Get in touch: president[at]sogs[dot]ca As your VP Advocacy, he hopes to ensure that marginalized voices are heard in particular and through teamwork we achieve a thriving environment at SOGS and beyond. Yousuf wants to hear from you! Contact him with any personal concerns, advocacy ideas to improve graduate student experience, or if you need his support raising awareness on related issues. Get in touch: advocacy[at]sogs[dot]ca Get in touch: finance[at]sogs[dot]ca Get in touch: services[at]sogs[dot]ca For matters pertaining to SOGS Council, governance, unified documents, appeals, and elections, please see: Get in touch: speaker[at]sogs[dot]ca Get in touch: deputy.speaker[at]sogs[dot]ca For matters pertaining to issues surrounding academic, professional, and interpersonal conflict, please see: He is more than happy to assist with any potential complaints at the below email address. All inquiries will be treated with the utmost discretion and respect. Get in touch: ombudsperson[at]sogs[dot]ca For matters, issues, and conflicts pertaining to academics, please see: Navneet is eager to help a diverse student body at Western while fostering personal and professional development. Please feel free to reach out to her! Get in touch: advisor.academic[at]sogs[dot]ca For matters pertaining to elections, please see: Get in touch: cro[at]sogs[dot]ca Get in touch: deputy.speaker[at]sogs[dot]ca Get in touch: sustainability[dot]coordinator[at]sogs[dot]ca For matters pertaining to SOGS advocacy and community outreach, please see our Commissioners. Learn more about the roles of each SOGS commissioner here. As a person with a debilitating chronic condition called scleroderma, she has spent nearly two decades advocating for and raising awareness about accessibility and disability issues on the local, provincial, and national stage. She has served on the City of London’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, Cheshire London’s Cultural Competency Committee, and was the former Student Accessibility Consultant with the Academic Support and Engagement Office at Western. As a former member of the Post-Secondary Education Standards Committee for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) she worked with other accessibility experts and advocates to create an Accessible Education Standard for the AODA. She currently advises on accessibility and the intersectional nature of disability on the Safe Cities London project as a member of the advisory and action committees. Ashton’s main goal is to ensure the voices of people with disabilities are reflected in policy, programming, and the built environment throughout society, especially in the healthcare and education sectors. She lives by the phrase “Nothing about us without us!” Get in touch: accessibility[at]sogs[dot]ca About our Gender Concerns Commissioner: Get in touch: gender.concerns[at]sogs[dot]ca About our Pride Commissioner: Get in touch: pride[at]sogs[dot]ca About our Racial Equity & Inclusivity Commissioner: Cherin Chung is an incoming first year PhD student in the French department at Western University. She has completed her Bachelor of Arts with an Honours Specialization in English Language and Literature and a Major in French studies. Currently, she is working towards completing her master’s degree in French literature. Throughout her studies in the Arts and Humanities faculty, Cherin has taken numerous courses surrounding inequity including critical race theory, feminist literary theory, and queer theory. As a part of the visible minority, she is passionate about dismantling the systemic racism that is prevalent in our society. During her time at Western University, Cherin was an active member of SOGS as the French Councillor, the Equity Committee chair, and a member of the Graduate Student Issues Committee. In this role as Commissioner, Cherin hopes to create a more inclusive and equitable future at Western University by actively listening and amplifying the voices of racialized graduate students. Get in touch: racial[dot]equity[at]sogs[dot]ca SAGE Coordinator (Indigenous Initiatives) | AMANDA MORIN About the SAGE Coordinator: Aanii, boozhoo! Amanda indizhinikaaz, Wikwemkoong indoonjibaa, migizi indoodem. Hi everyone, my name is Amanda Morin, I am Anishinaabekwe from Wikwemkoong Unceded Reserve on Manitoulin Island, though I grew up with my mother who is of European descent in a small town called New Hamburg. Eagle is my clan. I have been at Western and a part of the Indigenous community since 2013. I am now doing my Master’s at Schulich in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine researching the role of mitochondrial DNA in health and disease. I am this year’s Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement (SAGE) Coordinator working under the supervision of both the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) and VP Advocacy at SOGS. In previous years, OII supervised the SAGE Coordinator position, and SOGS oversaw the Indigenous Commissioner role. This year, these roles are combined to enhance the synergy between Indigenous graduate students and the larger graduate student population. I will be working hard to support Indigenous students throughout their graduate studies, and also to advocate for Indigenous students by planning engaging events that foster awareness and education. I’m looking forward to a great year! Get in touch with Heidi if you need: Get in touch with Caroline if you need: Get in touch with Raquel if you need: * Although SOGS determines some graduate student fees (e.g., those related to SOGS services and dues), the Office of the Registrar determines billings. SOGS does not have access to student accounts. For clarification on how to view your account, review the WesternU Student Centre , Access Guide HERE. Login to review your student account HERE. Contact: Get in touch with Nick if you need: Contact: Get in touch with Jessica if you need: Get in touch with Marc if you need: Get in touch with Mark if you need:Meet the SOGS Executive!
