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The DSU has eight Executive Officers elected every Winter semester by the DSU Members to serve for a one-year term that typically runs from 1 June following their election to 31 May of the next year. The Executive Officers report to the Student Council and are responsible for managing the daily activities of the DSU with diligence, prudence, loyalty and honesty. Please refer to the DSU Constitution to learn more about each Executive Officer role. Executive Officers 2025-2026 Term: 1 June 2025 - 31 May 2026 Ella Dubé President Mail Jordan Boghen VP Finance Mail Lauren Tzimopoulos VP Academic Affairs & Advocacy Mail Emilia Alina Tobar-Icaza VP Operations & Services Mail Inès Benlaribi Miella Manjava VP External Affairs Mail VP Internal Affairs & Communications Mail Omojo Abriana Odaudu VP Student Life Mail Anne Liang VP Sustainability & Equity Mail Past Execs

Summary for newsletter: on the 24th of September was Climate Justice protest. Dawson has a very vibrant community of environmentalists grouped together in unity, having made posters and preparation all week for that day. An important cause that deserves to be remembered every day of the year. Click here to read more. < Back Summary for newsletter: on the 24th of September was Climate Justice protest. Dawson has a very vibrant community of environmentalists grouped together in unity, having made posters and preparation all week for that day. An important cause that deserves to be remembered every day of the year. Click here to read more. Climate Justice Week Written by Sophia El Bakir 24th of September 2021 was the day of the Climate Justice March in Montreal, and of course, Dawson mobilised to show their support to this extremely important cause. Throughout the whole week leading up to that Friday, the Green Earth Club had meeting after meeting to paint posters for the protest, organise the logistics of the march, set up a General Assembly that would cancel classes, etc. Ultimately, a compromise was made and teachers were encouraged to be more amenable to students missing class. On the day of the protest, a group of Dawson students had gathered and started marching in the halls of the college. They chanted all around the school, then made their way to McGill campus to unite forces with these university students. “ Dawson merging with McGill was really amazing. It fostered a sense of community and solidarity, which I think is super important in cases like these when we're up against huge all-powerful conglomerates.” - A student at the protest WHY THEY MARCHED While obviously not as busy as the 2019 protest with Greta Thunberg that gathered half a million people, this one still garnered thousands of people from all ages and of course, students from colleges and universities. They decide to cut time out of their busy day and take part in this act of civil disobedience for a myriad of reasons: they want to see change; they had witnessed the devastating effects of global warming during the pandemic; they want their children to live in a world where forests are not razed to the ground but planted instead. “I wanted to go to the protest because I’m frustrated by the lack of action coming from our government. After being 500 000 in the streets in 2019, we have seen little policies or initiatives,” Chloe Shepard, Green Earth Club member. Indeed, the goal of this march was to express a global frustration, so that change would be provoked. Marches are an opportunity for solidarity in the face of a crisis. Whether they are from the same school, or from the same ethnicity, people put their differences aside to send one powerful message. WHAT TO DO MORE Nonetheless, showing up at protest is not enough for long-lasting shifts to ensue. As it appears, many students have expressed concern about the ephemeral effect of Climate Justice Week. Mia Kennedy, Green Earth Club executive says, “It's incredible to see that many take time out of their day to come march,” but at the same time she amends, “I have to hold myself back from too much excitement because I know that this amount of support is temporary. The day of the march comes. Everyone is excited to talk about climate. The day of the march passes. Everyone forgets. I'm just hoping that people can get excited about the climate more than once a year. Whether it's through your vote, your habits, your way of seeing the world, there are so many ways people can positively contribute to the movement.” Summary for newsletter: on the 24th of September was Climate Justice protest. Dawson has a very vibrant community of environmentalists grouped together in unity, having made posters and preparation all week for that day. An important cause that deserves to be remembered every day of the year. Click here to read more. Project Gallery Previous Next

