Student Leadership Opportunities

Do you want to apply to current paid or volunteer opportunities at Renison?

Visit the News page on our Homepage for Current Opportunities.

Our Renison community is proud of the many paid and volunteer leadership opportunities available for students to grow and develop their essential skills. Learn more about the opportunities available throughout the year for our Renison student community. 

Meet Your Student Leaders

Renison is proud to have a great team of passionate student leaders available to support our community. Get to know your Renison student leaders by visiting our One-on-One Meet-ups Page

Reni Moose

Peer Leaders

Peer Leaders are paid leadership opportunities at Renison that are perfect for students to strengthen their leadership and intercultural experience. This position is ideal for students with a strong knowledge of campus services and resources, student leadership experience. For roles that support our English language programs at Renison, a solid understanding of the international student experience is also valuable.

Our Peer Leaders must exhibit strong mentorship skills and facilitation experience. They must be positive role models both personally and academically, and exhibit awareness and knowledge of strategies for academic and personal success.

Residence Experience Peer Leaders

In the Fall and Winter terms, Student Experience and Housing will hire 1-2 students leaders as our Residence Experience Peer Leaders. Our Residence Experience Peer Leaders work alongside our Residence Dons to ensure our students living in Renison Residence have a fun and exciting residence experience. 

Our Residence Experience Peer Leaders work with our Student Experience & Housing team to re-enforce community building opportunities in residence. The Peer Leaders will organize many social events for students to build friendships, enhance their student leadership skills, and have fun. 

Questions?

Stefany Kraft, Student Experience Coordinator
s2kraft@uwaterloo.ca 
Office: Room 1902

Student Experience Peer Leaders

In the Fall and Winter terms, Student Experience and Housing will hire 1-2 student leaders to become our Student Experience Peer Leaders. These peer leaders have a focus on developing events and activities to support students at Renison studying in our daytime degree programs, including Culture & Language Studies courses and the School of Social Work. 

Our Student Experience Peer Leaders help to build programming that will allow Renison students to enhance their communication and leadership skills through educational workshops, social events, and fun outreach. 

Questions?

Stefany Kraft, Student Experience Coordinator
s2kraft@uwaterloo.ca 
Office: Room 1902

Social Development Studies Peer Leaders

We recruit a team of 2-3 senior students in the Fall and Winter terms to serve as Social Development Studies (SDS) Peer Leaders. These student staff will work 3-6 hours per week. Hours will vary depending on times when SDS students are not in class, including lunches, evenings, and occasional weekends.

The Social Development Studies program (SDS) is a Bachelor of Arts major offering courses in human and social development, including psychology, sociology, and social work. Students develop skills in critical thinking, problem solving, interpersonal relations, leadership, civic engagement, and global citizenship. With a University of Waterloo degree and an SDS major, graduates attain an excellent foundation for graduate studies, professional programs, and careers in human and public service.

The SDS Peer Leaders coordinate event programming including social events and educational workshops, as well as provide one-on-one meet-up support to help students with developing their academic and personal goals. 

Questions?

Stefany Kraft, Student Experience Coordinator
s2kraft@uwaterloo.ca 
Office: Room 1902

English Language Institute Peer Leaders

Renison Student Experience & Housing coordinates peer leadership opportunities to help support the variety of English language programs available in the Renison English Language Institute

ELI Peer Leaders (Fall, Winter, Spring terms)

We recruit a team of 2-6 upper-year students to serve as English Language Institute (ELI) Peer Leaders each year. These student staff will work 6-8 hours per week. Hours will vary depending on times when students are not in class, including lunches, evenings, and occasional weekends.

During the Fall and Winter terms, the ELI Peer Leaders primarily support students studying in Renison's Bridge to Academic Success in English (BASE) programEnglish for Academic Success (EFAS), and General English at Renison (GEAR) programs. Throughout all programs, students are encouraged to practise their English outside of the classroom by taking part in programmed recreational activities on and off campus.

During the Spring term, the ELI Peer Leaders will support a specific program - either English for Academic Success (EFAS) from May-July, Intensive Bridge to Academic Success in English (iBASE) from July-August, or Intensive English for Academic Success (iEFAS) from July-August. 

The ELI Peer Leaders coordinate event programming, coordinating regular one-on-one check-in meetings with each student, and provide one-on-one meet-up support to help students with developing their academic and personal goals. 

