The Policy Pod: Stories of Student Advocacy

EWB UofT Policy & Advocacy Portfolio

The Policy Pod is a series about student advocacy at the University of Toronto. Each episode covers advocacy on a different topic occurring on and around campus and features students from across the university. read less
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Episodes

Imposter Syndrome Pt. 3
24-07-2022
Imposter Syndrome Pt. 3
Join Stephen Johns, the engineering science academic advisor for first and second year students at UofT, and your host, Youssef, as we discuss our experiences with and advice for imposter syndrome. Stephen brings a unique perspective to this topic as someone who has worked with students experiencing imposter syndrome. We will learn from his perspective on how he helps students cope with imposter syndrome.   Mental Health Resources: 408-helpline: https://www.dcogt.com/408-help-line   Anishnawbe Health Toronto: http://aht.ca/   Engineering Mental Health and Wellness Resources: https://www.engineering.utoronto.ca/mental-health-wellness/   Good 2 Talk Student Helpline (Ontario and Nova Scotia): https://good2talk.ca/    Gerstein Crisis Center: https://gersteincentre.org/   Navi U of T Mental Health Resource Finder: https://prod.virtualagent.utoronto.ca/   Skule Mental Wellness Club: http://wellness.skule.ca/MentalResources   U of T Mental Health Model of Care Explained: https://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca   Guests:  Stephen has over 12 years of progressively responsible experience in higher education student affairs with a comprehensive background in domestic and international student recruitment and academic advising.   He is a passionate advocate for students; a builder of positive, lasting relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephennjohns/?originalSubdomain=ca    Sources: https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome    https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156469    https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/imposter-syndrome    https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-different-types-of-imposter-syndrome-and-5-ways-to-battle-each-one    https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_cox_what_is_imposter_syndrome_and_how_can_you_combat_it?language=en    https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_cannon_brookes_how_you_can_use_impostor_syndrome_to_your_benefit?language=en    https://medium.com/@jenna.gu/quieting-impostorism-focusing-on-failures-but-not-frustrations-9be06b7c8893   Credits: Host - Youssef Rachad Editors - Yan Yeo & Youssef Rachad Research - Yan Yeo, Youssef Rachad & Jenna Gu   Music - Chris Kwon aka Chris Krunchy (https://soundcloud.com/chris-krunchy)   Cover art - Alex McPhail (instagram: @aaaaalpal)   Contact us:   Instagram: @policy.advocacy.ewb    Email: pa.uoft@gmail.com   Transcript:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OQxg5TYlhgXe94EorBF_hs9RaUjpDj17/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115852901776090650205&rtpof=true&sd=true
Imposter Syndrome Pt. 2
12-04-2022
Imposter Syndrome Pt. 2
Join Dr Nate Charach, a psychiatrist who works at a community hospital, and your host Jenna Gu, as we discuss our experiences with and advice for imposter syndrome. Nate brings a unique perspective to this topic as someone who has worked with people and personally experienced imposter syndrome. We will learn from his perspective how our emotions and the culture we are surrounded by affect our imposter syndrome as well as how we can deal with it.   Mental Health Resources: 408-helpline: https://www.dcogt.com/408-help-line   Anishnawbe Health Toronto: http://aht.ca/   Engineering Mental Health and Wellness Resources: https://www.engineering.utoronto.ca/mental-health-wellness/   Good 2 Talk Student Helpline (Ontario and Nova Scotia): https://good2talk.ca/    Gerstein Crisis Center: https://gersteincentre.org/   Navi U of T Mental Health Resource Finder: https://prod.virtualagent.utoronto.ca/   Skule Mental Wellness Club: http://wellness.skule.ca/MentalResources   U of T Mental Health Model of Care Explained: https://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca   Guests:  Dr Nate Charach is a psychiatrist who works at a community hospital and has also completed his permaculture design certificate. He is passionate about finding a way to integrate the topics of food security, mental health and addressing the climate change crisis.    https://www.bunchberry.org/  https://climatepledgecollective.org/2019/08/16/dealing-with-eco-anxiety-an-introduction/    Sources: https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome    https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156469    https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/imposter-syndrome    https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-different-types-of-imposter-syndrome-and-5-ways-to-battle-each-one    https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_cox_what_is_imposter_syndrome_and_how_can_you_combat_it?language=en    https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_cannon_brookes_how_you_can_use_impostor_syndrome_to_your_benefit?language=en    https://medium.com/@jenna.gu/quieting-impostorism-focusing-on-failures-but-not-frustrations-9be06b7c8893   Credits: Hosts - Jenna Gu Editor - Yan Yeo & Kelsey Rombouts   Music - Chris Kwon aka Chris Krunchy (https://soundcloud.com/chris-krunchy)   Cover art - Alex McPhail (instagram: @aaaaalpal)   Contact us:   Instagram: @policy.advocacy.ewb    Email: pa.uoft@gmail.com   Transcript:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y6kcwMa7mlGr_cCVLVQgJEzJHXJKvOjj/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115852901776090650205&rtpof=true&sd=true
