Your time at Brock can and should be more than just struggling through classes.
I hear many people say that university doesn’t really prepare you for your life, that it’s just a factory pumping out miniature professors and tossing them into the world, only for them to look around and say, “now what?”
If you just looked at the courses offered at Brock and assumed that university was all about academics, this may feel true, especially for someone who doesn’t intend to be a scholar upon graduation. But university is much more than that. This is three or more years of your life we’re talking about.
For students who’ve come straight from high school, university is the beginning of a new stage in life, the time you become an adult and truly begin to understand what that title means. You’ll come to find that nobody really feels like an adult, they just suddenly have to do “adult things.” For those students, university will take up nearly a seventh of their lives to date, and to be apathetic about it is to squander one of the best opportunities you’re likely to get.
Joining one of Brock’s 100+ clubs can make for some of the most well-rounded student experiences due to the sheer multitude of interests available and the friends you make along the way. What’s more, there are numerous employment opportunities on campus that can influence your future and help you hone professional skills, and the political scene at Brock provides even more avenues to explore.
With so many extracurricular options at Brock, it’d be a waste of these three or more years not to at least try something.
If you’re going to get the most out of your time at Brock, you must be vocal. During the years you spend here, not everything will be perfect. This is why making yourself heard through protest, formal letters and other forms of activism should be encouraged. If you’re struggling with something, odds are someone else is too, and even if by some chance nobody else is, your needs are still valid.
Recent forms of inspiring and commendable student activism include the many pro-Palestinian protests since conflict broke out in the Middle East, including Brock for Palestine’s recent silent protest at convocation.
Another example is the protests conducted by Brock students last term when the university disproportionately cut funding to MRP stream graduate programs to combat its $37 million deficit, a deficit that will more than likely continue to affect students this year.
Activism will always be a core part of the student condition, and staying informed is always the first step in fighting for what you believe in.
One of the key organizations at Brock to watch is BUSU. When it comes to student affairs, the Brock University Student Union is the big cheese, the governing system over all things undergraduate.
On their website, BUSU states that their mission is to “create the best student experience ever” by “deeply understanding the evolving needs of students; enhancing the educational, social, and personal lives of students; advocating on behalf of and with students, internally and externally; providing resources, services, and support to enrich the student journey; [and] fostering welcoming and inclusive student communities.”
This is embodied in many ways, including student services like the U-Pass and the Student Health Plan, advocacy initiatives, BUSU-ratified student clubs and events on campus, which can be found on ExperienceBU. BUSU also determines how a portion of student fees – a combined $48.82 per credit, or $244.10 as part of the flat fee for full-time students – are spent.
All this is to say that BUSU – alongside many other facets of this university – works for the students. Thus, your voice as a student is important. Student representatives have seats on BUSU’s Board of Directors, the Brock Senate, Brock’s Board of Trustees and even on The Brock Press’ Board of Directors. Even students who aren’t active contributors to student government can and should voice their opinions on what’s going on at Brock, especially if they feel underserved or undervalued.
As always, The Brock Press will continue to keep you informed on what’s going on in the school and in the community.
As your newspaper, The Brock Press strives to express the student voice at Brock. If you have a story you want told, grievances or compliments regarding the school or your experience as a student, our Editor-in-Chief, Haytham Nawaz, can be reached at hnawaz@brockpress.com, and as the News Editor, I can be contacted at csauder@brockpress.com.
University is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people, and to watch it pass idly by would be incredibly unfortunate and nigh irresponsible. So, reach out, and remember that no matter what happens, this is your university.