The positions are a four-month contract position in the Fall and Winter terms, and are either three months or two-month contracts in the Spring term.

Questions?

Allison Marlowe, Student Experience Coordinator 
asmarlowe@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 0209 


Summer Programs Peer Leaders

We recruit a team of 2 undergraduate or graduate students to serve as Summer Programs Peer Leaders from late May to August annually for Renison's RoboSEIP and EFS programs.

Robotics - Summer English Immersion Program (RoboSEIP) is a short-term summer program for high school students from Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico. The program involves a combination of English language classes and a Robotics course taught by an Engineering professor from Tecnológico de Monterrey. Students live in Renison while attending many social events and bus trips to experience life in Canada as well as engineering at the University of Waterloo.

English for Success (EFS) is a short-term summer program for students wanting to improve their presentation and communication skills in an English immersion environment. The students are encouraged to practise their English outside of the classroom by living in residence and by taking part in programmed recreational activities on and away from campus.

These student staff will work 25-35 hours per week. Hours will vary depending on times when students are not in class, and are usually during lunches, evenings, and weekends.

These positions are posted annually in the Winter term and are posted to the Student Experience & Housing News page.

Questions?

Stefany Kraft, Student Experience Coordinator
s2kraft@uwaterloo.ca 
Office: Room 0206

Dons

Residence Dons

Primary responsibilities of Residence Dons are to promote a positive sense of community and an environment that is conducive to learning and personal growth. The specific duties include: enforcing residence policies, helping residents adjust to residence life, planning and implementing social activities, and being available to students as a resource for academic and personal issues. 

These positions are posted annually in the Winter term and are posted to the Student Experience & Housing News page.

Questions?

Jennifer Burton, Housing Manager
jburton@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 0207

Student leaders smiling after an event was finished

Student Leadership Committees

Renison facilitates student leadership committees whose specific goals are to contribute to the liveliness of our vibrant student community. 

ELI Student Leadership Team


Residence Student Council, Renisix

Renisix is tasked with enhancing the social atmosphere of the College for those who live in its residence halls. A student run council, Renisix gives students the opportunity to take ownership of their residence experience and provide opportunities for students to have fun and meet others in the University College. Working under the support of our Student Experience Coordinator, Renisix achieves its mandate by investigating what students want out of their residence experience and finding ways to provide for those wants.

Speak to your Don in September or January about how to get involved.

Questions?

Stefany Kraft, Student Experience Coordinator
s2kraft@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 0206

Renison Academic Student Council (RASC)

The Renison Academic Student Council (RASC) is a student leadership committee comprised of undergraduate Renison-registered students. The goals of RASC is to provide service-learning and student leadership opportunities to all Renison students that seek to enhance the overall Renison student experience while at university. RASC seeks to engage members in proving a student perspective to the daily life and development of Renison University College.

Learn more about RASC and their goals on the RASC webpage.

Questions?

Stefany Kraft, Student Experience Coordinator
s2kraft@uwaterloo.ca 
Office: Room 0206

Frida and May at Moose Tracks

Additional Paid Opportunities

Moose Tracks Connection Desk Assistants

Moose Tracks
Moose Tracks Connection Desk Assistants assist in the coordination of front-line customer service for student inquiries, as well as supporting the Renison Student Experience and Housing team with projects related to administrative support. This role requires excellent customer service and communication skills, and a sincere desire to help others.

As a Connection Desk Assistant, you will assist students with:

  • Providing way-finding support throughout the college, including locating classrooms and common spaces throughout the college
  • Supporting navigational advice to students for who to speak with regarding their courses at Renison as well as University of Waterloo student services
  • Provide information about Renison events, including help with registration
  • Daytime support with residence questions
  • The purchase of snacks, essential items, and Renison merchandise

These positions are posted at the start of each term on the International Work Study Program homepage. 

Questions?

Ryan Connell, Student Experience & Housing Assistant Director
ryan.connell@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 1108 (Renison Ministry Centre)

Food Services Kitchen Porter

Each term, Renison Food Services hires a Kitchen Porter who is a student. The Kitchen Porter works closely with the Renison Food Services team to ensure that clients and guests receive the highest level of customer care while adhering to all guidelines for food preparation, recipe adherence and catering standard excellence. The Kitchen Porter is a frontline position requiring the incumbent to work in a post-secondary food services environment. 