Dawson Brushes off the Welcome Mat for Old and New Students Alike < Back Dawson Brushes off the Welcome Mat for Old and New Students Alike Dawson Brushes off the Welcome Mat for Old and New Students Alike Students show old and new cohorts Dawson campus after many months closed November 23rd, 2021 by Isabella Ruvo Welcome Week was divided into three components during the 9th to 16th of August: Zoom info sessions; pre-recorded videos by the academic administration and student services; in-person visits. Due to lower COVID-19 restrictions, old and new students were finally able to visit campus and participate in Dawson’s student life. During this time, students were invited to take a small tour given by second and third years. Welcome Week gave Dawson College a chance to finally have some life in its halls once again. ONLINE Program specific Zoom info sessions were given the 10th to 12th of August. This gave students a chance to learn more pertinent information about their programs. They wouldn’t have to start the semester going in cold turkey. For most, this was their first year, first semester, first everything, which can be very stressful. That’s why Dawson tried to share as many details as they could with the future student body. “Getting to meet some people from my program really eased my transition into Cegep. I didn’t have any friends in my courses but I was able to make new ones easily!” - Anonymous . Students also got to meet their program coordinator(s), which made the experience much more humane. It was comforting to know there was someone you could rely on for your education. VISITORS The highlight of Welcome Week was being able to have students visiting the college. After a year and a half of COVID-19 limiting the number of students on campus, it was nice to see some old and new faces inhabiting the school. Guided tours lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, where they were shown the important locations of the school such as the library, the cafeteria, the atrium, etc. Many newcomers were shocked at seeing the many escalators going up but none going back down. One of the many things to learn about how to get around campus. “I think it was pretty fast, and we just went through the college a little too fast and I couldn’t really remember the places but it was really fun overall.” –Najlaa Achouhal. VOLUNTEERS Not only were there volunteers to give tours, but there were many other volunteers set up in Conrod’s, spreading information and goodies. Tables set up to promote the DSU, the hive and the plant were all present. Their aim was to share with new students what campus life looks like and encourage newcomers to join student-run initiatives. By following the clubs on Instagram, students would receive goodies such as DSU merch, reusable straws, bamboo utensils, etc. “Even though I’ve been at Dawson for 2-3 years, this was my first volunteering experience and it was fun and very entertaining because people made it fun.”-- Anonymous DSU volunteers felt the good vibes collaborating with one another even if for some, it was their first time volunteering. “20 on 10! People that came up to me were so nice so quickly. I didn’t feel out of place and they would hold my hand helping me with tasks.” -Fay. Summary for newsletter: From the 9th to the 16th of August, Dawson welcome its old and new students in a hybrid format. The start of semesters are always tricky but Fall 2021 was even more so because students had hardly stepped foot on Dawson grounds in months. Thankfully, DSU had a team of volunteers that set up tables to welcome them and tours to show them around. Click here to read more about it. Project Gallery Previous Next

Strike Solidarity 2021 On March 31st, 2020, one year ago, the collective agreements that protect the salaries and working conditions of Quebec's CEGEP teachers, professionals and support staff employees expired. Across the province, unions representing public sector employees are pleading for increased investment in Quebec's health, school, and higher education networks, on a level necessary to protect workers' purchasing power, and to improve the level and quality of the services that citizens depend on every day. The Dawson Student Union stands in solidarity with the thousands of staff and employees of Dawson College. We encourage our membership, the students of Dawson College, to support this effort to protect and promote higher education. If you recognize the value of your publicly funded CEGEP education, and appreciate the academic, extracurricular and social supports you've received from Dawson College, then this is your chance to support your TEACHERS, COUNSELLORS, ADVISORS, LIBRARIANS, LAB AND COMPUTER TECHNICIANS, STUDENT LIFE COORDINATORS ETC. Your action – in class or on the street - could go a long way to showing our government and college administrators that, following years of chronic under-investment in public services, enough is enough: we are sounding the alarm! The Dawson Student Union stands in solidarity with the Dawson Teachers’ Union (DTU) Association of Dawson Professionals (ADP) Dawson Support Staff Union (DSSU). We invite all students to download the following graphics and to use them during class to show support to our fellow unions. Included in the ZIP file below are Zoom Backgrounds and Zoom profile picture images associated with the current strike movement. We also invite students to read the letter jointly written by the DTU, DSSU and ADP students as well as a communiqué that was shared with the DSU. For information on the current strike, you can visit their websites found below. Dawson teacher`s Union: https://dtu.qc.ca/ Dawson Support Staff Union: https://dssu.lacsq.org/ Association of Dawson professionals: https://adpmontreal.ca/ Letter addressed to Students ZIP file with all graphics Communiqué

