Notice of upcoming UWSA Special General Meeting of the Membership on January 13, 2025

December 20th, 2024

The UWSA Special General Meeting will be taking place on Monday, January 13, 2025 at 12:30 p.m. in The Hive at The University of Winnipeg.

The UWSA Board of Directors has resolved to repeal the existing General By-laws of the UWSA and replace them with the Amended and Restated General By-laws of the UWSA in the form which can be accessed via the link below in the UWSA SGM Package section of this website page.

 The Board of Directors has determined that it is desirable to adopt the amendments in order to amend the By-laws for clarity, consistency, and to modernize the UWSA’s election procedures among other updates to ensure ongoing compliance with legislation. As the By-Law amendments require approval by the members at a meeting of the members, the UWSA Board of Directors has called a Special General Meeting of the membership to be held on January 13^th 2025 at 12:30 PM in The Hive at The University of Winnipeg for the members to consider and, if deemed advisable, confirm and approve the amendments to the By-laws.

 Members are encouraged to review the complete amendments which can be accessed via the link below in the UWSA SGM Package section of this website page in full prior to the meeting.

UWSA SGM Package

• By-law Revisions (CLEAN)
• By-law Revisions (track changes)

UWSA SGM Agenda

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

January 13th, 2025 at 12:30 PM

In The HIVE – University of Winnipeg

1. Call to Order
2. Introduction and Rules of Order
3. Approval of the Order of Business
4. New Business – To consider and, if deemed advisable, to confirm, with or without variation, the resolution of the Board of Directors of the UWSA repealing the General By-laws of the UWSA and enacting the Amended and Restated General By-laws of the UWSA in the form attached to this notice.
5. Other Business
6. Adjournment

Get familiar with how the Rules of Order works: UWSA Rules of Order

Submitting Motions

All UWSA members can submit a motion to the Chair of the Board at chair@theuwsa.ca by Friday, January 3^rd 2025 at 12:30 PM CST. To learn how to write a motion, please review the documents below:

Motion Template (Editable PDF)
How to Write a Motion

Statement about the BIPoC Lounge and Service Centres

December 10th, 2024

The University of Winnipeg Student’s Association (UWSA) is committed to diversity and inclusion. Toward that goal, the UWSA has for many years helped to support the development of communal spaces on campus aimed toward providing a safe and inclusive place for students and groups who have historically been excluded from full participation in the broader community, owing to any particular characteristic such as ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, etc. The UWSA is certainly not unique in that regard, as similar facilities exist in virtually every university across Canada, and have done for decades. At the University of Winnipeg, these spaces would include the Rainbow Lounge for the 2SLGBTQ+ students, Access Lounge for students who are disabled by barriers, Women-Trans Spectrum Lounge for the women and trans students, and the BIPoC Lounge for the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour students.

Importantly, these spaces are not intended to exclude. On the contrary, these spaces are intended to allow students who might otherwise feel marginalized in the broader campus to find a welcoming space within which to find support, community, and safety – in short, a place to let their guard down and to engage with others who might be similarly marginalized. They have organized activities in these spaces that include movie nights, study nights, workshops, round tables, and bigger celebratory events for their specific community.

As the UWSA we are proud to continually support our service centres and provide spaces where diverse communities can support each other. We remain committed to ensuring that its policies reflect an appropriate balance between fostering community and safety, while ensuring compliance with human rights legislation.

Sincerely,
The UWSA

Student Group Fair 2025

December 4th, 2024

Join us on Wednesday, January 15, in the Bulman Student Centre for the Student Group Fair, where you can meet and connect with different student groups on campus!

Location: Bulman Student Centre

Date and Time: Wednesday, January 15, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

If you’re a registered student group sign-up to table by filling out the form: theuwsa.formstack.com/forms/tablingfair

You can view all the current registered UWSA Student Groups here: theuwsa.ca/student-groups/student-groups/

For any questions, please email, events@theuwsa.ca.

UWSA Board Meeting: December 3

November 29th, 2024

The UWSA Board of Directors Meeting will happen on Thursday, December 3 at 5:00 p.m. in person in the UWSA Boardroom and Zoom.

All UWinnipeg students are welcome to attend the Open Session over Zoom. Please email admin@theuwsa.ca by 12:00 PM on the day of the meeting for the Zoom link using your UWinnipeg webmail address and your Student ID Number.

Please review the following documents before the meeting:

BOD 241203 Agenda

Open Session Package BOD241203

By-law Revisions (CLEAN) – 2024 – Election

By-law Revisions (track changes) – 2024-Election

Election Policy Revisions (CLEAN)

Election Policy Revisions (track changes)

NE REPORT 2024 – English v3

Any questions can be directed to Jacob Cramer, Chair of the Board, at chair@theuwsa.ca.

