Some students may think that obtaining a degree is a direct and linear process, however, life might throw you with academic, financial and health challenges that you may not expect while navigating your path.

How many of us predicted the York University strike? How many of us knew of financial difficulties while doing well financially? And how many of us see health crises coming? The answer to these questions is probably none, however, by listening to this episode you can help prepare for crisis and adversity before they arise, as a York University student.  

In this episode, host Clifton interviews Alfred Ene, a manager at the Office of Student Community Relations, also known as OSCR. OSCR provides advice, referrals, training, alternate dispute resolution methods, judicial processes and critical incident supports to help students navigate and resolve their issues. Remember, you are not alone.

Resources

Office of Student Community Relations (OSCR) offers the following services:

• Care & Support 
• Education & Training 
• Critical Incident Management 
• Conflict Resolution Service

Since every situation is unique, other departments in the Division of Students can also help you. OSCR may refer you to acquire accommodations or to work with someone to help bring resolution to a problem you may be facing. 

These departments include:

• Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REI)
• Residence Life
• Housing Services
• Security Services
• Student Accessibility Services
• Student Counselling, Health & Well-being
• Student Financial Services
• Student Support and Advising
• The Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support & Education
• The Office of the President
• Vice-Provost Students
• York International

Visit our website at go.yorku.ca/wbpodcast!

Host, Clifton A. Grant: Hey, how are you doing? One of the things I love about being a York University student is the opportunity and access that this community around us brings us. We sat down and discussed this very important topic of students in distress. Students today are facing many external pressures, such as academic accessibility, financial, and maintaining their overall health and well-being. Alfred provided a lot of valuable insight into overcoming these challenges. So please join me for this enlightening conversation about students in crisis. Always remember, a few mindful minutes can really make a difference. So, let's dive into our conversation with Alfred Ene. Greetings, everyone, and welcome to the Well-being and YU podcast. I'm really looking forward to this important conversation today that will be impactful for everyone in the York University community. Our special guest today is Alfred Ene, who is the manager at the Office of Student Community Relations, otherwise known as OSCR. How are you doing, Alfred?

Alfred Ene: Very well, my friend. I'm glad to be here, and I'm looking forward to this conversation.

Clifton A. Grant: Thank you so much for joining us. This is such an important topic, so we're glad to have someone with such expertise join us today for this conversation about student life and student experience and student in crisis. Alfred, I understand that you've been at York University for a number of years, and you were also a student here once upon a time. Is that actually correct?

Alfred Ene: That is so very true. I usually refer my days at York as the dinosaur years because it's been so long. Yes. I'm an alum of York, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to go to school here, and I've worked here for the most of my,work life.

Clifton A. Grant: Thank you for your dedication to York University. And you've seen a lot of changes at York over the years,

Alfred Ene: Certainly, in terms of growth, in terms of landscape. you know, when we went to school here, , it used to be called Siberia because there were very few buildings, and the wind tunnels were pretty much something that was drastic, you know, to experience. but now that things have grown in, so to speak, buildings, it's really now a community of on its own.

Clifton A. Grant: Yes, it's actually a very beautiful campus. I really enjoy, as a student here, I really enjoy walking around the campus and seeing all the different aspects. So, I highly recommend that to all people in the York university community, take a look around, York. It's such a beautiful place to work, as Alfred does, to go to school, to just enjoy the environment. So, Alfred, as I said, off the top, we really want to discuss today students in crisis. As a fellow student here at York University, I'm aware that some of my students are actually in crisis. Students today are facing many external pressures, such as academic accessibility, financial, maintaining their health and well-being. And there's pressures also of navigating towards a career in their respective fields, as well as they may face a critical incident or a personal crisis. Alfred, you've been at York University, as you said, for many years. You've seen a lot of students come and go. Before we talk specifically about OSCR, broadly, what general advice do you have for students who find themselves in crisis?

