New support advisors will help provide counsel to students experiencing trauma as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, says Provost and Vice-President Academic, Robert Aguirre.

“We have recognized that the current humanitarian crisis is challenging for many of us on campus, particularly for those members of groups who have been most directly impacted,” Dr. Aguirre says. “We are pleased to announce that two members of our faculty have stepped forward in this critical time to act as supports for students.”

Riham Al-Saadi, assistant professor in the School of Social Work, will serve as the Palestinian Student Support Advisor. She completed all her studies at the University of Windsor: a bachelor of science in behaviour, cognition, and neuroscience; and master’s and PhD degrees in social work. A Palestinian-Canadian whose family sought refuge in Lebanon in 1948, Dr. Al-Saadi focused her doctoral dissertation on immigrant and refugees’ acculturation process and her positionality as a Palestinian with immigrant and refuge milestones.

Ira Lawrence Cohen serves as the Jewish Student Support Advisor. He is a sessional lecturer in the Odette School of Business, teaching courses in the Master of Management program, including international business and strategy management. Dr. Cohen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication arts, a postgraduate diploma in international business management, an MBA, and a PhD with a dissertation focus on solving the business challenges and developing the competencies of entrepreneurs through the application of action learning.

“I encourage students to reach out to either of these advisors for support in dealing with the impact of global conflict,” says Aguirre.

Contact details for the advisors:

Meet and greets for students to get to know the advisors are being organized for the coming weeks.