2021 Student Council Elections student council results update (march 2021) * Official Elections report On March 4th and 5th 2021 , students will vote for their student councillors for the first time in many years. The Student Council will be tasked with many important projects and will help the Executive Committee in overseeing the activities of the union. For this election period, Councillors will be given a mandate that will start once elections are past and will end on May 31st, 2021. The student council is broken down into 2 categories (program representatives and demographic representatives). The 5 demographic representatives will be selected by the Executive committee through an application process. The 12 program representatives will be directly elected by the student body. The program representatives are further broken down into 5 categories (Social science, Science, Arts, Technical and Continuing Education). Each student in a given program will be eligible to vote for the representatives for their program category. The executive committee sets the composition of the student council each year and decided that the composition would be set as follows based on the latest student body statistics: 4 Social Science Councillors 2 Science Councillors 1 Arts Councillor 3 Technical Councillors 2 Continuing Education Councillors In order to become a candidate, a student must submit a nomination form which can be found below along with 15 signatures of students that eligible to vote that support the student's candidacy. The nomination period will commence on the 25th of January 2021 at 12:00 am and end on the 22nd of February 2021 at 12:00 am . Below are the documents required for the nomination process: Nomination Form (Downloadable Word Document) Candidate`s Application Form (Online Google Form) Voting will commence on March 4th, 2021 and close on March 5th, 2021 at 4:00 pm. Results will be announced on the day of the close of the polls. These elections will be completed with the use of a preferential single transferable voting system. For any more questions on the 2021 Student Council elections, please contact elections@dawsonstudentunion.com

Our Mission The Dawson Student Union (DSU) is the accredited student association that represents Dawson College students. Our mission is to provide our DSU members (all Dawson College students) with a gateway to the distinctive Dawson College experience. The DSU aims to complement and enhance the overall educational experience and quality of campus life for its members by: Connecting a diverse population of students through innovative and engaging campus activities Supporting student rights and empowering them to explore and develop their own independence and identity Inspiring students to become proactive and open-minded members of our community while encouraging independent thinking, self-expression and to advocate the common good Our Mission

