By Ainsley Carry
This blog post was adapted from the Acadia Park Student Listening Session report originally developed in January 2025.
On January 20, I co-hosted a listening session for graduate students at UBC Vancouver with Andrew Parr, Associate Vice-President, Student Housing & Community Services.
Students shared their perspectives on the following five guiding questions:
- What is working well?
- What is not working well?
- What should we keep doing?
- What should we stop doing?
- What questions are we not asking?
Participants
Approximately 30 Acadia residents participated, constituting a diverse group of international and domestic students, at both the masters and doctoral levels. All participants in the listening session live in residence on campus and have families.
An analyst from Planning and Institutional Research (PAIR) attended the session, took notes, and analyzed the data. This report provides a summary of the aggregate data from the Listening Session.
Results
The following key themes emerged from our consultation with students:
- Accessibility
- Accommodations and amenities
- Graduate student funding
- Safety
- Wrap-around support
Please see the full report for a detailed summary of the major themes and the actions we’re taking to address them.
Moving Forward
Multiple initiatives are either in development or already being executed to address some of the concerns raised by students.
These initiatives come from the implementation of existing institutional plans and actions such as:
- Student Affordability Task Force
- Student Strategic Plan
- Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force Recommendations
- Inclusion Action Plan
- Indigenous Strategic Plan
As we move forward in the weeks and months ahead, we remain committed to working with students and the respective UBC units to address the issues and concerns raised. We will continue to work with campus partners and across the VPS portfolio to improve students’ ability to navigate the UBC system and make informed decisions about their UBC experience.
We look forward to engaging with you in a follow-up session in February 2025, where we will share additional details and updates on how we are addressing concerns raised as well as to hear from you on how we can continue to work together to create an accessible student experience for all. We will also be sharing more details on our ongoing efforts to advance the Student Strategic Plan, particularly in the areas of concern you have shared with us.
A message to students
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to every student who participated in the January 2025 Student listening session for students living in residence with their families. Your dedication, engagement, and diverse perspectives showed, yet again, the exceptional nature of the student community at UBC. I appreciate your willingness to show up, share your experiences, and tackle complex and challenging topics.
The insights and feedback from these sessions are invaluable. They continue to shape the evolution of the Student Strategic Plan and guide initiatives across the Vice-President, Students portfolio. My team and I are committed to continue to foster an environment where all students feel heard, supported, and empowered to pursue their personal and academic goals.
Listening to students has been foundational to my work at UBC. I welcome your comments, ideas, and feedback on this report; I look forward to hearing more at upcoming Listening Sessions, student events, and informal conversations.
Talking to students is one of the best parts of my job – please connect with me anytime.