Waterloo Indigenous Student Services (WISC) joins the Office of Indigenous Relations 

This integration will offer Indigenous students access to a more cohesive support system. Currently, WISC operates separately from OIR in United College. Aligning these services within OIR, Indigenous Student Services can more effectively collaborate with university departments, provide clearer advocacy, and create a more robust network of resources.  

OIR and WISC desires to remove barriers and potential disconnects within the Indigenous student community. Moving services to OIR provides a central point of contact making it easier for students to receive support while streamlining connections for Indigenous student, staff, and faculty.  Additionally, OIR and WISC integrating can leverage broader university resources, including donor and capital funds, which will enhance programming and support.  

Working together, OIR and WISC will benefit from a larger pool of combined financial resources and a coordinated framework that reduces overlap. This integration will also improve data collection, increased staff capacity, event collaboration and reporting while helping the university track progress on Indigenous student support more effectively and identify areas where additional resources are needed.  

By restructuring WISC with OIR, the university aims to strengthen and support the Indigenous student community and improve workflow in services and advocacy. Students will benefit from wraparound support that prioritizes their well-being, academic success, cultural needs and a “circle of care” approach that includes input from Indigenous students, faculty and staff.   

This transition also allows the university to better address issues unique to Indigenous students, streamline its reporting structures, and ensure a wholistic, Indigenous-led service framework. A centralized Indigenous student support system aligns the university with best practices across Canada, where other institutions have successfully created unified Indigenous relations departments.  

The University of Waterloo’s commitment to Indigenous student support goes beyond this transition. This centralization creates a framework for sustained collaboration with the Indigenous community on campus, including co-created programming and an environment where student voices are amplified. In fall 2024, the Indigenous Education Council that operated at United College merged with OIR’s Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) to form a unified committee.   The IAC promotes and advocates for the advancement of Indigenous education at the University of Waterloo.