User:Sharr01/Western University Sophing

= Sophing = At Western University, Soph is a word that encompasses all upper-year leadership students during fall orientation week (O-Week). Sophing is a verb derived from the (short form) of Sophomore, which is usually a noun for a second-year student in either high school or university. Sophing is a special term used by Western University’s staff, students, and faculty. This activity is central to the leadership culture of Western and is important to the overall community. This article will cover the position of being a Soph, requirements for applications, types of Sophs and some of the controversies that have occurred throughout the years.

Position Overview
A Soph is an “orientation leader”. Throughout orientation week, typically the first week of classes at Western, Sophs lead a predetermined group of first years through orientation activities. They serve as a support system throughout the year for their “frosh” (nickname given to first-year students) not only academically but also socially. Sophs should anticipate little sleep and taking multiple weeks off work for training retreats and O-Week. . Many Soph Teams have both academic and student support for their frosh to ensure success throughout the academic year.

Soph Names
Prior to the 2022-23 academic year, Sophs would forgo their given names for a “Soph Name”, a nickname which they would solely go by for the rest of O-Week. A Soph's “Soph Name” is usually chosen during their Soph training and refers to a memorable story from their first year of university. Sophs typically change their Instagram usernames during this time to keep their given name a ‘secret’ from their Frosh. Sophs claim that this was a great way to connect with their frosh but after the 2021 O-Week Scandals, Western decided for the safety of students, Soph Names would be terminated.

Requirements
As there are barely 1000 Sophing positions for multiple thousands of applicants. Sophs are held to a strict standard, throughout O-Week especially. Sophs are upper-year students attending Western University or an Affiliate University College. Sophs are expected to have first aid training, be “dry” (no alcohol or substance use) throughout O-Week and maintain good academic standing. Potential candidates for the leadership role are required to complete a written application explaining their qualifications. If the application is successful, the candidate is chosen for an interview with the Head Soph Team (HST). . For the Residence Sophs, they apply through Western's Job Portal. Head Soph Team applications are similar but are more selective since they are a group of student who coordinate and plan the entirety of O-Week.

Faculty
Faculty Sophs are Sophs picked especially for their faculty, that is their program of study.

List of Faculty Sophs

 * Art & Humanities
 * Engineering
 * Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS)
 * Health Science
 * Music
 * Science
 * Social Science

Affiliate
Affiliate Sophs are Sophs from one of three Western Affiliate University Colleges. Because of the smaller number of incoming first-year students these Sophs are not divided into faculty groups.

List of Affiliate Sophs

 * Huron University College


 * Brescia University College


 * King’s University College

Charity
These Sophs help with connecting incoming frosh with volunteer opportunities in Western and the greater London community.

Off-Campus
These Sophs cater to frosh that live off-campus, helping them with their adjustments

Residence
Faculty Sophs also serve as Residence Sophs, helping students living in residence with their adjustments.

Application Process
There have been many changes to the application process for Sophs throughout the year. Many have critiqued the application process for Sophing. Potential candidates are required to apply through a google-forms, making it rely heavily on writing. It is considered that having the application rely solely on the written aspect, is a disservice to many students who are not strong in writing. The role of a Soph is important to interpersonal skills and teamwork, things that cannot be easily demonstrated through writing. The application process today still relies heavily on writing.

Compensation
Sophs are often asked to take weeks off work for comprehensive training and for O-Week. Sophs are also asked to pay for uniforms and conform to their “anatomy of a (insert category) Soph” which can cost them a lot more than anticipated. Negotiations for Soph compensation began in April 2022. As of O-Week 2022 HST was compensated monetarily for their time while Sophs were compensated through free food and drinks throughout the week.

O-Week 2021
Sophs have faced a lot of criticism for their actions through the years (Gazette offensive garment) but September 2021 saw the worst in Soph criticism, including the idea that Soph names are “sexually charged”. . the 2021-22 O-Week, Western University saw a rise in gender-based violence with over 164 cases reported  The incidents that occurred were covered not only by Western’s student-run paper but CBC, Global News and London Free Press. Sexual assault allegations were handled by adding culture advisors and implanting new gender-based violence training for students. At the end of the day, Soph suffered the cut of their Soph names to promote transparency between themselves, the university, and their frosh. Sophs faced allegations of negligence for the happenings of the week of September 17, 2021. The advisors that Western hired stated that the eradication of the Soph name promotes accountability between Soph and Frosh. This policy was realized during  O-Week 2022 which also included more comprehensive training.