Imposter Syndrome Pt.1
06-03-2022
Imposter Syndrome Pt.1
Join Katie Vranesic, a U of T student majoring in civil engineering, and your hosts Yan Yeo, Kelsey Rombouts, and Jenna Gu as we discuss our experiences with and advice for imposter syndrome. Katie brings a unique perspective to this topic as someone who has wrestled with and overcome imposter syndrome in the academic environment and she is also an active member of Skule Mental Wellness where she continues to advocate for better mental health support in the engineering community.    Mental Health Resources: 408-helpline: https://www.dcogt.com/408-help-line   Anishnawbe Health Toronto: http://aht.ca/   Engineering Mental Health and Wellness Resources: https://www.engineering.utoronto.ca/mental-health-wellness/   Good 2 Talk Student Helpline (Ontario and Nova Scotia): https://good2talk.ca/    Gerstein Crisis Centre: https://gersteincentre.org/   Navi U of T Mental Health Resource Finder: https://prod.virtualagent.utoronto.ca/   Skule Mental Wellness Club: http://wellness.skule.ca/MentalResources   U of T Mental Health Model of Care Explained: https://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca   Guests:  Katie Vranesic - CIV2T1 + 1 + PEY   Sources: https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome    https://www.verywellmind.com/imposter-syndrome-and-social-anxiety-disorder-4156469    https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/imposter-syndrome    https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-different-types-of-imposter-syndrome-and-5-ways-to-battle-each-one    https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_cox_what_is_imposter_syndrome_and_how_can_you_combat_it?language=en    https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_cannon_brookes_how_you_can_use_impostor_syndrome_to_your_benefit?language=en    https://medium.com/@jenna.gu/quieting-impostorism-focusing-on-failures-but-not-frustrations-9be06b7c8893   Credits: Hosts - Yan Yeo, Jenna Gu, and Kelsey Rombouts   Music - Chris Kwon aka Chris Krunchy (https://soundcloud.com/chris-krunchy)   Cover art - Alex McPhail (instagram: @aaaaalpal)   Contact us: Instagram: @policy.advocacy.ewb    Email: pa.uoft@gmail.com   Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YzUBTddo-0hg9E-qJK88ltxnOZLp9vNUFhXeckZBp-Q/edit?usp=sharing
Student Finance Pt 3.
03-10-2021
Student Finance Pt 3.
Join Brie Berry-Crossfield, a former grad student, Black Liberation Collective organizer, outgoing APUS Advocacy Coordinator as we dive deeper into the third part of our student finance episode. Brie is also an incoming UTGSU Executive Director  as she will be sharing about her experience as a student on student finances. You can find part one and two in the link below. We’ll explore how universities develop their budgets, the idea of free tuition and how students can learn about their fees.    Link to Part One: https://thepolicypod.podbean.com/e/student-finance-pt-1/   Link to Part Two: https://thepolicypod.podbean.com/e/student-finance-pt-2/    Guests: Brie Berry-Crossfield - Former grad student, Black Liberation Collective organizer, outgoing APUS Advocacy Coordinator and incoming UTGSU Executive Director  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brieanneberrycrossfield   https://franciskung.nationbuilder.com/_blackoncampus_brie_berry_crossfield    Sources: Ministry of Finance, Post Secondary Education: https://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission/chapters/ch7.html  The Varsity on insufficient financial aid: https://thevarsity.ca/2021/01/24/students-find-universitys-financial-aid-insufficient-to-help-with-increasing-tuition/  The Varsity on data released by Uoft on finances for 2018-2019: https://thevarsity.ca/2020/09/27/u-of-t-releases-data-on-finances-for-2018-2019-student-population-for-2019-2020-school-year/  Canadian Federation of Students: https://cfs-fcee.ca/  University of Toronto, Quick Facts: https://www.utoronto.ca/about-u-of-t/quick-facts    Resources/Interesting articles: UTSU:  https://www.utsu.ca/financial-assistance/ https://www.utsu.ca/same-degree-same-fee-supporting-tuition-equity/  https://www.utsu.ca/fees-budget-finances/#Budgets  https://www.utsu.ca/utsu-lobbies-for-tuition-freezes-late-fee-waivers-during-covid-19/  The Varsity: https://thevarsity.ca/2016/12/05/university-affairs-board-rejects-council-on-student-services-chair-nominee/  https://thevarsity.ca/2016/08/09/utgsu-loses-lawsuit-against-cfs/    Credits Host - Kelsey Rombouts Music - Chris Kwon aka Chris Krunchy (https://soundcloud.com/chris-krunchy) Cover art - Alex McPhail (instagram: @aaaaalpal) Contact us: Instagram: @policy.advocacy.ewb Email: pa.uoft@gmail.com   Transcript
Student Finance Pt 2.
