Fairness for International Students (live on Facebook)

Join us for a conversation on the state of post-secondary education and issues facing international students at Ryerson and other Ontario-based campuses. In this conversation we will have a conversation on the use of international students to cover cuts of government funding, cuts to student services for international students and the growing trend of for-profit third-party recruitment agencies for international students.

Watch Online:

We will be streaming the conversation live through the CESAR Facebook: www.facebook.ca/ryecesar/live

Please note that you can watch a live video without having a facebook account.

You can also watch an embedded video on this webpage:

With speakers:

Wesam Elhamid Mohamed

Wesam just graduated his Masters of Engineering Science as an international student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Western University. Since October 2019, Wesam has been serving as the Vice-President Advocacy for the Society of Graduate Students, a graduate student-run organization representing over 6300 graduate students at Western. Wesam has pushed various projects forward at Western, including, Student-Supervisor Memorandum of Understanding and an Emergency Bursary Pilot Program. Moreover, he served an elected representative of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) National Executive as the International Students’ Commissioner and the Deputy-Chairperson for the CFS-National Graduate Caucus. He is currently serving as the chairperson of the CFS-National Graduate Caucus. CFS is the largest student organization in Canada representing over 60 student unions across Canada

Ayat Rizvi

My name is Ayat Rizvi (she/her) and I am heading into my second year of Civil Engineering at Ryerson University. I am an international student from Kuwait and I have been in Canada since 2019. You can definitely say that transition from Kuwait to Canada has been bumpy in terms of new surroundings, studies, and making new friends. I was completely lost in my initial days here, but somebody had mentioned that volunteering could be a fantastic opportunity for me, so ultimately I gave it a shot. Through volunteering, I found my way and it truly helped me get outside my box. My hobbies are arts and crafts, reading books, and cooking. I hope that everyone is staying safe and taking care during this difficult and uncertain time.

FACILITATED BY SOFIA DESCALZI

Sofia (she/her/elle) is starting her second term as National Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. She is a former international student from Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland (Local 36) where she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She got her start in the student movement during a Federation’s activist training and never looked back! As President for the Grenfell Campus Students’ Union, she worked alongside other student activists fighting xenophobia, increased fees, and gender-based violence on campus. She then served as the Chairperson for the Newfoundland and Labrador component for two years. Sofia is passionate about advocating for free post-secondary education for all students regardless of what they have in their bank account or immigration status! She is also a proud holder of a Screecher’s Certificate and her favourite pastime is bringing cat and dog people together.

Accessibility:

The organizers strive to create accessible and inclusive events. Please contact executivedirector@tmaps.ca if you have any access needs or concerns.

Collaborators:

• Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson | www.mycesar.ca
• Ryerson Graduate Students’ Union | www.fb.com/RSUGrad
• Ryerson Faculty Association | www.rfanet.ca