Welcome incoming Badgers, starting your first year of university can seem like a lot but luckily the Brock University’s Student Union, better known as BUSU, has resources to help you throughout your undergraduate experience.

BUSU is the face for undergraduate students and there are ways to get involved right away. Here is an overview of what BUSU has to offer and a glimpse of things to look forward to this year.

“We represent you to ensure that all students have access to the highest quality experience possible at Brock. We do this through advocacy initiatives, with services like the bus pass program or the health and dental plan, as well as promoting student life by hosting events and maintaining over 120+ clubs on campus!” said Austin Hurley, vice-president, external affairs at BUSU.

This year, some of their goals aim to bring the so-called student life back to campus. Some examples of these are that after two years of restrictions clubs will be back in person, the BadgerFest will be full of events similar to those before the pandemic, and the return of pub nights at Isaac’s.

Other events run by BUSU include Frost Week, Wellness Week, and Brock’s Got Talent. More information will be available later on, but BadgerFest is definitely the biggest and closest upcoming event to look forward to.

“The events will be taking place from September 4-10 with events that cater to a variety of audiences. From a Comedy Night, Badgers Believe it or Not, the Big-Ticket Concert, and much more,” said Hurley.

The full list of events will be published soon on BUSU’s website and on their Instagram page @BrockBUSU. The headliner for the concert is yet to be announced so keep an eye out for more announcements.

Additionally, the community fair on September 6 and 7 is a great way to meet different clubs at Brock, and in even more exciting news, as previously mentioned, club programming is set to return to in person after two years of online meetings. Of course, it is still subject to provincial and regional health guidelines.

There is a variety of clubs for everyone, whether it’s academic-oriented, arts-focused, cultural, or general interest, there is something to find your community. And if you can’t find a club, you can create your own. For more information visit here.

“These clubs are fully run by the students and funded by BUSU. Last year we provided over 90 thousand dollars in club funding, and we plan to provide even more this year. Remember you don’t need to be in a specific program to join any of our clubs!” said Hurley.

BUSU also offers different ways to get involved in its governing body. First years that are interested in getting involved right away should be excited to hear that BUSU is currently recruiting three first-year representatives to join BUSAC, no experience is needed. For more information on that visit this page. 

The rest of the student body consists of 12 directors of the board —soon to be 13 — who are elected alongside the president and three vice-presidents. This governing body is the main decision-maker for BUSU. For more information visit the elections page.

Other goals BUSU aims to tackle this year include, piloting a Safe Walk program, investigating a legal aid service, advocating for online learning options, and moving forward with the development of a new student centre. These are only a few of many ideas the current BUSU government has.

Briefly mentioned before, the services BUSU covers range from health and dental plans, universal bus pass, food and financial support, among others. For a full list of services and a thorough description visit their page here.

There are also businesses operated by BUSU which include the General Brock Store, Isaac’sl, as well as the food plaza in Union Station, which has Ah-So Sushi, Burrito Boyz, Harvey’s, Subway, and others. These also offer flexible jobs that allow you to work right on campus.

“BUSU’s mandate over the years transformed from one of primarily representing students to one of leadership. The responsibility came to be one that required heavy lifting and work on challenging the status quo,” said Faten Darbaj, BUSU’s president.

If you have any questions, visit their website, or Instagram for more information or any contact inquiries.