Graduate Student You ask, we answer
On June 17, the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, in conjunction with the Laurier senior leadership team, hosted an interactive forum facilitated through Zoom dubbed “You ask, we answer” (YAWA). All current and incoming graduate students were invited to participate in this online discussion, where Laurier leaders responded to questions about all things graduate studies in relation to adaptions in response to COVID-19.
President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy and Interim Provost and Vice-President: Academic Maureen Manusco began the presentation with introductions. President MacLatchy also addressed the need for increased action to combat systemic bias and to promote diversity and inclusion. Associate Vice-President and Dean: Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) Douglas Deutschman hosted a 35-minute presentation that responded to the most common questions submitted by graduate students prior to the forum.
Deutschman addressed the twin challenges of racism and COVID-19. With June being PRIDE month, and June 21 being National Indigenous Peoples Day, the significance of these celebrations, alongside the Black Lives Matter movement, were acknowledged and emphasized with the following statement:
At Laurier, we must work to confront the systemic biases that have harmed people based on their ethnic or racial background, skin colour, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or other aspects that define an individual or community.
YAWA’s agenda included updates on safety and access, courses, research, placements and experiential learning, TA-ships, funding, fees, and registration and supporting graduate students in 2020 and beyond. A question and answer period followed, with Deutschman joined by FGPS Associate Deans Brent Wolfe and Paula Fletcher, and FGPS Senior Administration Officer Helen Paret. YAWA concluded with closing remarks and next steps which included updating FAQs to address the questions posed by students.
“The forum exceeded my expectations,” says Deutschman. “We had very strong engagement from the students as evidenced by the thoughtful questions they asked.”
The interactive forum was attended by nearly 200 participants, engaging from 13 countries across four continents including: India, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.
Deutschman noted that under the current conditions, FGPS will increase the use of these types of webinars. Large upcoming events such as orientation and TA training will particularly benefit from this delivery method. “The webinar format is one form of communication that allows us to field questions from a large group of students and provide immediate answers,” says Deutschman.
The webinar is also recorded, so that it is available to any student who could not participate in the forum.
The FGPS will incorporate videoconferencing into their distance engagement toolkit.
“Videoconferencing is an even more engaging way to communicate,” says Deutschman. “It can be more dynamic with a main session and several breakout rooms.”
The FGPS will be optimizing a combination of webinars, videoconferences, and activities in My Learning Space to stay in touch with graduate students all over the world during these precautionary times.