The SA service which helps students access and maneuver through George Brown College life.
SA connect is an initiative by the Student Association (SA) to promote and mediate smooth communication between students and the college itself.
One of the most flexible departments in the SA, it binds together all the branches of the association, such as the CCC, SNAP, SafeWalk, Academic Support, and Health Benefits.
From tabling to providing live help, SA Connect is the point of contact for students to get their queries answered, either in person or via email.
Nick Peterson, support staff with SA Connect, has been with the group since January 2022.
He believes SA Connect is the ‘grease to the wheels’ as far as its interpretation is concerned, with the service so intertwined with the other SA communities that it might be difficult to set it apart.
The service used to be online but is now operational from the three main campuses, Waterfront, Casa Loma, and St. James.
“We used to have an online space called Gather Town where students could meet us, go to our little virtual desks, and play Pac Man or some arcade machines on the digital office space. That was a space where students can meet us and hang out,” said Peterson.
Elaborating on the transition to in-person services, he says things are still moving along.
“The transition is still ongoing to be honest, in part because online services are programs which speak to students who can’t access the campus. We’re an equity-based organization, and we need to be responsive to students who are immunocompromised, or who have disability or accessibility problems that are alleviated through online programming.”
Working with a small team of three-four people, SA Connect has managed to help students throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so.
Students can reach out to SA Connect by visiting one of the nearest campus locations at Waterfront – room 033 – or Casa Loma with a few tables lined up in the cafeteria to be as accessible to students as possible.
In case of the St. James campus, students can find SA Connect at the main entrance of the hospitality building.
“You can always get an answer. Your barriers can be removed. That is that is SA Connect’s mission. It’s our job to make things as penetrable and clear and transparent for students as possible. And that’s all we really work for,” Peterson added.