Alfred Ene: You know, crisis is, you know, the word at, times makes it sound larger than what it ought to be. You know, it's life changing experiences that we all go through in life. You know, it doesn't matter at what point, but the ability and the skill set to manage and navigate through those type of challenges is really what defines us as successful human being. As somebody that contributes towards your community, these types of challenges are not unusual. They come, for lack of a better term, when we least expect. That's why it's challenging, that's why it's deemed to be a crisis. But it's a normal course of life. The only thing is for people to understand that there are resources, there's places you can go to for help, and to understand when to take them up. That is what makes us resilient. It gives us the ability to pivot and do things differently when the landscape changes, because crisis or challenges can change the landscape of your trajectory in life and how you go about making the best of the new opportunity that presents itself.

Clifton A. Grant: My grandmother used to have a famous saying. She used to tell us all the time that nobody's life is a straight line. Everyone's life is filled with ups and downs, even if it's the queen of England or the person working in the fields. And I always remember that in my life. And our earlier guest, Alfred, talked about adulting. And a lot of times at this stage of people's lives, because they're adulting, they generally make things bigger than they actually are. Can you just provide some context to that?

Alfred Ene: When things happen to you, and depending on where you are in your life journey, it may seem heavy and large. And when you get out of that storm and you look back at times, you say, what did I make this look like a mountain when it was just a Molehill right, kind of a thing. So, there are things, depending on where you are, that would seem insurmountable, you know, and there are things that you get over and deal with it, and then you continue with what you need to do.

Clifton A. Grant: And I always remember at the time, or at the moment, it seems very, or it is very important to that individual right to overcome. So you talked about resources, just, again, broadly, the first step when someone is facing crisis in their own life, or uncertainty, or stress or anxiety, broadly, what should be the first thing that they would do that you recommend?

Alfred Ene: what I recommend for students, you know, and I'm going to talk strictly about students. When you find yourself challenged, come to OSCR, the office of Student Community Relations. That is what that office is all about. At the university. We have a compilation of resources that are available within the university, and we also have information about what's available at the municipal level, the government level. Those connections that we've made with various agencies within the municipality helps us direct students to things that are outside York. But primarily, a lot of what the students need are, within the university community. The university has invested a tremendous amount of resources that would help students excel in their learning, in their engagement, and in connecting with fellow students. Reaching out to Oscar is highly recommended, because we listen, and we determine which pathway in conjunction with the student. Nothing is done without the student being part of it. So, we work with you to identify what the issues are, we work with you to point you through the pathway that would give you answers to the questions that you may have.

Clifton A. Grant: So, I absolutely love that name, OSCR. Yes. And as you said, the acronym stands for Office of Student Community Relations.

Alfred Ene: That's correct.

Clifton A. Grant: What is the mission of Oscar, would you say, of the office itself?

Alfred Ene: Our mandate is to provide care and support to students so as to facilitate their learning experience at the university and eventually become a highly contributing member of whatever society or community they find themselves in.

Clifton A. Grant: Love that.

Alfred Ene: Okay.

Clifton A. Grant: That's almost like the mission of the university, too, right? So, that's correct. When people graduate, they can go back to their communities and make a contribution.

Alfred Ene: So, the other aspect of what Oscar does is to ensure compliance and provide a community where we all flourish. What I mean by compliance is that we have oversight for the code of student rights and responsibilities. The student rights and responsibilities is a document that sets out the expectations that the university has as to how students behave, not only on campus, but also outside campus.

Clifton A. Grant: Wow.

Alfred Ene: Online activities. To the extent that those activities have a direct and material impact on life on campus. So, the university will make a determination on how to address those activities that have happened outside the boundaries of the university.

Clifton A. Grant: So, really, what you're saying is whether you're internal or external of the university. You're still a university student and you're still under that code of conduct.

Alfred Ene: Your conduct matters.

Clifton A. Grant: Yes. Your conduct matters. Wow. And, where would a student find that code of conduct?

