The U of M has announced Student Success Month for October 2024. The event aims to educate students on the various supports that are available as they navigate the academic year.

Francois Jordaan, academic integrity coordinator for the Academic Learning Centre, outlined a series of activities scheduled for Student Success Month. He explained that the event’s general theme, “momentum,” aligns with the new strategic plan recently launched by the U of M.

“We think it fits in really well with Student Success Month, [it’s] saying to students that we would like you to keep that momentum, that excitement at the start of September when you’re really excited and it’s moving through to October and you’re getting a little bit stressed,” said Jordaan.

The Student Success Month features a booth kickoff on Oct. 1 at the UMSU University Centre, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Other partners such as the Academic Learning Centre, Student Advocacy, health and wellness and the Sexual Violence Resource Centre will also be present. There will be some games to help students interact.

The first theme of the Student Success Month, running through the first week from Oct. 1 to 5, is called “asking for help.”

Jordaan added that the goal for the week is to bring together different partners across campus and raise awareness that asking for help is a positive action, not a sign of weakness. He said, “we want to show students that it it’s a good idea to reach out for help.”

The university’s food bank will also be having a tabling event on Oct. 4 to take donations and also create awareness about the important role that it plays on campus. The second theme of Student Success Month, “academic skills,” will run from Oct. 6 to 19. This theme focuses on helping students develop specific academic abilities. It was strategically scheduled to align with the International Day of Action for Academic Integrity on Oct. 16.

Jordaan explained that the goal is to educate students about academic integrity and what they should know around artificial intelligence usage, but to also provide skills when it comes to academic work.

In addition, librarians will educate students on how to access various services, including sourcing information at the library.

The Academic Learning Centre will also host workshops on academic writing for both undergraduate and graduate students. Jordaan explained that “the aim is just to kind of, again, get students aware that there’s these really great resources available to them that can help with their academic work. And we really want them to make use of these services.” He also added that there will be an open dialogue on the use of generative AI as it has become more prevalent and the need to embrace it so that students can use it ethically.

The third theme of the month will focus on “wellness and connections” from Oct. 20 to 31.

More partners have been included in this year’s Student Success Month, including the International College of Manitoba, extended education, Black Student Union and the Indigenous representative for UMSU.

Also, this year’s Student Success Month will also incorporate a QR code that will be helpful to students who do not get the opportunity to participate. This QR code will help get input from such students about their interests regarding any of the three themes. This will enable organizers to send a list of relevant resources to each student.

There will be a footprint across campus, noted Jordaan. Events will be present at buildings within the faculty of science, the UMSU University Centre and the Indigenous Centre. “We’re trying to reach as many students as possible,” he said.

In order to keep the momentum throughout the academic year even after the program ends in October, there will be resources provided to students — a continuation of academic workshops and a health and wellness project.

This year’s Student Success Month will feature several in-person workshops, along with a few being online. These workshops aim to help students connect with peers and faculty, build relationships and reassure them that they are not alone.

“It’s a great place for connecting with fellow students,” said Jordaan. “It’s a great time to kind of see where you might need a bit of help with, […] connect with different people and that you’re not alone.” He added, “we’re all in this together as a community.”

Student Success month offers a variety of opportunities for all students with its different themes. Whether focused on asking for help, academic skills and wellness and connections, or academic integrity, students will find significant benefits throughout the month, and beyond all, it aims at boosting student success during the challenging part of the academic year.

For more information about Student Success Month, visit umanitoba.ca/current-students/um-commons/student-success-month.