These positions are posted at the start of each term on the Renison Student Experience & Housing News page

Questions?

Tim Farley, Food Services Manager
tim.farley@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 1309 (Renison Cafeteria)

Marketing and Recruitment Assistants

Throughout the year, Renison's Marketing and Recruitment department hires students into the roles of Marketing and Recruitment Assistants. 

The Marketing and Recruitment team will hire: 

Questions?

Grant Leach, Marketing & Recruitment Director
grant.leach@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 0203B (Renison International Office)

Library Assistants

The Library Assistants provide front-line customer service in Renison's Lusi Wong Library. 

This opportunity may be great for you if you: 

  • Are familiar with the library services and catalogue system and would be comfortable helping others find the materials they are looking for 
  • Are comfortable working independently and intervening when patrons may be violating food, safety, or noise standards 
  • You have customer service experience 

Library Assistants will assist with:

  • Shelving books. 
  • Shelf-reading assigned sections. 
  • Checking out materials for students at Circulation. 
  • Helping students with their printing. 
  • Assisting students with research using library resources. 
  • Answering questions about the campus and building. 
  • Closing the library at the end of the night. 
  • Booking out Study Rooms as required. 
  • Ensuring proper use of the library facilities. 
  • Completing special projects (e.g., outreach) as assigned. 

These positions are posted at the start of every term on the Lusi Wong Library website

Questions?

Tammy Kavanaugh, Library Supervisor
tammy.kavanaugh@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 1101 (Lusi Wong Library)

Charmaine in the cafeteria smiling at camera

Student Involvement on College Committees

Renison University College coordinates a number of college committees that include Faculty, Staff and Administration at the college. An important part of the membership for these college committees include students! The voice of students are imperative on these committees to ensure that Renison is able to meet its mission and vision. 

Renison Board of Governors

The Renison Board of Governors' responsibility of the Board is to lead Renison in pursuit of the Mission and achievement of the Goals

Policy. The Board's specific duties and responsibilities are consistent with its trusteeship role and are necessary for effective governance and management. The Board will:

  • Establish and maintain effective governance and management,
  • Maintain strategic oversight and insight,
  • Exercise authority in areas that lie outside the authority delegated to the President,
  • Be a voice for Renison to advance achievement of its Mission and Goals

Student membership on the Board of Governors is in the role of:

  • the President of Renisix or its successor
  • A Renison-registered Student elected by RASC;

These student membership roles along with the rest of the board members form collectively the " Ex Officio Board Members").

Student Board Member terms– one (1) year re-electable to a maximum of three (3) consecutive years of service.

Questions?

Lisa Kessig, Executive Assistant to the President's Office
lisa.kessig@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 2601 (President's Office)

Student Affairs & Community Education Council

Student Affairs and Community Education Council (SACE Council) shall have general responsibility for Student Affairs and Community and Professional Education initiatives. Student Affairs includes but is not limited to Student Experience and Housing, Renison International Office, Chaplaincy, and Library. Community and Professional Education (CAPE) includes Renison courses and programs that satisfy conditional admission or entry requirements to the University of Waterloo and Renison courses, programs and micro-credentials that are not for University of Waterloo credit and may or may not require approval by the Senate of the University of Waterloo (UW). CAPE units include the English Language Institute (ELI), Continuing Education, the Institute of Intercultural Research and Community Engagement (IIRCE), and Pathway Programs.

Two student representatives are voting members on SACE Council – one student from residence and one student from CAPE. Student reps are asked to attend meetings and participate in discussions and decisions. SACE Council meetings are held twice per term for 1.5 hours.

Questions?

Ally Vonk, Administrative & Research Officer
ally.vonk@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 2601 (President's Office) 

Student Affairs Advisory Committee

The Student Affairs Advisory Committee's mandate is to make recommendations to the SACE Council concerning Student Affairs at Renison. The duties of the Student Affairs Advisory Committee include making recommendations to the SACE Council concerning the approval of new Student Affairs programs and initiatives at Renison or the modification or deletion of existing Student Affairs programs and initiatives at Renison; make recommendations to the SACE Council on strategic planning in relation to Student Affairs; ensure adequate policies regarding Student Affairs are established and kept up to date; make recommendations to the SACE Council concerning work within SAAC subcommittees; promote staff access to professional development (PD) opportunities; ensure a ‘framework’ is in place to support and disseminate best/effective practices.