Alfred Ene: Or there's a copy online, and we freely have copies in our office.

Clifton A. Grant: So, they can actually get a paper copy.

Alfred Ene: Or you can go online and print it. We're in the digital age.

Clifton A. Grant: Yes.

Alfred Ene: So, if you Google, do a search on York University website for Oscar, o S c r. Okay. It will bring you to our website. PDF copies are available online. So, you can print it. You know, it makes for a fantastic bedtime reading. It gives you a sense of which lanes you need to be in.

Clifton A. Grant: Love that. So, we were saying that people can actually come into the office.

Clifton A. Grant: And so, can you describe exactly geographically where the office is on campus?

Alfred Ene: OSCR is located in W 128, Bennett center for student Services. It's actually right behind the student support and advising office when you come into Bennett.

Clifton A. Grant: Okay.

Alfred Ene: So, and if you don't want to come into the main entrance, the most facilitative entrance is the middle entrance in the Bennett building. If you come in through that middle entrance to your right, you will see W 128. That's where we're located. And feel free to stop by and say hello.

Clifton A. Grant: And what are the office hours?

Alfred Ene: The office hours are from 830 to 430, Monday to Friday. We are open Monday to Friday, so we encourage anybody to stop by at that time. Our offices are working on the hybrid model, but we always have people in the office during those business hours.

Clifton A. Grant: So, walk ins are welcome?

Alfred Ene: Walk ins are welcome anytime.

Clifton A. Grant: Yeah, but let's just look at the other side. The student does not use the services. They sort of suffer in silence, as I like to say, take things on their own. In your expertise, what sort of repercussions or consequences can that lead to? You've seen over the years that students are not going to resources.

Alfred Ene: You know, the lack of accessing these resources for a student is really reflected in a diminished fulfillment, of your academic mission, of your learning experience, because by sitting on issues that are impeding your personal development, you are missing out a lot on what this community can provide. Having been a student, it's a place that is diverse, yes, in its population. So not making use of these services and let your challenges hold you back is taking away from you very important skill sets that you could develop that would make you find this place a very beautiful and enjoyable environment for you to thrive and succeed. So don't walk the path alone.

Clifton A. Grant: Wow, that is so well said. So insightful. And it's really taking away from your university experience. And I, you know, one thing that I've realized is it goes by quickly. Right. So, you think three years, four years is a long time, but before you know it, like, I'm in my third year now, it's like, where has the three years gone?

Alfred Ene: That's true.

Clifton A. Grant: Right. So, you want to really take advantage of every moment.

Alfred Ene: Make haste while the sun shines.

Clifton A. Grant: Exactly. We love that. make haste while the sunshine. Oh, Alfred's, coming with, the quotes, which I love. I know one concern, just from talking to students around campus is always confidentiality. Yes. Right. People are proud. Sometimes they don't want their parents to know. So just talk me through the process. So, if I come to OSCR, I have an issue. Let's just talk about how the process. We don't want to obviously get into details, but how does that process work from sort of beginning to end?

Alfred Ene: Okay. What we do in Oscar is bound by the university's policy on confidentiality.

Clifton A. Grant: Okay.

Alfred Ene: The privacy office. Yeah. Has a copy of that online. I would remind students that the university's approach to dealing with every individual student is from the premise that they are adults. So, the people other than yourself that you let into, what happens with you, about you at the university is, at the end of the day, at, your own discretion. So, we don't have the latitude to connect with students’ parents to talk to them about a student's activity unless the student gives us clear consent to do that. The only other exception is if, for whatever reason, a student is at the point that they cannot make an informed decision about themselves in crisis, then next of kin protocol will apply. So, when a student comes to talk to us, they need to know that the conversation is in a vault.

Clifton A. Grant: Right.

Alfred Ene: Okay.

Clifton A. Grant: Exactly. That's critical.

