A Year in the Life of RASC (2023-2024)

By Tisa Mushani, RASC Co-President

The Renison Academic Student Council (RASC) is comprised of undergraduate students and peer leaders at Renison who aim to unite the Renison community through fun events while also advocating for student needs.

My involvement in RASC was coincidental. During Winter 2023, I'd vaguely heard about RASC but wasn't sure what it was. I was working at the library (Lusi Wong), and we were donating some of our books for one of their events (book and bake sale) and ta-da! A connection was formed. Like many students seeking kindred spirits and a sense of community but uncertain, overwhelmed with school and, frankly, afraid to reach out, I tentatively raised my hand when asked if I was interested in helping out further at the book & bake sale. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Through RASC, I've met wonderful people, expanded my network, and gotten a deeper appreciation of the inner workings of Renison. As students, we see the facade, but a building is comprised of a strong foundation, sturdy walls, and a roof that not only keeps the elements out but cocoons what is inside. Renison's faculty, from professors to administration to the Student Experience and Housing Office to technicians and cleaning and ground staff, keep this vessel operating efficiently, and they make it feel like that home away from home. Through RASC, I became a part of that backbone for a positive student experience.

This year, I was honored to serve as the RASC President alongside one of the most compassionate souls, Deanna Rooke (Vice-President). I have also taken on other leadership positions at Renison, such as being a Library Assistant and working as a Peer Leader for the English Language Institute (ELI).

This year has been a year of many firsts for RASC with the introduction of Chill with RASC which was a broader variant of Mature Student Coffee Chat, enticing students with the prospect of food, colouring pages, and a relaxed setting to lay to rest their worries and simply commune with other students.

As always, RASC helped our students 'on-the-go', rushing to a class (or from a class) with our bi-weekly Refuel with RASC held in the Atrium. Although not a substitute for breakfast and lunch, our snacks gave students something to digest along with all the information they were getting in their classes. That is a bad joke on my part!

We kicked off September with a lovely breakfast catered by Mel's Diner. This RASC breakfast served for us to better connect with other students before the hustle and bustle of a new semester set in. Although, it also showed me that the Atrium has the capacity to host tens of people at once waiting for some scrambled eggs and French toast. What I understand from that is that we need to utilize the space more, and scrambled eggs and toast, all year round, is the way to go.

In October, we had Pizza with Profs where SDS students got to have one-on-one casual conversations with their Professors in the Dunker Family Lounge. Then, in November, DIY Study/Mental Health Kits were handed out to help students confront final exam jitters. Assorted teas, stress toys, and stickers are proven mood boosters. But don’t cite me on that.

RASC loves to support meaningful causes, not only within our student population, but our Waterloo-Kitchener community at large. The semester ended on a positive note through the generous donations that we got from students and staff for a winter Clothing Drive that we run through October-December. This was for the K-W Urban Native Wigwam Project, which is a non-profit organization that seeks to find safe and affordable housing for Indigenous people in low-income situations. By the end of the clothes drive we'd accumulated over 10 big garbage bags worth of clothing items. RASC is very thankful to everyone for all their donations.

In line with giving back to the community, we also ran a Halloween food drive where we went door-to-door in a neighborhood nearby and collected tons of food for students at Renison who might be facing food insecurity.

This year we continued supporting the Renison Student Urgent Needs (SUN) Bursary. This is an important bursary that aims to support those in need of quick financial aid within the Renison community. That could mean money for groceries because you cannot manage the expense this month, an additional amount for your rent, money for unexpected damage to your car, extra hospital bills not covered by UHIP, etc. If you are experiencing pressing financial difficulties and have nowhere else to get the funds, please consider this bursary. We understand that life can be unpredictable and want students to know that there's a resource available to them for those emergencies.

One of our fundraising initiatives for the SUN bursary took place in February. It was the two-day RASC Book and Bake sale. Through student donations, Facebook marketplace, and a purging of our own book shelves, we got a wide selection of fiction and non-fiction novels to sell. Thanks to our very own Renison Food Services, yummy baked goods such as brownies and cookies were also on sale. We raised $421.95!

Additionally, Winter came with ‘Valentines Day with RASC’ where personalized cards were made and goodies handed out. Then there was our second SUN Bursary Fundraising initiative in March with the Krispy Kreme Fundraiser. We're happy to announce that we raised $1100! Thank you to everyone who indulged in their sweet tooth and bought our donuts.

We had a fantastic addition to our Spring Poutine with Profs where RASC members and SDS students got to welcome prospective students and reflect on their experiences at Renison alongside furthering their relationships with their professors.

Finally, at the end of the Winter term we started an exciting collaboration with our very own library (Lusi Wong) in hopes of helping to provide students with quick and easy access to information on how they can better utilize the library space and its resources. More reference workshops could be coming up. And as we look to the future, we want to encourage students to add to a mural on what Renison means to you. That’s a long-term project that we're excited to launch. Be on the look out!

Moreover, RASC is excited to hear from students about how we can turn the student lounge into a hub for discussion, communion, and relaxation for our equity deserving students and our Renison community at large.

As you can see, the Renison Academic Council has had a busy academic year of growth and change with more to come. I'm forever grateful to all the students who make up RASC and their contributions to enriching the lives of fellow students. Although fun and insightful, the events that we've hosted have served a greater purpose of helping us to form great friendships and a better understanding our community. Thank you, friends, for being a part of RASC.

Lastly, I'd love to give a big thank you to Stefany Kraft, a Student Experience Coordinator and the chief ingredient to RASC's operations. All our events are possible because of her planning expertise and dedication to enhancing student experience. When in doubt, go to Stefany. She'll not only have an answer for your query but more answers for questions you didn't think to ask!

RASC is what it is because of the students who give their diverse perspectives and experiences to it, so I encourage anyone who's interested in fostering friendship and community at Renison to consider joining RASC.