SA hits 30 year milestone of being the voice for GBC students. 

 

The Student Association of George Brown College (SAGBC) has existed for 30 years, since its incorporation in 1994.  

Preceding SAGBC, George Brown College (GBC) had a Student Administrative Council (SAC).  

The SAC functioned independently in the various campuses of the college, and also went through many changes during its existence.  

The incorporation of this council gave birth to the SA, which would then bring all of GBC’s campuses under one association.  

Susan Deak, the second ever president of SAGBC saw the changes since incorporation first-hand.  

Deak had served as the vice president of GBC’s Nightingale Campus in the 1995/1996 school year under the SAC, before holding the position of SA’s president the following year 

“This is where the rapid evolution kicked in. During the two years I was directly involved in the SA, we concluded/completed some projects that had been initiated by the previous administrations,” said Deak.  

In its first year, SAGBC instituted a student health and dental plan, which the association provides GBC students to this day.  

“We negotiated a comprehensive healthcare program/package so that all full-time students at George Brown were provided with a health care package,” Deak shared.  

Deak also recalls the SA providing bi-weekly legal sessions with a lawyer to full time students.  

At present, William “Bill” Reid provides student legal services at the SA. Reid has been with the association coming up on 28 years. 

“The idea of the Student Association is to be a common voice for the student body, with the college and with the government, with the community, but also to provide individual services and the legal service is one,” said Reid. “We’re always trying to keep in touch with students and to know what their needs are and to find the most effective and efficient way of meeting those needs.” 

While health benefits and legal services were provided to students from the very beginning, SAGBC has brought forward many other services over the decades. 

Some other services provided by the SA at the start were the Dialog, a pub, a radio station, and a student handbook for students. 

The Dialog preceded the SA by around 14 years and went through its own set of changes.  

Craig Goodwill, editor of the Dialog during 1994/95 school year, around the time of SAGBC’s incorporation, recalled the newspaper’s role during this transition. 

“It [the newspaper] became more of an advocate for the students and that was handled [by] the Students Association, we worked very hard to do that providing them additional information, what was going on, that would ultimately affect them,” said Goodwill. “The main change when I arrived was that trying to make sure that the Dialog was actually a representation of the students and they felt like they were heard through that process.” 

At present, SAGBC offers a variety of services to students such as the Student Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) which offers food support, tax clinic, and community gardening; the Community Care Centre (CCC) which provides a safe space for students of all equity groups. There is also Events and Recreation, Clubs, Health Benefits, Academic Support, SafeWalk, and the Dialog. 

A student Food Bank existed before SAGBC, and continued to cater to students’ food needs under the SA for years until it was renamed.  

LifeWorks was another major service introduced in 2000, followed by SafeWalk in 2003. 

LifeWorks was later renamed Community Action Centre, then again CCC in 2019. The same year SNAP was also introduced as a new service, taking over the previous Food Bank.  

Ronnie Cruz, equity and advocacy manager at SAGBC joined the organization about a decade ago, previously serving as the community services coordinator as well,  

“I started working with SA after I moved to Toronto from Winnipeg… since the beginning I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside very passionate individuals who are dedicated to enhancing the student experience at George Brown College, you know, from organizing various events to advocating for student rights,” Cruz shared.  

SAGBC has three managers, under whom there are coordinators of various departments, other full-time and support staff, and part-time student staff.  

“I’m grateful to be a part of that journey where I had the opportunity to contribute to the last 10 years of building the SA. There’s a lot of places where you don’t have an opportunity to even make a difference… I’m grateful to have a leadership team that trusts me enough,” Cruz said. 

Reid shared the sentiment, “We have done a good job of working together and sharing points of view and come into common ground and working well for the students… My favorite part of being part of the Student Association is that I wouldn’t want to do what I do in isolation, and I don’t. My favorite part is that it is this functioning group that by large works together well.”  

Besides being a place that provides students with important services, the SA also acts as the fun and recreational part of the college experience.  

Robert T. Ainley, president of the SA in 1997/98, recalls this always being the case.  

“They [students] relied on us to make things fun for them. We had movie nights, we had dance parties. We had a couple of bands come in and they knew that they could have a good time and have fun at college,” Ainley said.  

Goodwill also shared the role of the Dialog in making things fun for students back in the day.  

