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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, A ug us t 8, 20 19 | 6 The crux of Saukel's is- sue with this particular course, which she chose not to disclose, is the lack of support from the teach- ing faculty and adminis- tration when she was struggling. A 101 course, she expected it to be begin- ner-level, but, she says, the professor, who wrote the textbook, designed and taught the course made it way harder than expected. Saukel says that when she wrote the final exam, she noticed that a lot of the content on it wasn't partic- ularly covered during the course. Recognizing this, Sau- kel reached out to her aca- demic advisor to see if she could withdraw without penalty. The academic ad- visor responded eight days later, telling her that it was too late and she would be stuck with the default 30 per cent for the dropped course. While Saukel accepts her fate with the course, the main issue is what she calls a lack of recourse for students who have issues with professors. The University of Wa- terloo is one of the only universities in Canada without an ombudsper- son. In 2010, the ombuds- man office was renamed to become the Student Re- source Office. The Stu- dent Resource Office no longer exists. So, frustrated with the lack of resources to air her grievance, Saukel posted the video. "If no one's going to say it, I don't mind being the one. I'm a little bit of a whis- tle blower by nature and al- most immediately, my vul- nerableness in sharing that was appreciated," she said. Saukel added that since she's noticed she's not the only student who has been affected this way, there is a systemic issue of sorts at the University of Waterloo - a culture of perfectionism. The University of Waterloo is one of the most difficult schools to get into, requir- ing at the very minimum an 80 per cent average in high school. She said it's as though students "should essential- ly just roll over and take it. Waterloo holds their stu- dents to a high standard, but they don't make those standards clear." The day after the video was posted, Saukel re- ceived a call from counsel- ling services at the univer- sity requesting her to come in. While she appreciates the gesture, she said the is- sue isn't with her emotions, but with the university it- self. "Counselling is irrele- vant," said Saukel. "I need honest professors who aren't going to drop the bomb on me. I need acade- my advisors who are go- ing to take the time for students who have al- ready paid their money rather than new stu- dents." Matthew Grant, direc- tor of media relations with the University of Water- loo, told the Chronicle that there are a number of different avenues stu- dents can pursue if they have issues with a class or a particular member of faculty. If anyone is struggling in a class, he said, they can apply for academic ac- commodation, which can include solutions such as changing exam dates. There's also a grade ap- peal program and if there's a complaint about a specific staff member, there's a process for that as well. Grant also noted that the University of Waterloo has invested financially and philosophically in mental health supports for students and encourages any student that thinks they could benefit to seek those resources. NEWS Continued from page 1 THERE ARE OPTIONS FOR STRUGGLING STUDENTS, SAYS UW STORY BEHIND THE STORY: After finding the video on YouTube, reporter Adam Jackson reached out to Saukel to talk to her about the story. THE ISSUE: A UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO STUDENT BELIEVES THERE'S AN ISSUE WITH THE SCHOOL LOCAL IMPACT: MANY STUDENTS STRUGGLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH AS A RESULT OF THE RIGOURS OF POST-SECONDARY LIFE Shelby Kempel threw a gem in the clinching game on Sunday as the Waterloo Ghosts Gold captured their third straight provin- cial softball title with a vic- tory over the Oakville An- gels. Kempel didn't allow a single run on Sunday against the previously un- defeated Angels, throwing a complete game shut out and leading the Ghosts to a 5-0 victory and a third con- secutive provincial Un- der-19 women's title. The Ghosts now have a 47-6 record as they look to defend their 2018 national title, which they captured in B.C. Avery Hilpert scored the deciding run in the fifth inning following an error by Oakville, and the Ghosts scored four runs in the seventh inning to seal the deal. Blythe Hilpert, Claire Lavereau, and Anis- sa Zacharczuk drove in the runs in the inning. Zacharczuk was named top hitter of the tourna- ment over the weekend as she knocked in 11 runs, scored 10, and posted a .600 average. Kempel allowed only four hits in the seven in- nings while striking out three. To earn a spot in the fi- nals, Waterloo blew out Vaughan by a score of 12-4. The Under-19 2019 Cana- dian fast pitch champion- ships will be held in Kitch- ener-Waterloo from Au- gust 13th to August 18th at the Peter Hallman Ball Yard. For more details on the event, visit http:// www.wmgsa.com/. WATERLOO GHOSTS SOFTBALL SQUAD CAPTURES THIRD STRAIGHT PROVINCIAL TITLE NAMISH MODI nmodi@ waterloochronicle.ca The Waterloo Ghosts Gold softball squad captured the Under-19 woman's provincial title over the weekend. Waterloo softball COMMUNITY