By Meriem Nour

In November 2025, students in Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) medical school launched the School of Medicine Student Council (TMMSC), establishing a student-run organization that oversees an umbrella of clubs, societies and events on the Brampton Campus.  

The council’s inaugural executive team says they are focused on building a strong sense of community and support among students on a campus that’s only a year old. 

Shymega Arasaratnam, co-president of the TMMSC, said there was a lot of advocacy work happening within the cohort—which launched with just 94 students last year—because there were no recreational structures in place for the student body, including interest groups and clubs. 

“I knew that our cohort was built on that foundation of advocacy, and we knew that we needed to build structures that work for us, that are tailored for us, that are also built by us,” said Arasaratnam.

The council oversees initiatives such as talent shows, a handful of new student groups and mentorship programs, which Arasaratnam said have matched 109 resident physician mentors with 80 student mentees. 

Arasaratnam said medical students having a campus to themselves gave them “common ground,” helping them launch different cultural, religious and interest groups early on. 

On May 20, the council hosted a cultural bazaar, which they hope to be the first of many, where students represented their countries and backgrounds through booths featuring food, music, games and traditions. 

Haris Ahmad, co-president of the TMMSC alongside Arasaratnam, said that the idea to launch a formalized council started early in September 2025. 

Ahmad explained that around 60 medical students gathered the following month to discuss the logistics and operations of the council. According to Ahmad, the council will host its first student-organized orientation week for the upcoming fall semester, in collaboration with the School of Medicine’s school-run orientation week. 

“Community organizations will be present and students will be able to pick their own adventure and get to understand the wider grounds and field,” said Ahmad. 

Talia Hassan, a second-year medical student—a member of the original cohort—said the council’s administration actively heard student concerns through surveys and group-chat discussions and made changes when needed. 

Hassan gave an example where she was in a class where the facilitator wasn’t meeting student expectations. The group provided feedback and the facilitator was quickly replaced. 

“The fact that they were able to make that change so quickly, just based on our group’s feedback, says a lot,” she said. 

Hassan said that her favourite parts of this past year were the post-exam socials, which included bowling, dinners and going to Activate Games. The socials were organized by Helen Abay, the vice-president of student engagement for the council. 

Hassan also added that the council created networking opportunities with other TMU programs, such as a law social event with the Lincoln Alexander School of Law.

Arasaratnam said that their goal is to leave behind a “body of work” that is going to be there for future generations of medical school students to carry on.