UWSA Holiday Drive 2024

November 19th, 2024

The UWSA Holiday Donation Drive is a food, hygiene, menstrual products, and clothing donation drive that started in 2016/17. This year’s donation drive is for the UWSA Foodbank to give out to students and community members. All of the donations must be lightly used, brand new or unopened.

We will be collecting till Dec 6! More info is available here.

Culture Day Tabling Fair

November 6th, 2024

Sign up to represent your country and culture at the UWSA Culture Day Tabling Fair on Thursday, November 14, from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Tables will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to University of Winnipeg students. Click here to sign up.

Statement in Solidarity

October 4th, 2024

As The University of Winnipeg Students’ Association (UWSA), we recognize that this statement is long overdue. As your student union, we stand firm in support of students’ rights to peaceful protest and stand behind the important demands made during the recent encampment on campus. We urge The University of Winnipeg administration and the University of Winnipeg Foundation to maintain transparency in its responsible investing practices and financial holdings. We further support the demand for the university to divest from and disclose any investments that are complicit in the ongoing genocide against Palestinians.

With the encampment now concluded, we strongly encourage the administration to continuously protect its students from antisemitism, Islamophobia, oppression, intimidation, and any form of sanction—whether academic or otherwise.

As part of an academic institution, our students’ rights to free expression and protest are fundamental to fostering dialogue and creating meaningful change. These rights empower our students to engage with important issues and shape the future of our campus. We know that these conversations are difficult and sensitive, and we believe deeply in our obligation and ability to support student dialogue in ways that are respectful and inclusive to the entire student and university community.

The UWSA stands in solidarity with all students, regardless of their participation in the encampment. The safety and well-being of every student at The University of Winnipeg is our highest priority, and we want to ensure students know the UWSA is here to support them.

In solidarity,

The University of Winnipeg Students’ Association.

UWSA Board Meeting: September 26

September 24th, 2024

The UWSA Board of Directors Meeting will happen on Thursday, September 26 at 4:00 p.m. in person in the UWSA Boardroom and Zoom.

All UWinnipeg students are welcome to attend the Open Session over Zoom. Please email admin@theuwsa.ca by 12:00 PM on the day of the meeting for the Zoom link using your UWinnipeg webmail address and your Student ID Number.

Please review the following documents before the meeting:

BOD 240926 Agenda

BOD 240826 Open Session Package

Any questions can be directed to Jacob Cramer, Chair of the Board, at chair@theuwsa.ca.

Orange Shirt Giveaway

September 19th, 2024

Throughout Truth and Reconciliation Week (September 23-27), special events, learning opportunities, and activities will be dedicated to honouring residential school Survivors and learning from Indigenous Peoples and perspectives. On Friday, September 27, join us at the UWSA Hive for the Orange Shirt Giveaway. You can find more information about the events at UWinnipeg through this link.

Meet your 2024/25 Executives

August 27th, 2024

Tomiris Kaliyeva (She/Her)

President
pres@theuwsa.ca
Office phone: 431-335-8201
Cell phone: 431-688-9095

Hiii! My name is Tomiris Kaliyeva and I am in my fourth year of a double major in International Development and Conflict resolution studies. I am also an international student from Kazakhstan! This is my second and last year as the president of the UWSA, so I am always looking for ideas and inspiration on how to better your university life. I am also here to help with whatever questions you might have and to advocate for you this year. Please feel free to reach out anytime!

Chhavi Dhir (She/Her)

Vice-President External Affairs
vpea@theuwsa.ca

Hello! My name is Chhavi Dhir (she/her). I am in my third year of BA Psychology. Thank you for electing me as the Vice President External Affairs. I have been actively involved in the community whether it’s being part of various student groups, being the Emerging Leader Director for UWSA, being international student mentor, Resident Advisor, Peer wellness Educator and working closely with Sexual Violence Response Team. As a Peer Wellness Educator and Resident Advisor, I dedicated myself to supporting peers in navigating mental health challenges and promoting overall well-being through workshops, events, and one-on-one interactions. I’m particularly proud of spearheading the annual Gala for International students, providing a platform for celebrating cultural diversity and fostering community engagement. This initiative exemplifies my commitment to creating a supportive environment where all students feel valued and included. I will tirelessly fight for better resources, health benefits, more mental health resources, more student/study spaces on campus, collaboration with other universities and departments and bringing more support and opportunities for students. I believe in the power of collaboration and inclusivity, and I am committed to fostering a supportive, safe, inclusive, and empowering environment. I am very approachable, feel free to reach out to me if you have any queries, want to discuss about different initiatives or want me to advocate for something. I hope I can bring some good changes on campus. THANK YOU!

Abrar Abdelmahmoud (She/Her)

Vice-President Student Affairs
vpsa@theuwsa.ca