This year, during the event, we had the honour of presenting the first Edward JC Hossie Leadership award. This award was created to “support undergraduate or graduate students who have demonstrated leadership through volunteerism, community service and/or campus activities”. Chosen from an outstanding group of nominations, the three recipients of this award have made incredible changes both on campus and in the world around us throughout their time at UBC.

Laz Milovanovic

Our first award recipient was selected for his efforts in improving his campus community, for his leadership amongst his peers, and for his work connecting his UBC education with the local community. Laz has worked throughout his time at UBC to found and grow organizations that improve the health, wellness, and academic success of his peers. As a co-founder of the Engineering Team and a member of the Peer Programs Executive Council, he has worked tirelessly to provide students with better resources and support. Beyond providing student support, he has been a participant, a student leader, and a project leader for the TREK Reading Week Learning Exchange. He is dedicated not only to giving back to the community around him, but sharing knowledge with, and learning from, young Vancouver citizens.

Fernanda Tomaselli

Fernanda came to UBC in 2008 as a Masters student. Her passion for connecting her studies to the community around her was clear from the very start. From being involved in her Forestry Graduate Student Association, where she worked to improve the student experience and provide opportunities for professional development, to working with her department on marketing and website design, Fernanda is dedicated to improving the experience of others within her faculty. She is also making an impact beyond the campus to the global community. Through her representation of UBC at global conferences to her position on an international Forestry Students Association, Fernanda is making a broad impact through the combination of her studies and her student leadership.

Tarini Fernando

The best word to describe our final award recipient is “passionate”. Tarini is a creator of change and committed to both community development and service. Globally, she has been involved in the World University Service of Canada, running the Student Refugee Program, where UBC sponsors the education of refuge students and supports their transition to Canada. She has also used her experience as an immigrant to build a strong community and connections with Sri Lanka from campus. Locally, Tarini has founded and built a program, “The Passion Project”, to allow youth to share their passions while contributing to their local communities. This year, she had the opportunity to represent this growing project at the Clinton Global Initiative University in Washington. She accomplishes all of this while maintaining committed to her studies and staying involved in a wide variety of campus clubs and organizations. For the breadth and reach of her positive impact, Tarini was chosen as a recipient of the Edward JC Hossie Leadership Award.

This year a Working Group comprised of staff from Student Development (Robyn Leuty, Evan Hilchey), Arts Advising (Craig Wallace), Chapman Learning Commons (Teri Grant), UBC-Community Learning Initiative (Rebecca Kindiak) and International Student Development (Tanja Bergen, Matt Whiteman) have developed a comprehensive training program for over 60 summer student staff across the Vice President Students portfolio. For information on the program, feel free to review the Coordinated Summer Student Staff Training Schedule.

For information on content, materials or other questions, feel free to contact Evan Hilchey, Operations Manager, Centre for Student Involvement.

For more information please visit our website or email Carman Lam.

The Committee serves a very important role. It assists the President by investigating allegations of non-academic misconduct made against UBC Vancouver students under the Student Code of Conduct, and reporting its findings to the President. Members of the Committee are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel. Except for the Committee Chair, all members of the Committee will be UBC Vancouver students. For more information about the role of the Committee, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel and theRules of the Committee.

To ensure that a broad range of students are represented on the Committee, the University Counsel is inviting students who are interested in serving on the Committee to submit their names for consideration. If you wish to be considered, you should provide the following information via email by May 4, 2012 to university.counsel@ubc.ca:

1. your first and last name
2. your student number
3. the name of your Faculty
4. your telephone number
5. your e-mail address
6. your mailing address
7. an explanation of 100 words or less explaining your interest in joining the Committee

If you wish, you may also provide a reference letter from a UBC faculty member, but a reference letter is not required.

Approximately 15 students will be selected to serve on the Committee. Quorum for each Committee meeting is the Chair and at least 2 Committee members, and meetings are set between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Meetings will be scheduled to fit the needs of the Committee members involved in each case. Training opportunities for Committee members will be provided by the Office of the University Counsel.

If you are selected to serve on the Committee, you will be contacted by telephone or e-mail by the Office of the University Counsel to confirm your willingness to serve on the Committee. If you are not selected, your information will be kept on file for one year in case vacancies arise.

While you’re stopping by, check out our new and improved library!  You can view our full collection online and see what’s checked in and what’s on loan at our LibraryThing page.  The CSI’s library collection is now housed in the lounge and is accessible for all.  We have books on a variety of topics, from leadership and communication, to how-to guides for using advanced computer software like Adobe products and Final Cut Pro.  Feel free to peruse our titles and even check out a book if you wish; just speak with a staff member at the front desk!

We’re open all summer and look forward to chatting with new and returning students about opportunities for involvement.  In the mean time, best of luck on your exams and have a safe and relaxing summer, from all of us at the CSI!

Bring your E-Waste* to the South Plaza of the SUB (the side facing the Aquatic Center) on March 30th from 10 am to 3 pm, and the UBC Dollar Project will gladly bring them to the nearest E-Waste facility FREE OF CHARGE.

*E-Waste can be old cell phones, chargers, computers, monitors, batteries, etc.

The E-Waste Recycling Project is the winning idea from Dollar Project’s Penny for Your Thoughts competition.

The International Service Learning Student Leadership Team would like to invite you to an unique opportunity on campus!
We will be hosting “Developing a Dialogue for Partnership,” a discussion on the motivations that drive us to participate in international service learning or volunteer opportunities, and the ways in which these motivations affect our experiences.

By drawing on the knowledge of fellow students we will challenge participants in a dialogue to investigate the relationships between volunteers and communities they work in.  We will explore what motivates people to volunteer, how these motivations can affect the way we conduct ourselves while volunteering, and challenges that often arise in volunteer work related to miscommunication.  These topics and more will be discussed by sharing personal volunteer experiences and participating in activities tailored to draw out learning along the workshop’s themes.  Participants will acquire greater insight on their past volunteering, develop strategies for communication between themselves and community stakeholders, and discover how to bring lessons from international volunteering into a local context.
Join the conversations on

• March 29th @ 5:00 PM in BUCH D221
• March 30th @ 5:00 PM in BUCH D229

For more information, or to sign up, contact ubc.isl.slt@gmail.com.

UBC’s Got Talent highlights singing, dancing, instrumental, theatre, spoken word and other performing talents from the UBC community. Students, alumni, staff, faculty and residents of the University Neighbourhood Association are invited to audition. All levels of experience are welcome.

Auditions are accepted through a video link until March 5th at http://gottalent.ubc.ca.

The UBC Bookstore is pleased to produce this event, to be held on March 29 at the newly renovated Old Auditorium. Donations to the United Way Campaign will be accepted at the event in return for a ballot to rank performances. Performances ranked in the top three will receive prizes from the Bookstore.

Tickets were a hot commodity last year, and sold out quickly – you might want to book early for the March 29, 2012 show.

Interested in getting involved in undergraduate research?  Already involved?  The Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC) celebrates the contributions of undergraduate scholarly inquiry and research at UBC from across all faculties.  Both students who are currently engaged in undergraduate research and students who are interested in getting involved are encouraged to come out.  Come check out what your colleagues are doing, and get connected so you can do it too!  Attendance also comes with the chance to win an iPad!

Also, the top presenters from this year’s Conference will be invited to submit papers for possible publication in the conference proceedings.  They may also be asked to compete to represent UBC at the U21 Undergraduate Research Conference this July at Waseda University in Japan.

Attendee registration is open now!

MURC 2012 is taking place on Saturday, March 24^th in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

For more information and to register, please go to: http://murc.ubc.ca