Hi! Hello! Welcome!
On behalf of the Social Science Students’ Council, I am absolutely ecstatic to welcome you to our Social Science Bulletin.
A little bit about me, hi! My name is Ann Lei (she/her), and I am this year’s Vice President of Advocacy at the SSSC. The Social Science Bulletin is a project I have wanted to launch for a long time. When I came to Western two years ago, I genuinely felt that student support services were out of reach. For the most part, student advocacy and policy seemed disconnected from all aspects of my education. I struggled to find a community at Western and adequate support from faculty and academic counselling alike (in many ways, I’m still looking!).
We launch this initiative as an open platform for social science students to share their perspectives and thoughts on issues affecting them. The Social Science Bulletin will be a space for policy review, op-eds, creative writing, and everything in between! Social science students will author everything on this website.
SSSC hopes this space can be a platform created by students for students. We hope to make resources, student policy, and advocacy accessible. Above anything else, Social Science Students’ Council is student-first, and as the largest faculty at Western, we want to amplify student voice.
That’s where I’m hoping the Social Science Bulletin can help fill one of the gaps. Spearheaded by our incredible Policy Research Analyst, Shreya Menon, SSSC will be breaking down USC policy papers on key student-facing issues, including accessibility, mental health, ethnocultural support, and student financial aid. Never heard of a USC policy paper? Don’t worry; neither had I before this year.
Stay tuned for our first policy brief and call for open submissions later this month. As always, feel free to reach out to me with anything advocacy-related at advocacy@ssscwestern.com.
With the warmest regards,
Ann
