ad·vo·ca·cy

/ˈadvəkəsē/

any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others.

Advocacy Priorities – WUSA Long Range Plan

We know our members expect us to put our vision front and center. We cannot promise success, but we can commit our effort.

Below we highlight six advocacy themes, this is by no means an exhaustive list. These are the ones we have prioritized based on feedback from our members, Waterloo undergrads, which for us, makes them some of the most meaningful to address. 

Housing

Continuing to work with all levels of government and university administration to build more and better housing to deliver safer, affordable housing to Waterloo students. 

International Students

Between regulating tuition frameworks and identifying educational barriers unique to international students, we strive to create a momentous student experience.  

Equity & Accessibility

Identifying barriers to access for all students to ensure full and safe participation in post-secondary education. 

Affordability

Recognizing and pushing for pragmatic steps the university can take to increase efficiency, increase value, and where possible, decrease fees.

Educational Quality

Understanding campus-wide policy changes and investments that could benefit students, making clear that what is good for student educational outcomes are also good for the university.

COVID-19

Learning, growing, and continuing to make informed decisions based on the learning of navigating through a pandemic.  

Meet the Team

A smiling Memoji character with short brown hair, a mustache, and brown eyes. The character has a friendly expression with a slight tilt of the head and is set against a plain white background.

Nick Pfeifle

President

A digital emoji-style avatar with brown hair, a brown mustache, and large round glasses. The avatar is smiling broadly and has fair skin.

Arya Razmjoo

Vice-President

An animated emoji-style face with long blonde hair, light skin tone, and blue eyes. The face is smiling widely, showing teeth, with light pink lips. The character is wearing round silver earrings. The background is plain white.

Melissa Thomas

Director, Communications and Stakeholder Relations

A 3D animated character with long, dark hair and a light skin tone, smiling warmly. The character has expressive eyes and a friendly expression, with a slight blush on the cheeks. The background is plain white.

Jill Knight

Manager, Advocacy & Stakeholder Relations
(On-leave)

An emoji-style avatar with light brown hair, wearing transparent eyeglasses. The avatar has a nose piercing and is smiling with a closed mouth. The character has a fair complexion and expressive eyes.

Andrena Lockley-Brown

Manager, Advocacy & Stakeholder Relations

Animated face illustration of a person with red hair, a red beard, and mustache. The person has large, expressive eyes and a curious, slightly confused expression. The background is plain white.

David Kuhn

Stakeholder Relations Officer

A cartoon-style emoji of a woman's face with straight, shoulder-length brown hair, large brown eyes, light skin, and a small smile. The background is white.

Jordan Daniels

Research Analyst

Animated emoji of a person's face with dark hair and a short beard. The facial expression is neutral with a slight smile, brown eyebrows, and brown eyes. The background is plain white.

Nathan Ermeta

Research Coordinator

An emoji of a person with long, wavy black hair, wearing gold hoop earrings, and smiling widely with an open mouth, showing their teeth. The emoji has large, bright eyes and a cheerful expression.

Sam Sawant

Advocacy Specialist

A digital avatar with long black hair, golden hoop earrings, and a slight smile on a white background. The face has expressionless eyes and a natural complexion.

Amrit Khaira

Advocacy Specialist

A turquoise, dashed arrow starts at the bottom left, loops upward in a clockwise direction, and points back toward the bottom left corner.

How can you get Involved?

Research and Consultation

Participate in student research and consultation activities to inform our advocacy efforts.

General Meetings

Shape the direction of the organization, hold the Board of Directors directly accountable, and discuss what’s important to you.

Board Committees

Join a board committee and become involved in solving the issues that resonate with your student experience.