General Assembly The Annual General Assembly (AGA) is a big meeting where all the members of the Dawson Student Union (you) can make a concrete change as you participate in direct democracy by writing and voting on Motions that mandate the Dawson Student Union (DSU) to take specific action. GA's happen once a year, so make your voice heard! About General Assemblies The Annual General Assembly (AGA) shall receive and take notice of the annual report of the Student Council, annual report of the Executive Officers and the financial statements of the Union, including the balance sheet, statements of revenue and expenditures and auditor’s report, the nomination of the auditor, and take notice of, and decide on, any other matter which the General Assembly may legally consider. The General Assembly can also consider positions presented by the membership and Student Groups. The Student Council shall call an Annual General Assembly to be held once in a given Financial Year in the Winter Semester. General Assemblies shall be held at the main campus of the College or by virtual means in the case of extenuating circumstances where in-person presence is not possible. There are currently three types of General Assemblies: Regular GAs : They happen once a year, are publicized by the DSU. The notice and the agenda along with all relevant documentation shall be made available to the membership no less than seventy-two (72) hours before a General Assembly. The agenda is set by the Student Council and cannot be amended at the General Assembly without unanimous consent. Quorum is 30 members of the Union. Special GAs : They are requested by the President, or 2/3 majority vote of the Student Council or by a petition in writing by no fewer than 150 members of the Union from at least 4 different academic sectors with no mora then 50% being from any one academic sector. The agenda only contains the item(s) for which the assembly was called for. Quorum is 300 members of the Union. Strike GAs : Must be called to consider business related to a Union strike. Quorum for a resolution to put the Union on strike shall be the same as the quorum of a Special General Assembly. All this information can be reviewed in detail in the DSU Constitution. Press the link below to access our Governance Documents. Governance Documents General Assembly Packages May 24, 2024 Annual General Assembly (AGA) W2024AGA-20 REGISTRATION REQUIRED (Please check your Dawson College Email) Document May 24, 2021 Special General Assembly Winter 2021 Document May 11, 2023 Annual General Assembly (AGA) W2023AGA-19 Document April 27, 2021 Regular General Assembly Winter 2021 Document May 9, 2022 Regular General Assembly W2022AGA-18 Document November 4, 2020 Regular General Assembly Fall 2020 Document Robert's Rules The DSU follows Robert's Rules Of Order which is a set of rules developed for deliberative assemblies like ours. Here are the basic elements of Robert's Rules, used by most organizations: Motion To introduce a new piece of business or propose a decision or action, a motion must be made by a group member ("I move that......") A second motion must then also be made (raise your hand and say, "I second it.") After limited discussion the group then votes on the motion. A majority vote is required for the motion to pass (or quorum (50+1) as specified in your bylaws.) Postpone Indefinitely This tactic is used to kill a motion. When passed, the motion cannot be reintroduced at that meeting. It may be brought up again at a later date. This is made as a motion ("I move to postpone indefinitely..."). A second is required. A majority vote is required to postpone the motion under consideration. Amend This is the process used to change a motion under consideration. Perhaps you like the idea proposed but not exactly as offered. Raise your hand and make the following motion: "I move to amend the motion on the floor." This also requires a second. After the motion to amend is seconded, a majority vote is needed to decide whether the amendment is accepted. Then a vote is taken on the amended motion. In some organizations, a "friendly amendment" is made. If the person who made the original motion agrees with the suggested changes, the amended motion may be voted on without a separate vote to approve the amendment. Commit This is used to place a motion in committee. It requires a second. A majority vote must rule to carry it. At the next meeting, the committee is required to prepare a report on the motion committed. If an appropriate committee exists, the motion goes to that committee. If not, a new committee is established. Question To end a debate immediately, the question is called (say "I call the question") and needs a second. A vote is held immediately (no further discussion is allowed). A two-thirds vote is required for passage. If it is passed, the motion on the floor is voted on immediately. Table To table a discussion is to lay aside the business at hand in such a manner that it will be considered later in the meeting or at another time ("I make a motion to table this discussion until the next meeting. In the meantime, we will get more information so we can better discuss the issue.") A second is needed and a majority vote required to table the item being discussed. Adjourn A motion is made to end the meeting. A second motion is required. A majority vote is then required for the meeting to be adjourned (ended). Note: If more than one motion is proposed, the most recent takes precedence over the ones preceding it. For example if #6, a motion to table the discussion, is proposed, it must be voted on before #3, a motion to amend, can be decided. In a smaller meeting, like a committee or board meeting, often only four motions are used: To introduce (motion) To change a motion (amend) To adopt (accept a piece of business) To adjourn (end the meeting) Remember, these processes are designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to participate and to share ideas in an orderly manner & should not be used to prevent discussion of important issues. If you would like more elaboration on Robert's Rules, here is the full PDF document. Robert's Rules Robert's Rules of Order (12th Edition)

Student Council List of past Student Councillors and Chairs. 2023-2024 Chair Kevin Contant-Holowatyj Creative & Applied Arts Continuing Education Chaz Heritage Mia Cara Philips Alan Chris Dalen Maniratanga Science, Medical Studies & Engineering Social Science & Business Technologies Dilinur Abdumutalova Louisa Akkouche Mahan Mansoor Ihsane Sarif Habiba Megawer Nathan Gervais Nika Heidarpour Maleki Gowrish Subramaniam Tam Thieu Kenneth Oledan 2022-2023 Chair Creative & Applied Arts Continuing Education Kevin Contant-Holowatyj Deidra Robinson Seyed Mohammad Parsa Sajadian Parthib Chakroborty Chaz Heritage Science, Medical Studies & Engineering Social Science & Business Technologies Isabella Ruvo Alvaro Torres Bryan Vu Brenda Truong Isabelo Beli-En David Sydney Levitt Lucia Quintero Lossada 2021-2022 Chair Creative & Applied Arts Continuing Education Samantha Morel (2021) Kessy Simbi (2022) Marisa Mitchell Amélie Druker Madison O’Connell Science, Medical Studies & Engineering Social Science & Business Technologies Adelka Felcarek-Hope Inès Lamothe-Katrapani Tristan Boisvert-Larouche Allen La Daniela Diaz Richard Raphael Charlotte Pelletier-Burke Marischka Joseph 2020-2021 ACADEMIC REPRESENTATIVES Science Social Science Arts Christina Koikaran Yves-Jusslin Maniratanga Yimaj Baharun Mojisola Adams Adelka Felcarek-Hope Inès Lamothe-Katrapani Oriana Buchsez Technical Continuing Education Daniela Jimena Diaz Jimenez Nathan Mcdonald Andréanne Dussault Ahmad Shaker Noori Calum Bulley DEMOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATIVES Queer Students Francophone Students Indigenous Students Arwyn Regimbal Shirin Hinojosa Violante Jordan Lee Jerome-Pitre Racialized Students Students with Disabilities Mia Scroggins-Hadley Fernando Belote

