FACULTY APPRECIATION, 4P AND CONGRESS KAHOOT : Congress Weekly – September 16th
As the “Climate March” and “Every Child Matters” events are approaching, Congress discussed important points on faculty appreciation planning, the 4P project and took the time to brush up on their Constitution through a peculiar Kahoot.
Climate March
After figuring out their transportation arrangements for the next day’s ACPQ leadership summit at Saint-Anne on Sept. 17th, Congress tackled the subject of the incoming climate strike. This Friday, September 23rd will be the long-awaited Fridays For Future climate march and Coordinator of Social Justice Matthew Homa shared that an attempt to ask for the afternoon off or hold a referendum on the subject was proposed back in June, but was quickly shut down by the College’s administration. Nonetheless, Congress members planned to join students in a walkout by meeting outside at around 12:15 and going down to Monument à Sir George-Étienne Cartier in time for the march at 1:00 pm. Students can message the Social Justice Committee’s Instagram account to know where to join if they’d like to participate later on in the afternoon!
General Updates
Two things students should keep in mind: Congress committee members will be confirmed and announced on Sunday the 25th, after having conducted the relevant interviews and calls at each coordinator’s discretion. To allow for additional student involvement and input, the first-year coordinators’ office hours have also been posted!
Faculty Appreciation & Fighting Championship
Coordinator of Social Activities Jamie-Ly Costa Nelson shared the approval of a teacher and faculty appreciation initiative. Soon, students will be given the opportunity to write notes addressed to their professors and the faculty staff with the help of a board next to the Congress Office for about two weeks. Those notes, which can express gratitude or general appreciation for their hard work, will then be hung around the school for all to see and enjoy! A student also shared the idea of hosting a fighting championship at school with Congress, though with the safety restrictions the College imposes, the idea will, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for our teeth and jaws), not be put in place. The idea, exciting nonetheless because of its competitive and social spirit, will be swapped out for an amicable activity or the martial arts workshop already in the works.
4P and “Every Child Matters” week events
Matthew confirmed the implementation of the 4P project, an initiative that along with the Social Justice Committee, will seek to provide free period products to students around the school. The project is in partnership with a Canadian company, locally sourced and that has equity initiatives by allocating 5% of profits towards aiding places where period poverty is an issue. The packaging is also compostable! The budget was already approved by the administration, so students should expect to see the products very soon. The Congress team also wants to turn this pilot project into a long-term student-led initiative, but would require great dedication: the rotations to supply the gender-neutral bathrooms around the school (like A-300 for example) will be delegated to volunteers from the student union, the Social Justice Committee as well as those completing their Gender and Sex/uality Studies Certificate.
“Every Child Matters” week from September 26th to 30th is also rapidly approaching: it will no longer be a single event of appreciation but rather a full week. In the agenda, a shoe and toy collection drive at the alcoves in front of Wayne’s from Monday through Thursday (students are highly encouraged to participate) while the Indigenous Studies Certificate will hand out pins for students to show their support and highlight the College’s efforts of reconciliation. Monday morning, at 11:30am, a Zoom screening of a talk by Nakuset, the Executive Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, will also be held in room A-218. On Thursday, the Truth and Reconciliation Club will also be screening movies related to the topic in the student lounge.
Most anticipated of all, the shoes and toys collected during the drive will be brought in front of the statue right by the library; it will be used as a form of demonstration through the month of October and will also be complemented with signs and posters created by the Indigenous Studies Certificate’s members.
Students are also urged to wear orange on Friday and recognize the acknowledgement they make by doing so. Though Congress won’t be able to sell shirts like last year, the pins will be provided for. After the month of October, the shoes and toys will be donated to an Indigenous charity or an organization stationed in an Indigenous community that would benefit from the donations. Coordinator of Cultural Affairs Andrew Jiaxin Chen also proposed inviting Native dancers to host a live show, but because of time constraints, the idea will eventually need to be pushed back to a later time.
Committees and Elections
Coordinator of Student Advocacy David Thomas Li reminded everyone of the Congress committee applications’ deadline on Wednesday, September 21st. The idea of sharing IPESA shorts on Instagram was also confirmed by the College and the content is being curated in partnership with the Associate Academic Dean and our Academic Advisors. For the upcoming elections, Congress will make all relevant information accessible by sharing links on their website and creating a step-by-step process that could help students ensure they will be able to vote when the time comes.
Congress Kahoot
David also prepared a Kahoot quiz on the Congress Constitution for members to take and ensure they’re up to date with its provisions. It’s safe to say that our Coordinator of Internal Affairs Sunny Yang walked out a winner, placing first on the podium. The Kahoot questions ranged from mandate descriptions to club budget appeals. The Blitz is happy to share that we even got to see a debate erupt on who should clean up stray hairs in the Congress office…?
For more TMIs (or maybe less for the sake of preserving Congress’ reputation) and updates, stay tuned!