Alfred Ene: Yes. We don't share it with other students. You tell us who needs to know about it. Only then would we get those people involved. So, we ask students to come in to feel comfortable. We need for you to have your anxiety a little bit down so that you can tell us what you want us to know, because by doing that, we can tell you what we can do for you.

Clifton A. Grant: The next steps.

Alfred Ene: Yes.

Clifton A. Grant: Very powerful. I'm curious to something that you just mentioned. Do next of kin, do friends, do professors, have they ever approached you in the past about a student, about somebody else? And if that happens, how does that work?

Alfred Ene: Okay. Normally, this is a community where we care for each other.

Clifton A. Grant: Right?

Alfred Ene: Okay.

Clifton A. Grant: We look out for each other.

Alfred Ene: Yes, we look out for each other. So, if a student, faculty, or staff, or a parent. Let's start with a parent. If a parent calls and says, my child who is at, York.

Clifton A. Grant: Right.

Alfred Ene: I've not seen them. Okay. They come home every night. They didn't come home yesterday. You know, I'm kind of worried. Okay, can you tell me if they are in class? We are not allowed to say that. All we can try to do is we will look for the student.

Clifton A. Grant: Okay.

Alfred Ene: If the student is around and we connect with the student, who will say, student a.

Clifton A. Grant: Yes.

Alfred Ene: There's somebody that's worried about your well-being and where you are, could you let them know that you're okay?

Clifton A. Grant: Okay.

Alfred Ene: That's all.

Clifton A. Grant: So, it's up to the student then.

Alfred Ene: It's up to the student, because at times, there are circumstances that compels a student not to want to disclose where they are. With parents, as adults, we have an obligation to respect and abide by that. As for other community members, I, will use a course director. If a course director comes to Oscar to say, there's a student that sits at this corner of the class repeatedly for the lectures, I haven't seen them in the last two courses. lectures. I'm just kind of worried about them. Or they see the student, but they are not themselves. They're dishevelled, they're nothing.

Clifton A. Grant: And I'm sure this has happened in the past. Yes.

Alfred Ene: Yes. Okay. So, they can come to us. So, one of the things we normally say is, if you see the student and you think that something is not okay, say to the student, can I refer you to an office that would help you, try to get that permission. If you're not able to get that consent from the students for the referral, contact OSCR. OSCR will then reach out to the student, like in the case of a concerned family member, to, say, a member of the community who believes you will benefit from our, services has asked us to reach out to you. So, when that happens, it's up to the students to take that outreach and connect with us, and we work with them. So, the same thing applies to a fellow student. You can let the person know that you're worried about.

Clifton A. Grant: Right.

Alfred Ene: If you're not comfortable doing that, because a lot of us are not okay, connect with our office. We will reach out, and hopefully the person will take our hands.

Clifton A. Grant: And what I really am being empowered with from your message is its really student led and student initiative. Right. Nothing really happens without the student consent. Right. So, it's not like you are gonna go above the student. You're gonna work with the student. It's gonna be a collaborative effort. I really like that.

Alfred Ene: That is key and central. The key words are empowerment. And we meet you where you are.

Clifton A. Grant: Wow.

Alfred Ene: Okay. So, we do not engage with a student without the student wanting to work with us. We don't compel you to use the services that's available to you. And that is the premise of services that the university provides to students. This is where they are. You go there, take what you want. A basket full, just a little bit. It's up to you. But access these services and there's enough for everybody, right? Yes, it's there for everybody.

Clifton A. Grant: And we would be remiss if we didn't talk about there's no cost, I believe, right. These are all part of the fees that students are paying.

Alfred Ene: That's correct.

Clifton A. Grant: Just inform people, because some people might think there's a cost.

Alfred Ene: There is no additional cost, actually. We would also tell you of other services that you could access without an additional cost to students.

Clifton A. Grant: So, it is an enlightening experience.

Alfred Ene: Right. It's part of that bucket of fruits and good things you can really take a bite out of so that you enjoy what being here is all about without an extra cost.