03-10-2021
Student Finance Pt 2.
Join Tyler Riches, a third-year student majoring in human geography and minoring in women and gender studies and urban studies as we dive deeper into the topic of student finance from a student's perspective. Tyler is also UTSU's (University of Toronto Student Union) current Vice-President Public & University Affairs as he will be giving us some insight in his role on the UTSU. This episode is the second part one of our three part series on Student Finance. You can find part one in the link below. We’ll explore why tuition costs have been rising so much in the last decades, the perspective of students on this issue and the advocacy they do to change things.    Link to Part One: https://thepolicypod.podbean.com/e/student-finance-pt-1  Guests: Tyler Riches - Third Year Student at the University of Toronto (2020-2021), Vice-President Public & University Affairs at the UTSU https://thevarsity.ca/2020/03/16/utsu-candidate-profile-vice-president-public-and-university-affairs/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerdriches    Sources: Ministry of Finance, Post Secondary Education: https://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission/chapters/ch7.html  The Varsity on insufficient financial aid: https://thevarsity.ca/2021/01/24/students-find-universitys-financial-aid-insufficient-to-help-with-increasing-tuition/  The Varsity on data released by Uoft on finances for 2018-2019: https://thevarsity.ca/2020/09/27/u-of-t-releases-data-on-finances-for-2018-2019-student-population-for-2019-2020-school-year/  Canadian Federation of Students: https://cfs-fcee.ca/  University of Toronto, Quick Facts: https://www.utoronto.ca/about-u-of-t/quick-facts    Resources/Interesting articles: UTSU:  https://www.utsu.ca/financial-assistance/ https://www.utsu.ca/same-degree-same-fee-supporting-tuition-equity/  https://www.utsu.ca/fees-budget-finances/#Budgets  https://www.utsu.ca/utsu-lobbies-for-tuition-freezes-late-fee-waivers-during-covid-19/  The Varsity: https://thevarsity.ca/2020/09/07/utsu-august-board-meeting-student-advocacy-international-students-concerns-equity-diversity-report/  https://thevarsity.ca/2021/06/01/ontario-government-extends-domestic-tuition-freeze-for-the-2021-22-academic-year/  https://thevarsity.ca/2021/01/10/same-degree-same-fee-cssu-campaigns-to-lower-computer-science-bioinformatics-data-science-tuition/    Credits Host - Elie Dossou-Yovo Music - Chris Kwon aka Chris Krunchy (https://soundcloud.com/chris-krunchy) Cover art - Alex McPhail (instagram: @aaaaalpal) Contact us: Instagram: @policy.advocacy.ewb Email: pa.uoft@gmail.com   Transcript
Student Finance Pt 1.
03-10-2021
Student Finance Pt 1.