Minutes The Dawson Student Union keeps a record of all meetings, also known as the "minutes". Please scroll below to find the past meeting minutes. If you are having difficulty accessing the minutes, please email info@dawsonstudentunion.com to request a copy. Student Council 2024 - 2025 Read More Student Council 2023 - 2024 Read More Student Council 2022 - 2023 Read More Student Council 2021 - 2022 Read More Executive Committee (Board) 2021 Read More Executive Committee (Board) 2020 Read More

Consent Consent is the practice of asking permission and respecting boundaries. This practice is necessary within sex and relationships, but it is also important in all aspects of life! The Dawson Student Union prioritizes educating the student body about consent and rape culture. Everyone has the right to feel safe on campus! Check out our upcoming consent talk with special guest Farrah Khan happening during FROSH WEEK! Challenging Rape Culture Another important subject to the DSU is educating about Rape Culture: an idea that refers to society's attitude towards rape/sexual assault and its victims. This can lead to the dismissal and excusal of sexual harassment/assault, rapist behavior, and rape itself. Rape Culture is reinforced by the media and is perpetuated and upheld by society. If you wish to seek more information on these topics, feel free to visit our Gender Advocacy Centre, the Hive in room 2D.1a!

Referenda The Union may hold Referenda, on which Members may directly vote on resolutions, in accordance with its Standing Regulations . The voting process will be overseen and managed by the Chief Returning Officer (CRO) . Exclusive Services Referendum 2024 Questions: 1. Do you confirm the results of the 2022 referendum where the DSU members ratified the decision to change the legal name of the DSU from Syndicat des étudiants de Dawson to Association Étudiante de Dawson, the English version remaining Dawson Student Union ? 2. Do you agree to ratify the Constitution of the Dawson Student Union (DSU) [click to view proposed changes] adopted by the Student Council on 24 April 24 2024 to act as the General By-Laws of the DSU and to replace the previous version of the Constitution that came into effect on 1 June 2022? VIEW RESULTS Past Referenda Feb 5-7, 2004 April 27-28, 2003 May 16-17, 2022 May 13-14, 2021 Interested in learning more about the DSU Referenda ? Here are the important information to keep in mind. For more details please read the DSU Constitution found in the Governance Documents page. For any other inquiry please do not hesitate to contact info@dawsonstudentunion.com 1 Initiation Referenda may be initiated by the Student Council by a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote or Members by a resolution in writing signed by no fewer than one hundred and fifty (150). Members of the Union from at least four (4) different Academic Sectors with no more than fifty percent (50%) being from any one Academic Sector. 2 Timeline The timeline is set by the Chief Returning Officer no later than (5) days after its initiation. Notice of the question and voting timeline must be sent to the membership no less than three (3) weeks before the start of voting. Voting must occur over a minimum of two (2) voting days that each have a period of no less than eight (8) hours of voting 3 Voting All Members shall be eligible to vote in a Referendum. Unless otherwise provided for by law, this Constitution, or the Standing Regulations, all Referendum questions submitted to the Members shall be decided by a simple majority vote. 4 Quorum The quorum for all Referenda shall be three percent (3%) of the Members.

Governance Documents The DSU is governed by its Constitution, Internal Regulations, and Policies. Constitution June 1, 2024 - Present Document The current version of the DSU Constitution was ratified by referendum on May 23, 2024 and came into effect on 1 June 2024. Standing Regulations May 2023 - May 2025 Document Document Clubs Standing Regulations was ratified by Student Council. Spaces Standing Regulations was ratified by Student Council. Resolutions and Positions DSU Position on the Winter 2021 In-Person Exams Document DSU Position Against the Gazoduc/GNL Project Document Other DSU Positions Document Adopted at the Winter 2021 General Assembly of the Dawson Student Union. Presented by the Green Earth Club Adopted at the Fall 2020 General Assembly. The Dawson Student Union holds a certain position on a myriad of issues ranging from Socio-Political to Sustainability. This document is an accumulation of the positions in one document.