering and the importance of understanding the underlying social and political context of the countries we serve. Just last month, I registered for the Fraser Institute seminar on public policy, which touched upon a range of diverse topics such as Aboriginal title in Canada and free market trade.
Listening to Dr. Lawrence Loh's talk on how to optimize long-term outcomes with short-term volunteering during the UTGB Conference.
There are some cool advantages to attending student conferences - here are some features I personally enjoy:
Unless you’ve lived under a rock (or equivalent room with no view or exposure to the oustide world) for the past few days, chances are you’ve noticed the sudden uptick in snowy weather. For most of us freshmen, it was the first time we've actually had to navigate the campus and/or city whilst in such conditions. As one might imagine, the class of 2019's Facebook group was rife with posts of aggravation at the school remaining open, while others were closed. While it ended up being a bit of an overreaction - and that's from a 'Raincouver' native - as the 'storm' turned out to be far milder than anticipated, the past week on freshman page has been quite eventful.
Like many Torontonians, I become a bit of a homebody during the winter. I grumble when I have to be outside for longer than 30 minutes, and I pass up a lot of plans for the warmth of my bed and the…
Movie releases (London Has Fallen comes out tomorrow (sequel to Olympus Has Fallen), I’m excited but also skeptical… then again, how bad can a Gerard Butler-starring film really be?)
Warmer weather (hopefully!)
AND
Nutrition Month!
Registered Dietitians of Canada celebrate Nutrition Month every March. This year, they’re encouraging Canadians to take a 100-meal journey over the course of March, focusing each week on a new goal such as making quality food decisions and being aware of portion sizes.
I think it was on that satirical Stats Canada Twitter account that I read: "90% of Canadians watch the Oscars just so they can point out who is Canadian." Funny? Yes. True? Most likely. We've got that patriotism thing down pat here in Canada, and why not? There are some mega talented people rising from far and wide out of the True North strong and free. We, with glowing hearts, claim them as our patriots.When I watched the Oscars this weekend, you can bet I was on Canada watch... And Toronto watch... And UofT watch. No, I don't think there were any UofT alumni accepting awards that night, but UofT itself is connected to the night's big winner. That's right! Parts of Spotlight were filmed right here on our stomping ground! Specifically, Liev Schreiber's character attended a meeting in the beautiful Oak Room at the Newman Centre and Mark Ruffalo's character hung out at St. Basil's during one of the film's most poignant moments.Picture credit: http://torontoist.com/2016/01/reel-toronto-spotlight/Over the years, UofT has played host to a ton of great films. David Fleischer wrote an article for UofT Magazine listing some of the most popular, including Mean Girls, Good Will Hunting, Cocktail, Pacific Rim, Resident Evil: Afterlife, andTotal Recall, among others. Do you recall a car getting flipped over during the filming of Total Recall? I decided, in honour of UofT being put in the spotlight by Spotlight, I would list some more of our lovely university's star turns.
Do you have an IDeA for how to make the world easier to navigate for your peers that experience barriers to accessibility?
The 2016 Innovative Designs for Accessibility (IDeA) Student Competition wants to hear from you! IDeA is a design competition for Ontario undergraduate students which challenges you to come up with innovative solutions to accessibility issues. As an individual or with a team, participating in the competition empowers you to connect with industry, government and community partners to identify an issue, build a plan to tackle it, and implement your solution.
Among several reasons why you should think about putting your name into the competition include the opportunity to network with community partners, cash prizes, a sweet resume line, and, most importantly, the opportunity to make a difference in peoples' lives.
To give you an idea of what kind of projects fit the bill for IDeA, let's take a look at some finalists from U of T over the past few years.
Every now and again, during my midday campus dashes, I’ll cut through Philosopher’s Walk behind Trinity College which opens up on Bloor Street at the north end.
Philosopher’s Walk during the summer is a sight for sore eyes. photo courtesy of previous blogger Cynthia
This week I stepped out of my comfort zone. After receiving an invitation to an Arts & Science Backpack to Briefcase (b2B) event, I found myself shimmying into business casual work attire after a seven-hour school day. Having plans on a Thursday night is pretty unusual for me, considering my average Thursday night routine consists of pajamas, a couple hours of reading, tea and probably frozen pizza. The Backpacks to Briefcase event I attended was for students interested in fields relating to the Health Sciences. If you have been following the blog for a while, you may know that I am constantly waiting to have that *Eureka!* moment where I suddenly know what I want to do with my life. I figured that maybe the b2B might show me some job opportunities I could create for myself using my degree.The event took place at Hart House, and as I was walking I couldn't help but notice and appreciate the beauty of Soldier's Tower. #JoyAtUofTThe event itself was extremely educational, and it was really nice to have a reason to connect with students who, like me, were also concerned that they wouldn’t find a “dream” job with the degree they had chosen. Being a second year student, I was one of the youngest attendees — however, I think my youth might have improved the event for me because I wasn’t just learning from the alumni but also my fellow upper years.
