SWS Advisory Committee initiates monthly meetings with student representatives

SWS works to increase organizational transparency 

Students work to increase available information about SWS.
Photo: 
Maia McCann
In April, Student Wellness Services (SWS) announced that it would form a Student Advisory Committee after student concerns on the service. The Committee is now working on initial projects for the 2021-22 academic year. 
 
Cynthia Gibney, Executive Director of Student Wellness, said in an email statement to The Journal that the group currently meets every month. 
 
The advisory committee is made up of seven to eight students representatives. 
 
The committee consists of representatives from student governments and professional staff from various departments at Queen’s. 
 
“[The advisory group] includes representatives of the AMS and SGPS, myself, the clinic manager, the Health Promotion coordinator, the manager of Accessibility Services and a counsellor,” Gibney wrote. 
 
“The purpose of this group is to share information and increase the integration of diverse student voices and perspectives in SWS operations.”
 
Gibney emphasized the importance of reaching out to clubs and organizations within the framework of the Committee, which includes promoting student advocacy from diverse perspectives. 
 
“The committee has also reached out to invite student groups/clubs to join meetings for input and discussion, including Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change, Queen’s First Aid and Jack.org, and this outreach will continue,” Gibney wrote. 
 
In addition to student outreach, Gibney said the committee has “created its mission and values statements, [on] services, programming, and processes,”
 
The Advisory Committee is also focused on providing accurate information about SWS to the student body. 
 
“[The Committee] discussed how to promote accurate information about access and pathways to support across the student population,” Gibney said. 
 
According to Gibney, students will be more inclined to access necessary supports if SWS provides readily available information on the availability of those supports. 
 
“The more knowledge students have about the health care [sic] system, the more they will be able to access what they need, when they need it,” Gibney wrote.
 
Gibney believes the collaborative nature of the Student Advisory Committee serves as an additional layer of transparency for SWS. 
 
“Our discussions are collaborative, and function as an additional mechanism for SWS to hear from students, as well as a way to increase transparency and promote information about SWS to students,” Gibney said. 
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Student Wellness Centre

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