We often find that students know what Student Group Services (SGS) is, but never really get to know the team behind the scenes. Sometimes this can stop students from coming to us with questions or concerns that they may have. In an effort to improve this, we thought it would be fun to make a blog post all about us! In this interview you will hear from our Student Representative Association (SRA) Specialist, Selen Erkut, and our two student coordinators, Nicole Cari and Jillian Kidd. We are currently in the process of replacing our program lead, so stay tuned for more information on the upcoming addition to our team. We hope you’re ready for some fun and factual information about this year’s SGS team!

This is everyone’s first year officially working with SGS, but all three of us have interesting paths that lead us here. Selen spent the majority of her undergrad as a student group executive for different clubs, through which she benefitted from SGS’s work for many years. It was this experience that inspired her to make the switch from being an executive for a few groups to supporting many on the SGS team! Nicole has been an active member of the community within her student group memberships, which let her witness the importance of extracurriculars within the university experience. She was compelled to become more involved in a broader way with SGS and to help facilitate the requirements needed to keep these programs successful and engaging. Finally, Jillian spent her first year online in a different city, learning first hand the importance of student groups in terms of feeling connected to campus. Because of this, she was motivated to help other students find the perfect student group for them!

Before joining SGS, we have held a variety of different positions in numerous clubs, giving us an understanding of the roles and responsibilities that clubs and their members play on campus. Jillian has been a member of both the Feminists at the University of Alberta and wrote for the Gateway last year, and she also joined the Undergraduate Astronomy Society. Selen truly took advantage of the clubs offered on campus, being a part of her department association, the Climate Justice University of Alberta Student Chapter, and so many more. In second year, she also went through sorority recruitment and joined Pi Beta Phi. By the time she was in third year, she was an executive for the University of Alberta College Panhellenic Association and a member of the Order of Omega, a Greek honours society. Nicole participated in several clubs on campus including Science FUNdamentals, Run for Support and Health (RUSH), and the Undergraduate Cell Biology Student Association (UCBSA). A more personal project has been her journey with the Health and Wellness Movement. We all work to bring our knowledge from each student group to the table while we work to support clubs on campus!

But who are we outside of clubs? Nicole is in her fifth year of a Cellular Biology degree, and her favourite food is poutine (even though some people think it's gross). It has also been agreed upon that Nicole brings exceptionally cute outfits and, in her own words, “far too many questions” to the table. Jillian is in her second year studying Political Science and feels it's important that everyone know that despite the fact that she has spent her entire life horseback riding, she is in fact not a horse girl. As the youngest member of the SGS team, Jillian also thinks it’s her responsibility to bring all the fun and relevant GenZ humour to the table to keep the team hip and cool. Selen has just graduated with a BA in Art and Design, and she also spent 5 years living in Turkey as a teenager since she’s half Turkish! As a group, we’ve agreed that Selen undeniably brings “big mom vibes” to the group, in both a professional and relaxed way.

We are all so excited to work with Student Group Services this year, and there are a lot of projects we want to tackle! This is the first year we have had an SRA specialist, so Selen’s main focus is defining how she can best support student groups within her new role. Nicole’s goal this year is to update the resources that we have available for student executives and students who are interested in starting new clubs! It can be a bit of a long process, but some updated how-tos will make a big difference in the overall experience. Jillian’s main focus for the year will be updating the SGS newsletter (subscribe here) and expanding the SGS blog. One of the things we all agree has been a highlight of our jobs has been our ability to meet the student body and support student groups, so all of our projects have been centered around those interactions. Something we are all proud of is that our varied experiences can be leveraged to help best serve our students.

If you have any questions about something we’re working on or want to reach out about a club, you can email clubs@su.ualberta.ca. We are so thrilled to be working with SGS and have had a blast getting to know all of you and your student groups!