Stay in the loop with events, initiatives and updates across Campus Wellness and Support Services.

Dear colleagues,

It feels surreal to advise that this will be my last month with you. After nearly six years as Director, I will be leaving Concordia to pursue a new opportunity in British Columbia. My last day at Concordia is June 10, but my last day in Quebec is April 30. 

It has been such a privilege to work alongside you. Together we've made incredible strides in shifting how services are offered. I am so proud of everything we have accomplished and innovated to meet the needs of our communities.

In my absence, Dr. Laura Mitchell will lead CWSS until a new director is named. I know that CWSS' next chapter will be amazing, simply because each of you are in it and will help chart the path forward. I look forward to staying connected in new capacities and celebrating your triumphs alongside you.

Kindly,

Other departures

• Nurse Louise Carline will be retiring from Health Services after 27 years of service. Louise has been an integral part of the CWSS team, as a great clinician and compassionate nurse. She has been the most recent Loyola-clinic nurse, an active member of Health Services and CWSS committees, as well as a party organizer extraordinaire! She will be sorely missed by the whole team.
• We would like to congratulate and wish Anna Barafato well in her new position as the Accessibility Change Lead within the Equity Office. Anna has made a significant contribution in supporting students over the years as part of CWSS, within both CPS and the ACSD. Thank you Anna for your dedication and passion in improving accessibility for students and Concordians; your impact has been far reaching. We look forward to our continued collaboration.

Exams self-care and well-being

In addition to regular programming, the Zen Dens and CPS wellness teams will be adding more events to help students through the exams period, including:

For registered ACSD students, Charles Altman presents the following workshops:

• April 5: Blanking out: Endurance in tests and studying in collaboration with the PERFORM Centre. Participants will explore why people “blank out” during exams, and what students can do to prevent it.
• April 11: Preparing for final exams in collaboration with Agnes Zagury, Learning Specialist from Student Success Centre. This session will present strategies for before and during exams, including time management, studying effectively and reducing anxiety.

Health and wellness outreach

• On April 1st, the Zen Dens hosted an open house to welcome students to the five on-campus locations - including the newly opened Hall building location (H 927). Peer Wellness Ambassadors and staff were on-site to inform students about the program.
• Tudor Crisan and Russ Cooper are gearing up to speak with prospective students from Vanier. This outreach initiative is a way to help smooth the transition for students with disabilities entering university.
• The ACSD Exams Team and Charles Altman will be hosting another faculty exam Q&A to address any enquiries professors may have ahead of the final exams period.
• April 7 & 12, Health Promotion Specialist Gaby Szabo will host the two final Healthy YOU at CU outreach events of the term. 
• Dr. Jewel Perlin and Gaby will be working together to update Health Services' Sleep content, enhancing the information with a psychological perspective.

New staff welcome

• The ACSD would like to welcome Advisor Julia Granitto to the team!