“I changed the entire Dialog to more of an entertainment focused opportunity. And that began to drive more attention, more readership, more sponsorships, all those kinds of different things. And then you know, at that time, they were just beginning to build the student lounge. So, we were a key part of providing insight and info on that.” 

The Events and Recreation department continues this legacy with its yearly boat cruise, end of the year party, sports trips, movie screenings, and other trips and on-campus events throughout the year.  

Cruz said, “One thing I’ve always admired about the SA is regardless of the passage of time, it’s always been focused on student engagement and student advocacy. And, you know, as it continues to evolve expanding services, implementing new initiatives in order to meet emerging needs, and constantly forging partnerships within and beyond the college community.” 

The close partnership between the SA and GBC allows students at the college to have a well-rounded college experience.  

Janene Christiansen, registrar and associate vice president of Strategic Enrolment, said, “All the services that the Student Association provides the collaboration with the college as well as through to graduation, because we have the Student Association Board of Directors sitting on our platform party during our convocation time. So, I think the presence of the Student Association has such a powerful impact on our student body.” 

Christiansen was at GBC in the early 2000’s before leaving and returning just two years ago to the college. She shared the noticeable growth of the organization upon her return.  

“I can see the big impact and change of the growth of services from when I was here in the early 2000s. Until now, for sure, and that student’s reliance on the Student Association that becomes more and more important as we evolve,” she said, “In the last two years, I believe that the interaction that student association has, the presence being back online at all our campuses is really important for the students and I’ve seen that evolve, even in this short two years that I’ve been back post pandemic.” 

Melissa Gallo, director of student experience and career success at GBC, added on the importance of the SA at GBC. 

“The Student Association is responsible for advocating on behalf of the students and so when they see decisions or issues that are coming down through the college, they play a very important role in reminding the institution about students and how they might interact with the new policies, how they might feel about the new policies.” 

Gallo said that the SA holds the college accountable for their responsibility towards students. 

“I think they play an important role in making sure we don’t forget that the students exist on campus and that we have a responsibility toward the students for a good education, for support services, for an overall good experience,” she said.  

The SA has built not only in number of services and years active, but also in its strategic direction over the years.  

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a major challenge like none other in the three decades of the SA’s existence.  

During this period, the SA imposed many changes such as improving its reliance on technology and shifting from a primarily physical service delivery to various other ways of offering support to students.  

Sri Krisna Rajan, former director of Communications and Internal at the SA during the pandemic shared, “I spent most of that time in the COVID-19 era, which brought with it many challenges as well as a chance to view the world from a different perspective, identify areas for improvement, and spark significant changes.” 

Despite trying times, Rajan shares that the SA was able to work on various initiatives and create meaningful change for students.  

“We worked on sustainable development goals, focused on food insecurity, and not only prepared for the impact of COVID-19 but also continued to assist the students for whom we could release COVID-19 funding,” he said.  

Looking back at the journey that the organization has been on, Cruz said, “Change is the most constant thing we experienced at the SA you know, affected by different by many different things from you know, changes in policies, governments and yearly turnover of elected student board of directors. So, even though this may seem like a burden or a huge challenge, it’s actually a great opportunity to introduce change, improve and improve what’s not working and be innovative.” 

Looking forward from the 30-year mark, SAGBC only has more to do and further to go.  

“I think your contribution to George Brown College in the student experience has been absolutely critical to our success, our collective success. I think you play an important role in helping to advocate on behalf of students and making sure that they have the services and support as well as the academic experience that they signed up for,” says Gallo.  

Deak, Ainley, and Rajan, SAGBC student leaders from the past share similar sentiments on the growth and evolution of the organization over the years.  

“As the organization reflects on its journey, it’s an opportunity to recognize the achievements, growth, and positive changes it has brought to campus life. The Student Association’s continuous efforts to support student initiatives, advocate for their needs, and enhance the overall student experience have undoubtedly left a lasting legacy,” shared Rajan.  

Those who continue to work with the SA celebrate this milestone and look forward to more.  

“It’s definitely a time to celebrate the achievements and successes including the challenges…but we want to be able to focus on all the achievements and successes of the past and continue to look forward to continued growth, innovation and impact in the years to come. Definitely really excited to see how the SA will continue to evolve and make a difference in the lives of students at George Brown college,” Cruz said.