Clifton A. Grant: Alfred, it sounds like to me you really enjoy your job.

Alfred Ene: You know, I have been in student services in front facing student services for more than two decades.

Clifton A. Grant: Wow. You know, I shall only imagine the things that you have seen and heard.

Alfred Ene: I have seen the full breadth and, scope of the challenges that students can present. I have also witnessed how at times it could be daunting for a student to understand the bureaucracy, to navigate the institution as a whole, because we have 55,000 students. So, people come here at times they feel diminished by the sheer size of the numbers. And then you look at widespread. The institution is on this piece of land. You know, you go from one office to the other. You know, you take transit from one stop to the other. York University, if we had an internal transit system, could have several stops, you know, that's how wide it is. Yes, but it is. It could be a daunting place.

Clifton A. Grant: One of the things I have been amazed at, it's. It's really a city within itself, right?

Alfred Ene: Yes, it is. There are some municipalities that don't have the population of York.

Clifton A. Grant: Exactly. I want to thank you. Oh, I have learned so much today from you, Alfred. All that expertise, all that experience you have, really shared with us. So, I really appreciate it. We want all the listeners to remember OSCR is here for them, and it is an important part of the university. Again, located over at the Bennett center, they deal with academic issues, accessibility, financial well-being, health and well-being. Any of the pressures navigating the crisis here, please go see the OSCR office.

Alfred Ene: I just want to emphasize on the academic stuff, we would refer students to the approach appropriate academic areas for decisions around academic matters.

Clifton A. Grant: But you point them in the right area.

Alfred Ene: But the other stuff, the non-academic stuff, like, dealing with anxiety, having a falling out with your classmate, being subjected to bullying online, these type of things affect your ability to continue to go to school. OSCR is the place to come to. I'm, running into financial glitch. My meal card. I've just blown it all before the end of the term. Come to Oscar. Yes, it does happen, and we will help you figure out through it.

Clifton A. Grant: Thank you for that clarification.

Alfred Ene: You're welcome.

Clifton A. Grant: So, our call to action today is from Alfred Ene, manager, office of Student Community Relations. Oscar, he has given us such insightful advice for students and the entire York University community who are overwhelmed by external pressures and threaten their ability to complete their studies or to, as Alfred said, get the most out of their studies.

Alfred Ene: That's correct.

Clifton A. Grant: Any closing words that you can give for our viewers?

Alfred Ene: Yeah, for listeners, what I would like to emphasize for students is that they matter. Students matter in this community. So, if you are having the feeling that your opinion doesn't count, or your presence really amounts to nothing, nothing could be further from the truth. Students matter. The university supports students, provides activities and resources to help support students. So please, this is a bus stop, stop on your journey of life. And the university is here to make you remember this stop, enjoy it, and move on to bigger and greater things.

Clifton A. Grant: And most importantly, students matter. Thank you once again, Alfred. This has been so empowering, enlightening and educational for myself, the team, the entire community. I cannot thank you enough for joining us. And until next time, be well and take care. Thank you, everybody.

I really want to thank our special guest today, Alfred Ene, for this empowering conversation. If you are a student at York University, you can connect with the Office of Student Community Relations, otherwise known as OSCR, by visiting their website at, https://students.yorku.ca/oscr .There you can find all the information you need to access their office and valuable resources. You can also find links to all the services Alfred mentioned in the show notes for this episode, along with more information, tips, and even more resources, visit our website at https://counselling.students.yorku.ca/well-being-podcast . Click on the episode link and look for Episode- Students in crisis. This episode was co-produced by the Well-being and YU podcast team. Our podcast coordinator is Prabhleen Luthra. Our technical editor is Hassan Sheather. And I am your host, Clifton a. Grant. Please remember, be good to yourself, and let's be good to each other. Let's make kindness the new normal. I want to thank everybody for listening.