Their duty is in their name. Support staff at Algoma University are charged with supporting the student body and fellow workers, along with the school in general.
The team assists with office, administrative, physical plant, and other vital services required to keep the University running smoothly. In particular, Algoma U support staff are responsible for janitorial and maintenance, finance and accounting, information technology, marketing and recruitment, library, registration, and a number of other essential roles.
Simply put, without them, Algoma U would not operate.
Years ago, the school’s support staff decided to go one step further and ended up establishing bursaries to help students in another way.
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) – District 35 represents support staff at multiple universities throughout the province, including Algoma U. The 85-member local created the Algoma University Support Staff Bursary Award and Algoma University Support Staff International Scholarship.
“We want to support our students and see them succeed,” said Craig Diotte, President of the Bargaining Unit for OSSTF – District 35. “Ultimately, that’s why we work at Algoma University – to assist students in any way we can. Helping students is extremely important to our members, which is why we established the bursaries in the first place. It allows our team to give back in a different way.”
A graduate of Algoma U’s Bachelor of Computer Science program, Diotte began working in the school’s Information Technology Department as its Systems Administrator some 16 years ago. He also teaches computer network-related courses at the University on a part-time basis.
Given his various past and present roles at the school, Diotte sees the education sector from a few different lenses. “A majority of our union members are post-secondary graduates – a lot came right from Algoma U – so we know what it’s like to be a student. From a financial perspective, it’s not always easy to go to university. If our awards can help out a few students in reaching their potential and graduating, our members are very happy to do it. Algoma U is a great place to work. The students are great to interact with, and we’re delighted to be able to assist them.”
The OSSTF District 35 – Algoma University Support Staff Bursary Award is given to two students who are enrolled in full-time studies, are in good academic standing and have demonstrated financial need. The bursaries were increased to $800 a few years back.
Last year’s recipients were Eva-Louise Hyderman and Pirathapan Kandiah. The 2016 recipients will be announced at the 23rd Annual Algoma University Student Awards this coming winter.
The OSSTF District 35 – Algoma University Support Staff International Scholarship provides one award to the international student enrolled in full-time studies with the highest average overall. The scholarship was also increased to $800 recently.
The 2015 recipient of this scholarship was Kanzhe Liu. This year’s winner will also be announced at the 23rd Annual Algoma University Student Awards.
For more information on Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation – District 35 Algoma University Support Staff, please visit the association’s website.
Share Article