Join Professor Paul Hamel, a professor in the faculty of medicine who has done some research on global economics in the first episode of The Policy Pod’s Student Finance podcast. This episode will be part one of our three part series on Student Finance. We’ll explore why tuition costs have been rising so much in the last decades, the perspective of students on this issue and the advocacy they do to change things.    Guests: Professor Paul Hamel - Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology in the faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto https://www.lmp.utoronto.ca/faculty/paul-hamel  http://individual.utoronto.ca/paul_hamel/index.html    Sources: Ministry of Finance, Post Secondary Education: https://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission/chapters/ch7.html  The Varsity on insufficient financial aid: https://thevarsity.ca/2021/01/24/students-find-universitys-financial-aid-insufficient-to-help-with-increasing-tuition/  The Varsity on data released by Uoft on finances for 2018-2019: https://thevarsity.ca/2020/09/27/u-of-t-releases-data-on-finances-for-2018-2019-student-population-for-2019-2020-school-year/  Canadian Federation of Students: https://cfs-fcee.ca/  University of Toronto, Quick Facts: https://www.utoronto.ca/about-u-of-t/quick-facts    Interesting articles: The Varsity: https://thevarsity.ca/2019/02/24/u-of-t-receives-more-money-from-international-students-than-from-ontario-government/  Canadian Federation of Students, Fight the Fees Campaign: https://cfs-fcee.ca/campaigns/fight-the-fees/  Canadian Federation of Students, The Case for Free Tuition: https://cfs-fcee.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CFS-TimeToThinkBIG-Web-EN-withoutcontracts.pdf  The History of Post Secondary Education in Canada: https://www.postsecondarybc.ca/knowledgebase/the-history-of-post-secondary-education-in-canada-part-iii-1940-1960/  Toronto Star Article: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2011/08/31/the_number_of_days_of_income_it_takes_to_pay_for_your_childs_degree_soars_study_finds.html    Credits Host - Elie Dossou-Yovo Music - Chris Kwon aka Chris Krunchy (https://soundcloud.com/chris-krunchy) Cover art - Alex McPhail (instagram: @aaaaalpal) Funding provided by Harthouse Good Ideas Fund   Contact us: Instagram: @policy.advocacy.ewb Email: pa.uoft@gmail.com   Transcript: Link to the full transcript is here
Fighting the Mental Health Crisis
28-03-2021
Fighting the Mental Health Crisis
Join Lucinda Qu, Corey McAuliffe and Loizza Aquino, discussing student mental health advocacy at the University of Toronto. Our guests share their thoughts on the challenges of representation, working with the faculty, the structural elements of the mental health crisis and how you can get involved.   Mental Health Resources: 408-helpline: https://www.dcogt.com/408-help-line Anishnawbe health toronto: http://aht.ca/ Engineering Mental health and Wellness resources: https://www.engineering.utoronto.ca/mental-health-wellness/ For Graduate Students: School of Graduate Studies – University of Toronto (utoronto.ca) https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/gradhub/resources-supports/ Good 2 talk student helpline (Ontario and Nova Scotia): https://good2talk.ca/ Gerstein crisis centre: https://gersteincentre.org/ Navi U of T mental health resource finder: https://prod.virtualagent.utoronto.ca/ Skule Mental Wellness Club: http://wellness.skule.ca/MentalResources U of T mental health model of care explained: https://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca    Guests: Lucinda Qu - Co-founder, Mental Health Policy Council Corey McAuliffe - PhD student representative for UofT Mental Health Task Force Loizza Aquino (https://loizzaaquino.com/)  - Co-founder, U of Thrive   Sources: Varsity on student suic*des: https://thevarsity.ca/2020/11/03/new-college-confirms-death-of-student/ Memo from the OHRC: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/re-university-mandated-leave-absence-policy-%C2%ADraises-human-rights-concerns Toronto star on the UMLAP: https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2020/12/01/universities-with-policies-to-force-out-students-in-crisis-say-its-a-safety-measure-students-say-threat-of-removal-fills-them-with-dread.html The UMLAP: https://governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/secretariat/policies/university-mandated-leave-absence-policy-june-27-2018   Interesting articles/podcasts: #WeAreUofT podcast on the UMLAP: https://soundcloud.com/weareuoft/mentalhealthuoft Varsity op-ed: https://thevarsity.ca/2020/11/15/op-ed-we-need-to-be-careful-about-how-we-talk-about-those-with-mental-health-struggles/ Varsity editorial: https://thevarsity.ca/2019/09/29/enough-is-enough-this-is-an-emergency-u-of-t-must-immediately-address-its-mental-health-crisis/ Credits Producer - Sabrina Cupryk Host - Molly Mcgrail Music - Chris Kwon aka Chris Krunchy (https://soundcloud.com/chris-krunchy) Cover art - Alex McPhail (instagram: @aaaaalpal) Workshop - Sabrina Brathwaite and Braeden Doane (https://harthouse.ca/series/stories) Funding provided by Harthouse Good Ideas Fund   Contact us: Instagram: @thepolicypod Email: pa.uoft@gmail.com   Transcript Link to the full transcript is here.