BY TAYLOR JOHNSON

Right now things are starting to slow down for the ASA as the term is winding down. Wellness Week just came to an end, and I was incredibly pleased with how successful it was. I hope the events of this week allowed students to take a break and focus on their own wellness, even just for a moment.
I would like to give a big thank you to our VP Com, Alex Ho, and the Awareness Committee for all the work they put into the week to make it successful.
Another exciting thing on the radar is about substance use on campus. I am a member of a working group on campus that is looking a creating a new policy surrounding the three legal substances: tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol. This working group has made recommendations to the Academic Council to allow for restricted use of all three substances on campus.
Obviously, this is a huge change to our campus and it would really shake the culture we have here. Some recommendations we have put forward are designated smoking areas on campus for tobacco and cannabis.
These designated areas would be separate from each other, and one possible location of this is the gazebo in the Ravine but nothing has been decided yet.
Something we have gotten a lot of feedback on in the ASA is the location of the smoking spot in front of First Year Dorms. This location has also been recommended to be moved.
In regards to alcohol, the group has also recommended restricted use in dorms. We have looked at placing limits on the number of people in rooms at a time to ensure that a “party culture” doesn’t run rampant. Essentially, alcohol would be allowed in dorm rooms but would not be allowed in hallways or common areas/lounges.
This policy is hopefully going to be drafted and ready to roll out in the new year with the ability to make changes and modify things as we see fit. It is always easier to place more restrictions to begin with and take away as seen fit than add restrictions afterwards. We are always looking for feedback on this, especially from students, so if you ever want to chat about this please don’t hesitate to visit me in the office or send me an email at asapres@ualberta.ca.
Best of luck on all your final assignments and final exams and I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing winter break!