Student Affairs programming empowers students to BE, BECOME and BELONG

As King’s prepares to welcome students in September, our Student Affairs team has re-imagined the experience with a focus on the theme of “BE, BECOME and BELONG.”

This reimagining of the first-year and first-time student experience has come from collaboration between departments across King’s and is being coordinated by Emily Skinner, Transition and First Year Experience Coordinator.

New and returning programming and resources have been put in place to allow each student to experience the following:

• BE welcomed authentically for who they are and the individual gifts that they bring to King’s.
• BECOME engaged to thrive inside and outside the classroom.
• BELONG to our community showing respect for themselves, each other and their neighbours.

“Our Student Affairs team at King’s continues to be responsive to the needs of our students’ community and provide resources that allow every to student to BE, BECOME and BELONG. We will work to welcome the student more fully into our community to truly show what the King’s student experience is all about,” says Joe Henry, Dean of Students.

This will be accomplished through a combination of programming that is open to first year and returning students

All first-year and first-time students must complete two online Gender-Based Sexual Violence (GBSV) training prior to O-Week. Additionally, all student leaders have completed GBSV training in order to better support fellow students and direct them to resources available on campus.

King’s Accessibility, Counselling and Student Development (ACSD) has launched an online booking system. This will allow students, after their initial intake, to book an appointment with a counsellor online.

King’s ACSD will also be resuming their daily walk-in counselling service in the fall, after an extended absence due to COVID-19. This will give students quick access to the supports available on campus. Students can also arrange to speak with a counsellor by calling 519-433-3491, extension 4321 or emailing acsd@kings.uwo.ca. 

The 2SLGBTQIA+ Online Resource Hub has been enhanced to include resources on the preferred name process and a guide to single-user washrooms on campus.

In October, the BIPOC Student Support Group will be returning. The group will meet every second and fourth Wednesday, in partnership with the King’s University College Students’ Council (KUCSC) and Shifting Perspectives.

In November, in conjunction with the King’s Promise Program, the annual Career Fair will return. The event will bring 20 employers to campus to recruit the talented students and graduates that King’s has to offer. The King’s Promise is our signature program that guarantees students meaningful employment within their first six months post-graduation through participation in programming created or supported by King's University College. For students not employed after six months, King’s will guarantee additional undergraduate courses and career preparation for up to one-year post-graduation.

King’s will continue our partnership with DEVANT, which helps upper-year international students with career planning, resume and cover letter writing, interview preparation, networking, employer research and other areas as they begin their transition to a post-university career.

ACSD and Emily Carrothers, BSW ’13, MSW ’16, Campus and Community Social Worker, have created a Speaker’s Bureau, allowing King’s faculty to bring experts to their classes to speak on a range of topics related to wellness and academic support.

Dr. Adrienne Sauder, King’s Learning Strategist, will work with Western University to offer a Study Hub for Western Mustang student-athletes, including the many student-athletes who attend King’s.

King’s encourages all students, whether first-year or returning, to use these resources to help make the most of your King’s experience and prepare for your post-university career.