Two student representatives attend the Student Affairs Advisory Committee meetings held twice per term for 1.5 hours. Student reps are asked to attend meetings and participate in discussions and decisions to provide a student voice in decision-making.

Questions?

Ryan Connell, Assistant Director of Student Experience & Housing
ryan.connell@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 1108 (Ministry Centre)

Renison Green Team

The Renison Green Team is comprised of representatives from every department across Renison. Our goal is to provide expertise for the development and implementation of environmental and sustainability initiatives in and around Renison.

We welcome student reps who are committed to advocating and applying sustainable practices and ideas throughout the college. We especially like having one Renison Residence student representative and one non-resident student representative. 

Participating on the Renison Green Team involves:

  • A one or two-semester commitment
  • Working and collaborating with Renison Green Team members
  • Providing a student lens on how to best promote sustainable actions to the Renison community
  • Committing to assisting with a project or task during their tenure

The commitment will involvement 1-2 meetings per term; extra meetings as required for work on sub-committees.

Questions?

Renison Green Team
rension.greenteam@uwaterloo.ca

Student Wellness and Advocacy Committee

The Student Wellness and Advocacy Advisory Committee is an opportunity for students to share input about student wellness needs, as well as advocacy needs and issues based on student perspective from personal experience and/or peers’ experiences at Renison.  As a committee, we will work on several areas:

Advocacy and Advisory work:

  • Making recommendations to relevant leadership at Renison for how to best serve student life and wellness. The committee also serves as an advisory to Renison’s Managers and Directors Group (MDG) on issues facing and related to students; in this way, the committee serves to promote the collective voice of students on issues that our senior leadership/administration may advocate for with internal or external stakeholders.
  • Advising and supporting all Renison students, outside of their courses and when other resources have been spent, are unavailable, or unknown, with issues such as:
    • student conduct appeals (student life and residence),
    • sexual violence response,
    • issues of harassment,
    • physical safety/accident/slip and fall response,
    • physical accessibility concerns (coordinating with Renison’s Accessibility Committee),
    • and other issues, such as invisible barriers, as they emerge.

Event planning: planning and executing two listening events per year, to get input and feedback from students around wellness and issues they may be facing or dealing with.

Food Security: supporting the Community Fridge and Community Cupboard at Renison in promoting food security for students. Also, seeking to improve awareness and access to Food Security resources on and off campus by providing relevant information through flyers and online information about Renison, UW and Community resources.

Improving awareness and access to resources: working with relevant Renison areas, we hope to improve the availability of flyers and online information about wellness resources at Renison and UW so that students know what to access.

The committee hosts two 1.5-hour meetings per term and additional 2 hours per month is spent on the implementation of advocacy and wellness initiatives outside the meeting times.

Questions?

Scott McLeod, Chaplain
scott.mcleod@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 1108 (Ministry Centre)

 

Accessibility Matters Committee

The Accessibility Matters Committee at Renison is an advisory body established to enhance equitable access on the Renison campus for students, staff, faculty, and visitors.

  • Serves as a resource to the Renison community on issues related to accessibility;
  • Serves as the Renison campus contact point for all accessibility concerns; Raises awareness and make recommendations to the Renison community and appropriate departmental and administrative contacts on real and potential barriers to accessibility, including sharing best practices for addressing issues and eliminating barriers;
  • Provide, when needed, liaison with services on campus at the University of Waterloo to ensure that accessibility barriers are effectively responded to for student, staff, faculty, and visitor members of Renison’s community. 

1 meeting a month for the Fall and Winter semesters.

Questions?

Bethany Dixon, Lecturer
bethany.dixon@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 1916

Arveen and Kirk smiling at camera

Volunteer Opportunities for Renison & UWaterloo Students

Our volunteer opportunities are a great way to build your peer mentorship skills while helping our students develop their language skills and meet other students studying at the University of Waterloo. You can choose to attend our events, help with our student volunteer committees, or attend classes alongside our students. We have many different opportunities available throughout the year. 

ELI Peer Helpers

English Language Institute (ELI) Peer Helpers are student volunteers who provide peer support to English Language Learners in our General English at Renison (GEAR) and English for Success (EFS) programs. ELI Peer Helpers support EFS and GEAR students with the development of their language skills by attending English classes alongside the students and engaging them in English practice during class activities and group discussions.

