Students on Seven (SOS) is the official Departmental Student Association of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology (AECP), representing the interests of students. SOS plays an important role in the department. It assists with student orientation, provides mentorship and guidance for new students, hosts potlucks and retreats, provides a voice for students at both the departmental and faculty-wide levels, works with Greening of OISE/UT, allocates student space (lockers, offices), and actively participates in creating the community that is the AECP Department.

All students in the department, both full-time and part-time, are automatically SOS members and are welcome to attend SOS meetings (held at noon every last Monday of the month in the Peace Lounge).

SOS activities are run by a core group of interested and involved students. To learn more about us, go to Contact. We have two co-chairs, a treasurer, two GSA (Graduate Student Association) representatives, social conveners and more. To find out more, see Getting Involved. Additionally, individual students can become involved by organizing an event, serving on a departmental committee, or simply deciding that an aspect of student life in the department can be enhanced through the contribution of effort in a particular direction.

SOS Vision 2007/2008. Our vision for SOS in 2007/2008 is to:

• Continue to build community within AECP through a transparent network of relations, social and professional activities with other students, the faculty, staff and centres within the AECP Department and OISE.
• Help creating supportive bridges between students and faculty, and assist students in navigating through the program by acting as a referral to student services found within the department and throughout OISE.
• Co-create the space for student voices, beliefs, concerns and amazing ideas!

What’s with the spider’s web? The web symbolizes all students (and faculty and staff) connected in a web of relations. We have chosen this metaphor for SOS because spiders’ webs are very resilient made up of strong connections – no one thread is more important than the other. If it breaks somewhere, the spider reweaves it. We are all part of the co-creation of connections (rather than rigid structures). As AECP students we are all connected to each other and to a larger context of experiences, people, places and responsibilities. Navigating our web(s) can be confusing, which is why we need each other.

The SOS Office is room 7-158. Drop to say hello, ask for advice or offer a suggestion. There’s usually teabags and a supply of chocolate chip cookies (and sometimes other goodies) available. If you don’t find us in the SOS office, feel free to email us or anybody from the core group found under contacts.