WUSA’s 2026-27 Annual Plan is ready! The Annual Plan details the goals of WUSA’s elected Board of Directors, and the directions they will take in achieving these goals for the governance year. It encapsulates organizational priorities, including operational goals and advocacy plans.  

The 2026-27 Annual Plan is the second annual plan within the 2025-2030 Long Range Plan. It continues to address key priorities from the Long Range Plan, shaped by ongoing student involvement through roundtables surveys and the ballot box.  

Past annual plans have produced important and exciting projects such as the WUSA goose statue in front of Physical Activities Complex, the launch of new food services such as Chaska, Smarty Pants, and Wok Stop, and in 2024, the first large-scale concert in a decade! 

This year’s plan puts student groups at the center of the student experience. Within advocacy, proper degree tracking tools and improving the usage of student course feedback are emphasized. The recent changes to OSAP funding also highlight the recent challenges students face, as well as the current priorities in mind for the Board.  

Annual Plan Breakdown

The Annual Plan begins with a letter from the WUSA President, Samir Sharma, addressing all students and outlining the objectives for the year. These objectives are then presented in the plan, divided into operational goals and advocacy priorities, each one linked to a larger objective within the Long-Range Plan.  

“As WUSA turns 60, this plan, and all the ones before it, serves as testament to what is possible when students come together.”

Operational Goals

Operational goals for this governing year focus on student services, spaces, and operations. Key goals include:

• Bringing back The Bomber, including daily bar service (contingent on the University’s approval for serving alcohol in the space) 
• Continuing work regarding the SLC Lounge Plan renovations 
• Conducting a review of WUSA’s student services and mandates 
• Increasing support to student faculty societies 
• Expanding Clubs administrative improvements 
• Creating a proposal for an Indigenous Student Lounge in the SLC 
• Implementing recommendations in WUSA’S Governance reform – including the creation of a Vice President, Student Experience position and an Advocacy Committee 
• Reviewing and creating an implementation strategy for the BDS policy passed at the 2026 Annual Members’ Meeting 

Advocacy Priorities

Advocacy priorities shape the ways in which WUSA engages with the university, government, and the community. Split into four key areas, the current priorities include:  

1. Affordability 💸

• Food insecurity: Exploring the most effective model for the Pay-What-You-Can program, understanding student perspectives of food access across campus via reports, and looking further into deals and benefits for students as guided by the RSP Member Value survey 
• Housing: Exploring WUSA’s options for collecting/publishing information on housing quality, and examining the feasibility of WUSA-provided tenant insurance for students 
• Education: Continuing advocacy efforts towards OSAP alongside OUSA, collaboration with the University on implementation of Educational Technology Fee, and advocating for a predictable funding framework to maintain an affordable post-secondary education 

2. Co-op and Employment 💼

• Advocating to CEE for student leadership roles to be assigned co-op credits 
• Working towards improving co-op job relevance and employment equity across faculties 
• Advocating towards maintaining low co-op fee increases, included those tied to inflation 
• Supporting student consultation within the process as well as ensuring student feedback is consistently included in the development of required PD courses 
• Examining the impact of return-to-study policy on students impacted by the Reneg Policy 

3. Mental Health and Wellness 🧠

• Continuing the active partnership with Healthy Waterloo initiatives 
• Providing accessible guidance on using health and dental benefits, such as the costs of covered services
• Bringing student voices to Campus Housing and EDI-R to support 2SLGBTQ+ students in residence and strengthen the Queer Living-Learning Community motion

4. Academics/Quality of Education 📚

• Encouraging the development of a degree planning tool, for students to track courses and program requirements 
• Strengthening job protections for undergraduate TAs and RAs 
• Increasing support for Student Society VP Academic roles 
• Examining how Course Perception Survey results are used and implemented, to improve the classroom experience 

Why It Matters

The Annual Plan is not just a collection of tasks – it is a guidebook for the WUSA Board of Directors, outlining tangible goals, priorities, and how to tackle real issues that students at Waterloo face. Each piece of the plan is a different piece of the puzzle, connecting to long-term goals within the Long-Range Plan.  

Different aspects of the Plan have a meaningful impact on the student experience, and can be shaped by your feedback! Got ideas for next year’s plan? Share them with us! Every piece of feedback is important to us and impacts the Annual Plan.  

Read the full 2026-27 Annual Plan and 2025-2030 Long Range Plan now!

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Anusha Akella

Copywriter