This could be a great opportunity if you want to:

  • Build your cross-cultural and peer mentorship skills by supporting international students
  • Teach English language learners in the future and learn more about instructional methods
  • Improve your conversational English and grammar with free language class practice

The ELI Peer Helper role is a four-week volunteer commitment where you will attend approximately five hours of class per week for the duration of the program. Peer Helpers are given the flexibility to attend classes that best suit their schedules; classes include Writing/Grammar, Listening/Speaking, Reading, and Canadian Culture. You will not be expected to participate in any assessments (such as assignments or tests), but you will be encouraged to participate in class activities and group discussions. Peer Helpers must volunteer for at least 20 hours per four-week program session to receive a Letter of Recognition. Please note that this program counts towards the cross-cultural volunteer experience (CCVE) for the Global Experience Certificate (GEC).

Renison ELI normally offers the EFS program in June, July, and August, and the GEAR program from September to May. We normally start recruiting ELI Peer Helpers a month before a given program's start date.

These positions are posted regularly throughout the year on the Student Experience & Housing News page.

Questions?

A.J. Dixon, Student Advisor
aj.dixon@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 1930 (English Language Institute Office)

Conversation Partner Volunteer

Every term, the Conversation Partner Program offered through Student Experience & Housing pairs English language learners with volunteers to provide a cross-cultural experience through conversation and activities around the city.

As a volunteer, you have the opportunity to learn about various cultures around the world and gain a memorable cross-cultural experience while helping an international student practice their English. Now is your chance to explore the area even more with your partner and have fun while making a new friend! Please note that this program counts towards the cross-cultural volunteer experience (CCVE) for the Global Experience Certificate (GEC).

These positions are posted September, January, and April each year on the Student Experience & Housing website.

Questions?

Allison Marlowe, Student Experience Coordinator
asmarlowe@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 0209

Student Ambassadors

Renison Student Ambassadors support Renison's Marketing and Recruitment team at several recruitment events and initiatives throughout the year which. Some of these initiatives may include, but are not limited to, delivering campus tours, creating social media content, and assisting with recruitment events. Renison Ambassadors share their personal experiences on what it is like to live and/or study at Renison, including answering questions about the Faculty of Arts and help future students decide if Renison is a good fit for them. Ambassadors have a powerful impact on our future students, and it provides student leaders with an opportunity to leave their (moose) tracks!

Questions?

Grant Leach, Marketing & Recruitment Director
grant.leach@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 0203B (Renison International Office)

One Sky Festival Volunteers

Every September, Renison hosts its popular One Sky Festival. The day-long festival welcomes around 50 volunteers in a variety of roles to support the event, including assisting with performers, running activity booths, etc.

Questions?

Karrie Cornies, Events and Conference Coordinator
kcornies@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 2304

Convocation Volunteers

In the summer and fall terms, Renison seeks the support of 4-5 student volunteers to assist with executing all details related to Renison's Convocation celebrations. Fall Convocation is in October every year and Spring Convocation is in June annually.

Questions?

Karrie Cornies, Events and Conference Coordinator
kcornies@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 2304

Founders' Day Volunteers

For over 60 years, with each Founders’ Day celebration, Renison staff, faculty, students, alumni, donors and other community members come together to honour our core values and the work that we do to promote them. This annual celebration includes formally recognizing individuals who live these values and help to advance them each and every day. To become a Renison Honouree is to be welcomed into a select company of founders of positive change.

For the annual Founders' Day celebrations, approximately 5 student volunteers help with the execution of the event in a variety of roles. 

Questions?

Karrie Cornies, Events and Conference Coordinator
kcornies@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 2304

2 Students

Other Opportunities at the University of Waterloo...

Campus Clubs

The Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association manages more than 200 campus clubs that cover many different topics and interests, including clubs that fall into different categories such as: 

  • Academic
  • Business and entrepreneurial
  • Charity, community service, and international development
  • Creative arts, dance, and music
  • Cultural
  • Environmental and sustainability
  • Games, recreation, and social
  • Health promotion
  • Media, publications, and web development
  • Political and social awareness
  • Religious and spiritual

Visit the WUSA Clubs website to learn more about all of the clubs available to join.

Intramural Teams



Do you have a Renison opportunity to add to this page?

Contact:
Ryan Connell, Student Experience & Housing Assistant Director
ryan.connell@uwaterloo.ca
Office: Room 1108 (Renison Ministry Centre)