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
President | DANICA FACCA
About our President: Danica Facca (she/hers) is a second year PhD student in the Department of Health Information Science. To learn more about Danica, please check out her FIMS profile here.
VP Academic | KEVIN MOORE
About our VP Academic: Kevin Moore is a current Western student completing his MSc in the department of Medical Biophysics. His current research involves the characterization of blood flow in atherosclerotic patients. Kevin completed his undergrad at the University of Ottawa, obtaining his BHSc in Health Science. When not in the lab, Kevin enjoys making and playing music, as well as spending as much time as possible with family and friends
VP Advocacy | YOUSUF HASAN
About our VP Advocacy: Yousuf Hasan (he/him) is doing a PhD in Philosophy of Science & Mathematics. At SOGS, he’s been involved as a host and producer at GradCast, the official SOGS radio show and podcast.
VP Finance | BECKY HORST
About our VP Finance: Becky (she/hers) is a 3rd year PhD student in Neuroscience. Her research focuses on older adult’s perceptions and efficacy surrounding memory abilities. Becky has previously served on various SOGS committees such as Sustainability, Grad Club, Finance, as well as Subsidies and Bursaries since 2018.
VP Student Services | KESAVI KANAGASABAI
About our VP Student Services: Kesavi Kanagasabai (she/her) is an 2nd year PhD in the department of Medical Biophysics. Her research focuses on pulse-programming in magnetic resonance spectroscopy with applications in mental illness and neurocognitive disorders such as schizophrenia. Kesavi was first exposed to SOGS through Equity Committee in 2020 where she learned about advocacy-related initiatives run by SOGS and has been drawn towards the organization since then. Outside of research, Kesavi enjoys drawings, attempting to cook, adding a never-ending list of books on GoodReads and go for runs as well spending time with friends and family (the key).
Meet the SOGS Non-Executive Officers!
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Speaker | KIRSTYN SEANOR
About our Speaker: kirstyn is a PhD Candidate in FIMS, Library Information & Science.
Deputy Speaker | JILLIAN WARMAN
About our Deputy Speaker: Jillian Warman (Sher/Her) is a first year MA student in the Department of Linguistics. Her research focuses primarily on Russian phonology and phonetics. When she’s not studying linguistics or practicing Russian, you can find her taking her pups Sasha and Maverick to the dog park.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Ombudsperson | JAKE COLLIE
About our Ombudsperson: James (Jake) Collie (he/him) is a PhD student in Political Science. His research interests include political legitimacy, Canadian politics, and settler-colonialism in Canada. As a settler himself, he tries to approach his research with mindfulness, awareness, and reflection. He seeks to utilize these same strategies as SOGS’ Ombudsperson. When not reading or writing, you can find him hiking, staring at trees, or biking to a craft brewery.
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
Peer Advisor for Academic Matters | NAVNEET KAUR
About our Peer Advisor: Navneet (she/her) is an international student from India pursuing Master of Social Work program. She completed a graduate degree in Psychology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance and Counselling from Panjab University. Navneet brings over three years of advocacy and service experience, including, but not limited to: counselling, conflict resolution, advocacy, and community development. She is passionate to serving marginalized and oppressed communities whilst consciously employing her privilege and power as a social worker to challenge the systematic inequities embedded in society and ultimately changing them. Apart from school, Navneet enjoys learning about new cultures, exercising, reading non-fiction, and sending time with friends and family.
ELECTIONS
Chief Returning Officer | MICHAEL FEAGAN
About our CRO: Michael Feagan is a fourth year History PhD student. His research focuses primarily on Canadian telegraph operators in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He is interested in exploring the connections between technology and labour in telecommunications and the connections between past and present communication workers. He has also served as CRO for PSAC 610 in 2022 and again in 2023.
Deputy Chief Returning Officer | JILLIAN WARMAN
Sustainability Coordinator | BRENDON SAMUELS
Meet the SOGS Commissioners!
ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Accessibility Commissioner | ASHTON FORREST
Ashton Forrest is a Master’s candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Western University. Her areas of scholarly focus are justice and human rights as they pertain to moral, legal, and political philosophy.Learn more about Ashton
Gender Concerns Commissioner | CATHY HUANG
Cathy Huang (she/her) is a candidate of the MMASc program, Global Health Systems and has always been passionate about gender equity both in my field of study and now here at Western University. I hope to play a part in making our campus safe and our voices be heard!
Pride Commissioner | HANNA BARNETT
Hanna Barnett (she/her) is a 2nd year PhD student in Hispanic Studies. She completed a BA in Political Science from King’s University College in 2020 before completing an MA in Hispanic Studies at Western.
Racial Equity & Inclusivity Commissioner | CHERIN
Meet the SOGS and Grad Club staff!
STAFF
Communications & Promotions Manager | HEIDI KELLETT
Digital Media Assistant | CAROLINE DIEZYN
Finance Manager | RAQUEL RODRIGUES
Governance & Policy Manager | NICK DESUMMA
Membership Services Manager | JESSICA ELAINE REILLY
Grad Club Manager | MARC LALONDE
Grad Club Operations Manager | MARK BRIGHAM
OUR TEAM
Get in touch: academic[at]sogs[dot]ca