Dear Students of the University of Waterloo,
This letter is to address the Student Life Office’s (SLO, the office that organizes Orientation Week) decision to make Orientation Leader Training (OLT) mandatory for all returning leaders. As a note, this is my own opinion and not the opinion of the Engineering Society ‘A’ or any other group I may be associated with.
In the past, only new leaders were required to take OLT, a set of four courses that spanned roughly eight hours combined. After completing this, the leaders were allowed to do Orientation Week each subsequent year with no further training, as long as their applications were accepted by the Orientation Week organizers. Though the training sessions were not overly effective, the last several Orientation Weeks ran well with this process. The responsibility was on FOC (Federation Orientation Committee, student organizers of Orientation Week who report to, and were selected by, SLO) to ensure that only qualified individuals would be allowed to be leaders during Orientation Week. As well, many faculties have leader retreats that go through Orientation Week policies, some leadership training, and important relevant information.
Recently, SLO changed their policy on Orientation Leader training to state that all new and returning leaders would have to complete a new revamped version of OLT. This was done after many leadership positions had already been decided, in the middle of the school term, and was a surprise for most leaders. This decision by the SLO shows little respect for all our experienced student volunteers, from the leaders on the ground, to the FOC who already put countless hours into the week. It directly demonstrates that they do not trust the decision made by their FOC in the choices of leaders, who have run a safe and smooth Orientation Week in the past. Even FOC, who were chosen by SLO, and participate in countless hours of their own training, are required to take these new sessions, implying that SLO are choosing “unqualified” leaders to organize the week.
The Student Life Office may say that the new program brings new material and insight into being a frosh leader. However, from others I have talked to who have already taken the five mandatory courses, it was a complete rehash of the old material and “a waste of time”. I understand that a review of the policies may be necessary each year as people forget rules, however re-teaching old “leadership” skills is completely unnecessary and is an inefficient use of resources as well as budget from our student services fee. This budget could be better used to provide services to the students in other ways. A shortened refresher course may benefit students more compared to the seven+ hours of courses now mandated by the new OLT.
Leadership is something you learn through experience and it cannot be taught through courses. Being told in a classroom setting what to do in a situation where, for example, someone is hurt and an ambulance is coming for an event at SLC versus being there and knowing what to do are two very different things. A two hour course on “leadership” cannot teach you such skills. Waterloo, a school known for being hands on through co-op, should know better than anyone else that leadership is obtained through experience and not through courses. The Student Life Office, as a part of the University of Waterloo, should know and understand this.
How can the office that looks after student life not consider the opinions of the majority of former leaders in something so important? As well, from what I understand, some of the FOC who were consulted were against this implementation. I am sure if the opinions of former leaders were taken into account the courses would be very effective and an even better Orientation Week could be run. However, the way that SLO is executing these courses will just lead to the same, already effective, Orientation Week that is one of the best in Canada.
If you have any questions or concerns about this topic I encourage you to write to the Student Life Office via Cora Dupuis (cedupuis@uwaterloo.ca) and Heather Westmorland (hwestmor@uwaterloo.ca). I propose we can create a new, more efficient, leader training program, perhaps with refresher courses for already qualified leaders. This current system is a waste of money and time for many people and I would like to see that money better spent serving the students. It is important that an office devoted to students actually cares about what students say.
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