By: Kyle Budge

It’s not surprising that this year has created a lot of challenges for everyone. Our organization (Sheridan Student Union) has gone through some substantial changes since March, and my position was not unaffected.

Typically, a President will be hired in April, take a month to adjust and get oriented by the outgoing President, and will then lead the organization from June onwards. I, however, started my term as President in September, and for the entire summer, the organization got by with one of our lovely Vice Presidents performing some of the duties of President. When I finally came on board, I was only part-time and I had no previous President to show me the ropes. It was what some may call a “trial by fire.” But I’ve enjoyed the challenge and think I’m better for it.

Almost immediately after I started, everyone realized that a part-time President is not feasible, so I was “upgraded” to full-time and have had the opportunity to do a lot more with the additional time. I’ve actually found that not having a previous President to guide me has allowed me a lot more freedom with the projects and initiatives I take on. I don’t feel tied to a lot of the previous projects and initiatives that may or may not have worked, and a lot of the things I choose to pick up now are what I hope will create a lot of change within the Sheridan community.

Ultimately, my goals as President have been, and will continue to be, creating a more inclusive community in which everyone feels welcome, to create and continue to provide whatever supports students may need, and create new opportunities for students to connect with one another and improve their college experience and #SheridanLife.

The first semester of my term as President is drawing to a close and I think this is the perfect time to reflect on what I’ve accomplished and what I’m looking forward to doing in the coming semester. It’s been a great pleasure to work alongside the Board of Directors these last few months, and even though I joined them 5 months late, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them and seeing what we can accomplish together. One of the big undertakings of the Board and myself has been to reduce the student fees for the upcoming winter semester. We know that students may be having a tough time with everything going on in the world, so we wanted to do what we can to lighten the financial burden. We’re continuing to look into and plan how we are going to set our fees for the spring and fall semester next year as well. All of this, along with our budget, can be reviewed in the finance section of our Impact Report that we just put together. You can read the entire report, including the impact each department within the SSU has had on Sheridan over the last year here.

Every year we hold an Annual General Meeting to review everything we’ve done in the last year, what our current finances look like, and what we are looking forward to in the coming year. This year, I changed the format and tried to bring more value to students through the inclusion of guest speakers, workshops and information sessions. We used the meeting as a way to gather feedback from students as well, but if you missed the meeting and still have something on your mind that you think we should be doing, please reach out and let me know. I’m always happy to get feedback from students and see how we can turn your ideas into reality. This year we had a great meeting and we hope that next year we can make it even better, and maybe even in person too!

I’ve spent a lot of my time this semester supporting students, finding new projects to take on that will improve students’ Sheridan experience, and looking towards what the next year will bring and how we can make it better than the last. Starting in January, I’m hoping to connect more with students and see what’s going on in your lives. We want to know what affects you most, and we want to be there to support you throughout your entire time at Sheridan.

Keep an eye out on our social channels (@the_ssu on everything) to see what existing or brand-new initiatives, events, and services we have to offer you in 2021. And if you have a great idea for something new, let us know.

Have a wonderful holiday break, and I’ll see you all in the new year!

Kyle Budge, SSU President