A Letter from Your WUSA President

Damian Mikhail
WUSA President 2025-26

We've got a big year ahead of us here at WUSA. We've heard students' calls for change and that's exactly what we intend to bring you with this Annual Plan. This year is particularly interesting as our Annual Plan comes at the same time as a brand new 2025-2030 Long Range Plan is released. What is clear from these two plans is that we are bringing a fresh perspective to student governance at Waterloo.

WUSA's ambitious plans are not random, they're a reflection of years of students making their voices heard and calling for action. I have to say, as your WUSA President, looking at the path ahead is just as daunting as it is exciting. We have big plans to bring back key elements of what made the Bomber so great in the interim, while totally rethinking what the space should look like in the long term as part of our student lounge project. This year, we are also implementing the gender-affirming care students voted for back in 2024. I'm also looking forward to reshaping our clubs system, meaning students will see major improvements in room bookings and an expansion of club resources more generally.

This is not to say to say that it's all sunshine and rainbows. With the provincial government considering pushing forward Bill 33, which in its current form threatens the fees that fund many of our most exciting projects and important and well-utilized services we already offer for students and clubs alike. Safe to say that, that Vice President Remington Zhi and I will continue to advocate to the provincial government to help preserve the initiatives students have voted for.

With all that being said, I hope you find this plan useful for better understanding what your student association is focusing on this year to make student life just that little bit easier for you. I am very excited for what I hope to be a really substantial year for students as part of WUSA!

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at pres@wusa.ca or Vice President Remington Zhi at vp@wusa.ca.

Operational Goals

The Organization Shall:

Conduct a trial of the Walksafe program and present recommendations for future programming (LRP Advocacy Priority: Mental Health and Wellness).
Add gender affirming care to WUSA’s health and dental plan (LRP Advocacy Priority: Mental Health and Wellness).
Review WUSA’s governance structure and identify opportunities to enhance how we engage in student advocacy (LRP 2).
Expand Clubs administrative improvements to other WUSA affiliated student groups (LRP 3).
Finalize direction and approvals for the SLC Lounge Plan (LRP 3).
Implementation of WUSA’s Indigenization Action Plan (LRP 2).
Next generation Student Life Centre space and room booking improvements (LRP 3).
Share recommendations on Athletics Fee (LRP Affordability).
Work with the University to create a map of the tunnels on campus (LRP 6).
Repurpose the SLC Student Lounge into “The Bomber” for the interim while we work towards the larger SLC Lounge Plan renovations (LRP 4).
- Bring back limited alcohol offerings during regular lounge hours.
- Offer monthly 19+ on-campus event nights.
- Expand current SmashBites menu to include Bomber Classic menu options.

Advocacy Priorities

Affordability

Co-op and Employment

Mental Health and Wellness

Academics/Quality of Education

Affordability

Cost of Living

Expanding access to affordable food through new “pay-what-you-can” programs and fresh produce markets.
Promoting available supports, especially for students facing food insecurity or adjusting to life in Canada.
Building food skills, with workshops like budget-friendly cooking, kitchen basics, and student-led tips featured in the Global Kitchen cookbook.
Improving housing access and awareness, including updated scam prevention resources, an expanded Housing Playbook, and legal rights workshop.

Affordability of education (tuition and academic related costs)

Promoting affordable education by advocating for open educational resources (OERs) and greater public funding for post-secondary institutions.
Offer budgeting support and resources to students.
Gather student feedback regarding the importance of and satisfaction with on-campus supports and services.

Co-op and Employment

Addressing co-op timelines, with recommendations for a smoother student experience.
Advocate for improved quality of jobs, including more relevant, fairly paid opportunities.
Strengthening communication, including myth-busting and clearer expectations for students and employers.
Ensuring equitable support, especially for international students and those navigating employment barriers.

Two women sit at a desk talking, one with a laptop, with potted plants on shelves behind them.

Mental Health and Wellness

Community Building

Advancing our student safety and wellness advocacy, including a formal position statement and support for campus partnerships.
Building meaningful student-faculty connections, with societies and departments exploring more intentional touchpoints.
Creating community moments, through initiatives like cultural celebration partnerships and Community Leaders’ Forums.
Mental health resources, with awareness campaigns, peer-led wellness tips, and wellness programming.

Equity deserving groups

Implementing and promoting gender-affirming care coverage, with an awareness campaign to follow.
Expanding equity training, starting with WUSA staff and exploring ways to extend this to students.
Advocating for inclusive living spaces, including early research into Queer Living Learning Communities.
Supporting inclusive programming, with training, events and resources like the Inclusive Events Guide for clubs and services.

** WUSA will bring at least 1 in-person initiative per term to each of Waterloo's satellite campus locations

Academics/Quality of Education

Promoting inclusive teaching, through advocacy and the launch of an Accessible Teaching Award with the AVPA.
Strengthening academic support systems, by raising awareness of the Ombudsperson role.
Investigate processes and procedures related to academic assessment.
Extending advocacy efforts, by scaling our campaigns to include satellite campuses.

A student with long dark hair raises their hand to participate in the classroom. The educator, standing in front of a chalkboard with writing on it, points towards the student. Surrounding students are seated, facing the front, all eager to contribute to their educational journey.

Published: July 1, 2025

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