Within our College Office you will find support or a starting point to any question. We have student staff who are trained to assist you with scheduling your classes, an Academic Advisor who can help you navigate your degree and an Academic Skills Instructor who can offer support with your assignments and study skills. We also have a sunny patio for studying and College swag so you can show off your Champlain pride.
Working closely with the Champlain College Cabinet, and the Residence Life Coordinator, the College Office is the place to bring any question or concern during your time at Trent University.
Meet our College Staff
James Onusko
College Principal
Dan McIntosh
College Assistant
2023-current
Dan is available to support students, staff and faculty: he loves working with students, solving problems, and helping to support the vibrant community of Champlain College. You'll find him in the College office and he is a helpful first point of contact for all who enter the college office. Dan is also a Trent Alum with a degree in Sociology. When he is not on campus you can find him on his farm near Buckhorn.
Lindy Garneau
Academic Advisor
2019-current
As your Academic Advisor I support your academic planning process, including course registration, degree checks and petitions. I also provide coaching related to your academic goals. My pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation (Bear Clan).
My learning journey began at Trent in 2000, when I began my undergraduate degree studying Indigenous Studies and History. Shortly after convocating with a BA(Honours) I began working at Trent as the Educational Access Assistant with Student Accessibility Services (SAS). In time I moved on to new roles such as Learning Strategist and Special Projects Coordinator at SAS, as well as Aboriginal Counsellor with the First Peoples House of Learning and the role of Head of Peter Gzowski College from 2014-18. I have been both a Teaching Assistant and an Instructor for INDG 1010Y as well as an Instructor for INDG-ADMN 3040H in the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies.
I earned my M.Ed in Post-Secondary Studies from Memorial University of Newfoundland. My research focused on the transformational learning experiences of Indigenous women in the university classroom. I am also an Adler Trained Coach (ATC) from Adler International Inc. in Toronto. As a life-long learner and professional coach, my ongoing areas of interest include transformation learning, women in leadership, Indigenous pedagogy in higher education, coaching and storytelling.
Susan Thompson
Academic Skills
I am the College Academic Skills Instructor. In this role, I work with students to help them refine and improve the academic skills required to achieve success at university. These academic skills range from learning how to use the dreaded comma correctly to developing critical thinking and analysis abilities. I have a keen interest in understanding how students learn and in providing students with the resources and information they need to succeed. I find the role of Academic Skills Instructor to be extremely rewarding, especially when a student’s new skill is applied and results in improved confidence and satisfaction.
Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Arts in Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies, I am privileged to have completed both my undergraduate and graduate education at Trent University. Before joining the Champlain College team, I enjoyed working as a Teaching Assistant and Course Instructor for the Trent School of Business. In my spare time I enjoy reading Canadian fiction, knitting socks, walking in the woods, and paddling on the water.