By Brielle Farrow, Student Experience Peer Leader
The Renison Academic Student Committee (RASC) is a committee that provides many opportunities for student leadership. Renison students living in the residence and those living off campus are able to come together, along with peer leaders, to create community among themselves and for other Renison students.
For myself, I have been on many committees within Renison, and RASC has always been one of my favourites. As a part of RASC, there is such a variety of opportunities to serve the broader community as well as peers who are associated with Renison.
This year in RASC, we were able to accomplish a variety of events. I am very thankful to my RASC team, the other peer leaders and Stefany Kraft, a Student Experience Specialist at Renison, for all the support and participation in these events to help them run smoothly! RASC truly could not have completed all that we did throughout this year without these people standing alongside us.
In September, we had our annual breakfast, which is catered by Mel’s Diner, and this was such a hit! It was a great event to get students to connect at the very start of the year. It allowed those who were a part of the student body to build relationships with one another that continued far into the rest of the school year, and it allowed upper-year students to reconnect with one another after the summer off!
In October, our annual Trick or Eat event happened on Halloween. Renison students were able to go to a nearby neighbourhood to collect food for WUSA Food Support Service, supporting students in Waterloo. This had such a large turnout, and we were able to collect many canned goods and nonperishable food. I am very grateful to the large number of students who came out for this event, and want to give a special shout-out to the students who stayed out later to continue collecting goods to make a difference on our campus.
During both terms, we were able to have an event to connect Social Development Studies students and Bachelor of Social Work students with their professors and one another. In October, we held a Pizza with Profs event, and in February, we held a Poutine with Profs event. Both had good turnouts, and many students were able to connect with their professors in a more personal way than class allows.
In Winter term, RASC became quite busy with the events that we put on.
In March, RASC had the opportunity to go to St. John’s Soup Kitchen. While there, we were able to get hands-on experience volunteering in a Soup Kitchen, and we were able to see the impact that this has on our broader community. We were able to do many different roles, such as handing out food, packaging food, and cleaning the dining area, among others.
We were also able to run two fundraisers to raise money for the Renison Student Urgent Needs (SUN) Bursary. The SUN Bursary is one that provides financial support for any Renison-affiliated student, whether through academics or residence. The first fundraiser that we ran was a Book and Bake Sale. For this, we were able to collect books through donations from students and staff in Renison, allowing for a wide range of selections in books. Sweet Lou’s Cookies also partnered with us for this event, making their cookies accessible for students to buy during this event. The second fundraiser for the SUN Bursary was a Krispy Kreme fundraiser.
Finally, at the end of both the Fall and Winter term, RASC was able to run a DIY study kit event. Students were able to pick from a variety of school supplies, drinks, fidgets, and fun stickers, among other resources. This helped support and encourage students as they entered the final exam period.
Throughout the 2025-2026 school year, RASC was able to contribute to the community and student life in a variety of ways. RASC will continue to be able to have events and service opportunities in the upcoming year. I encourage students to join RASC and help contribute to their community in so many valuable ways!