Camosun BOG gets new chair
Beginning on August 1, Camosun College board of governors member Monty Bryant will assume the role of board chair, taking over from Laylee Rohani. Bryant has been on the board since January 2019, and holds member positions on several other boards and committees with Camosun and in the community. He holds a master’s and doctorate in education, and previously was associate superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District.
Camosun School of Business awards students
On June 12, Camosun announced that its School of Business was presenting awards to 91 students across eight business disciplines. Altogether, these students received over $65,000 in awards and represented the school’s 20 different academic programs. View a detailed list of awards and recipients at camosun.ca/learn/school/business/awards/award-recipients.html.
Camosun alumni awarded
On June 16, Camosun announced that college alumni Angela Wignall received the college’s Promising Alumni Award, and Mark Lovick received the Distinguished Alumni Award. These awards recognize Camosun alumni who have demonstrated exemplary achievement in their field and in the community. The Promising Alumni Award recognizes alumni who graduated less than 10 years ago, while the Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes those who graduated more than 10 years ago.
CSEE announces award recipients
On June 12, Camosun announced that its Centre for Sport and Exercise Education was awarding 24 students for outstanding academic performance. Over $7,600 was disbursed across 13 of the award recipients. For a complete list of awards and recipients visit camosun.ca/learn/school/sport-exercise-education/award-recipients.html.
Camosun joins Research Ethics BC
As of mid-June, Camosun is now part of Research Ethics BC, a unified network that reviews the ethics of research projects to be conducted across multiple institutions across BC. This partnership simplifies the application process, allowing researchers to more easily and quickly apply for ethics approval when collaborating with other institutions.
Indigenous policy approved
On June 8, the Camosun board of governors approved a college Indigenization Policy, which aims to incorporate Indigenous values and culture into future Camosun policy and curriculum development, as well as maintaining a good relationship with the Indigenous community. It also works to support increased self-determination among Indigenous peoples. View the policy at camosun.ca/about/policies/governance/g-2-organizational-goals-and-accountability/g-2.2.pdf.
Petition launched to extend PGWP timeframe
On June 10, MP Elizabeth May opened a petition in Parliament to provide assistance to international students whose participation in the Post-Graduate Work Permit Program (PGWP) has been hindered due to COVID-19 layoffs. The PGWP allows international graduates access to work experience in Canada for a limited duration, which cannot be renewed. Economic hardship due to the crisis has left some graduates unable to obtain work experience within the allotted timeframe. This petition is an extension of that timeframe for those whose ability to work has been significantly affected by COVID-19. The petition is open until July 10 and can be viewed here: petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2655.
Occupancy limit for unrelated Saanich residents increased
On June 20, a Saanich bylaw limiting the amount of unrelated residents permitted to live together in a home was increased from four to six. The motion passed by a vote of 6-3. The public hearing was viewed by hundreds of Saanich residents. Some of these opposed the increase with concerns that the higher limit will increase unruly behaviour among house-sharing students, while others argued for the change, stating that the then-current limit prevented students from gaining safe, affordable housing, and promoted a classist social structure within the neighbourhood.